Angels Part I: Are Guardian Angels Real?

by Tad Lindley

You’ve got to come into this thing skeptically. There are so many different viewpoints and so many people preaching human traditions as if they were the word of God, that we must be very careful about what we latch onto concerning our salvation. At one time the Church of England forbade its people to eat salt on Fridays unless they paid a fee to the church. Don’t bother looking for it in the Bible, I’ve already checked, it’s not there. There is infant sprinkling (as a substitution for baptism), “once saved always saved’, and “accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior”. We have heard these things so many times until it might seem that they are in the Bible. We have even heard them preached from the pulpit and on the radio, and yet they are human traditions that displace the actual word of God.

What about guardian angels?

How about guardian angels then, are they real, or are they just something that has been preached on until it seems like it ought to be in the Bible? Actually, the concept of guardian angels is based on scripture. Here is the irrefutable evidence: Psalm 91:11-12 For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.  In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. (NKJV) God does have angels that watch over us, it’s not just a children’s lullaby.

When you pray for your kids

My grandmother never sent me a gift or a letter, but what she didn’t put write at the end, “Psalm 91:11-12”. This was a standard scripture that she prayed over her children and grandchildren. The night before I received the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues like in the book of Acts, God gave me a vision of my life passing before my eyes and all of the times that I came under the power of his protection and of angelic protection which had allowed me to live to see that moment. I very much believe that my grandmother calling out my name and claiming that scripture over my life intervened many times.

Guardian angels save the day

One time Elisha, the prophet in Israel, was in the city of Dothan. Being a prophet he was able to discern things in the spiritual realm. And so he was always telling the King of Israel what the enemy King of Syria’s battle plans were. As a result, the King of Syria could not capture the King of Israel. He decided to kill Elisha to put a stop to this. How he thought he could kill a guy who knew his every move is beyond me, nevertheless, he sent his soldiers to Dothan in a “surprise” attack.

They surrounded the city at night. As the day began to break Elisha’s servant came running to inform him that the city was surrounded by enemy soldiers. And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (II Kings 6:17) You can read on in your Bible, but understand this, that beyond the armies of this world that stood to destroy Elisha were the angel armies of God who were having none of it.

Guardian angels are not your guardian idol

Be very clear about the guardian angels sent to save Elisha: they were spiritual servants of God sent by God. They are in no way to be prayed to or worshipped. If you type in “guardian angel” on Amazon’s website, it does not take you to Psalm 91:11-12. No actually it points you straight in the direction of darkness. You will see cute little statuettes of people-like beings with wings on them that are sold as guardian angels. You listen to me, those are idols. They cannot protect you. In fact if you believe that they can, you are an idol worshipper and you need to repent. If you have been praying to angels, you need to stop right now and repent. Our prayers should be directed to Jesus, he is the author and finisher of our faith.

Tad Lindley is a minister at the United Pentecostal Church in Bethel, Alaska.