Angels are mentioned all throughout the Bible. Sometimes referred to as hosts or armies of heaven, they are spirit beings created by God to serve Him—and us. Hebrews 1:14 says, “Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.” Angels are messengers that help us fulfill our assignments. They act on God’s commands and on ours. Psalm 103:20 assures us of this: “Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word” (NKJV). When was the last time you commanded your angels to go…and protect you, defend you, rescue you, bring in your harvest or minister to you in some way? Have you ever fully understood that this is what they were created to do for you?
According to Scripture, angels existed before the Creation of the world as we know it was complete (Genesis 2:1; Exodus 20:11). We know that angels surround the throne of God to this day, worshipping Him and giving Him glory (Isaiah 6:3; Ezekiel 1:5-14; Revelation 4:6-8, 7:11)—and that there is a rank and order of the angels. For example, in Jude 9, Michael is called an archangel, as is Gabriel, who appeared to Mary (Luke 1:26-28).
The enemy of our soul, the one who roams this earthly realm roaring like a lion seeking whom he may devour, is a fallen angel—and a being we have complete authority over due to our Covenant with God (Isaiah 14:12; Luke 10:18). That’s right, no angel, whether good or bad, has authority over us. God made us in His image; He made us higher than the angels (Hebrews 1:4-14; 1 Corinthians 6:3). This is why when we move from this life to our eternal life in heaven, we don’t change into angels. We don’t change into something lower than us. Rather, we enter the presence of God and worship Him, along with the saints who have gone before us (Philippians 1:21-23).
But most important to our everyday lives, we have the power to command our angels, to put them to work on our behalf. All we must do is speak the Word, and they will go to work helping bring it to pass. To be sure that we’re putting our angels to work the way God wants us to, consider the following 12 Truths About Your Angels and how they can work for you. While not a complete list of all the references to angels in the Bible, this list will give you a strong overview of how angels can serve you as a child of God.
1. Angels are assigned to us at birth.
When the disciples tried to keep the little children from coming to Jesus, He said, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10, NKJV).
Sometimes, we refer to such angels as “our guardian angels.” Have you ever felt protected and delivered from harm in a dangerous situation? Your angel was at work. And what about all the times you weren’t even aware?
2. Angels watch over us.
“For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone” (Psalm 91:11-12).
Our angels are always watching over us, regardless of whether we’re aware of them or not.
3. Angels bring good news.
“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!’” (Luke 1:26-28).
Not only did an angel appear to Mary, announcing that she would give birth to Jesus; once He was born, an angel appeared to the shepherds announcing He had been born. “Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord’” (Luke 2:10-11, NKJV).
4. Angels guard places.
Some angels are described in the Scripture as cherubim or seraphim. Several verses share location-specific details about angels. Cherubim guard the entrance to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24), and God is enthroned above them (Ezekiel 10:1-22). Psalm 18:10 tells us that God rides on them, and Exodus 25:18-22 describes two golden figures of cherubim that sit above the Ark of the Covenant.
5. Angels worship God.
Seraphim are mentioned only once and are described has having six wings (Isaiah 6:2-6). They are the angels who continually worship the Lord saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (verse 3, NKJV).
6. Angels are mighty and strong.
Ezekiel described having a vision of angels that were majestic, powerful and huge. He said that they were so holy that they appeared as fire, having four wings and multiple faces; and when they flew, their wings were so big that they made the noise of great waters (Ezekiel 1). In 2 Kings 19:35, the Word tells us that an angel of the Lord slew 185,000 Assyrians. And in the New Testament, it was Peter who said that angels were superior in might and power (2 Peter 2:11).
7. Angels are sent to us.
When Daniel had a vision in which he saw an angel and heard him speak, he fell to the ground in a deep sleep (Daniel 10:9). When the angel woke him, he said, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you…. Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer” (Daniel 10:11-12).
Once, when Kenneth Copeland was preaching, God opened the eyes of an audience member spiritually, and the man told Brother Copeland that he saw a huge angel standing behind Brother Copeland the entire time he was preaching. When Brother Copeland paused in his preaching, the angel would lean over and speak things in his ear, and he would get fired up again! The angel was big and looked like Mr. Clean, the man depicted on cleaning products bearing the same name. Who better to help us fulfill our assignments than an angel sent just for us!
8. Angels can appear as strangers in our midst.
The writer of Hebrews told us, “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” (Hebrews 13:2).
9. Angels protect us and get us where we’re going.
“See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you” (Exodus 23:20).
10. Angels speak to us and guide us.
God, speaking in Exodus 23 about the sent angel, goes on to say, “Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you. For my angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so you may live there. And I will destroy them completely” (Exodus 23:21-23).
11. Angels can be sent in response to our prayers.
When Peter was imprisoned shortly after the execution of James (Acts 12), he was in his cell chained between two guards, as “the church prayed very earnestly for him” (verse 5). The Word tells us that “suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, ‘Quick! Get up!’ And the chains fell off his wrists” (verse 7). The arrival of an angel to rescue Peter was an obvious answer to the church’s prayer. This shows us that God can use angels to answer our prayers today.
12. Angels carry out God’s plans.
“When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. ‘Oh, sir, what will we do now?’ the young man cried to Elisha. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ Elisha told him. ‘For there are more on our side than on theirs!’ Then Elisha prayed, ‘O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!’ The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire” (2 Kings 6:15-17).
The next time you have need of anything—spiritually, mentally, physically, socially, financially, relationally—in any realm of your life, tell your angels to go. Tell them to go to work ministering to you and on your behalf, bringing into your life what you need, in Jesus’ Name.
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