God's Holy Fire: 'God's New Temple'

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

[In his revelation to John, Jesus said,] "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
— Revelation 3:13 NIV

Key Thought

Jesus urges us to listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. In this context, the focus is on his promise to make those who are battling strong opposition to their faith into a permanent and heavenly temple for God. While earthly buildings will crumble and fall, the disciples are promised a permanent place in a permanent dwelling in which God lives. Throughout the New Testament, the Spirit repeatedly tells us that
  1. we are being built into a temple where the Holy Spirit lives (Ephesians 2:19-21),
  2. we are living stones being built into God's temple (1 Peter 2:4-5),
  3. we are individually the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and
  4. we are collectively, as a church, the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
The ultimate, the final, and the grandest promise of all is this one: Those who are faithful even unto death and overcome the world (Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 5:5) are built into God's eternal temple.

Today's Prayer

Dear God, my Father in heaven, everything around me is subject to aging, decay, and destruction. So I thank you for promising me something eternal and giving me the gift of your Holy Spirit to guarantee this promise and to work in me to make me wholly yours. In Jesus' name, I thank you. Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

1 Related Resource by Heartlight

To Philadelphia: 'I Possess the Key'
Devo: A Year with Jesus
"Dear Faithful One, My letter to My followers in the ancient city of "brotherly love" — the meaning of the word Philadelphia — is for you...."

Illustration

Illustration of Revelation 3:13 NIV — [In his revelation to John, Jesus said,] "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'God Rescues Us and Carries Us' (Ps. 68:19-21)
"Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death....."
Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'Earnest Caregiving' (2 Co. 8:16-23)
"Dear Father, to whom all honor is due, Thank you for the earnest care you put into the heart of people like Titus. Thank you for people who respond....."
Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'There is No Other!' (Is. 45:18)
"For the Lord is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty..."
What Jesus Did!
A daily guide from the gospels that challenges readers to live for Jesus.
'Rescue and Righteousness' (Jn. 8:7-9)
"[The Jewish leaders] kept demanding an answer [to their question about the woman caught in adultery, so Jesus] stood up again and said, "All right,..."

About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

More God's Holy Fire

Translations