December 23, 2025

EARS TO HEAR

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’”

Matthew 1:20-21 NLT

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TODAY’S THOUGHT

The Christmas story is full of miracles. Just look at how it begins: Mary receives a visit from an angel and conceives by the Holy Spirit. Her fiancé, Joseph, receives a dream revealing that the child is from God and that he should proceed with the marriage.

Joseph was a carpenter. Carpenters are usually considered hardworking, practical men. They aren’t the typical type to talk about dreams and angelic visitations. Yet, in the Christmas story, Joseph experiences multiple dreams. In our text, an angel appears to him in a dream with specific instructions: take Mary as his wife and name the baby Jesus. That is specific guidance!

Evidently, Joseph was very open to direction from God. He had developed the ability to discern dreams that were from the Lord and the courage to follow them.

In Matthew chapter 2, Joseph receives another dream after the visit of the wise men. He is warned to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus because Herod is seeking to kill the child. In the middle of the night, Joseph acts on the dream and leaves for Egypt. Later, he has two more dreams—one telling him to return to Israel, and another directing him to settle in the district of Galilee. These were specific directions that fulfilled ancient prophecies about the Messiah.

I have often said that God is speaking a lot more than we are listening. The ability to develop spiritual sensitivity to God’s direction is crucial for our spiritual success.

Of course, not all dreams are from God. Some are from bad pizza or too much television. Some might even be from the enemy trying to deceive us. However, I believe God still desires to speak to us through dreams and promptings today.

Learning to be sensitive to the direction of the Holy Spirit is a major step in our journey toward spiritual maturity. I believe we develop this ability through three primary avenues: the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the Family of God.

First, anything the Spirit tells us will align with the Word of God. While we face many decisions not specifically mentioned in the Bible, nothing the Spirit tells us will ever contradict a Biblical principle.

Second, we must spend time with the Spirit of God. When we spend time in worship and prayer, we become more sensitive to His voice. A lack of prayer is the biggest mistake many Christians make; we struggle to develop spiritual ears because we aren’t spending time in God’s presence, away from the distractions of the world.

Finally, we need the Family of God. It is vital to have Spirit-filled friends who offer godly counsel. We need people in our lives who have a track record of hearing from God to help us discern our path.

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TODAY’S PRAYER

Holy Spirit, help me to have ears that hear You. Help me to discern Your voice and be sensitive to Your direction in my life today.

“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”