God's Holy Fire: 'What the Spirit Says to the Churches'

Thursday, October 15, 2026

[In his revelation to John, Jesus said,] "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."
— Revelation 2:7 NIV

Key Thought

Jesus uses the Holy Spirit to speak to his people, his churches, in the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation. But don't you believe that if we seek God and are striving to worship God empowered by the Spirit, then the Spirit will also speak to us in fresh and powerful ways through God's word? When we open the Bible, more happens than mere reading! The Spirit who inspired that word also convicts us and calls out to us and corrects us and seeks to conform us to the will of God and the character of Jesus. So let's open our Bibles with the expectation that the Spirit will use these old words in fresh and new ways and give us new insights for all our battles, both old and new.

Today's Prayer

O God, help me hear your word in the various ways you want me to hear it. As the Spirit works on my heart, shape and make me like Jesus, your Living Word and Ultimate Word. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

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Illustration

Illustration of Revelation 2:7 NIV — "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."

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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.

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