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Jon Straumfjord's Articles in Religion

  • Believe that He Is
    Everyone wants to receive from God, but many people don't even meet God's very first requirement: “believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6). But why should we believe that any God exists at all? “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalms 19:1) The Bible contains some very ancient information about the beginning of the universe which we are only now beginning to understand.
  • Who Do You Trust?
    How can we tell whether or not a particular deity is worthy to be called “God.” A good initial test is to evaluate a particular religion's story of creation. The Bible's creation story can be demonstrated as credible, while many others obviously are not.
  • Answers to Some Objections about the Existence of God
    We can offer plausible explanations for the existence of Adam and Eve, and the flood of Noah. Obviously, many other questions could be considered, but unless you settle in your heart the questions of God's existence and His ability to fulfill His promises, you will receive nothing from Him.
  • Saved by Faith
    The Lord has presented everyone with a long list of promised blessings, however, no one is able by his/her own effort to obtain those blessings. In our own effort, we can only obtain the numerous curses that the Lord has pronounced on all who are imperfect; but God has made a way for all who believe in Jesus Christ.
  • The unity of the 7 Spirits of God
    There are 7 Spirits of God who only act in complete unity with each other and with the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Whereas people and governments continually work to ensure that only a definite majority can have their way, God will only act if all 7 Spirits and the Trinity are in complete and total agreement. There is no division, “no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17, NKJV) with the Lord God.
  • Who are the 7 Spirits of God?
    Each of the 7 Spirits of God has Her own name and personal identity. Each of the 7 Spirits is infinite in Her scope and influence on the character of God, Whose very nature represents the sum total of the nature of the 7 Spirits combined without ever compromising any of the 7 Spirits at any time.
  • How Does the Lord Act in Relation to the 7 Spirits?
    How do the 7 Spirits influence the actions of the Lord God? A good way to answer this question is to examine a situation that seemingly puts members of the 7 Spirits of God at odds with each other. However, even in these situations there is nothing other than unanimous agreement. The Love of God, the Holiness of God, and all the 7 Spirits of God always operate in complete unity.
  • Symbols of the Seven Spirits of God
    There are many symbols of the 7 Spirits of God, first revealed in the very first chapter of the very first book of the Bible, Genesis, with many more listed throughout the scriptures, even unto the very last chapter of the last book, Revelations. However, it would appear that most people seeking the Lord's blessings don't really seek the Lord God, the Provider of those blessings, and rarely receive the blessings they desire.
  • The Power of the Seven Spirits in Prayer
    We can have all our needs met by our Father in Heaven, but we must ask in Faith in an attitude of absolute trust in the Love of God, without asking the Lord to compromise any of the Seven Spirits of God. The Father will give us everything we need, at the proper time, but it must be in line with His ultimate goal of transforming us into the image of His Son.
  • The Power of the 7 Spirits in Prayer – Life and Holiness
    If we ever expect to receive good things from the Father, we must come into His presence from a position of Life and Holiness. Only the Living can come before the Lord and expect good things, and those who claim to be alive must demonstrate freedom from death by being Holy, not by our own righteousness, but rather the righteousness of Christ.
  • The Power of the 7 Spirits in Prayer – Truth and Wisdom
    If we are ever going to receive the answers we are seeking in prayer, our prayers MUST be in agreement with the revealed will of God. The Lord isn't going to let anyone manipulate Him into doing anything He has already said He won't do, no matter how hard we may try to misconstrue God's words. We must come into His presence in the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Wisdom.
  • Prophets and Prophecy
    The Spirit of Prophecy is as involved in the Church today as She ever was. Because the Lord never changes, and since the Lord Himself instituted prophecy and commissioned prophets in the past, both prophecy and prophets must continue to exist and be an influence in the Church, even though the Enemy continually seeks to discredit legitimate prophecy.
  • Genuine and False Prophecy
    The Lord both instituted prophecy and commissioned prophets because He greatly desires to speak to us through both His written word and His spoken word. Because God is forever the God of the present and He wants to speak to us, the Enemy, in his malevolence, has created counterfeit prophets. As a consequence, the Lord has provided us the means to test both prophets and prophecy so we can discern the genuine from the counterfeit.
  • Hindered Prayer - Prophecy Ignored
    http://wwww.7-spirits.com The Lord is continually speaking to us. He speaks through His word (the Bible), He speaks through other people, He speaks to us verbally, and He speaks to us through visions. The Lord is constantly speaking to us, but we are frequently not listening.
  • Answered Prayer: Persistent Listening
    http://wwww.7-spirits.com The Lord is continually speaking to us, and frequently gives us the answer very quickly. However, if we are not paying attention and willing to accept an answer different than we expect, we may never know that the Lord has answered. Also, the Enemy is constantly at work to sabotage our reception of the Lord's actual answer. We must persevere to obtain the Lord's answer to our prayers.
  • Faith Empowers the Lord God
    http://www.7-spirits.com; Faith is a characteristic of God Himself; in fact, Faith is one of the Seven Spirits of God. The Lord demonstrated His faith in both creation and the plan of salvation.
  • Faith, a Characteristic of the Lord Jesus Christ
    http://www.7-spirits.com; Jesus Christ, even though He always was God, completely laid down His deity to live as a man so that He could become the sacrifice for the sin of all mankind.
  • A Good Testimony
    http://www.7-Spirits.com The Lord is actively searching for men and women of faith, and He takes great delight in those of faith. People of faith also serve as examples to other believers as conduits of the Lord's power.
  • Cain and Abel
    Cain and Abel are the first in the "Faith Hall of Fame." Cain is a supreme example of lack of faith, while Abel is an excellent example of faith in action.
  • Enoch
    Enoch is a supreme example of faith in action: he continually grew closer to the Lord, he gave his son a prophetic name, and he dedicated himself totally to the Lord, and was rewarded for his faith and faithfulness.
  • Noah
    Noah was a man of faith. He continued to steadfastly obey a command he had received from the Lord for 120 years, even in the face of constant opposition and ridicule.
  • Abraham
    After receiving some fantastic promises when he was 75, when Abraham was 86 years old, Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian maidservant and Abraham's second wife, gave birth to Ishmael. When Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah 90, they gave birth to Isaac, the child who had been promised 25 years earlier.
  • Jacob's Blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh
    Jacob, after a life of deception and manipulation, finally yielded to the Lord's direction. The result of his new-found compliance was a lasting blessing for his children.