ANGELS
When God was going to lead his people out of Egypt, Moses appeared before Pharaoh and threw his rod down and the rod became a serpent. Along came Pharaoh’s wise men and threw their rod’s down and they too became serpents. Had there been television and social media in those days imagine the kind of ridicule that poor Moses would have experienced when the magicians copied the miracles; the serpents, the changing of the water to blood, the frogs, the flies - poor Moses. Don’t tell me that you have never thought about it, “how did they do that anyway?” “Can someone really do those things?” Do you ever wonder about some of the things that are in the Bible or do you just skip over them and say I don’t understand them so obviously they are not for me, or just dismiss them as being something that was only for Bible days? I think most of us do, and in so doing we discount things that God wants to give us to empower us today. Do we dismiss them because it’s easier to dismiss them than to admit that we don’t have them or we are afraid of them?
Many years ago when we were living in Lazbuddie, TX. and God was moving in a mighty way in our church, people would drive from 60 miles away to come to church. There was a family that drove from Clovis, New Mexico, about 30 miles one way, every time we met. The mom was always talking about her encounter with angels. I loved to hear her stories. I wanted to be with her so I could see her angels. She was happy go lucky and was always moving too fast. One day she was painting and as she was getting off a ladder she began to fall. I remember her sharing how an angel appeared and caught her. She thanked the angel and kept on painting. I was so jealous because I wanted to see an angel.
Some of you have heard my story that in this church there have been three appearances of angels by three different people who didn’t know each other, and didn’t know there had been a former appearance of an angel. The first time someone saw an angel in this church, it was our grandson Jordyn. He was four or five years old and he was in Chapel with pastor Sip. Jordyn loved to watch the Bible Man cartoons when he was little. One day during elementary Chapel he saw a tall angel where the big stained glass window is in the front. It was so big that he could only see him from the chest down and he drew his sword. I didn’t really put too much stock on it because he was so young. I might of mentioned it to Pastor Gary and Pastor Sip, but I never spoke about it to anyone else. Six months to a year passed and a precious man that came to our church, a very quiet man, came up to me after church one day and said, “Miss Alba, I need to tell you what happened during worship today.” I said, “sure!” He said, “While we were singing I saw a huge angel in the front where the stained glass window is. He was so big that I could only see him from the chest down and as we sang he drew his sword. He stood there with his sword drawn the entire time we sang.” It was exactly the same description Jordyn had given me. I only told Gary about it. I Just kept quiet so people wouldn’t think I was working too hard. Several years passed and one Sunday a lady was visiting and came up during the ministry time. I was going to pray with her and she said, “I’m not here for prayer, I just have to tell you what I saw while were were singing.” And once again I heard the description of the same angel that the other two had described. I want to tell you, “DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES WHILE YOU SING! YOU MIGHT MISS HIS VISITATION! Btw, that lady never visited here again, that I am aware of.
If Jesus is in us and he is the resurrection, there should be resurrection happening around us. If he is healer and He is in us, then there should be healing happening around us. If He is Spirit and life, then there should be Spirit and life happening around us.
Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him. 24 Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you. (MARK 11:23-24).
When we went to see the kids we I came home a day before Gary and as God would have it, I sat next to a Puerto Rican pastor from Orlando to Houston and he preached to me about angels, and he began open my eyes about some truths in the Word. So for the last month I have been studying about angels.
Angels are created beings assigned to do God’s Work. They are ministering spirits. The world “angel” means messenger.
“But to which of the angels has He ever said, “sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet ”? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?”
Hebrews 1:13-14 NASB
A. Guardian Angels
Psalms 91:11
“For He will give His angels orders concerning you, To protect you in all your ways.”
B. Messenger Angels
Luke 1:26-38
“You shall conceive and bear a son and name Him Jesus”
C. Warrior Angels
2 Kings 19:35
“Then it happened that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when the rest got up early in the morning, behold, all of the 185,000 were dead.”
D. Worshipping Angels
Hebrews 1:6
“And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.””
