Do You Have Ears To Hear?

Daily Bread

Daily Bread Devotions by Chuck Myer Daily Bread Archive | Sign up for our resources

From the Revelation of Jesus Christ we read,

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:11 – NASB)

In speaking to seven churches in The Revelation, chapters 2 through 3, Jesus says, seven times, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” He is speaking to get the attention of His church. As He addresses the church at Ephesus, at Smyrna, at Pergamum, at Thyatira, at Sardis, at Philadelphia, and at Laodicea, His authoritative voice from holy writ calls to those who are His,

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says . . .”

“Do you have ears to hear?” You reply, “Well, of course I do!” Then let me ask you this: “Do you have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying?” You ask, “Well, how do I hear Him speak?” Scripture! Through Scripture God speaks to us! Someone has said quite well, “When you open the Bible God speaks. When you close it He is silent.” Are you opening up the Word of God? Are you, and am I, hearing what the Spirit is saying to the church, to us who make up the church?

This is not an uncommon thing to hear from the Scriptures. When Jesus was teaching He would often say,

“He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:9 – NASB)

Literally the Lord is saying, “If you understand, then heed the message.” It is for us to have our “ear” to God’s Word. For “the Spirit” is speaking to us through it! Are you listening? Are you applying yourself to understand what God is saying through His Word and are you heeding the message?

Note what the apostle Paul writes in his first letter to his beloved Timothy, as the Author of Scripture, the Holy Spirit, speaks through him,

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (I Timothy 4:1 – NASB)

Note . . . “the Spirit . . . says.” In Scripture God the Holy Spirit speaks to us. Paul warns that “in later times,” days such as you and I live in, “some will fall away from the faith.” How? They will have their “ears” attuned to “deceitful spirits” who espouse different “doctrines” than those given in holy Scripture. These teachings are from “demons.” There is a “fall(ing) away from the faith” because application has not been applied to a hearing and an understanding of what “the Spirit . . . says” but rather to that which “deceitful spirits” say.

I pray every week, before I go to our worship service, that our Pastor will speak forth the Word of God without compromise, expounding on the Word with great care and with diligence in cutting the pieces rightly, striving to set us apart by its truth (John 17:17). I then pray that we, the church, will have “ears” to “hear” what “the Spirit” has to say . . . . we will “understand” and we will “heed the message.”

This is a most appropriate prayer for all of us to offer up in this day in which you and I live, a most necessary prayer for the church, the body of Christ . . . that we might have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying!

Have a good day brethren . . . . and as you walk have your ears attuned to God’s Word and apply yourself to understanding just what it is that He is saying. Do not fall into the snare of the devil and be led away from the faith by the false teachings of demons.

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