Do you remember when Apostle Paul was on the ship to Rome with two hundred seventy-five sailors, soldiers, and criminals? Paul was the only saint of God. When the storm was destroying the ship and no end was in sight, this man of God had God’s messengers to minister to Him and for Him. The angel of God stood by Paul, “Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee” (Acts 27:24). Imagine the angel promising Paul the safety of everyone on board the ship. Days later, when the sailors were about to abandon the ship, Paul was quick to warn them. He said to the Roman Centurion and the soldiers, “Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved” (Acts 27:31b).

The entire ministry of Jesus Christ was accompanied by angels. The Lord told Nathaniel as He called Him to be one of the twelve, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (John 1:51b). After Satan had sought to sidestep the Son of God when He had completed his forty days of fasting, Matthew reported, “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him” (Matthew 4:11). When Peter would defend Jesus with his sword, Jesus stopped him and reminded Peter, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53).

Nine of the twenty-eight chapters in Acts of the Apostles speak of these ministering spirits for the saints. An angel opened the locked prison door for Peter and then supernaturally unlocked the gate as they approached it on their way out. An angel spoke to Phillip giving him direction for his ministering location. Cornelius was visited by ministering spirits, told to send for Peter, given the location where Peter was, and even given the name of Peter’s host. It was a normal matter in the early church to expect angels to minister for the saints.

The world has stolen the marvel of angels and reduced it all to mysteries and strange goddesses. The Hagin deception of commanding angels to bring great treasures to wealth-gurus has only added to the mystical confusion. The Biblical balance can return the true church back to experience a genuine understanding of angels. Apostle Paul called them ministering spirits. He stated, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14).

There are wonderful ministries that angels perform. They minister to children for their protection and for a purity of divine sensitivity. Jesus clearly warns His listener’s of abusing children. He said, “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). I see many children today that God’s holy angels have been driven away by some Godless parent, child abuser, nasty television program, etc. and an evil angel from Lucifer now troubles that child. I have also seen numbers of children delivered by ministry and prayer. (Shortly, I will write an article on this subject.)

Ministering spirits can apply sermons to our hearts and lives. They can chasten wayward believers, calling them back to purity. They can defeat dark spirits that keep our lost ones from coming to Christ. They can pull down strongholds from the minds of troubled people and help weak Christians rise up above the wounds of their past. All of us have our flesh to contend with and these ministering spirits are promised, and even assigned to help us.

Apostle Paul spoke of these ministering spirits in his second letter to Corinth. He stated, “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:4-5). Paul used the word weapons in the plural because these ministering spirits are multitudes. When Daniel was waiting in prayer, a ministering angel was warring against an opposing evil spirit. Daniel prayed while the battle raged, and a reinforcement of angels came to the battlefront and victory was won.

God’s ministering spirits await your invitation to minister for you. You do not pray to them, you pray to the Father in the name of Jesus. Jesus is the Lord of Sabaoth or the Lord of His Armies. “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them” (Psalm 34:7).