Angels and Spiritual Warfare
by Judith MacNutt
Apr/May/Jun 2012
As a Christian, when you are actively involved in the Kingdom ministry of bringing healing and freedom to suffering souls, you will come to the attention of our enemy, Satan, who will want to stop you. Sadly, we have witnessed the fall of many leaders who were tragically removed from ministry by dark forces assigned against them. Unfortunately, few mainline denominations teach the essential prayers of authority necessary to protect oneself and one’s family. The more involved you are in ministry, the more you need protection. I remember a few years ago my coworker Linda and I were in Hawaii preparing to minister in a large Presbyterian church. We arrived in Honolulu a few days before the conference to get over jet–lag, which also gave us the opportunity to rest, sight–see, and shop. Everything was care–free for a couple of days. The harassment began the first day of the conference and continued throughout the weekend. The attacks ranged from minor annoyances to direct confrontations with the enemy. After many years in frontline ministry, I have learned that these encounters are not a coincidence! They are strategically timed to coincide with ministry events and they are meant to discourage, exhaust, and ultimately stop the ministry and the people involved in it.
Jesus’ world view highlighted the existence of the unseen world of demons and angels and the clash between two Kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Many Christians have not fully embraced this battle in the unseen realm and therefore rarely give much thought to demons or angels. Dr. Charles Kraft, a friend of ours, writes in his marvelous book Christianity With Power, “Though many westerners retain a vague belief in God, most deny that other supernatural beings even exist. . .Indeed, unlike most of the peoples of the world, we divide the world into what we call ‘natural’ and what we call ‘supernatural.’ And then we largely disregard the supernatural.” (pgs. 26–27)
In Matthew 6, as Jesus was asked by His disciples to teach them to pray, He taught them the essentials of what to cover in praying for our daily needs. Many great truths are contained in the Lord’s Prayer but one in particular related to spiritual warfare: Deliver us from evil. Jesus actually used the words, ‘deliver us from the evil one.’ Jesus did not teach about a vague, mystical, ethereal, illusive evil. He referred to the ‘evil one’ as a personal enemy in the supernatural realm who seeks to destroy the Kingdom of God. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are given authority to deal with Satan and his demons. To read more on this topic, please read my husband Francis’ book, Deliverance from Evil Spirits. In this book, you will find thorough explanations for the demonic realm and how it can affect our daily lives as well as practical applications for help to pray against this evil influence.
In addition to our own authority against the enemy, we have the assistance of God’s holy angels, who are committed to helping us overcome the devil. Pope John Paul II taught that ‘the battle against the devil, which is the principle task of Michael, the Archangel, is still being fought today, because the devil is still alive and active in the world.’ (during a May 24, 1987 visit to the Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel). God has assigned the great Archangel Michael, whose name means “one who is like God” to lead the battle against Satan and the demonic realm. God has placed countless numbers of angels under Michael’s direction in this age old battle. In John’s account of the end of time, Jesus returns to earth accompanied by Michael and his angels, and Satan is cast into the depths of hell. Until that time, we find it encouraging to know that these mighty angels are on our side in this battle to protect us and to usher in God’s Kingdom.
Angels work tirelessly to protect, encourage, and strengthen believers. Some of the most touching stories in the Bible are those where angels are ministering to our Lord Jesus and the early believers such as Peter and Paul. According to Billy Graham,
| Demonic activity and Satan worship are on the increase in all parts of the world. The devil is alive and more at work now than at any other time. The Bible says that since he realizes that his time is short (Revelation 12:12) his activity will increase. Through his demonic influences, Satan does succeed in turning many away from true faith; but we can still say that his evil activities are countered by the holy ones of the angelic order. They are vigorous in delivering the heirs of salvation from the strategies of evil and cannot fail. (Billy Graham, Angels All Around, Decision, December 1996, 3) |
These thoughts from one of the world’s foremost, beloved spiritual leaders help us understand the daily battle in which the angels are involved on our behalf.
The following story was submitted for my book Angels are for Real by our dear friend, Mike Evans (page 131):
|
The Archangel Michael Protecting and Celebrating On my second ministry trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland, I was speaking at St. Anne’s church one evening. The previous Saturday, the Shankill Road bombing by the IRA had killed 10 people and left 57 wounded. We weren’t sure whether anyone would attend the Monday meeting, but despite the bombing, people came in large numbers. During the time of worship, I felt the Lord directing me to look upward. There was a huge shining figure, standing with a sword in his hand, at the front and to the left of the nave. I asked God who he was, and He answered, “Michael,” which surprised me. When I asked God why Michael was there, He said, “To protect and to celebrate.” I nudged Joseph Sampson, who was standing next to me, and said to him, “Look!” He looked up and said, “Wow!” Joseph’s response confirmed that I wasn’t hallucinating — we were truly in the presence of a holy angel. Later, during the message, I told the story of my angry, unforgiving response to my father’s death and how it had adversely affected me for much of my life. When the prayer time came, a large number of people rushed forward to deal with unforgiveness in their own relationships. Many others asked for prayer to invite Jesus into their lives. At one point during the joyful worship, I looked back over to where Michael had been standing and was delighted to see that he was now dancing. — Rev. Mike Evans |
To read more about angels and spiritual warfare, please read my new book Angels are for Real. In it are more stories of angelic encounters and more teaching on spiritual warfare. May the Lord protect you with His holy angels.
 |
Judith MacNutt is author, teacher, conference speaker and co–founder of CHM. |  |