Something I was pondering today was the difference between evil and good.
Angels bring messages from God for His glory and the good of the ones to whom they deliver the message. They do not control others, they share with and protect others in God's Will.
Angels protect from harm, deliver important messages, encourage in times of distress, and well as provide supernatural help in trials.
"14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?"
Sent to bring messages from God. Acts 27:23-24
"23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’"
Devils possess human beings controlling them to destroy their lives and their eternity even using them for their own glory to distract them from God.
1 Peter 5:8 "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
Leaders in the church ought to operate more like angels, protecting, bringing messages and loving the ones they minister to as they bring the Word of God. They have no authority over those they minister to.
Angels have no authority over mankind they are our servants to do God's bidding in our lives. Just as leaders in the church ought to act in the church gathering.
Luke 1:19
"19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news."
It is the pride of mankind that always seeks someone to dominate them so they don't have to think for themselves. Even the prayers in the church are brought by a leader rather than the Holy Spirit in each believer. The leaders usurp the Authority of the Holy Spirit by designating one man to pray for the rest of the congregation.
When we are told what to pray our minds become lazy not evaluating what is being prayed and if it is according to God's Word.
When the Holy Spirit leads someone to pray we know it will be in the will of the Father. When a man prays apart from the Holy Spirit he will interject his own opinion and desired will thinking God is pleased with it.
I once heard a pastor pray for a person's divorce to go smoothly so that the person seeking the divorce would find a husband who will be godly.
Violating God's Word to falsely honor him in man's desires is abominable. God told us that if we ask "in His will" we will get our desire. When we ask according to our own will while violating His Word, we are denying Him. Christ is the Word, telling Him what to do is grossly arrogant, we ought always to be asking for His direction and seeking His Word, the Bible, to adhere to His principles and commands. They are not suggestions that we can ignore or change to our own ideas. When we ignore God's Word and change it to say what we want we have placed ourselves as the god in our lives.
Lying against God in this way is idolatry, self-worship and stubbornness against God.
2 Timothy 4:3
"3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires,"
Even gatherings that appear to have some sound doctrine are being deceived by the modern cultural church system. It is subtle for those who do not know their Bibles and who do not practice prayer at home when they are alone.
We are can easily be fooled if we are following along with the culture and ignorant of God's Word.
A passage to ponder that should bring fear to the hearts of those who are neglectful of God's principles and commands is the following;
Matthew 7:21-23
I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Notice how spiritual these people looked and sounded to everyone around them? And, yet they ended up in the fires of hell.
