Angels and Demons, Heaven and Hell

Day 1 of 6: Stolen Angels

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.”

-Ephesians 6:12 (AMP)

What would be the implications if there really were angels and demons floating around our day-to-day lives? How would we react if we knew that our cars were surrounded by angels as we drove to work? In what ways would we act differently if we could see the antagonistic energies that seek to destroy our bodies? Would we respond differently if we were better in tune with the waxing and waning of spiritual energies at work in our lives?

Growing up in the evangelical church, and home, I was taught not to pray to angels and to fear demons. Angels were beautiful beings and important to God and humans but we were told, don’t you dare go and worship them! Demons were to be avoided at all costs; therefore stay away from any activity that may potentially invite demonic energies in your life. Could it be that these statements highlight a toxic pattern within the walls of the church that actually alienates authentic supernatural practices instead of nurturing them? It is my belief that we have become too used to a manufactured ‘spiritual life’ that conforms to Western ideas of logic and realism, and it’s governed (even gate-kept) by the leaders of the church. We are left to muddle our way through with fear-based logic.

Is it too late to leave the fear behind and open our minds to what is possible spiritually? Think of the many Christian-based ideas that can be laughed off by non-Christians: Prosperity gospel, weekly emotional worship sessions, guardian angels, survivor’s guilt, bystander syndrome, rigid conformity, and eternal threats of damnation. When taken to the extreme or watered down for simplicity’s sake, these examples of beautiful biblical principles are robbed of their beauty and used to serve a conformist’s agenda. Our angels have been stripped of their wings and forced to wear a suit and tie as they remember to bring their briefcase to work every day. Heaven has become an elitist afterparty and Hell is just the excuse Christians use to be jerks. I’m starting to believe that the church has taken real supernatural entities and realities and robbed them of their divinity. Could it be that the church has partnered with American capitalistic ideals and subsequently raped, pillaged, and sold supernatural practices until they were void of substance and power in the lives of practicing Christians? I believe it has.

In this devotional, I invite you to join me as we strip away the toxicity of these principles and explore what angels, demons, heaven, and hell have to do with our lives in this cosmic world we find ourselves in.

Today’s question to ponder: when was the last time I thought of angels, demons, or spiritual forces in my life? What do they look like for me?

Jacob Knight

Day 1 of 6: Stolen Angels

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