I kept waiting for them to settle down so I could finish what I was saying. But they simply would not settle down.
Angels carry the glory of God, and the glory began to fall in the room. It caused an eruption of uncontrolled laughter by the attendees and me. I call this kind of laughter “inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8).
I kept wondering what the pastors thought of all of this. I finally gave up and turned the service back to Ian. He led all of us in prayer for Chicago, which seemed to be the most appropriate thing to do.
After the service ended, I asked Ian about this activity, and he said it was a regular occurrence with guest speakers. Ian can also see into the spirit realm and has an uncommon connection with angels. He explained to me, “These angels are on assignment for Chicago.” He further clarified that angels would show up at these particular meetings and activate around certain phrases related to their mission. What stirred them, apparently, were key words or phrases, like revival or outpouring or Chicago. He said I lasted on the platform longer than most speakers, but it was always the same scenario. These angels would come in their overwhelming glory, and this would stop the meeting and turn it into a glory service. It was truly beautiful, and I could see where one would want to live in that all day long.
The following morning, I woke up and found angels all around me. I could see them and hear them talking. They were just as excited as the night before, but I discerned1 by the Holy Spirit that we were not going in the same direction. I felt from the Lord that I was there to put a sustaining word into this church. Greater Chicago Church needed my story and my principles to aid them through future obstacles. If the angels interrupted the teaching again, it would not be helpful in the long term.
Spontaneously, right there in the room where I had been sleeping, I called a meeting with these spirit beings. I had never thought to do that before, but it just came out of my mouth.
I said, “Angels! I’m here to put the sustaining word in this church so they can last and not become a casualty. They have obstacles up ahead, and I have the keys. You need to let me teach and prove the word with signs. When I’m done, you can do what you want.”
I could feel them come into alignment, and I felt a sense of order materialize.
Their presence was still there at the church as I spoke that day and the next, but at this point we were on the same page with each other. They would get active during the right times, even providing miraculous signs, but allowed me to retain the lead. For example, as I prayed for the group to receive an anointing to see into the spirit realm (see 2 Kings 6:17), one woman received even more than that. She was healed instantly of nearsightedness and no longer needed her glasses. This miracle raised the faith level of the room to receive the anointing for spiritual sight.
Some might call what I did with the angels in that spontaneous meeting quenching the Spirit, but it is really connected to our priestly and kingly roles on earth (see Revelation 5:10). Angels are not on their own charge. They are assigned to serve humans, not the other way around (see Hebrews 1:14). They remain mighty and powerful by nature, but we are still the earth’s leaders (see Psalm 115:16).
I have heard and read much counsel from Christian leaders not to worship angels. Given the practices of some Catholics, Wiccans, pagans and those in New Age cults, this counsel is understandable. Those religions often pray to angels or seek them out in ways that are not biblical. The instruction not to worship angels, however, is often misheard as “Don’t work with angels” or “Don’t talk to them.” Angels are not off-limits to us. Within biblical boundaries, we can ask the Father for them and work with them.
Ask the Father
When it comes to asking the Father for angels, consider what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night Jesus was arrested. Judas, one of the twelve disciples, had just betrayed Jesus. As the officers came to arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Jesus healed the man’s ear but swiftly rebuked Peter for resorting to violence. He said, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53).
This is another one of those passages that is not giving direct instruction but still provides insight into the things we can ask of our heavenly Father. Jesus could ask for armies of angels to assist Him, if needed. And if He could ask for angels, then we can ask for them, too. We can ask the Father to send them on assignment to us for things we know they already do: protect, fight, guide, provide and so on. Notice that Jesus did not ask for the angels to come that day, because it was not the will of His Father that He be saved from the cross. Asking the Father for angels needs to be done in alignment with the Word of God and the will of God.
Negotiate Details
During his residency in Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot received two angels into his home (see Genesis 19). The angels had come on assignment from God to rescue Lot and his family before God destroyed the city for its abominable wickedness. The angels gave Lot specific instructions: “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” (verse 17).
Lot had a different idea, however.
“I can’t flee to the mountains,” he said. “Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it. . . . Then my life will be spared” (verses 19–20).
Lot understood that staying in Sodom and Gomorrah was not an option. However, he perceived his destination was negotiable, and the angels accepted Lot’s change of plans. This means that when we operate within the will of God, we can still negotiate details with the angels who come to give us aid.
To coincide with this idea, I once heard the story of a young revivalist who had contracted a terrible fever while overseas on a ministry trip. The fever killed him, and angels appeared to take him home to heaven. He resisted the angels several times, however, unwilling to leave. At the same time, other ministers had gathered to pray him back to life. The angels finally let him go, and he lived to tell the tale.
