Angels: Part 1
ATTITUDES AND WORDS
Dr Peter Tan
I have been believing God for about seventeen years for the healing of my eyes. There has been remarkable improvement. Recently a few months ago I was asleep and then in the middle of the night I was wide-awake and was spending time with the Lord. An angel came and did not say any word. He took a round ball of light. It looks more to me like an eyeball. He took it, came straight at me, and put that ball of light into my left eye and it went inside of me. I could feel it going inside of me and it became like a fire on my inside. In view of that, I felt that I should teach on the working with angels.
First, I will quote a few experiences of people working with angels. Then I will go to the Word of God. You can never know something until you have experienced it first. Christian life is not a creed. It is not just a theology although we want to develop the best theology possible in Christendom. We have always recognized the fact that revelation must come from God. We cannot understand anything of God because of our striving or our own ability. The wisest man in the world is like a fool in the sight of God. The wisdom of God is so great and high above the reach of man. We can never understand Him or anything of His manifestation by our ability. The foolishness of God is so powerful that it confounds the wisest man. That is how great our God is.
There is a spiritual law in principle that we don’t really know anything until we have experienced it. You can know something through somebody else’s sharing or through reading the Word of God. But we do not really know the matter until we have experienced it. God is a person and He wants us to experience Him as a person. Your relationship with your wife is a legal relationship. But at the same time, it is a personal relationship. A house is a house but the relationships within the house make it a home. Christianity is a true-life relationship with God. When you experience a person, you experience him in the spiritual world, which has a side effect on our soul and on our body. Likewise, we can never really understand working with angels until we had such an experience.
However, we cannot base theology on experience. Theology must be based on the Word of God. But the experience helps us to look at the Word in a different way. Without the experience, I believe none of us will look at the Word in a different way. Many people were former hard nut anti Charismatic. One day they became hungry for God. God touched them and they changed their view, which all the theology, arguments and persuasions in the world could not do so. It only takes one experience to change them. As a result, they re-align their whole thinking. One good example is the apostle Paul who was a great intellectual in his time. No amount of arguments, no amount of reasoning could have converted him. But one awesome experience with the Lord Jesus Christ on the way to Damascus was enough to change him. Paul did not base his theology on experience. However, his experience made him go back to re-study his theology. Our theology needs to be re-studied from time to time. Sometimes our theology hinders us from the experiences of God, especially when it is a wrong theology. We do not base on theology on our experiences. But we recognize that experiences help us and inspire us to look at the Word of God in ways we never look at before.
In Kenneth Hagin's biography in "I Believe in Visions," he described a visitation from an angel. I’d like to read some extracts from that before we look into the Word and see some principles on working with angels. Reading from the book "I Believe in Visions":
My fifth vision occurred in Texas in 1958 while l was holding a revival meeting at the First Assembly of God Church. One night as we were praying around the altar a great spirit of prayer of intercession seem to come upon the whole church. We prayed together for quite some time and then I got up and sat in a chair on the platform. I was sitting there with my eyes opened singing in other tongues. Suddenly he Lord Jesus appeared on the platform. And about three feet behind Him stood an angel. Jesus said to me, "I send my angel to speak to you nearly a year ago in California." I remember the occasion says Kenneth Higgins and I have not responded to him. One afternoon I was lying across the bed in my house trailer resting. I was meditating and reading my bible getting ready for the service that evening. Suddenly I had a feeling that someone had come into the trailer. I looked but couldn’t see anybody. But I was positive that someone had come in through the door. It even seem as if I had heard the door open and close. I sensed that someone came and stood beside the bed. I reached out my hand to feel whatever might be there. And I said I know you are there. Who are you? There was no response. Although I never saw anyone I sensed that someone stood there for a few moments. Then he turned around, re-trace his steps to the foot of the bed went up through the trailer and out the door.
He missed his angel's visit. I wonder whether you have missed the angel's visit.
