5 Ways Angels Help You in Spiritual Warfare

In 2 Kings 6 we read the King of Aram is at war

with Israel, and he decides to go after the prophet Elisha. Why? Because the prophet is
giving the King of Israel insights that are literally sabotaging his strategies!

“Therefore, he sent horses and chariots and a great army there [to Dothan where Elisha
was based], and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the
man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses
and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So, he
answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
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.” (2 Kings 6:14-17, NKJV)

1. Angels are Assigned to Protect You During Times of Spiritual

Warfare
Today, just as Elisha had angels assigned to protect him, so do we. In Hebrews we
read, “In speaking of the angels he says, ‘He makes his angels spirits, and his servants
flames of fire.” (Heb 1:7, NIV) The writer goes on to say, “Are not all angels ministering
spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb 1:14, NIV)
We can have assurance, because God’s Word declares it, that our Heavenly
Father assigns angels for our help and protection.
In Psalm 91 we read,
“If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm
will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels
concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you
will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will
trample the great lion and the serpent.” (Psalm 91:9-13, NIV) [1]
Notice here the focus is on God, on declaring Him to be our refuge and being firmly
positioned in that place of intimacy with Him—not on the angels.
But God does clearly want us to be aware of their protection, to build our faith and our
confidence in Him.

He is the source; He is the commander of the angelic hosts. In fact, one of God’s Names
is Jehovah Tsaba, meaning “Lord of Hosts”, or as Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message,
“God of the Angel Armies.”
When you look into that Hebrew word translated “hosts”, it means “a mass of persons,
especially organized for war!” (Strong’s H6635) And you see that name used a lot in the Old
Testament, beginning in the first book of Samuel. [2]

When you need help, call on Jesus, for He is your Savior and Deliverer!
And when you need angel warriors, you can be certain they’re there, because God is for
you!

2. Knowing Angels are Assigned to You is an Antidote to Fear

Let’s go back to the story of Elisha, where he said to his servant, “Do not fear, for those
who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said,
“Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.”
Elisha’s servant was afraid, because with his physical eyes, things looked very grim.

Elisha’s antidote to fear was asking God to open the servant’s eyes, to see the angelic
realm.

If you are facing opposition right now, know that you serve an
extraordinary God and that a mighty Heavenly army is at His command!
We read on: “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.” (2 Kings 6:14-17)
Two things are noticeable here:

Firstly, we read that they covered the mountain. So in their position, they were higher than
the Syrian army.

And secondly, they were more numerous. If that enemy that’s coming against you is heavy,
know that God’s angelic assignment towards you is far greater than that.
3. Angels are God’s Instruments to Deliver You
Angels are assigned and sent from Heaven for our help and deliverance. But we mustn’t
have a preconceived idea of how God’s going to use His angelic army to deliver us.
In 2 Kings 6, notice the warrior angels didn’t engage in actual direct warfare, they enabled
Elisha to blind and confuse the Syrian army and lead them off in another direction!

The outcome was that the enemy’s plans were foiled and they gave up without a fight.
However, there are signs of direct angelic involvement in many Old Testament battles,
where they did fight.
For example:

 The fall of Jericho’s walls in Joshua 6

 The sound of marching in the balsam trees,  in 1 Chronicles 14, indicating to David
that God’s angelic host had gone before him in battle
In Acts 12, angels played a direct role as an angel broke Peter out of prison. So again, we
know God uses angels to deliver us, but there are many ways and means that He does that,
so we can’t make assumptions about how God is going to direct them to act.
In our culture in the world today, there is a great fascination with angels. Angels are very
often pictured in art or movies as regular looking people with wings, white clothing and so
on, with a strong, gentle helpful aspect to them.

But in the Bible, we read that many of God’s angels are powerful warriors! As the writer to
the Hebrews says, they are flames of fire. Elisha’s servant saw chariots and horses of fire.
That’s powerful, that’s awe-inspiring!

Don’t allow a cultural, worldly perspective to limit or define your

understanding of God’s angelic warriors.

4. Angels Play a Ministering Role After Spiritual Attack

Angels do not only protect us during spiritual warfare, our Father sends them to us to
minister refreshing after a spiritual attack.

