Angels & Spiritual Warfare
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” - Ephesians 6:12
For the last two weeks, we have been meditating on the angels of God, God’s holy messengers, God’s unseen servants, and how these angels minister to us as the children of God, as believers in Christ. The Scriptures teach us that angels assist us in spiritual warfare against the forces of Satan and evil.
We know from Ephesians 6, that we are in a battle, and that the battle is not against people. We are all in a spiritual battle, and we are fighting against spiritual forces of wickedness, the power of Satan and evil in this world. But the Scripture says that we do not need to be afraid. As strong as these forces of evil may seem, they are no match for God and His heavenly host. We are surrounded, and we are helped by a powerful army of angels; angels who assist us in that warfare against the forces of Satan and evil. We meditated upon this last week. The angels of the Lord encamp all around us to protect us and rescue us. Dear children of God, today let us meditate on how the angels are helping in our spiritual life. Angels strengthen our weakness and watch over us.
I. Spiritual Warfare: Strengthening, guardian
There are a number of illustrations of this in the Scriptures about the warfare against the forces of Satan and evil. One comes in Daniel chapter 10. The Scripture here gives us an idea of how the angels operate. In this particular case, Daniel had been praying to God for three weeks. God had sent an angel to deliver a message to Daniel, the answer to Daniel’s prayer. The scriptures say, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia” (Daniel 10:13). For twenty-one days, the angel, messenger from God was resisted and detained by fallen angels. Satan’s agents withheld that angel of God from getting the message to Daniel for twenty-one days.
Now, Daniel continued to pray the whole time. Have you ever found yourself praying for something for a long period of time, maybe for a financial situation, maybe for a child, maybe for a job situation; and you have prayed and prayed for many days? Maybe for you it is not just twenty-one days. Maybe it has been almost twenty-one weeks or twenty-one years, but there has been no message from God. But Daniel chapter 10 gives us a hope that God does hear our prayers. God is working in the heavenly realms to send the answer and to fulfill His purposes. We don’t know what the answer will be, or in what form God will send it, or when it will arrive. But that is why, during a spiritual warfare, it is important that we persevere in prayer, that we should not give up before God has sent His answer.
The passage continues in Daniel 10 as the angel finally gets to Daniel, and he explains that for twenty-one days he had been trying to deliver this message, and finally, Daniel 10:13, God sent the angel Michael—Michael was called the archangel, the chief angel—to help this nameless angel who was trying to deliver a message to Daniel. In this case, two angels were involved in assisting in this matter of the spiritual warfare that was going on in the heavenly realms , a warfare Daniel was not even aware of, because humans only see the visible reality.
Sometimes we are conscious and know that we are battling against the forces of evil and the powers of darkness. We can sense when we are being attacked by something supernatural. But, many times, we are not even aware of what we are dealing with, because we cannot see it. But God knows. He knows, and He sees what is going on in the heavenly realms, and He is in control over it. Even those fallen angels cannot do more than what God allows them to do. They are under His control and under His power. God often sends angels to assist in our spiritual warfare against the forces of Satan and evil.
For this is another way that angels minister to our lives. The Scripture teaches that angels minister to us or serve us, and they provide strength and sustenance for us when we are weak.
II. Spiritual Strengthening
The Scriptures have numerous illustrations of this angelic ministry. Turn with me to 1 Kings 18 when the prophet Elijah won a great victory on God’s behalf. Elijah went to Mount Carmel and stood up for God against 850 false prophets. Elijah believed in the power of God, and he knew that the false gods these false prophets served had no power at all. So he took on a challenge. He confronted the powers of evil and darkness, and God won a great victory and glorified His name and His power.
In the next chapter, 1 Kings 19, we find that the victorious prophet Elijah is now exhausted. He is discouraged after running for his life from the wicked Queen Jezebel, who had threatened to kill him before the day was over. She was angry at what had happened. So feeling tired, he sat down under a tree and begged God to take his life, to let him die. Then he lies down under that tree and falls asleep. Perhaps you may have been through a time where you could relate to Elijah, a time when you were just mentally, physically, and emotionally worn out.
The Scripture says, “Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.” - 1 Kings 19:5-6.
“And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” (1 Kings 19:7). God sent his angel, a messenger, to strengthen His servant in his time of need.
Now turn with me to the Gospel of Mark chapter 1. Jesus was in the midst of the desert. The Scripture says in that time of temptation “He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him." (Mark 1:13). Here is something amazing. You see, not only did the angels attend to Jesus; but in the New Testament, you find out that those very same angels attend to us as well.