Then I seem led by the Spirit to open my bible and read about the ministry of angels. I felt that an angel had come to me but I have not opened my heart to the visitation. We continued our ministry in the state of California. The children were traveling with us at this time doing their schoolwork through correspondence courses which we helped them with. As they have been traveling with us for about a year we decided that it was too hard on them. They were doing a great deal of traveling. We were doing two services a day as well as trying to keep up their studies by correspondence. Therefore we decided to return to our home in Garland so that the children could attend a public school. The people who have been renting our house moved out so that we could move in. But we have sold all our furniture when we bought our house trailer. So we have to buy a whole house full of new furniture. Of course we have to go in debt to do so. This made our monthly payment extremely high. We were still making payments on the trailer, the house, the car and then the furniture, not to mention our living expenses. For more than a year we lacked for about a hundred dollars every month in getting enough money to meet our budget. Therefore we have to go in debt for that much. I had to borrow a hundred each month just to pay expenses to keep operating. Back in 1956 the Lord had spoken to me warning me that a recession was coming. Not a depression but a recession and that I should prepare for it. Then fifteen moths later the Lord appeared to me in Texas. I was still bearing the consequences of not getting ready for the recession.
And back to this vision where he saw the Lord and the angel standing three feet behind him. And he was remembering the incident when the Lord says, "I sent my angel to warn you again when you were out in California because I saw you haven't listened to the leading of my Spirit and didn’t respond to my warning. If you had yielded to the spirit and if you had responded to the Holy Spirit then you would have been able to see into the realm of the spirit. By the discerning of the spirit you would have seen the angel and he would have delivered his message to you. If you would have received it, you would have been spared all of this financial troubles."
As fifteen months have passed since this time. And I was going in debt each month for a hundred dollars. This now total a debt of one thousand five hundred dollars. The Lord continued, "I am going to help you however." I sold the trailer with the help of the Lord. He also said I am going to help you in your ministry as well. And he talked to me about my ministry admonishing me to be faithful. Then pointing to the angel standing beside him, He says, "This is your angel." "My angel?" "Yes your angel, and if you were to respond to him, he will appear to you as I will at times. And will give you guidance and directions concerning the things of life. So angels are ministering spirits who are sent to minister for those who are the heirs of salvation. Everything that the Lord has shown to me in this vision concerning my finances, my ministry came to pass within ninety days.
In other books he talked about how when he look at the angel. The angel said my angels are working to bring the finances to you. Then he asked the angel what do you mean by my angels. That angel said he has other angels working with him. This is the statement you see often, if you respond, if you yield, if you open yourself. Now God will speak to you first through the word of God and the Holy Spirit. And he will complement it with the working of the angel. But many times when we are not listening carefully and we are not fully yielding and we do not respond to them, your supposed visitation becomes nothing.
And the Lord spoke to me and said, "Tell the people in your church that my angels have been working with them and some of them have not been responding to the angels therefore they are in financial problem. But if they were to listen to what my Holy Spirit and my word is saying and respond to the instruction that I sent my angels to bring to them, they will prosper."
Therefore I am teaching on working with angels so that we will not fail to respond when the angels are working in our lives. Another experience from, the book "War beyond the stars - Angelic encounter" Here is a different occurrence where one day there was this business man who was taking a rabbi to visit a church. Let me read that story to you. He was showing a Jewish Rabbi to his home church one morning. The Rabbi has been baptized in the Holy Spirit and was to share his testimony in a local F.G.B.M.F.I Chapter that evening. As they toured Tom's church, it was the time of the morning prayer meeting. When they came to the prayer room, they passed quietly so as not to disturb the men who were praying. As they approached the door to leave the room, one of the men began praying very loudly in his heavenly language. Tom moved on as he was accustomed to this type of prayer. However the Rabbi lingered at the door. After a few moments Tom approach the Rabbi to remind him that it was time to continue as they were to speak before a ladies luncheon and must first return to the hotel to dress. But the Rabbi placed his finger across his lips. For some ten to fifteen minutes Tom waited. Surely the Rabbi has experienced such a thing before, an intercessor praying in tongues. As he approached the Rabbi again, he noticed that the Rabbi's countenance had changed. He looks like someone who had seen a ghost. His complexion was white. "What's wrong?" Tom asked. "Silence" the Rabbi commanded. For a full thirty minutes the Rabbi stood in the doorway listening intensely to the prayer of the man in the prayer room. After a while there was silence. Who was the man praying? What language does he know? The Rabbi queried. Tom said, "He is an uneducated man here in the church. He knows no language other than English. I know him well. I will introduce you so that you can see for yourself." The Rabbi then explained that he had just listened to the most beautiful and perfect Hebrew. The man switched from Psalms and began calling angels by name and sending them on missions. Angels were called by their Hebrew names and were sent out on specified mission to aid those who needed help. Some were sent to aid missionaries in troubles. The names and vocation of the missionaries were also being mentioned in the Hebrew language. The Rabbi was visibly shaken. Never had he even remotely dreamt that such a thing could be possible. And of course Tom required some time to regain his composure.
