Chasing Angels
Often I get asked when I first started really seeing more into the spirit. Besides seeing my first angel at the age of five, I don’t really remember seeing more after that until I lived in Brazil. At the age of 22 and fresh out of college, I felt the Lord calling me to move to the country of Brazil with Youth With a Mission and work with street children in the drug trafficking slums of Belo Horizonte.
So, fearlessly I went! Well, not exactly fearlessly, but I liked to tell myself that I was! Little did I know how flipped upside down my world would become. I found myself in a vivacious culture, unable to understand any of the language and people around me. Here I thought that I was going to change the world! In reality, Brazil changed me! The kids I worked with forever transformed my life..It was in this place of being a single, young, Caucasian woman working and living in the drug trafficking slums that Jesus opened my eyes in a deeper way!It was when I first arrived that my spiritual eyes were opened. I had been there only two weeks. I hardly spoke the language. In my broken Portuguese I could say, “Hello, my name is Ana. How are you?” One day, I spent that night at a friend’s house. A couple of us girls had a get-together. Every- one else was sleeping in the next morning, but I really couldn’t sleep, so I naïvely (again) thought, I’ll just walk home.
About five blocks into walking home, I was completely lost! Not only was I lost, but I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t have the street address of where I lived, a phone number to contact, or even a phone to use. So I kept walking and walking and walking. Eventually, I ended up in a neighborhood that didn’t look too friendly. Boys who looked only eight or nine years old were carrying huge guns and staring at me with hatred in their eyes. Even though they were just kids, I was terrified of them.
So I started praying! Boy did I pray! I kept walking, desperately hoping that something familiar would catch my eye, but it didn’t. I turned a corner and got to a street where men carrying guns now were making drug deals. I prayed, “God make me invisible! God make me invisible!” Well, He didn’t! The men turned and looked at me curiously, like, What doesn’t belong in this picture? One started to approach me, and at that point I just ran! I ran and ran until I got six blocks away where I found a street with no people.At this point, I just sat down and cried! Yep, I admit it! There I was, this brave (or so I thought) 22-year-old college graduate, in all my glory, sitting on a cement street corner crying. “Oh, Lord,” I cried, “You’ve got to save me! I’m so lost. I’m so stupid, and I’m so lost! Please help me get home! I don’t even know where home is, but please, Lord, help me! Where are You?”
Then, once I stopped my sobbing, I heard Him. It was nothing profound, just one simple phrase. “Look up!” I heard the Lord say.
So I did. To my surprise, I saw an angel at the end of block smiling at me. People always ask me, What did it look like? The angel I saw that day was probably seven feet tall, was dressed in a glowing robe, and had huge wings that went high about his head and touched the floor. I never could see his face distinctly, but just could make out his smile. The angel looked at me, laughed, and did the oddest thing. He dropped the flower he was carrying in his hand at the end of the block and ran off.In that moment, all I knew to do was to chase the angel. Anywhere he’s going has got to better than here! I thought. I ran to the spot where the flower was and picked it up. I turned the corner and saw my angel ahead of me quite far at the next corner. He dropped another flower. “Follow him,” was all I heard the Lord say in that moment. So I did! This kept going on and on for what seemed like an hour. I would run, catch up to him enough to pick up a flower, and then he would dis- appear around the next corner and I would chase after him. Eventually, the last flower dropped was on my doorstep! An hour later, I was safely at home. Imagine everyone’s surprise when they asked me how I managed to find my way home and I responded, “I followed an angel.” I still have those flowers pressed in my journal from Brazil today.
Angelic presence should always cause us to worship and glorify God more. We must not become so fascinated with the supernatural that we miss the purpose of it! Worship and praise should be the result every time we experience an angelic encounter. Revelation 4 describes how in heaven there are actual seraphim that surround the throne and just worship the Lord day and night. How much more should we be led to worship Him, who is the only one worthy, after having an angelic encounter!
Activation
There are certain steps to having an angelic encounter that I recommend.
Try personalizing and praying the following activation prayer daily, and also ask a mentor to be praying for you to have angelic encounters.
If you can find someone who has been known to see angels, ask them to pray over you and impart to you this gift. It says in the Bible to go after the gifts, right? Well then, get courageous and boldly go and ask that person to pray for you. (I recommend this for desiring any of the different gifts.)
Angelic activity is often present during powerful worship. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen angels dancing around when worship is present! Worship ushers us into the presence of the King, so either start worshiping and praising or play some strong worship music.
Begin to get curious! Close your eyes. Once you’ve been able to get into a meditative state, ask the Lord to show you a vision of an angel. If you have a hard time getting away from your own thoughts and are feeling distracted, turn off the lights in the room. Note down if you sense any presence. Often people have shared with me that they could sense angelic presence before they could see it. This might be your starting point also. Now, try opening your eyes, wherever you are, and see if you can see or sense anything in the room. Even if it’s a small start, note it down. Great things come from small beginnings! Next time you try to encounter an angel, see if you can see the same thing and ask the Lord to reveal to you a little more. Note down anything you sense or encounter, including visions or dreams you may have. Ask God also for angelic encounters in your dreams too!
If you have an angelic encounter, ask the angel his/her name. Often the names have meaning and might give insight.
Activation Prayer
Precious Lord, right now I just ask You to fill the reader with wonderment, curiosity, and childlike faith to begin to see and encounter angels. As You have opened my eyes time and time again to see into the supernatural and witness angels, I pray that there would be an impartation that happens right now in the spirit of the person reading this book. I pray for a release of angelic activity around the reader. Lord, increase their dream life also. I pray for supernatural surprises for the reader. Lord, release Your angels to come and encounter this person. Even now I pray against and bind any form of warfare that may be presently blocking their senses from experiencing the supernatural in the blood of the Lamb. Father, increase their sensitivity to Your presence. Open their spiritual eyes to see more right now in the name of Jesus Christ. We love You and thank You, God. Amen.
