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{Heart4Teens.com} *Misunderstanding Angels* ______________________________________ If you enjoy this free email service, I encourage you to spread the word to family and friends that we may bring inspiration into the lives of teenagers everywhere! If you are not on the list and this has been passed along to you, you can join Heart4Teens.com readers around the world by visiting: http://www.hundred-acre-woods.com/magic-list/Heart4Teens Visit our inspirational web site to read all the past articles in our archives and view the tons of resources we have there for teens! http://www.Heart4Teens.com/Teen_Stories _________________________________________ Misunderstanding Angels by Mark Matlock Over the last few years, interest in angels has skyrocketed. A quick search on the Internet will reveal angel magazines, books, movies, and musicnot to mention angel jewelry, clothing lines, and artwork. As humans, the idea that there are unseen angels among us, working to make sure everything turns out okay, is powerful and hopeful. But because people want to believe in angels, many will believe almost anything about them. Christians, Wiccans, and even some atheists claim to believe in angelsbut obviously they don't all agree on what those angels are like. So how can we sort out the truth about angels from all the other ideas out there? As always, we believe that God's Word is the standard for truth. So everything we can know for sure about angels, we'll find in there. And there's plenty to find. Angels are mentioned 108 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament. Let's dig in. Where Do Angels Come From? The book of Job describes a group of spiritual beings that many scholars assume to be angels. These beings existed before the earth was created (Job 38:6-7). And we know they were specially created by God, because in Colossians 1:16-17, Paul explains that God created every kind of being: "For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him." We know angels are not former (or glorified) humans based on several passages. Some people get confused because of Jesus' statement that at the resurrection, we will be "like the angels in heaven" (Matthew 22:30). But the first half of that sentence is that we will not marry in heavenjust as the angels don't marry. To make it even clearer, a description of heaven in the book of Hebrews lists both the "spirits of righteous men made perfect" and "thousands upon thousands of angels" (Hebrews 12:22-23). Angels and humans are different groups in the city of God. And God must have created a lot of them, because Daniel 7:10 describes the throne room of God with what seems to be millions of angels. Jesus claimed that the Father could send tens of thousands of angels to him (Matthew 26:53), and Hebrews 12:22 paints the picture of "thousands upon thousands" of angels in the city of God. What Angels Do on Earth Today Angels are powerful spirit beings. They are also limited. They're not gods. They don't know everything, and they can't be everywhere at once. They only do what God wants them to do. Here are a few things we know about the activities of angels in the lives of Christians. Angels . . . help and serve Christians (Hebrews 1:14) interact with us without our recognizing them (Hebrews 13:2) are used to help answer prayer (Acts 12:7) observe Christians in our lives (1 Corinthians 4:9; 1 Timothy 5:21) are curious about Jesus intervention for us (1 Peter 1:12) encourage Christians in dangerous times (Acts 27:23-24) are interested in the human mission to spread the truth about Jesus (Luke 15:10; Acts 8:26) care for Christians at death (Luke 16:22; Jude 9) The Dark Side It's amazing to me how many people I meet who are willing to accept the idea of God and angels but can't quite bring themselves to believe in Satan or demons. Especially in this new "spiritual" age, people seem even less willing to accept that there's a dark side to the supernatural world. When asked about the reality of demons, 55 percent of teens surveyed said they believed such supernatural creatures are real. But only 26 percent were "very confident." That's almost three of very four teens who can't say for sure that evil supernatural beings are at work in the world. And that's exactly the way Satan wants it. The biblical Satan has a much better chance of accomplishing his mission if most people think he and his army of demons are a myth. Where Demons Come From Like Satan, demons started out as angels created by God to do His work and praise Him. When Satan turned on God and tried to take over heaven, some angels joined him. Those angels became demons. Some were locked up in the abyss. Others are still active on the earth, following Satan's lead. Check out the story of the war in heaven, and what happened to the angels who rebelled against God (also see Jude 6): Revelation 12:7-9 7 Then there was war in heaven. Michael and the angels under his command fought the dragon and his angels. 8 And the dragon lost the battle and was forced out of heaven. 