“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…” (Revelation 2:7 ESV).
John wrote to the seven churches under the authority of the Spirit of Christ. In all seven letters, he included this repeated call, echoing Jesus’ own words in the Gospels: “He that has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15). This was more than an invitation—it was a divine instruction. The repetition signals that not only every church (notice the plural “churches”), but every individual believer (notice the singular “He”), in every generation, must cultivate spiritual sensitivity to clearly hear His voice.
The apostle Paul taught that the natural man cannot grasp these truths; only the spiritual man, renewed by God, can perceive and respond to the Spirit’s voice (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14-16). Each time Jesus repeated this phrase, he reminded believers that hearing demanded their attention, discernment, and a readiness to obey.
We are invited into the same posture of attentive hearing that Christ commanded long ago. We often listen with physical ears while missing the deeper call to spiritual responsiveness. Yet the risen Christ still speaks to His people through His Word by His Spirit. We can slow down, unclog our ears from distractions, and lean in with alert hearts, tuning our ears to the Spirit’s voice. Really listening shapes our decisions, transforms our hearts, and strengthens our perseverance. To really listen is to respond: to align our lives with God’s Word, to obey promptly, and to persevere faithfully until He calls us home.
PRAYER: Dear Father, open our ears to hear what Your Spirit is saying to us today. Help us not only to read Your Word but to meditate on it, discern it, and obey it. Teach us to listen with spiritual ears, to distinguish Your voice from the noise of the world, and to live in faithful obedience. In Jesus’ name, amen.