That is a true story here. Now what does the word of God say about working with angels? We need to understand that angels are real beings and they have laws by which they governed and which they function in. Some of the laws are initiated from God's side. Some of the laws are on our side. From Kenneth Hagin's testimony I showed you that there are some things from our side. How we respond to them. We know that there is a law in the spirit that is irrevocable. God only interferes when man pray on the affairs of his life. It is the prayers that allow God's intervention on this earth. How He interferes, some of the how is through angels.
So as we work with angels I want to point very clearly to those facts that the words that we speak and the attitudes of our hearts will cause and affect our success in working with angels. Angels are beings of God who carry specific mission and specific gifts that God sends. And if our attitudes and response to them is not correct and wrong, it will also hinder their ministry. So the first area is the attitudes of our hearts. The second is that our prayers and our words are affecting the spirit world in ways that we never realized.
And we need to look at the word of God to establish that fact. The first fact that I want to establish from the word of God and establish the theology based on at least three scriptures is that the words that we speak in our mouth affect the work of the angles in our lives.
Look at the book of Daniel, the Lord also impressed me to share this that some of us are about to enter into the newness of ministry. And this is the word that God gives that the prophetic has always worked with angels. And the time that God is going to start working closely with us through angelic visitations has come. And the Lord says to open his heart to it and to open his life to them and we will enter into a new phase of ministry. But for some of us there is as new dimension that you will enter into that you will began to work with angels. We have been working with the word of God, with the Holy Spirit and with the angels invisibly. We have come to the point where we need to understand them working with us so that we could flow and fine-tune some finer things that God wants to do.
In the book of Daniel 10: 1 onwards. In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel his name was called Belteshazzar. (The message was true but the appointed time was wrong. And he understood the message and the understanding of the vision.) In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself till three whole weeks were fulfilled. Now on the twenty fourth day of the first month as I was by the side of the great river that is the Tigris, I lifted my eyes and looked and behold a certain man clothed in linen whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz. His body was like beryl, his face looks like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude. And I Daniel alone saw the vision. For the men who were with me did not see the vision. But a great terror fell upon them so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone. When I saw this great vision and no strength remain in me. Yet I heard the sound of his words. And while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face to the ground. Then suddenly a hand touched me which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hand. And he said to me, "O Daniel man greatly beloved understand the words that I speak to you and stand upright for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking these words to me I stood trembling. Then he said to me, "Do not fear Daniel for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard and I have come because of your word. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty one days, and behold Michael one of the chief princes come to help me. For I have been left alone here with the king of Persia. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision refers to many days yet to come."
I want to focus on verse twelve. He says do not fear Daniel for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. Then the last phrase that says I have come because of your word.
