In Christ

Angels – are they a myth? Are they cute little cherubs with bows & arrows that cause people to fall in love? Are angels the beautiful creatures we see in pictures with gorgeous gowns, harps & wings? Are we to worship them?

There can be some confusion or wrong ideas of what angels are & what they actually do.

Angels we read about in the bible are most often supernatural messengers of the Lord. They were sent by God to give a particular message to someone. Notice that most of these instances occur in the Old Testament. They were used more in the Old Testament as God's messengers because these people were not spiritually alive and Holy Spirit was not living inside them to lead and guide on a daily basis. Today, if you are a Christian (have accepted Jesus as your Lord & Saviour), then you can & should be receiving direction from God directly to your spirit, by Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14 puts it this way: "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

Another job description of angels is to provide God's people with protection. If you will read through Psalm 91 it shows us that angels are here for our protection and deliverance from troubles. This is not just for God's people in the Old Testament, but for Christians as well. Too many times we have not used this God-given benefit enough! We thank God that it does not matter who is trying to come against us -we are in His protection and the Truth will always triumph!

There are a few things we have to remember about angels. We are not to worship them! We worship & honour the One who sent them! Read Hebrews chapter one in context and it becomes very clear in verse 14 that angels are here to help us! "Therefore, angels are only servants – spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.” Dale and I have never seen an angel that we know of, but we have seen their supernatural help many times after we prayed and asked God for help – even to do an everyday job!

Many places in both the Old and New Testaments show angels fight for and deliver God's people. Today we should have confidence they are here to help us in so many ways, and to expect to see God's deliverance with their help.

Psalm 103:20 puts it this way, "Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Some translations of the bible add "hearkening to the voice of His word.” This is an important point to remember – angels are mighty ones who listen to God's word and carry it out. It doesn't say that God is the only one Who can speak it. We can also speak God's word and they will listen and carry it out as well!

What a great benefit of the Lord angels can be for us when we use them to help carry out God's will on this earth. Watch what words you are speaking. Are they in line with God's Word, or are you speaking what you don't want to happen. Remember, the angels are listening!

Submission by Pastor Rena Mae