Saturday, October 31, 2020

Ministering Spirits

The world is caught up in Halloween celebrations, which can range from children playing dress-up and asking neighbors for candy; to adults finding an excuse to indulge in mysterious libations and provocative, satirical or even violent costumes and fantasies; to even more sinister acts paying homage to or worshipping Satan and the evil spirits he dominates. 
 
The Bible warns us against consulting evil spirits, as King Saul did directly when he asked the witch of Endor to communicate with the departed soul of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 28:7-21)), or indirectly through astrology, witchcraft, wizardry and soothsaying (2 Chronicles 33:6; Leviticus 19:31;20:6; 2 Kings 21:6; Acts 16:16-18). Today this would include such activities as consulting a horoscope, fortune teller, Ouija board, or Tarot deck, or attending a seance. Many Halloween festivities feature practitioners of these dark arts.

Scripture also warns of the power of evil spirits to inhabit the soul, spirit and body of those who leave themselves open to demonic possession, and shows the miraculous power of Jesus Christ to cast these out even when His disciples could not (Mark 5:2-19; Luke 4:41; 7:21; 8:2; Matthew 4:24; 8:16, 28-33; etc). 

Thankfully, once we are saved by placing our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6), we are immediately indwelled by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). We therefore cannot be demon possessed, for He Who is in us is greater than He Who is in the world (1 John 4:4). 

At Halloween and year-round, born-again Christians (John 3:3-8) should not be preoccupied with evil spirits, but we should instead thank God for ministering spirits. God sends these to minister to those who will inherit salvation, implying that they protect those who will be saved one day as well as those who already are saved (Hebrews 1:14). 

Angels in Scripture communicate divine messages, such as telling the Virgin Mary that God had chosen her to give birth to His Son (Luke 1:26-38); Abraham that his wife Sarah would conceive in her old age and he would father a great nation (Genesis 18); and Zacharias that his barren, aged wife Elizabeth would give birth to John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25). 

But in addition, God has sent angels to protect, guard and minister to His children going through trials and danger. At least at times, these angels may appear in human form. The author of Hebrews tells us to practice hospitality to strangers, for in so doing, we may be entertaining angels while unaware of their true identity (Hebrews 13:2). 

God sent His angel to shut the mouths of the ravenous lions about to devour His faithful servant Daniel (Daniel 6:22), and to prevent Abraham from sacrificing Isaac as God had commanded (Genesis 22). He sent angels to comfort Jesus after He was tempted by the devil for forty days (Matthew 4:1-11), and again in the garden of Gethsemane as His emotional distress was so great on the eve of His passion that He sweated blood (Luke 22:42-44). 

In my own life, I believe there were at least two instances when God sent invisible angels to protect my loved ones even before they or I were saved. When my husband Richard was renovating an old building where we would soon open our Rhapsody Ballroom, I drove there one evening with our two-year old son to see how it was coming along, 

“Brendan drive!” our son exclaimed excitedly as we got in the car, trying to grab my keys. Once we arrived, I brought in my purse and keys and placed them out of Brendan’s reach on the very top shelf of a bookcase against the wall. Richard called me over to the other end of the ballroom-to-be, where he was working on the music center. 

From there, we suddenly realized in horror that Brendan was climbing up the bookshelf to get the keys, about 70 feet away from the music center, and that the bookshelf was not yet fastened to the wall. Powerless to intervene in time, we watched the shelf teeter and fall to the ground with a sickening thud, with Brendan on the top shelf. 

I felt his very short life flash before my eyes as we ran over, for from our vantage point it appeared that the shelf had struck him across the forehead and pinned him beneath, crushing his head. But when we reached him he was laughing and shouting “Shelf go boom!” Miraculously, my purse had slipped between the top shelf and the floor, suspending it about 1 inch from Brendan’s forehead! Surely an unseen angel had positioned my purse to protect Brendan’s head and even guided him gently to the floor! 

Even though we were then unsaved and unaware of Bible teaching regarding angels, we knew enough to thank God for saving our child’s life, after we shed tears of relief and shared many group hugs! 

Several years later, when we were still unsaved, Richard was renovating the separate room at the back of the ballroom, where he had exposed the ceilings to give us more height to practice overhead lifts. As he stood on the top step of a 15-foot ladder, the metal suddenly collapsed beneath him and he fell from that height onto a hard floor consisting of wood-grain flooring applied directly to cement. 

Although he was severely shaken and sore, he did not hit his head, nor was a single bone broken, nor did he even suffer any sprains! We didn’t know it at the time, but this room was where our dance ministry would much later take shape, as we would choreograph to Christian music and themes under Holy Spirit guidance. I believe Satan was trying to thwart this future ministry by injuring Richard, but that God sent an unseen angel to cushion his fall. Otherwise, damage from such a fall might not only have ended our dance career, but even his life! 