There is a law in working with angels how important our confession even under your normal life, even under your normal conversation. The words of our mouth are of vital consequence to the work of angels in our life. Now it works both ways. It is through wrong confession that people have allowed demonic powers to work in their lives ands in their families. And the opposite is true. In confessing the right words, speaking words that are in line with God's word and with the will of God it somehow affect the working of angels with our life. Here is an important key. If Daniel did not say any word or pray any prayer, there would have been no angelic work here. The only reason he came was not because it was initiated by God. It was because Daniel had a heart for God. He wanted to understand something and he prayed and he cried and he fasted. He must have prayed many words and his words were heard and God initiated the angelic visitation. The angel didn’t say I came because God send. He says I came because of your words. Your words allowed God to send me here. There is a relationship between our words that we speak and the work of angels.
Now our words can come in many forms. It can come in normal conversation. It can come through prayer. Or it can come through a Holy Ghost anointed prayer and command. I want to make it very clear here. Angels will not obey every whim and fancy of our words. Angels will not listen to any words, any prayers or respond to anything that is outside the will of God. It must be in line with the will of God. And angels are not for you to order them or call them to do anything at your whim and fancy. So the first point is that angels will not work outside of God's perfect will.
What happen if it is in line with the word of God? What happen if it is God's will? Do we need to initiate the angels or not? There is an extreme view that says we don’t need. God will initiate it. It is not true my friends. If angels do not need to be initiated Moses need not have his hands lifted high by Aaron and Hur in the battle that Joshua fought. Every time Moses lifted his hand high with the rod of Moses the angels were released to work. Because that rod was anointed, by lifting it up he was yielding to God's call and anointing in his life. And every time his hands were coming down Joshua was being defeated. And Aaron and Hur had to lift his hands up. And every time his hands were lifted up the angels were working powerfully. Every time his hands were down the angels were not working powerfully for him. So it is not true that we have no part in initiating the work of angels.
It is the same theological question as to say whether healing is initiated by God or initiated by man. God initiate healing in Christ is God's will, but man plays a role. The same way with miracles. Every miracle needed something to be done to release it. And that's the theological principle that stands true for all avenues of theology when God and man work together. The same way angels are part of the process of God working with man. We cannot put it to the sovereignty of God we will miss something. It is just like putting healing to the sovereignty of God. Putting salvation to the sovereignty of God. Long ago they have put salvation under the sovereignty of God. Because of that people were not saved. When they realized that God is the one who save but we need to respond, salvation came forth and justification by faith. And people who have learned about the Holy Spirit say if the Holy Spirit want to come let him come they never bother to pray. But when they realised that we need to get ourselves ready, the Holy Spirit came.
And in our times the revelations about working with angels and we need to get the right theological perspective. If we put it to the sovereignty of God there are a whole lot of things that we missed out. It is just like healing. It is just like salvation. There is a part that God plays. There is a part that man plays within the will of God. In working with angels in these last days and as we enter the last days there will be more and more work of the angels. Just like beginning of the gospel there was a lot of hyper activities among the angels. The last closing ages will be and we need to know how to work with them. So within the dimension of the will of God it is God and we working together. Not throwing it into the sovereignty of God and leave it at that. It won't work that way.
In Daniel's time the angel came forth and said it is because of your words. If he had not spoken anything there won't be any appearances of angels. There is something like Moses would not have his face shining like light bulb if he did not initiate and ask God I desire to see your glory. We need to understand that there is an aspect of that to receive that which God has.
In the book of Daniel 9: 21 Yet while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly reached me about the time of the evening offering. And the Hebrew word links the prayer to the flying swiftly. Here is another point the work of God with the angels and us is partly God initiated partly how we respond and how we work with God in prayer and in our confession in words that will bring it to pass. More than that how fast and how quick and how effective the angels will work in our life depends on our continual prayer and confession. Look at it very carefully, angel Gabriel was going on an assignment on his way to Daniel. Daniel didn’t know what was happening in the spirit. He was probably praying his heart out. And as the angel was coming to Daniel and as Daniel prayed Gabriel was caused to fly swiftly. Now you know why some of your angels came very slow. Not enough prayer, not enough confession of the word of God for God to work.
