“Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14 ESV
1. A Believer / Believers
There are things that believers should not engage in because they attract the anger of God. Being a believer does not exempt you from negative consequences if you engage in those activities.
“How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” Psalms 78:40-41 KJV
We have the help of God to ensure that we walk in the ways of God. God cannot behold iniquity, the first time God turned his face away from Jesus is because he became sin (when he bore the sin of mankind).
“They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account, for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips. They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them, but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds. Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power.” Psalm 106:32-42 ESV
When a believer is out of step with the will of God they come under the oppression of the wicked one. “He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.” Ecclesiastes 10:8 KJV
“Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 ESV
This letter is to the New Testament christians from Paul, warning against idolatry and the love of wickedness. It was written for our instruction. The Old Testament gives us a picture of how we ought to apply ourselves in our walk of faith.
“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 ESV
The enabling of the Holy Spirit helps us to live in a way that is consistent with God’s word. Your submission to God gives you the ability to resist the devil. If you are not living a life of submission to the Holy Spirit,you will hinder the ministry of angels. This is why believers experience the same reality as unbelievers.
If you are obedient and walking in humility, even when you stumble your heart is not inclined to continue sinning but rather you are repentant at heart. The doctrine of extreme grace (that isn’t balanced ) weakens the body of Christ because it encourages believers to accept weaknesses that are contrary to the will of God as a way of life.
THE BALANCE:
God knows that you are coming from a life of bondage, being born again is an entrance point into his kingdom. Now as a born again Christian it’s time to learn how to respond to the convictions of the Holy Spirit.
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” Romans 8:16 ESV
The Holy Spirit bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God, as you mature in God you will lose desire for the things that you used to do. It’s normal to struggle with some things even after being born again, the scripture says if we confess our sins he is just to forgive us and cleanse us out of all unrighteousness. We grow in the kingdom by changing our habits, behaviours etc
We grow from being babes and infants in Christ. To accept the toddler stage as the standard is to defeat the eternal purpose of God. There are things you will never grow in if your faith walk isn’t engaged to bring forth the fruit consistent with the nature of Christ.
If you don’t walk in consecration you will shut out the voice of the Holy Spirit and develop a callous heart. You won’t see anything bad in sin, wickedness rather you will adopt a secular mindset because you have not heeded the voice of the Holy Spirit.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”Ephesians 6:12 ESV
We have spiritual battles that we are involved in and if you submit to God, you will be positioned to resist the devil and he will flee.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 ESV
“I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]” John 14:30
The angels were always making sure the will of God was done in Jesus’s ministry because he was perfected in obedience.
The greatest hindrance that can limit the ministry of angels is any filthy spiritual attitude or way of life that the believer submits to which is in complete defiance to the ways of God
2. Satanic Hindrances
Demonic forces can also hinder the ministry of angels. Demonic forces are fallen angels that accomplish the will of the devil, just like there are angels who are committed to ensure the will of God is done.
“The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,” Daniel 10:13 ESV
There are spiritual governing authorities over territories. The kingdom of darkness is structured in hierarchies of principalities and powers that determine rulership over territories. The prince of the power of the air control specific principality. This explains how some territories have specific vices that are common among the people who live there.
“in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” Ephesians 2:2 ESV
If a believer yields to the spirit of the power of the air he hinders the ministry of angels. When you walk in rebellion against the word of God you are indirectly permitting the oppression of demons in your life.
Demonic forces can posses people, places and things. The devil uses the chain of command of demons to influence the life of believers.
People who practice witchcraft and occultism can project thoughts and imaginations into the lives of believers which become a hindrance when the believer isn’t sensitive. In order to avoid spiritual contamination we have to be careful about the things we eat, the places we go and the people we surround ourselves with. It’s important to practice walking in the spirit, when you walk in the flesh you give the devil an open door .
We have to be consistent in repentance and realigning ourselves with God. The scripture says the whole world lies under the power of the wicked one. We can’t live our lives inclined to the outward appearances.
If your life is not producing the will of God your angels are idle. When you observe that you are always in need, always sick and having repeated patterns of affliction it is a sign that the angels are limited.
We are now in Christ, so we have a spiritual heritage in him and as he is so are we in this present age.
We shouldn’t justify wickedness in our lives and allow the devil to make us deny our heritage in Christ. Rather learn to insist that his will be done in your life according to his word.
What to do when you observe a pattern that isn’t consistent with the word of God:
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:16-21 ESV
If you notice that the kingdom of God is not manifesting in your life, evaluate and examine what the Holy Spirit has convicted you about. In practicing obedience, repent of every way you have not walked in ways that are pleasing to the Lord.
1. Repentance
The first thing you do when you realize that your life isn’t consistent with the will of God is to repent. A non repentant life is a sign of pride. When you humble yourself in repentance the Lord forgives and cleanses you out of all unrighteousness. In practicing obedience you begin by repenting from all the works of the flesh.