But sometimes God sends angels that appear in human form, ministering spirits to comfort, guide or rescue His children. Shortly after we were saved and baptized, I sang in a Christmas cantata at our church, and afterwards our family of three went for brunch at a small restaurant consisting of only several tables in a single room. 

I began to chew a bite of roast beef when it suddenly slid down my windpipe and I could not speak or even breathe. I grabbed Richard’s hand and gestured my predicament. He began patting me assertively on the back, and then so forcefully that we later found indentations on my skin from the beaded jacket I was wearing. When that didn’t work, he slipped his finger into my throat to try to dislodge the meat, all to no avail. 

“Oh, my God, she’s choking!” someone said. I began to realize that minutes had gone by and I still could not breathe, and that at any moment I could asphyxiate and be brain dead. Help me, Jesus! I prayed silently. 

Suddenly a man I had not noticed before, of average height but muscular, with dark hair, wearing a black turtleneck and slacks, walked over to us, gently placed a hand on Richard’s arm to move him aside, and calmly said, “Excuse me.” 

He reached toward me as if he were about to do a Heimlich maneuver, but the instant I felt his touch, I also felt the piece of meat slide down my esophagus, freeing my airway. 

“I’m fine! I’m fine!” I cried loudly.
“Are you sure you’re OK?” Richard asked. 
 
I hugged Richard and repeated, “Yes, I’m fine, praise God!” We immediately turned back to the man to thank him, but he was gone! We raced through the small restaurant looking for him at every table, but he was nowhere to be found inside or in the parking lot. We asked the diners if they had seen him, but no one could explain where he went or how he seemed to vanish into thin air! 
 
As Halloween calls attention to evil spirits, let us praise God for ministering spirits, and may we be continually aware of and thankful for their presence!   

© 2017 Laurie Collett
Reposted from the archives


 

8 comments:

Brenda said...

Laurie your testimonies in this post are beautiful, and I believe absolutely that the young man in the cafe was there to save you for what God intended you to do in your ministry. Although the enemy is rife in today's world we know he is a thief and a liar, but God is in charge and Jesus is our One and only Lord. I once met a lady who was a spiritualist and she invited me to go with her to a meeting. She was a very nice lady who welcomed us into the small area we had moved into. I told her that I was a born again Christian and shared a bit of my testimony. After that she wanted to know more and more about Jesus and I know it had been set up by God. I hate halloween but sometimes if local children come to the door for trick and treat I will give them sweets and sometimes talk about Jesus. God bless you for sharing your precious beautiful testimonies. I love the fact that our times are in God's hands.

Frank E. Blasi said...

Dear Laurie,
A great post!
Your experience in the restaurant has reminded me of the sauna experience a few years ago.
Actually, I can't remember whether I had already shared this with you before, but I hope it will still be edifying to you.
I was sitting in the sauna one Saturday morning when I came across another occupant, a male in his apparent thirties, and like the rest of us, dressed only in his shorts (compulsive here in British spas).
As if singling me out, he said that he was Jewish. Immediately, I expressed my interest in Israel, having visited several times already.
That's when he revealed the secret of the name ISRAEL, then bid me work it out. He then walked out of the sauna.
I wanted to ask him more questions but he vanished as if into thin air despite my search for him.
Of course, there may be nothing supernatural about this. Just an ordinary chap who made a quick getaway into the changing rooms.
But it's worth considering...
Wishing God's blessing on you and Richard.

Laurie Collett said...

Amen, Brenda! God controls all aspects of our lives and redeems and sustains us. He Who is in me is greater than he who is in the world. The devil may lay traps and snares, but our precious Lord sends angels to protect us. I do believe that God makes divine appointments for us, as He did with you and the spiritualist. Praise Him for giving you the discernment and boldness to walk through the door God opened. May we do that always. God bless you and your faithful ministry.
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Dear Frank,
I agree, God placed that man (angel?) in your path for a reason, and worked through him to edify and encourage you, regardless of his identity and origin. May our eyes be open to recognize and appreciate His protection and uplifting our spirit, no matter what form it may take. I believe that one of the great blessings we will have in Heaven is to have a playback of all the ministering spirits who protected and strengthened us during our earthly life. Thank you as always for sharing your experience and insights. May God bless and keep you and Alex,
Laurie

Rick Jones said...

Thank you for your insights & thoughts as they illuminate the Lord's path. Halloween seems so 'hollow' when His light has been revealed to us.

Donald Fishgrab said...

Great post, Laurie.

So many times God works in miraculous ways to protect us or teach us, and so often we never know who or what made the difference, except it had to come from god.

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Rick,
Thank you so much for your encouraging comment -- I truly appreciate it! I agree, Halloween has nothing to offer the born-again Christian. May God bless and keep you,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Donald! God's protective hand of mercy, love and grace works miracles daily on our behalf! God bless,
Laurie