In Matthew 4, we read about Jesus’ temptation and at the close it says this, “Jesus said to
the devil, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve
him only.” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”
In 1 Kings 19, after Elijah went on the run from the wicked queen Jezebel, and he was
exhausted, an angel came and ministered to him, providing supernatural, nourishing food
and restful sleep.

5. Angelic Help Brings Glory to God

Not only does angelic help come from God. It also results in praise and glory going to God
as we have a glorious testimony of His intervention in our lives!
Notice in 2 Kings 6, Elisha was already aware of the presence of an angelic host, but it
wasn’t a point of focus for him. His confidence was in God, and God’s protection.
This wasn’t the first time Elisha had known of these fiery chariots—remember he witnessed
Elijah being taken up to Heaven on a chariot and horses of fire (2 Kings 2). In that case,
there was a test—would Elisha continue to focus on watching Elijah even when there was
the distraction of the angelic realm?
Yes, he did—and God rewarded him with the prophet’s mantle.

Like Elisha, our focus should always be on God, worshipping Him and
fulfilling His purposes.
Angels were not the central focus of Elisha’s vision. They were simply in the periphery.
We need a Biblical balance! Whilst occasional communication from angels is scriptural,
seeking contact with them and initiating conversation with them isn’t. [3]

And this brings us to another aspect of spiritual warfare:

If Satan can’t hold us back, he’ll try to push us too far, into extremes. Colossians 2:18
says, “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify
you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed
up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.”
Notice the outward sign of extremity to be wary of: it’s “going into great detail talking about
what they’ve seen”. Remember, “Satan masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14)
and can counterfeit the things of God.
Any genuine supernatural experience of an angel or the angelic realm should always be a
signpost, pointing to God—the experience itself is not the focus.

So let’s celebrate angelic protection, but let’s also remember to bring all the worship, glory
and honor to God.
For He alone is our Deliverer.
9 Lessons on Angels (and Chariots)
1. Understanding Angels is a Key to Knowing God

“…[The LORD] makes the clouds His

chariot,
Who walks on the wings of the wind,
Who makes His angels spirits,
His ministers a flame of fire.” (Psalm 104:3b-4, NKJV)
How much do we desire God, and to know Him?
One of the names of God is, “Lord of Hosts”.
That word “hosts” in the Hebrew comes from a word meaning “a mass of persons especially
organized for war”! (Strong’s H6635)
Or as Eugene Peterson puts it, He is “GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies”. [1]
This is a significant revelation of God in Scripture. It is a gift He is releasing right now, for
He wants us to know Him in all his fullness.

2. Angels Give us Overcoming Power

The Aramean army surrounded the city of Dothan. They were after one person—the
Prophet Elisha.
It was “a great army”, with chariots, horses and armed men.
When his servant became fearful, Elisha prayed, “Lord, open his eyes”.
At this, the servant saw a heavenly army.
Fiery angelic chariots and horses surrounded them. Not only were the angels more
numerous than the enemy army, they were positioned higher, upon the mountain!
What “chariot” is coming against you today?
  The Holy Spirit is releasing faith, so that that you can know as Elisha did,
“Those who are with you are more than those who are with them.” (2 Kings
6:16b)

3. Angels Appeared with Chariots

Sometimes, angels appear or are mentioned in the Bible along with horses and chariots.
And it is most often in the context of battle. [2]

Why chariots?
Chariots are symbolic in the Bible of strength, power and might. [3]
 In ancient times, chariots were used as a military weapon
 An army that had many chariots was considered powerful
So, earthly chariots were synonymous with human might!
And chariots of fire—angelic “vehicles”—carried the might of Heaven.
These were a constant military presence, surrounding God’s people.

4. Angels Should be Held in Our Peripheral Vision

Elisha was aware of the angelic armies and fiery chariots in the hillside. But they
weren’t his point of focus.
His confidence was in God.
 These stories of Scripture remind us that angels are to stay in our peripheral vision.
In other words, we know they are there, we may even perceive them.
And those of us who are discerners know that angels have a distinct, identifiable
presence.
But they are not our main point of focus, for our eyes are fixed on Jesus.