Look again Daniel 9: 21 While I was speaking in prayer the man Gabriel whom I had seen in a vision at the beginning being caused to fly swiftly reached me about the time of the evening offering. The speed of the work of angels is related to our prayer. In the book of Matthew 26: 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father and He will provide me with more than twelve legions of angels. Now I believe that was a possibility. Just like the temptation of Jesus. When satan said turn this stone into bread. Jesus could really do it. If He couldn't really do it, it wouldn't have constituted a temptation. Now for Jesus this authority was real. He could actually have done that. But He didn’t because he wanted to suffer the cause for us. But there is a point here. He says do you think that I cannot now pray and my Father will send the angels.
Now here is the question. Who initiated the angels? We could pray and initiate the angels. You don’t pray you don’t initiate the angels. They don’t work automatically. People have thought one thousand years ago the salvation was automatic. People have thought that the baptism in the Spirit was automatic. People have thought that healing was automatic. But it is not. You have to accept the teaching, accept those things to be filled with the Spirit. It is the same way with the angels. So this is a real situation where he says He could have done that. If it is not real He didn’t have the authority. If He didn’t have the authority He was telling a lie. He could have actually done that. And He laid the ground rules for the principles on working with angels that if we pray God initiate it forth. The angels are there but they are also dependant on our response and how we work for God to bring them forth.
When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed until his blood flow out. God sent an angel to strengthen Him. Question would God have sent an angel to Him if He had not prayed to that extenT. On the Mount of Transfiguration we are told that Jesus prophesied that there will be some who will not see death until they see the Son of Man coming in His glory. Three days later they went up to the Mount of Olives and the bible says as He prayed He was transfigured. Although it was a promise of God yet it takes obedience to bring it to pass. Same like prophecy. If you receive a prophecy is it that you don’t do anything, no. Some prophecies are unconditional but ninety nine percent of prophecies are all conditional. There is a part in how we respond to it. How we yield to it. How we allow our lives to flow along with it.
It is important for us to see here that there is that initiation that we have in God through our prayers that brings forth the work of the angels in our lives. God would not have sent an angel to strengthen Jesus if there was no Gethsemane prayer. But because He has moved to the fullest possible way of God's perfect will God added the angels in. So there was an obedience and response on man's side.
Now in Matthew 26: 53 the Greek word 'provide' is a very special word. The Greek word provide is the word 'paristemi'. Paristemi doesn't mean send. Some of us got it this way. I will pray to my Father and He will send me more that twelve legions of angels. The Greek says I will pray to the Father and He will provide me more than twelve legions of angels. And the word provide is the same Greek word used in Romans 6: 13, 16, 19 as the word yield. And the way we could translate it in Romans 12: 1 is the word present. I urge you brethren present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Now that was the word paristemi which means that God didn’t just send the angels to do something. Jesus could have prayed to God and God would have paristemi the angels. God would have presented the angels to him. That means the angels will be there ready to obey his words.
Do you remember when Elisha was surrounded buy the Syrian army. The boy was afraid and Elisha said don’t be afraid those who are with us are more than those who are against us. He looked around and saw these multitudes of Syrians soldiers. Then he look around again and say one, two. What does this mean we have more here? And Elisha knows that he was only looking in the natural and say Lord open his eyes. He opened his eyes and he saw thousands of angelic beings there more than the Syrian army. And what were the angels waiting for? All the angelic soldiers were there. Why won't they do anything? They were waiting only for one thing. For Elisha to give the word.
Your angels have been presented to you. They are waiting. They want you to speak a word. Not out of God's will but the word that is in line with the will of God, in line with the word of God. God wants us to co-operate and work with the angels. The angels don't work for us. They work with us. If they work with us means there is some co-operation. If they work for us there is nothing you and I can do. Even though we have these angels they were waiting for one word. If your words are outside God's will and outside God's words they are powerless. But when you are in the will of God and you are walking in line with the will of God and the Holy Ghost is on you. Every word that you speak is in line with God. It has an authority that is equal to God Himself speaking the word because it came from God. It came from the Spirit of God. That is why the writings of men anointed by the Holy Ghost become the inspired word of God, the bible. These are words spoken by the human beings but they were words that God gave.