Loose Them
Jesus gave us the keys of the kingdom of heaven—keys, meaning authority. He said, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). Many of us understand this to mean we are to bind the devil and his demons. To bind something means “to tie it up,” and we accomplish that by making a specific command with our words (see Mark 11:23–24).
At the same time, Jesus also gave us the power to loose things. What do we have the power to loose? Angels. We loose the angels the same way we bind demons: by using our words. For one thing, we are charged with making known the will of God in the presence of the angels (see Ephesians 3:10). Angels also listen for and obey the word of the Lord (see Psalm 103:20). The word of the Lord comes from Jesus Himself in heaven or through His Church on earth. We also call that a prophetic word. Our prophetic words are heard and observed by angels and will put them on assignment.
We see this in the life of King David. He made a command not only to all of creation, but also to the angels: “Praise the LORD” (Psalm 148:1; see also verse 2). Jacob, too, wrestled with an angel all night and refused to let the angel go, eventually making a command: “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26).
I have experienced this in my own way. During my first pregnancy, I became very ill in the middle of the night and could not hold anything down. An angel appeared, and I spoke to it. I said, “Lay your hand on my stomach, and I will be healed.” The angel did exactly that, and I was instantly well.
Just as there are demons that afflict us with sickness (see Luke 13:10–17), there are angels that act as healing agents to us. At the end of the day, however, all healing comes from God, and we are to credit Him, not the angels, with the healing we receive.
Remain in the Word of God
When w
orking with angels, understand that they strictly uphold the Word of God. Not to do so would be rebellion with severe punishment. Remember the example of Lucifer and all his fallen angels with him: “And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day” (Jude 6). To be flippant, casual or careless with the angels will, at best, get you ignored. At worst, it could bring a strict penalty, and we need to be aware of that possibility.
For example, Gabriel appeared to Zechariah the priest with a message from God. He told Zechariah he would have a son and to name him John. Zechariah did not believe the angel, and when he voiced his unbelief, Gabriel imposed a temporary injunction against him. Zechariah could not physically speak until the birth of his son, John, just as the angel foretold (see Luke 1:5–23, 57–66).
We find another instance of a strict penalty coming against those who do not uphold the will of God in the ministry of Zechariah’s son, also known as John the Baptist. John grew to adulthood and fulfilled his assignment to “prepare the way for the Lord” (Mark 1:3). He also challenged Herod Antipas over his sin of adultery, as Herod had married his brother’s wife. Herod imprisoned John in response, and his wife made sure to have John executed. Later, Herod appeared before the people of Tyre and Sidon, who worshiped him as a god and not a man. But because Herod did not give God the glory, an angel struck him down and he was eaten by worms and died (see Acts 12:20–23).
Jesus exhorts us and solemnly warns us in regard to the angels: “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8–9). Jesus is saying here that if we deny Him or His Word (which is the same as denying Him), the angels will not work with us.
Instead, we need to be like Mary. When the angel Gabriel appeared to her to announce she would become pregnant and give birth to the Son of God, she responded well. “I am the Lord’s servant,” she answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38).
Working with angels within biblical parameters is not the same as worshiping angels or praying to angels. Angels are of the same classification of being as demon spirits, only they have chosen to remain sinless before God and are assigned to assist us. Someone might ask, “Why do we need to ask for angels? Aren’t they rather automated in their function?” Again, we should not assume the will and benefits of God happen without our participation. We can be intentional within our assignments to ensure, like Elisha and his servant found, there are more with us than there are with them.
Kingdom Prayer Principles
There is an invisible army on assignment, helping the Body of Christ.
If we could see into the spirit realm and observe what the angels are doing, we would find peace in the most difficult situations.
Angels were created as servants and are sent to those who will inherit salvation.
There is an innumerable number of angels. There are not as many demons.
Angels are dispatched from heaven to earth in response to our prayers.
When we pray, heaven opens. An open heaven is characterized by an increase of angelic activity.
Within biblical boundaries, we can ask our heavenly Father to send angels, and we can work with them.
Thoughts for Reflection
Have you ever been aware of angels working in your life? If so, what do you believe they were doing?
Are you sensitive to spiritual atmospheres? Can you sense the difference between an open heaven and a closed heaven? Have you ever experienced a closed heaven shifting into an open one?
Do you ever ask your heavenly Father for His angels to come? What do you ask His angels to do?
What does spiritual authority in connection to the angels look like in your world? What evidence do you have that angels are being put on assignment through you?
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Prophetic Intercession
Joshua, born a slave in Egypt, experienced firsthand the wonders of God’s deliverance. He had watched the water turn to blood, the miracle invasions of frogs and insects, the death of all the firstborn in Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea, just to name a few. Was there anything God could not do?
