THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS: STRENGTH

09/26/2022

"Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." (Matthew 4:10-11) The ministry of the Holy Spirit is very different from the ministry of angels in that while the Holy Spirit is boss and superintends us for the predetermined purpose of moulding us to fit the image of Christ, angels are ministers to us as an extension of their service to God. Matthew 4:1 tells us that "...Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." In essence, the Holy Ghost initiated the examination that Jesus faced. And let me say this, the Holy Spirit will initiate certain exams in your life. Not every adverse situation that you face will be influenced by the enemy. That said, we find that at the end of the temptation, angels ministered to Jesus. What was the nature and purpose of this ministry? Even though the Bible is not specific, we get an inclination from Jesus' time in the Garden of Gethsemane when he prayed " saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him." (Luke 22:42-43) One of the ways that angels strengthen is by bearing instructions from the Lord. The Bible records that Hagar was very harshly treated by her mistress, Sarai and she fled. Very instructive the Bible says, "Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” The Angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” (Genesis 16:7-9). The angel went on to tell her she was pregnant and gave her a revelatory download about her son, his name and his destiny. We see the same thing with Daniel who was made to pray and fast for 21 days. The angel says to him, "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 words." (Daniel 10:12). Essentially, angels minister spiritual information related to things we pray about or God's timing for our lives to strengthen us. Proverbs 24:5 says, "A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength" So when you pray, particularly in tongues, understand that sometimes, you may be speaking to the Holy Spirit and at other times, you are talking to angels who in turn transmit back information necessary for you to deal with adverse situations and circumstances. 1 Corinthians 13:1 hints at speaking in the language of angels which is why I cannot understand a Christian who is averse to speaking in other tongues. Speak in other tongues now and let angels minister words to you that will strengthen you for the cause that God will have you pursue today, this week and in the coming month. Shalom! Faith-Filled Confession I am awakened to the ministry of angels as never before. And by this awakening, I am sensitive to the instructions and spiritual information that they make available for me to fulfil my destiny in God. When God's thoughts overwhelm me, I sense the ministry of angels and collaborate with these thoughts to achieve every expectation that the Lord has of me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

ONE YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Song of Solomon 6-8; Galatians 1