Would you like to have a personal life coach — for free? Someone who stands in your court, cheers you on, keeps you on course, and pushes you when you feel like dropping out? Every great athlete has a coach. No matter how much raw talent a person has, it has to be shaped. What’s true for sports is even truer for the other aspects of life. Like a potter who forms clay into a beautiful vase, a good life coach help shape a person’s life into a work of art. The coach will help the person find direction, set up goals, and figure out ways to reach those goals.
The need for a coach is even greater in our spiritual lives. We make choices all the time — about family and friends, work and careers, and most importantly, our relationship with God. Life is made of all the things we do each day, and all of them have an impact on our spiritual lives. Our guardian angels can guide us in success, and encourage us when we’re discouraged. As we go through our day-to-day lives, the angels stay at our side no matter what happens.
The guardian angels are our life coaches. They help us find our way through the mazes of our life on earth. Each of us has a different maze to get through. God has given angles to coach us along the way, always with an eye on the ultimate goal. The coach will help us figure out which paths will lead us to happiness and peace of mind here on earth, and to eternal life with God forever.
Where did we get the idea that people actually have guardian angels? Ultimately it comes from Scripture.
The angel is sent to guard the whole people.
The Bible contains many reference to the way angels surround and protect us. Our angels, of course, can and often do protect us from hazards we meet in our life here on earth. But their major concern is the life of the spirit. Usually we aren’t aware of the ways in which our angel helps us. But sometimes God allows them to manifest themselves to certain persons.
THE ANGEL OF PEACE:
In fact, from ancient times, the angel as protector has been called the “angel of peace”. This term was found in ancient Hebrew literature, and then in Christian writings.
The angel of peace inspires us to act in such a way that we will have peace of heart. What does that mean on a practical level? The angels know that we never find peace when we act contrary to the will of God. So they guide us away from sin, and towards leading a holy life. Sometimes their influence can be subtle. While we can experience temptations towards sin, the angels instead give us inspirations to do good.
Good coaches know how important it is to keep an athlete focused on the positive. They even use visualization techniques to prepare for the big moment on the field. Angels can help us in the same way. Not every thought that comes into our minds is inspired by an angel. That’s where discernment comes in. But they often do send us positive thoughts. Because they’re subtle, it’s easy to ignore them or not even notice. But how different life would be if we paid attention to those urgings to do good and followed through on them!
THE ANGEL OF REPENTANCE:
The guardian angel is also the angel of repentance. In this capacity, the angel leads us to inner conversation of heart and a turning away from sin. Angels guide and correct us, and restore us to spiritual health if we have lost it.
THE ANGEL OF PRAYER:
The third role of the guardian angel is to be an angel of prayer, that is, the angel who presents our prayers to God. This role is pictured vividly in the symbolism of the Book of Revelation:
“Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel” — Revelation 8:3-4
In some way t he angels assist us as we pray, helping us as we offer worship to God. Praising God is an important aspect of prayer, and the angels specialize in it. In all of these ways, as the angel of peace, of repentance, and of prayer, our guardian angel helps us throughout life. And when we finally complete our earthly sojourn and prepare to meet God, our angel will be with us, to usher us into the joy of eternal life.