These events built audacious faith in the heart of Joshua. He was ready to go after anything God said he could have.
On the borders of the Promised Land, however, disaster struck. It was the disaster of unbelief. Unbelief in this miracle-working God kept an entire nation out of the land of promise. But in the midst of this contradiction, Joshua did not flinch, and he did not lose heart. Joshua, now Moses’ assistant, trusted and waited on God for forty years through the wilderness.
Finally, it was time to move out. Joshua had received his divine orders to take the new generation into the Promised Land. It was a promise that required them to fight for new territory. Now full of faith, they went to war against the inhabitants and took the land, one city at a time.
The king of Jerusalem, Adoni-Zedek, and his people were alarmed. These Israelite invaders defeated strong cities, one after the other, and seemed invincible. Even the city of Gibeon, an important city full of good fighters, had made a peace treaty with Joshua to become Israel’s ally. So Adoni-Zedek appealed to the nearby Amorite kings, and they joined forces to fight against Gibeon.
The Gibeonites made a plea to Joshua for help.
“Come up to us quickly and save us!” they said. “Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us” (Joshua 10:6).
Joshua prepared his best fighting men to march all night toward the incoming armies.
Along the way, God gave Joshua a sure promise: “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you” (verse 8).
At daybreak, Joshua and his army took the Amorites by surprise. The Lord helped Joshua by throwing the Amorites into confusion and raining killer hailstones on them as they tried to run away.
Joshua knew he would win the battle, but he needed more daylight to do it. The sun was going down, so Joshua did what had never been done before. In the presence of the Lord, he made this declaration before the people of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon” (verse 12).
Joshua commanded the sun!
These words were the words of Joshua, and yet God honored them as if they were His own. The sun stood still for almost a full day, and Joshua finished off the Amorites, just as God promised he would.
The Power of a Word
This story illustrates what prophetic intercession looks like. Joshua spoke to the sun, but he was also speaking to the Lord. Look at the words that precede what he said in verse 12: “Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: ‘Sun, stand still over Gibeon . . .’” (emphasis added).
Prophetic intercession is a sharp and powerful form of prayer that is communicated as a prophetic word. It is different from asking the Lord to do something, which would be a prayer of petition. Instead, it commands something to be done and puts the invisible realm into motion to bring it to pass.
God respects this type of prayer, as it reflects who He is. He is the Word, and everything came into existence because He spoke it out. He said many times in Genesis 1, “Let there be . . . ,” and there was. Kenneth Copeland says in his book The Power of the Tongue, “God’s words produce exactly what He says. . . . Once He speaks, His words will come to pass.”1 When we understand the power of the word to create, we will better understand the power of prophetic intercession.
The Bible describes the word of God to be alive, active and sharper than any two-edged sword (see Hebrews 4:12). These are not metaphors but real truths about the nature of God’s word. His word can pierce through the hardest heart and turn the most difficult situation around. With a word, God caused Abraham and Sarah to have a son when they
were past the age of childbearing. With a word, God stopped the rain and then restarted it through the prophet Elijah.
God created everything with a word. There is not anything made that was not made through His word (see John 1:1–3; Hebrews 11:3). God can never speak a lie (see Hebrews 6:18). It is impossible for Him to do so, because of His immutable nature as both the Word and Creator. When He speaks, He creates. When He commands, it stands fast (see Psalm 33:9; 148:5).
His Word holds everything in the universe together, and all creation responds to His Word (see Colossians 1:17). The Bible says, “He sent out his word and healed them” (Psalm 107:20). The disciples were amazed when they realized, “Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:27).
His Word is living and creates new life in us. We become re-created when we receive Jesus into our hearts. Jesus is God’s Word, having come in the flesh (see John 1:14). Because of His Word, referring to Jesus, we become a new creation; the old passes away, and we become new (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Furthermore, when it comes to prophetic intercession, it is important to note that the first thing to which God spoke in Genesis was the chaos and the darkness (see Genesis 1:3). The literal Hebrew says, “God said, ‘Light, be’; and light was.” Jesus, the Word, is described as the Light shining in the darkness, with the darkness unable to overcome it (see John 1:5).
The Bible describes the nature of the prophetic word in a similar way. It is “a light shining in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19). In prophetic intercession, we prophesy to the dark, chaotic places and command God’s light and order to come.
The Definition of a Prophetic Word
If we are going to prophesy well, we need to understand what a prophetic word is and what it is not. Generally speaking, to prophesy is to say what God says. When we say what God says, there is power in those words to bring something to life, for “He is . . . the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not” (Romans 4:17).
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