The Bible teaches that 1/3 of angels fell and are demons and they wage war against the saints. But 2/3 are ministering spirits. So they outnumber the demons 2 to 1. I’m just bold enough to think that mine are just really bold. They are Cuban boxers.
I truly believe that there has been an assignment of fear against the people of God over the last few months. If you are not afraid of dying or failing you would live differently. I remember a day 19 years ago when Pawpaw and Gary and Mike and I sat in the school office at Bessemer and we spoke about the school. We had no money and they felt we needed to close down the school. It was the first year that I was the principal of JCS. I told them that I loved them and I respected them, but I didn’t feel that God had called me to fail. I told them I could not listen to those reports any more. There have been many times in the last 20 years that when Gary has spoken to me I have put my fingers in my ears, not because I had more faith, but because I could not allow any doubt to enter my mind. I was walking in the last thread of faith and it seemed to be unraveling. So many times I would fast and cry out to God for help. I would feel like I could not breathe. What I didn’t know is that I had a host of angels that were already working on my behalf.
I’m sure that’s how Daniel felt when he was calling out to God when he was fasting for his people in Daniel 9-10.
“The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God.
Daniel 9:23 NLT
“Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling. Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”
Daniel 10:7-12, 19, NLT
The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God.
Daniel 9:23 NLT
So this Puerto Rican Pastor said to me, I am going to prophesy over you, and I said, “come on, I receive it!” And he said, “ I want you to know that the angels assigned to you are waiting for your command to gather resources for you and for your school and you will not have lack, because your ministering angels await your command!
In Jesus’s name we can give a command to the host of angels that have been assigned to us to carry forth the assignment.
Angels are not omniscient. They are not ALL-KNOWING. They are hanging around us as ministering spirits waiting to be instructed what to do. The thing is, we have to have the mind of Christ. We can’t just tell them what to do in the flesh. We have to be walking in the Spirit because they can discern what is from God and what is not of God. But, if we command them to do what is coming from a higher authority they will respond to the Command that was given.
The Kingdom of God is doing just fine in heaven. You show me WHAT you believe by WHAT you do. There is no different between who you ARE and what you DO.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whate , , ,,vejr you wishi, and it will be done for you.”
John 15:7 NASB
After we learned this principle we were praying with a family who had been waiting for a check that was owed to them for 5 months. We prayed and commanded their angels in Jesus’ name to go get that check and the very next morning the check hit their bank account. Some might say it was a coincidence, but I choose to believe it was angels ministering and doing as they were commanded to do.
What is so encouraging, is that once our prayers of faith are spoken, a commandment is issued by Jesus to our angels whether we know it or not, and angels begin working on our behalf. Even though I was not aware that my angels were working on my behalf, prayers were being answered. There have been many gifts to JCS through the years. But, since I have been principal, we have received computers, houses, food trucks, cars, and over a million dollars in gifts. One time I asked the Lord why He didn’t give us a million dollar at once like other ministries. I remember it was the 7th year I had been principal, and he said, “ If I would have given you one million dollars you would have had 1 miracle, but because you have had to believe me for payroll 24 times a year for 7 years you have had 168 miracles!” I couldn’t argue with that! Now, I know that the moment I began praying a command had been given, we absolutely could not fail! I’m here to tell you today, that you need to know that you need to get rid of your fear of failure and death! His ministering angels surround you. Command them in the name of Jesus to move on your behalf.
One last thing.. I might have seen an angel or two…Hebrews 13:1-2 says
“Let love of the brothers and sisters continue. Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
God has put some people in RF for us to take care of. There was no one else in their life. One particular elderly lady called the church and asked us for help. She was in an apartment in the west-side and she had called over 10 churches and no one would help, Pastor Gary and Pastor Sip delivered the 10 items she requested. From there she moved to 3 different apartments, and we would take her groceries. Then she went to visit a pastor friend in northern California and they stole all her things at a shelter. She returned in the middle of winter with nothing. She was living in an apartment with no furniture, no heat, no blankets. We went and got her things so she could survive. We took care of her for the next three or four years. Then one day I showed up to check on her and she was gone and we never heard from her again. I had the strangest feeling that for several years we had entertained an angel unaware.
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