DO I HAVE A PERSONAL GUARDIAN ANGEL?
Author: Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans
Translator: Robin Barker
Someone asked me, for my personal opinion, about angels and in particular about personal guardian angels and this which I am sending to you is exactly how you must look at it –
Here follows my personal opinion about how I look at the topic of angels:
There are certainly angels. The Bible is full of testimonies relating to this and I am going to show you how I see angels just using an example or two to support what I say.
Firstly –
There are angels and then there are two subdivisions of angels. The angels from God and then also satan and his angels.
REV 12:7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
REV 12:8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.
REV 12:9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
LUKE 10:18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
Under God’s angels there are, what I call some kinds of angels, but this does not concern this writing.
Throughout the Bible God has generally used angels as messengers. There has been some occurrences where they have been given different instructions but they have mainly been used as our Lord’s messengers.
I also know that our Lord positioned angels for people.
Please read the following section, and while reading it pay attention to Michael, one of the main angels, the angel which helped remove satan from Heaven, who is also the “guardian angel” of Israel.
DANIEL 10:4-21 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. 7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. 10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” 15 While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. 16 Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. 17 How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.” 18 Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. 19 “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.” 20 So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; 21 but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.
Here I just want to mention, between brackets, that those who are opposed to Israel can also take notice of the fact that God’s principal angel, who was victorious in the war against satan is also the guardian angel of Israel.
To return to what I really want to share with you.
Angels are sent to individuals by our Lord for special tasks but when their task is completed, they disappear or go away.
ACTS 12:6-10
6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.
7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him.
9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.
10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
Did you notice?
It was not Peter’s guardian angel but an angel from God.
A further piece of evidence that it was not Peter’s guardian angel, is the fact that the angel left him when his task was completed and if Peter had a guardian angel, where was he?
Why would another angel have to come to assist Peter?
You asked me if I believe there is a guardian angel for every person and I must say, that I do believe that there is a guardian angel that watches over every child.
MAT 18:10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
Somewhere, it seems to me, between childhood and adulthood, the work of a personal guardian angel finishes and then I decide through my decisions or lack of decision, who controls my existence, or to put it in a better way, in whose service I place myself.
Am I going to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour, and follow Him and in so doing give Him control over my life. Or, is satan going to control my life?
JOHN 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
JOHN 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
The King James Version (KJV) reads as follows:
JOHN 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:
Now, after I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour, now He or then His Holy Spirit lives within me and He leads me in all truthfulness, even in things concerning the future, when it is required/asked for.
JOHN 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
I believe our Lord may make use of angels from time to time, for example, physically to step into my life and assist me where needed but it is an angel and not a personal guardian angel, as in Peter’s instance and as in other instances that we hear of and when they have done what was required they leave.
Because there are people who practise angel worship, our Lord warns us against this in His Word.
COL 2:18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. …
To summarize my feelings about this subject:
• I believe in angels.
• I believe children have a personal angel.
• Hpwever I do not believe that I have a personal angel but certainly I have our Lord’s Holy Spirit that leads and protects me and He may from time to time send me an angel for some or other reason as He so desires/wishes.
Greetings,
Sakkie