You Have Been Touched By An Angel

Remember the TV show Touched By An Angel? It premiered in 1994 and was one of the most watched shows on CBS. Well I saw the star of the show, Roma Downey on Piers Morgan Tonight. She recounted the joy the show brought her which made me wonder how the show became such a success. And this got me to thinking about angels.

 

Many times we have to move out of our comfort zone to help others. It’s easier to stay in your comfort zone because it’s safe. Just say no, as the slogan goes, works for more than just abstinence from drugs. When you say no, there is no reward—but there is also no great risk involved. How many times will God tell you to get up? How can God get you to bless others when you are in your comfort zone of just saying no?

And this brings me to Mrs. Downey. One way to bless others is to hit them with the concept of angels. For some, angles are analogues to dwarf or trolls. Fairy Godmothers or others things produced by Hollywood. Movies have shown angels as saints, sinners, brethren or buffoons. But in spite of this, angels are closer than you think. Let’s talk a little about angels.

In the bible we see angels in nearly every book of the bible but could you have actually have met an angel? Well let’s see. One of the key characteristics of angels is a person you see who is an ordinary person who is an extraordinary desire to please. An ordinary person—who you are drawn to but cannot put your finger on as to why. Ever met such a person?

Some of us MAY have friends who are angels. Some possibly parents who are angelic. Some of our kids are average ordinary teenagers, and then once in while they will say something that’s like a flash of brilliance from nowhere. And you think, “This child may possibly be an angel. Where did that come from?”

In an old R&B song the writer pinned the immortal question, “Didn’t I blow your mind this time, didn’t I?” I am about to blow your mind with this one. HERE GOES.

I am a firm believer that you are indeed angelic and with the capable of doing the miraculous. No matter who you are, someone is looking forward to seeing you and the smile you will put on their face. Take a moment and think about them. Some of you can think of several people. Others may not be able to think of any one—but the fact that you don't know who those people are do not mean they do not exist. Trust me, the mere mention of your name will make something turn in someone's heart. In actuality, it’s not for you to know who this person or these people are. But that thing that turns inside of them turns because God has planted something in them that is like a magnet to your steel and they have been strategically placed IN your life for you to do mission work and for them to notice your good deeds. I often say the most powerful sermons are never spoken from a pulpit. They are seen in the way we live our lives.

So are their others ways we can test if a person is angelic? I am glad you were thinking that.

Angels and people who are angelic will tend not to get too close. They tend to come for a reason a season and a purpose and then they go.  To understand this we must forget the Hollywoodfication of Angels and chart them throughout the bible. If there is anything that is consistent about their behavior they are here and then gone.

The literal meaning of an angel in the New Testament is a messenger. They tend not to sit around and let moss grow. The UPS guy doesn’t hang out, watch the game on TV and then have dinner with the family before delivering his next package. He drops the package (message) and then he bounces. We see this attribute in angels as well. But often we transgress because we try to hold on to angels. To keep them around forever. The next time you reach out for an angel they may not be there… although they were there the last time you needed them for a specific problem. What we need to do is never depend on the angle for consistency because they are not given the charge to be consistent. We need to hold on to God because he is always and will always be consistent.

Sometimes when you are on the mission from God to do angelic work, at times it can be frustrating. Why? You don't understand what happened. You toss and turn at night and try to put it into context but you cannot get the pieces to fit. It could be a good relationship that you break off and have no idea why. It could be a good job that you left. It could be a good church that was life changing at one time—then all of a sudden you feel out of place there and you left. You don't know why but you know your times had come to an end. But the reason you don't understand it, the reason you find yourself tossing and turning is because you were doing angelic work for the moment.

The most powerful thing about angel is the fact that there is a little bit of God in each one of us. That God can use each of us to deliver a message. Not just the preacher on Sunday—but the Attorney on Wednesday and the Garbage man on Saturday. If we just let God be God then we can be used for the kingdom. If we let God be God we can feel angelic power. You can list a cavalcade of names in the bible that followed this path.

God was God inside of David. What mortal man could do what he did?

God was God inside of Paul. What manner of man could write what he wrote sitting in prison awaiting his death? Here he was waiting to die telling the world for centuries to come how to live.

But most importantly we see God putting on the flesh and being born in a manger.

But it goes deeper than then the people we expect to be angels or angelic. God can use a child to speak a word into your life that changes the course of your life forever. He can use a photo and bring you to your knees crying like a baby. God is so God he can use a homeless person to let you appreciate life. The angelic power of God has been used in all of these things. If he can use a donkey to stop a man such as Baalm from killing himself; he can use anything to get you where he would like you to be.

The bible teaches says in Hebrews 13:2 “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

In closing think about that for a moment.  When life does not make sense think about that. When you are drawn to someone think about that. When someone you are attracted to leaves an indelible finger print on your life—think about that. And when you do remember that no matter what it takes God will always get a message to His children.

Remember today--this day, is the first day of the rest of your life.