So Elisha just say, "Lord, slay them." And the angels worked. All the Syrian soldiers were there, proud, arrogant, so many people against one prophet. And all the soldiers were waiting to charge. What they didn’t see was that there were bigger angels next to them. They were not doing anything. They were just waiting. Waiting for what. Didn’t God send them, yes. But He provided Elisha with the angels. When you present your bodies as a living sacrifice you are waiting for God to do something. When God present His angels to us He is waiting for us to speak the right words for the angels to work. What happens if Elisha says I surrender. What happens if Elisha waits and say, "God you are supposed to initiate." Nothing would have happened. He has to take his God given authority, anointed by the Holy Ghost, in the will of God and speak forth the word. God slay them and the angels were waiting and all the Syrian soldiers were blinded. Was it God initiated or man initiated, God and man.
There is something that they will work for us. Those things are called the blind spots. There are blind spots in everyone's life. Areas where you have no knowledge and you are not responsible to answer to God for those things. Angles will work for you in that area. But there are thing that we are responsible for. We are responsible in our obedience, in our words, in our prayers that if you fail the angels cannot work. Areas outside our blind spots we become responsible. God could have presented the twelve legions Jesus never asks them. The fact is He could.
Look at Luke chapter one there was a man name Zechariah who have been praying to God for a child so long that he forgot his prayers. Now was he in the will of God, yes. One day as he was serving God man angel appeared to him in verse eleven. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zechariah saw him he was troubled and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid Zechariah, for your prayer is heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall call his name John."
Here is another question I ask again. Was this angel God initiated or man initiated? Let me tell you it is man. He came to answer a prayer. If Zechariah didn't pray there would been no Luke 1: 13.
Remember Cornelius an unbeliever. It says that his alms and his prayers has come before God. And finally because he was so hungry for God, God wanted him to be saved. Angels cannot preach the gospel but the can direct you to where the gospel is preached. And in Acts 10: 4 The angel appeared and said your prayers and your alms have come for a memorial before God. There would have been no appearance of angel if Cornelius had not been constantly seeking after God and giving alms. Because of his actions and his words there was an initiation of angels working in his life. Luke 1: 13 The angel said to him, "Do not be afraid Zechariah for your prayer is heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall call his name John". Our prayers and our words help and give the angels the authority to interfere in life's affairs. God needs us to say the word. God needs us to say the prayer. Without them they do no work. They will be standing by but they won't be able to work.
And just to show you how important the speaking of the word was. Zechariah was full of doubt and unbelief in Luke 1: 18 "How shall I know this for I am an old man and my wife is well advanced in years." Verse nineteen and the angel answered and said to him. I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God and was sent to speak to you and bring you this glad tiding. Behold you will be mute and not able to speak until the day this thing takes place. You know why he made him mute? Because he did not believe the my words which will be fulfilled in their own time. The other reason not recorded is so that he won't have to speak some dumb thing and the angel would have to cancel every work because it is so important to have the right words coming out from our mouth for our angels to work with us. Silence is so much better than saying the wrong word. If you can't say the right word, keep quiet. And that incident tells you how important the work of angels is in connection to the words we speak.
Look at the book of Hebrews 1: 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those unto those who will inherit salvation. Now there is an interesting use of the Greek word here. The word dianoia is found in the word to minister, that is to serve. But the use ministering spirit which is found in the Greek word 'leitourgikos' which is a combination of two Greek words the 'leito' part talks about a public work. The 'ourgikos' part talks about works. So it is like an assigned public work that God has given to his angels. And the way it is phrased is very interesting. In the Greek there are three possible ways leitourgikos could be phrased. Leitourgikos which means a person or property who perform a public duty or service to the state at his own expense. A minister or servant like Romans 13: 6. One who minister release like Philippians 2: 25. Of leitourgi which means to perform some public service at one's own expense. In the New Testament to officiate as a priest to minister in a Christian church. Second Corinthians 9:12 which is for the minister to the needy. It talks about a sort of service. But in Hebrews one it says leitourgikos which means engaged in subordinate service. In other words the angels have presented themselves and they are waiting to serve you. Although they are beings they are great in power, great in glory. But they are here to serve you by being subordinate to serve you.