9 This great dragonthe ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole worldwas thrown down to the earth with all his angels. What Demons Do Today It's important to remember that demons loose on the earth are still under God's control. Like Satan, they can't do anything that He doesn't allow. And they will flee from Christians who resist them. The Bible shows a rise in demonic activity during Jesus' time on earth, but little instruction is given to the church regarding our interaction with them. With that understanding, here are some of things the Bible shows they can do on earth. Demons can . . . cause diseases (Matthew 9:33; Luke 13:11,16). possess unbelievers and animals (Matthew 4:24; Mark 5:13). work against spiritual growth in Christians (Ephesians 6:12). spread lies about God, God's work, and God's people (1 Timothy 4:1). How Christians Should Interact with Satan and Demons The best option is not to have anything to do with Satan or his work on earth. Avoid him whenever possible. However, because Satan and demons are committed to destroying the work of God and interfering in our relationship with God, we have to be ready for their attacks. Here are a few things we can do to defend ourselves: 1. Don't Live in Fear If you're a Christian, the Spirit of God lives in you. Satan and the demons can't overcome God. Satan cannot win your soul or take you to hell. He can deceive you and lead you astray, but only if you're not walking close to God. Respect Satan's power, but don't be afraid of him. Instead, avoid him and trust God to handle Satan. 2. Be Watchful (1 Peter 5:8) Satan is at work in the world. He's on the prowl looking for ways to chew us up. Don't just try to ignore that fact. Keep your eyes open and looking for the ways he might try to trip you up. Tempted to lie? Tempted to get involved in sexual sin? Hitting a lot of roadblocks when you try to obey God or serve His people? That might be Satan (or his demons) getting involved in your life. 3. Submit to God and Resist Satan (James 4:7) Obeying God and rejecting Satan's attempts to drag you down works! James promised that Satan will run away from you if you don't give in to him. How can you resist him? Keep reading There is much more the Bible tells us about angels, but there is quite a bit the Bible doesn't reveal to us either. It may be that we need to be just as mindful of what the Bible doesn't say about these creatures and how they effect, mainly because God may not have felt it was something we needed to worry too much about in our daily lives. Next Week: Who is Satan? Mark Matlock, founder of PlanetWisdom.com, is the author of Don't Buy the Lie and Living a Life That Matters. Used by permission. See Mark's books online at the YS store: http://shop2.gospelcom.net/epages/YouthSpecialties.storefront/en/searchmask?allByAuthor=Matlock _________________________________________ Let's Go Surfing Dude! Having Thoughts of Suicide - Are you dealing with suicidal thoughts, or have you tried to commit suicide? Click on the link below before you do anything else! http://www.heart4teens.com/suicide _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." - C.S. Lewis Verse for the Day: "For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay." Habakkuk 2:3 Teen's Thought For The Day: "Vision is the world's most desparate need. There are no hopeless situations, only people who think hopelessly." Parent's Thought For The Day: "Laughter is like changing a baby's diaper. It doesn't permanently solve the problem but it makes things more acceptable for a while." Coach's Thought For The Day: "Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there..." John Wooden Deep Thought For The Day: "Streakers re-pant! Your end is in sight." __________________________________________ Author MICHAEL T. POWERS www.Heart4Teens.com Contributing Author to Chicken Soup for the Teen's Soul on Love and Friendship and 24 other inspirational books. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20 _________________________________________ ALL-STAR Ministry --The Youth Church of Faith Community Church in Janesville, WI If you are in 6-12th grade and live in the southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois area and would like to check us out, we meet every Sunday night from 6:30-8:00 PM at Faith Community Church which is located at 2931 Lucerne Dr. in Janesville, WI. (About 3 blocks south-east of The Skating Place.) All-Stars: 6:30 - 8:00 PM Sunday nights! Open to all youth grades 9-12. The Outlet: 6:30 - 8:00 PM Sunday nights in the Multi-Purpose Room! Open to all youth grades 6-8. Currently we have students from Fort Atkinson, Milton, Janesville Craig, Janesville Parker, Marshall, Orfordville, Clinton, Beloit Memorial, Beloit Turner, South Beloit, and Hononegah. E-mail me back if you have any questions about our weekly meetings or would like to come to any of our events that are listed below... We have way too much fun and then, most importantly, talk about issues that are relevant to you as a teenager. Join us as this week as we continue the 40 Days of Purpose! October 16 -- You Were Made For a Mission October 30 -- Cofield in Concert in the church sanctuary! 6:00 PM (free of charge) For more info visit: http://www.faithcommunityChurch.net/ps_150_Club November 6 -- The Case for the Brady Bunch _______________________________________________ Teen Community Groups 6:30 - 8:00 PM Wednesday nights (September though May) These groups are limited to no more than ten teens and are split into Jr. High and High School ages. This night is for those teens who want to dig deeper than what we do in All-Stars, but may not be ready to be a part of the Xtreme Teens. These cell groups will also be doing special activities with each other as the year goes on to build community. Jr. High age meets at Kent and Rachel Martin's house: 1324 E. Racine St. (Call 373-0886 if you have any questions!) High School age meets at Matt and Kristi Kauffman's house: 4339 Fox Hills (Call 758-1243 if you have any questions!) Xtreme Teens Xtreme Teens meet on Wednesday nights from 6:30 - 8:00 PM all year round at the Powers' house. This group is very extensive with weekly homework, memorization, service projects, etc. Students interested in this group will have to fill out an application, provide references as to why others think they should be involved with this, and sign an agreement as to what is expected of them. Admission into Xtreme Teens is on a case by case basis. Contact Pastor Michael for more details! |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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