Don’t overlook the greatest gift of all: It is the great work that God is doing in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus sent his disciples all over the world to preach the gospel, but he told them not to go anywhere until he sent the Holy Spirit. Those words are for them then, and they are for us now. Give yourself an early gift. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit this Christmas.

We need to learn to tune in to God’s voice. God is often more willing to speak than we are to listen. When we are overwhelmed with a big decision, more than ever we need to tune into God's voice. Let others speak to you with what they believe to be God's word, but don't settle until you have a specific word from God to you.

The one thing that we can be sure of about Joseph was that Joseph was a man who heard from God. His legacy is that he was a strong man because he was a man who heard God. Are we hearing God? God looked for a man that could hear his voice. That’s what God is looking for today--a man or woman who is fully committed to him and hears his voice. When we are fully committed to God, we are in tune with his voice and his word.

We can't always control what is happening around us, but we can always control what is happening inside us. The scripture teaches us that the fruit of the spirit is self-control, not circumstance-control. We need to get the attitude of Psalm 118 says, “this is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” The Lord makes the day, but what we make out of the day is what makes us. When we allow other people or circumstances to make or break our day, we are outsourcing our peace, joy, and confidence. We can't always control what happens in the day but we can control how we respond to it.