It’s important to cultivate a lifestyle of repentance and consecration. When you are consistent with the will of God the angels will be consistent in your life accomplishing the will of God .
“if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV
This was written to his people, when his people turn from their wicked ways in repentance the land is healed.
“But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.””Hebrews 1:8-9 ESV
The product of loving righteousness and hating wickedness is that God will anoint you with the oil of gladness. The angels love the atmosphere of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
2. Praise and Worship
Sing to the Lord in psalms , hymns and spiritual songs . Paul and Silas activated the supernatural by praising the Lord.
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,”Acts 16:25 ESV
It’s sad to see believers who choose the comfort of sleep even when they are in bondages.
There are somethings we do that provokes the supernatural. If you are in any kind of prison, learn the wisdom of the scripture, choose to praise and worship the Lord. The Holy Spirit has a way of stirring your emotions and passions to engage forcefully.
One of the ways to stir the help of angels is to create the atmosphere of God’s presence.
They honor God’s presence, his word and your faith in him.
3. Faith in the word of God:
The angels honor and respond to you when you have faith in the word of God.
Learn to engage the word of God with the assurance of faith that God accomplishes everything that he speaks.
“Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.” Psalm 119:89 ESV
“so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”Isaiah 55:11 ESV
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 ESV
4. Sacrifice to the Lord
When our sacrifices are pleasing to the Lord, it attracts the presence of angels. It’s important to live searching for needs of the kingdom and fulfilling these needs.
“And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, and have made me king in his place. O Lord God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.”” 2 Chronicles 1:6-12 ESV
When we offer God the sacrifice of praise, it attracts the supernatural help of angels. When we choose to exalt him in-spite of the needs and circumstances around us it pleases the heart of the father. This was Paul and silas’s attitude even when bound in chains. They did not complain or whine, rather they exalted Christ and praised him.
God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.
5. Seeking God in Prayer
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV
There are tongues of men and tongues of angels. There different ways to pray, in Ephesians 6:18 Paul teaches that we should pray in all manner of prayers in the spirit.
A human being can be empowered and given utterance to communicate in a way that angels can understand.
However angels can understand natural languages but it is different when you are empowered by the Holy Spirit to communicate in the tongues of angels. When the Holy Spirit stirs you up, you can pray in a different dimension where it’s no longer your spirit praying but the Holy Spirit praying through you and giving angels instructions.
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,”Colossians 1:13 ESV
In his kingdom, there are many possibilities and if you engage with the carnal mind you won’t understand . If you engage in faith by the spirit you will live in experiencing the power of the Kingdom.
“For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.” 1 Corinthians 14:14 ESV
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,” Jude 1:20 ESV
When you pray in the Holy Spirit, you can come to a spiritual frequency where the Holy spirit takes over from your spirit.
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27 ESV
The Holy Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints according to the will of God. As you go on praying in the spirit , the Holy Spirit will take over and you will pray from your inner most being, the content of the Holy Spirit pouring out into different situations. God in you begins to pour out life.
“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:38 ESV
When the Holy Spirit begins praying through you, angels are activated to accomplish the will of God.
“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” James 2:26 ESV
The body without the spirit is dead, that is how every spiritual assignment given by God needs the spiritual backing . God gave Solomon the spirit of wisdom and wealth, and angelic spirits were on assignment to ensure the word of God would not fail.
Don’t be hasty rather be patient in the presence of the Lord and yield as the Holy Spirit takes over because no promise of God is realized without angelic assistance. We have the responsibility of praying with the assistance of the Holy spirit and the angels have the responsibility of enforcing it. When we fight spiritual battles the angels are the ones who fight. The angels excel in strength at the word of the Lord. When we walk in obedience the angels enforce the will of God.
“Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!” Psalm 103:20 ESV
Daniel waited in the place of prayer, because he understood this dimension. Although he didn’t have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit he engaged in prayer until his angel prevailed.
Learn to pray to the extent of the Holy Spirit in you communicating with God .
The Holy Spirit helps us to pray according to the will of God. When the Holy Spirit prays the will of God in you, he births the will of God. There are things that the Holy Spirit deals with that you have not perception of.
“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:4 ESV
There are deeper dimensions of prayer. Believers need to understand the seriousness of prayer and engaging and deploying spiritual power.
May the Holy Spirit take us into the realms of executing the judgement of God. These are the kind of prayers that bring about transformation. There are demonic attacks that confessing the scripture or praying in tongues does not deal with, but when the Holy Spirit takes you into deeper dimensions of prayer he moves you beyond the realm of what you are use to. When you deal with them in the spirit they will yield grounds
Remember you are responsible for making the request or placing demand on the integrity of the word of God. The angels of God excel in strength at the word of the Lord. When we pray angels execute and fulfill the will of God. Learn to pray in the dimension of asking the father for spiritual backups. This was demonstrated by our lord Jesus Christ, and Daniel experienced this dimension when he fasted and prayed and his angel prevailed .
The lord will send you backups. The grace for prayer, intercession and supplication will be available to you!