It doesn't mean they have to be lesser in power. There are many types of angels. When you want to worship, you must work with worship angels. When you want to enter God's most holy place, you must understand the work of seraphim and cherubim. When you are in spiritual warfare taking authority over nations, you must understand warring angels, Michael. Then there are angels that are in charge of revelations, Gabriel. And there is a whole group of angels and these are called the ministering angels. And they have the ability to take on the form and the shape of human beings. When the bible says be hospitable. Sometimes you are entertaining angels unaware. These are the angels who have been assigned to live with us all our life. These are the angels who have been helping you find a house, helping you to sell a house, helping you with your finances etc. These are the angels in charge of that. Now these angels have been leitourgikos to us. And of all angels these angels need you to say especially the right word. Like if you are praying God you know I need transportation. You know I need a motorbike to transport people here and there. When you pray that pray these angels go forth and start looking a motorbike for you. You see they could work invisibly. But when you know how they work. You could work in a more direct sense. You could have lift up your hands and say God send forth your ministering angels in my life and help them bring a motor bike to me. I am saying that they are there to wait on you.
Again remember, anything outside the will of God, anything outside God's word, they are not going to help you. It must be a part and parcel of your life. And you attitude must be right, your life must be right with God. So these conditions are already met. And your words have an impact on these angels. I challenge you to every morning you lift up your hands and say God send your angels forth to aid me, to help me in my finances, to help me in my business, and see the difference for one month.
Lets look at the book of Romans 8: 25-26 Now we know from all the other scriptures that our prayers and our words affect the work of angels. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses, for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the spirit is because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And that explains why when some people go deep in intercession, it is no more them who are praying. It is the Holy Spirit speaking through their life. And as much as you can have a prophet say thus says the Lord. We could say how dare the prophet speaks like he is God. What he is saying is God is speaking to you here.
Now in this book "War beyond the stars" that person didn't have the understanding of what is going on. What happens when you have an understanding? There have been times when I have prayed, I sensed an urge of the Spirit to come forth and say in Jesus' name go ministering angels. God could have spoken it from heaven. He could have spoken it through my lips through the Holy Spirit. So lets see how we are flowing with the Holy Spirit, working with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not our servant. He is our helper. Those of you experienced know that when you work with the Holy Spirit, He doesn't do it for you. He does it with you. It is the same way with angels. They don't just work for you. They work with you. We need to learn how to respond and work with these angels whom God has sent. We have established the theological fact that angels' work are not just initiated by God. It is a co-operation between man and God. And some how our prayers, our words, our confession, affect the speed of their work, and even their ability to work. The limitation is it must be the will of God, in line with the word of God and your life must be right with God. If your life is not right with God don't try all these stuff.
As we work with angels two things our words and our attitude. Now our attitude is affected by what we believe. If you believe that somebody is dishonest your attitude is affected. What we believe affects our attitude. If you believe the wrong theology, your attitude is affected. Based on your belief your attitude is formed. Zechariah's beliefs were wrong. So his attitude became an attitude of doubt. The same way if you believe correctly according to the word of God, it will help you to respond with the right attitude. And may we not miss it when the angels come calling. You don’t have to look for the angels. They don’t want much attention. In fact they want you to give all your attention to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But we need to know how they work and co-operate with them. You don’t have to pray for an angel because satan can appear as an angel of light. And not everything that is bright and shinning that comes to you is God. What we need to do is to live your life according to God's word, be filled with the Spirit, walk the best you know in the will of God. Have prayers so that God could initiate the work of angels. Speak the right words in your life. Have the right attitude. When they do come to you initiated by God open yourself to them. And God will begin to give you the instruction.