The Book of Hebrews tells us, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14. Angels were created to attend, to serve, to wait on—not just Jesus, but those who will inherit salvation from God. In the same way that angels ministered to Jesus in the midst of that desert, God also, at important moments in our lives, even unbeknown to us, sends His angels to strengthen us, to encourage us, to minister to us and meet our needs.
Another crucial moment in Jesus’ life was when an angel ministered to Him, and was at the end of His life here on earth. In Luke 22, we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying to His heavenly Father just before He goes to the cross, where He is going to bear all the weight of our sin upon Himself. Jesus prays, in His humanness, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, I surrender. Not my will, but your will be done” (Luke 22: 42). The Scripture tells us that at that moment “[...] an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.” (Luke 22:43). The angel strengthened Him in the middle of this great spiritual battle.
This was a moment in Jesus’ life when He was all alone. His disciples were sleeping, and He needed inner strength to do the will of God, and at that crucial moment the angel strengthened Him. But that was not the end of the battle. The scripture goes on to say, “Being in anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Some people may argue, ‘If the angel strengthened Him, could not the angel deliver Him from the battle?’ Dear children of God, please listen to this carefully. You don’t just need deliverance from the battle. You need deliverance to keep going into the battle. You need to be strengthened inwardly so that you can face the next day, and the next week and the next year.
So as we look to God, God is the one who strengthens us. But many times I believe that God sends His angels as instruments of His mercy and His grace. They come from God, so we ought to pray to God to send His angels to come and strengthen us. We ought to pray to God and say, “God, I’m so weak. I’m so needy. Come and strengthen me in these moments of weakness so that I may not fail You and so that I may be given courage to press on.” And when God answers, He may answer by His angels.
III. Spiritual Guardian:
Many of you may have heard the saying, “guardian angel.” The scriptures teach us that the angels are watching us. Paul said in 1 Timothy 5:21, “I charge you in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to keep these instructions”. Jesus is watching. God is watching. And, Paul says, the elect angels are watching too; so make sure you obey God’s instructions. Then Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:9, “we are a spectacle to angels as we live our lives”. As we obey God, as we exercise faith, as we suffer sometimes for doing God’s work, we are a spectacle. The angels are watching.
Let's look at the book of Job. Job was a servant of God, a righteous man who was tested without knowing. In one day, he endured the loss of all of his possessions and all of his children. He then found himself struggling with his discouraging friends. But Scripture says,“ And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” 22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. (Job 1:21–22).
We know from the scriptures about the conversation in the heavenly realm between God and Satan. But because the Scripture does not tell us, we can only imagine that at this moment perhaps the angels in heaven were watching to see what would happen in Job’s life as well. They knew what was going on in heaven but might have been watching to see how God’s servant would respond, because God’s servant did not know the outcome. He did not know that God was in charge in the way that the angels could see it.
When Job said, “Blessed be the name of the Lord,” I just wonder if those angels didn’t start to applaud. God had been vindicated. His servant had trusted in Him and said later, “Though he slay me,” though I lose not only my possessions, not only my children, but even my very life, “yet will I trust him” (Job 13:15). Angels are watching. The Scripture says in Hebrews “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) Angels are a part of the great hosts up in heaven watching to see if we will be faithful in running the race that God has given to us.
Now, the fact that the angels are watching us here on earth from heaven, should be a source of great encouragement and motivation. But it can also be a source of accountability as we walk down here on this earth because we are always watched. In the book Though I Walk Through the Valley by Dr. Vance Havner, he tells of an old preacher who worked throughout the night on a sermon for his tiny congregation. His wife asked him why he was spending so much time working on a message for such a small congregation. The minister replied, “You forget, my dear, how large my audience will be.” Every song and praise you give to God; remember you are playing to heaven.
“Nothing is trivial here if heaven looks on. We shall play a better game if we remember who is in the grandstand.” - Dr. Vance Havner.
So, Dear children of God, when you think that no one sees and no one appreciates all the little things that you do every day for your family or friends or strangers, remember that the angels are watching. When you are tempted to give up, or when you get weary, faint of heart, or tired of doing right; be faithful. Because the angels are watching. When you find yourself alone, remember. God is watching, and the angels are watching too.
Conclusion:
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, because we are human, we can only see the visible reality of our world. However, never forget that both God and the angels are continuously working and fighting our battles. Some of you at this time may be going through a spiritual warfare. You are fighting on your knees for an answer from God. Know that the Lord your God hears every word of your prayer. He has sent His angels to deliver you. Do not grow weary nor doubtful but continue to strengthen yourself in prayer. Call upon the Lord for spiritual strength to continue your battle. And finally guard your heart and mind and soul, for the Lord and His angels are always watching over you. Spiritual warfare is not an easy battle but know that God and His angels are right by your side. Amen.