5. Knowing Angels are Near Banishes Fear

Being aware of the “chariots of God” was an antidote to fear that was so effective, Elisha
prayed for God to open his servant’s eyes!
God is releasing courage to someone today!
You can be confident that God has angels waiting and working on your
behalf.
We do not need to fear the chariots of the world. Instead, we can trust in the Lord’s
power to deliver us.
As David wrote,
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the
LORD our God.”
(Psalms 20:7 NKJV, see also Deut 20:1)
Trust in God is a powerful magnet that pulls on the resources of Heaven.

6. Angels are Messengers with a Purpose

 The Hebrew word for angel, malak, comes from a word meaning to dispatch as a
deputy (Strong’s H4397).
 And the word used for angel in the New Testament Greek, aggelos, means a
messenger or envoy (Strong’s G32).
As messengers, angels are sent by God on assignment—coming with power
to act in a certain way, for a specific purpose.
“Bless the LORD, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the
voice of His word. Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His
pleasure.”
(Psalms 103:20-21 NKJV)
God will dispatch angels for your protection and to aid in breakthrough (Psalm 91:11).

7. God is Releasing Angelic Orders on Your Behalf

“Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to
humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of
your words.” (Dan 10:12, NKJV)
Daniel’s example is a reminder that we don’t direct angels ourselves—it is our Father who
sends them forth from His throne. (Matt 26:53, Psalm 103:20)

From the moment you prayed and called upon God, He set angelic orders
in motion, to break open the way before you.
Even your ineloquent groaning has moved Him to act. (Exodus 2:24, 1 Sam 1:13)
So today, no matter how many enemies are stacked against you, your Father wants you to
know that He has heard your prayer, and angels are present in response to your words!

8. Angels are Abundant!

King David wrote,
“The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of thousands; the Lord is among
them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.”
(Psalm 68:17, NKJV)
This is speaking of a Heavenly reality!
We don’t need to have a scarcity mindset when it comes to the angelic.
The messengers of God and the power of God they bear are numerous.
And you can be assured of this:
When pressure comes against you, God’s power is working for you.
Angels are not limited in potential; they are great in power.
They are freely available, awaiting your Father’s command—in answer to your prayer.

9. It’s Time to Discern the Chariots

I believe this is a significant word for this time:

Discern the sources of power you see.

And ask: “Am I dependent upon the “chariots of the Lord” for victory, or is this a
chariot of the world?”
For those of us who hunger to see God’s power at work, there is a lesson we can learn from
King Solomon, who gathered thousands of chariots into chariot cities (1 Kings 9:19) [4]. He
achieved a remarkable feat—but in doing so, there were three “flags” Solomon ignored:

a. History’s Example
Generations earlier, God commanded Joshua to burn the chariots of armies they
conquered. Not to keep them! (Josh 11:6)
Why? Because God wanted His people to be dependent upon Him.
b. Prophetic words spoken to him.
King David spoke a prophecy over his son Solomon, that he would have rest from his
enemies. (1 Chronicles 22:9)
The name Solomon means peace, or peaceful (Strong’s H8010).
According to God’s word over his life, he would not need to stockpile chariots.
3. The Command of the LORD
God specifically commanded kings not to accumulate horses (Deut 17:16)
This means Solomon was in ignorance of God’s commands—at worst, in outright
disobedience to God’s Word.
Solomon Neglected his greatest power
The chariot cities were military power held in reserve.
But Solomon neglected his greatest power:
Having right standing with God.
Oh, how our Father longs to unleash His power on our behalf!

Which chariots are we relying on?

When we obey God only to the extent of our human capacity, we limit Him!
Angel Hosts are On the Way
The most powerful weapon you have is free of cost, yet it is pivotal to everything!
It’s the gift of right standing with God.
It is His Presence with you.
Through this favor, you have power, you have angels at work on your behalf, that can
sweep aside opposition and overcome obstacles.
Against all odds.

Hear the sound from Heaven. The chariots of God—His angel hosts—are on the way.