WHERE ARE THE ANGELS?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“But during the night an angel of the Lord
opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.”
(Acts 5:19)

MEDITATION:
We read in the Bible how angels were intertwined in the lives
of believers. While Satan was at work in the hearts of others
arousing people to treat the apostles harshly (persecution and
imprisonment), God was also at work through His angels as
He gave followers of Jesus the strength and encouragement
to overcome the things stirred up by Satan.

Those who had been influenced by Satan were opposed to the
‘good news’ and put some of the apostles in prison; but God
sent His angels to, not only bring them right back out, but to
also give them instructions of what they should do now that
He had freed them from imprisonment.
    “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said,
    “and tell the people all about this new life.”
    (Acts 5:20)

Did they obey the instructions from the God through
His angels? Of course they did!
    At daybreak they entered the temple courts,
    as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
    (Acts 5:21)

Why would they continue to do the very things that caused
their imprisonment? Because they were ‘connected’ to God,
and as a result, they didn’t try to rationalize any reasons for
ignoring what they heard through the angels. They just knew
they were a part of God’s plan, so they obeyed Him without
questioning His purpose.

Even in our world today, people can experience persecutions
when obeying God. Some people suffer in the same manner as
the apostles (beatings, torture, jail, and death). But others also
suffer a form of persecution through ridicule, exclusion, gossip,
etc.

The question we should ask ourselves is,
    “How do I react to the negative treatment from others?”
Do we distance ourselves from God to appease those around us,
or do we become more determined to obey the God who blessed
us with His salvation?

Most everyone wants to be liked by others, but when we are
faced with a decision of being liked by those on earth, or our
God in Heaven, which one do we choose? Do we choose the
visible over the invisible?

Our choices are important for our relationship with our Heavenly
Father, and where we will spend eternity at the end of our earthly
journey. There is never a right time to make the wrong choice, and
there is never a wrong time to make the right choice.

Due to peer pressure, choosing God can be challenge, but God has
given us the Holy Spirit to provide us with the strength, resolve and
determination to make the right choices. The Spirit is a special gift
given to us by our Heavenly Father when we receive His salvation.
He knows our strengths and weaknesses and He will provide us with
everything we need for obeying and serving Him.

One glaring question we may have is,
    “Do angels still exist today?”
Since our Heavenly Father is not a God of favoritism, why wouldn’t
they exist today (even if we may not see them as dramatically as the
apostles did)?

Angels today are at work in the lives of many believers and they
can appear in many ways. I believe God uses other followers of
Jesus to serve as angels to those who belong to Him. We might
not hear God’s voice directly, but He can speak to us through
other believers (some we know, and some who are strangers).

Sometimes He chooses to minister to someone through us. For
instance, have you ever suddenly felt an urge to pray for someone,
to give someone a call, or to visit someone? How did you respond to
those feelings?

Did you act on them as soon as you could, or did you spend time
rationalizing why you shouldn’t respond at all? We must never
assume that God doesn’t want to use us as one of His venues for
speaking to others.

What about those times when you feel you ought to do something,
but you choose not to? For instance, you may often hear that you
should be attending church, or bringing your tithes to God’s house,
but you choose to ignore those commands from God.

Of course, there are situations (such as sickness, compromised
immune systems, job schedules, etc.) that prevent some people
from physically attending church and other group gatherings,
but many churches provide online broadcasts of their services,
so others can remain ‘connected’ spiritually.

However, if we can’t attend physically, we have the responsibility
to actively participate through our commitment to consistently
view the services, and by faithfully taking our tithes to the church
(as God has commanded us).

You may have rationalized yourself out of obeying or responding to
some of the commands God has given us. You might even resent it
when someone mentions bringing your tithe to the church, or the
importance of staying connected with your church family. If you
are affected in this way, remember these are commands (and not
suggestions) from our Heavenly Father.

Have you ever realized that God could be speaking directly to you
through someone else? Have you ever thought that an angel could
be speaking to you through someone else? Will you respond in the
same manner as the apostles, or will you choose to let ‘self’ be your
guide?

We know that obedience can quite often require us to leave what
we consider to be our comfort zones, but when are obedient, we
can discover new blessings we have never experienced before. If
we fail to respond in obedience, we could be missing additional
blessings from the Lord.
    Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned
    away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return
    to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.
    “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ “Will a mere mortal
    rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing
    you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your
    whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole
    tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.
    Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not
    throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much
    blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
    (Malachi 3:7-10)

Demonic activity and Satan worship continue to increase in all parts
of the world. The Bible says that because he realizes his time is short,
Satan’s activity will increase. But his evil activities are offset for the
people of God by His ministering to us through His spirits (angels).

As followers of Jesus, we should expect powerful angels to accompany
us in our life experiences. If we want to welcome angels into our lives,
we need to give the Holy Spirit free reign in our lives. We should have
an attitude of submission and obedience to what we receive through
God’s angels.

ACTION:
We need to remember that God has a plan for us (plans He created
before we were even born). His plan may require doing new things
that are uncomfortable, or don’t fit our lifestyle (which means, we
probably need to change our lifestyle).

Consider this:
    God could have new blessings awaiting you, but it requires
    your obedience to unlock the door so you can receive them.
    Our obedience includes avoiding the sins which displease
    God, and being useable by Him to speak to others through
    us; we might be the ‘angel’ He wants to use in a specific
    situation.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank you for Your gift of the Holy Spirit;
help me to give Him free reign in my life. Show me Your plan
for me and teach me to be obedient to what you want me to do.
Help me to realize the presence of Your angels to comfort me,
protect me, and encourage me to follow Your purpose for my
life. Teach me to be sensitive to the quiet voice that speaks to
me and to respond obediently. I sincerely want to be an active
servant of Yours, so I ask You to help me put aside my selfish
attitude and leave my comfort zone if necessary, so I can be
effective in serving You. You know how evil is abounding more
in this world; help me to feel the presence of angels around me
so I will be strong, obedient, and courageous in the face of any
adversities. I pray that I will be able to show my children what
a true believer looks like by the way I live my life for You.”

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