BIBLE PASSAGE:
They arrested the apostles and put them in the public
jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened
the doors of the jail and brought them out.
(Acts 5:18-19)
MEDITATION:
Have you ever had an encounter with an angel? You might be thinking,
“I have never seen an angel in my entire life!”
“Seeing” an angel is not what we’re talking about, the question is,
“Have you ever had an encounter with one?”
In other words, have you had a situation that seemed hopeless, but you
prayed and somehow the situation was resolved.
Maybe you were overly worried about something and discovered what
you feared most, never happened. Or maybe you were feeling down for
no apparent reason and needed some encouragement. Then, ‘out of the
blue’ you received a call from a friend or family member, and you were
encouraged by their words.
It could have been a stranger who told you something which was exactly
what you needed to hear at the time. Perhaps, you miraculously escaped
or avoided a perilous situation that could have caused bodily harm or even
death.
Think about this:
When God wants to speak to us, He can do it in many ways, and one of
His ways might be through a friend, family member, or even a stranger.
If God is speaking to us through someone else, in essence that person is
an angel, right? Never forget that God may use us as an angel when He
is speaking to another person. Imagine how awesome it would be if the
Lord trusted you enough to be His venue for communicating to someone.
We might have this question:
“If the scriptures tell us about the activity of angels
during biblical times, can we assume they are active
in the world we live in today?”
To answer that question, we should ask another one,
“Does God show partiality?”
According to His Word, He doesn’t show favoritism.
For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord
of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who
shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.
(Deuteronomy 10:17)
Since God doesn’t show preference to one believer over another, we
can assume there are active angels in our world today, just as they
were during biblical times.
Why is it important to know that angels are around us today?
For one thing, it encourages us to know they can be active in
helping us during the times when we need protection, guidance,
encouragement, comforting, resolution to an issue, or any other
issue where we need help.
At the point of our salvation, God begins to transform us from who we
are to the person He wants us to be, so we can fulfill His purpose for our
lives. It is called, ‘sanctification’ and it’s a process where He will purge
us of unrighteousness and fill the void with righteousness. This can be a
very difficult transformation and His angels can assist us as we transition
into becoming a person who is more like Jesus.
We also need to understand that angels can protect us from Satan’s attacks.
Demonic activity and Satanic worship are increasing in all parts of the world.
The devil is at work more now than at any other time in history. God’s Word
tells us that when Satan realizes his time is short, his activity will increase.
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last
days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,
boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous,
rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
having a form of godliness but denying its power….
(2 Timothy 3:1-5a)
Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone
down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that
his time is short.
(Revelation 12:12)
The bible tells us that followers of Jesus can expect more troubled times.
Consequently, it is important for us to remember that we have an army
of angels ready to assist us in resisting and repelling the onslaughts of
Satan.
ACTION:
If you are a believer, expect powerful angels to accompany you in your life
experiences. When some things are hard to explain, realize that angels are
working ‘behind the curtain’. Develop an awareness of their presence and
their activity. They assisted the apostles years ago and they will assist us
as well. We need to call on God to surround us with His angels.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us examples
of the activity of angels during biblical times. Thank
You for making me aware of the presence of angels
in the world I live in. Help me to recognize when angels
have been active in my own life and remind me to thank
You for their assistance. Teach me to call on You when
I am tempted by Satan and instill confidence in me that
You will dispatch angels to help me resist the attacks of
the evil one. Thank You for my salvation, thank You for
Jesus Who died for my sins, and thank You for angels
and their work in my life.”
BLOG: utvolwoody.wordpress.com
BREAD FOR BELIEVERS 
Discussion
No comments yet.