The 7 Spirits of God: Sent by the Father to Equip us to Rule and Reign
We have shifted from CHURCH AGE to KINGDOM AGE, and, with that, from a primarily priestly function to the Order of Melchezedik—King and Priest. Hebrews 7:17, which quotes Psalm 110:4, affirms that Jesus is a “priest forever after the order of Melchezedik.”
Revelation 5:8-10: “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.’”
Ephesians 2:4-6: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
We, as a corporate body, have crossed over into the Promised Land. The wilderness was all about getting the “slave” out of us—both personally and corporately—because a slave cannot rule and reign. Even if a slave is given “houses he didn’t build and crops he didn’t plant,” he will sabotage his external circumstances to fit his limited view of himself.
A religious system programs everyone involved to be a slave. In this system, you will either function as a victim, a victimizer or a savior—all of which are controlled by each other and all of which are powerless.
Revelation 2:1-7: “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’
Notes from the original Scofield study Bible says this: “From nikao, ‘to conquer,’ and laos, ‘the people,’ or ‘laity.’ There is no ancient authority for a sect of the Nicolaitanes. If the word is symbolic it refers to the earliest form of the notion of a priestly order, or “clergy,’ which later divided an equal brotherhood (Matthew 23:8) into ‘priests’ and ‘laity.’ What in Ephesus was ‘deeds’ had become in Pergamos a ‘doctrine.’”
So, the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which God hates, literally means to conquer the people and manifests whenever the clergy controls the laity. We see this every time we allow ourselves to be manipulated, exploited or controlled or every time we are controlled by the needs of a victim rather than being led by the Holy Spirit. Eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good, we push past the grace of God, allowing the victim to depend upon us, when God is trying to grow him to maturity.
But God’s true design is for each member of the Body of Christ to operate in his or her God-given functions, roles, gifts and responsibilities, serving and honoring each other as led by the Holy Spirit in a safe atmosphere of unconditional love, age-appropriate responsibilities, and healthy boundaries communicated honestly in love. It looks like a healthy family, which probably very few of us have been privileged to experience. It is love vs. fear, freedom vs. control, and responsibility vs. blame shifting.
The key lies in Revelation 2:7—The Tree of Life, which is absolute dependence upon God. Hearing from God for ourselves automatically takes us out of the slave role and empowers us to do what He is telling us to do. We no longer need to blame others, but can accept responsibility for our own walk with God. We no longer need to control others, but can simply be pro-active in controlling ourselves. We no longer need to react to the needs or the abuses of others, but can proactively respond by doing the will of the Father.
This is how Jesus functioned on the earth. And this is what we have said yes to: being an earthly picture of a heavenly reality, “on earth as it is in heaven.”
For those who have become adept at surviving the religious system, the shift may feel uncomfortable, unstable or unsettling. It may trigger insecurities, as we shift from over-dependence on man to absolute dependence on God coupled with healthy interdependence with others. Some may even unconsciously attempt to recreate a situation in which they are occupying a familiar “powerless” role.
But in this hour, God is growing His church to maturity, and we have the privilege of saying yes to this process of growth and maturity, this freedom wrapped in responsibility, which will enable us to rule and reign with Him.
In Revelation 2:1-5, the lampstand, (the menorah) represents the 7 Spirits of God mentioned in Isaiah 11:1-2: “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
and a Branch shall grow out of His roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding,
the Spirit of Counsel and Might,
the Spirit of Knowledge and of the Fear of the Lord.”
Several years ago, in a powerful encounter, the Father revealed that He has sent them to us:
1. To grow us to maturity
2. To teach us the protocols of the kingdom
3. To teach us how to go “up and down, in and out, to and fro,” (or, in other
words, to teach us how to live out of the heavenly realms and dimensions from which Adam fell from and that Jesus died to give us back)
4. To teach us how to interact with spiritual dignitaries
Proverbs 8:12-16 is a companion passage, revealing their vital role in equipping us to rule and reign: ““I, Wisdom, dwell with prudence,
and find out Knowledge and discretion.
The Fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
pride and arrogance and the evil way
and the perverse mouth I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound Wisdom;
I am Understanding, I have Strength. By me kings reign,
and rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles,
all the judges of the earth.”
And so, Father, we come to You now, in Jesus’ name, asking You to reveal all areas of powerlessness in our lives, so that we can repent and can be healed and strengthened in You. We receive Your ministry, Spirit of Truth, and thank You for “guiding us into all truth.” We submit to Your dealings in our lives, and ask You to grow us to maturity, so that we can rule and reign with You. We now receive Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might, Knowledge, the Fear of the Lord and the Spirit of the Lord. And we accept the crown and throne (the seat of rest and of authority) that You, Jesus, died to give us. We yield to You, asking You to make us an “earthly picture of a heavenly reality,” for the glory of Your name and the advancement of Your kingdom. Amen!