Gabriel is my grey and white speckled four year old miniature Schnauzer dog. He is soft and cuddly and the best little ball of warmth on frigid winter days. His greatest entertainment is when I sit on the floor and I command him to find a ball. In excitement he begins to jump up and down anticipating my throws, some he catches in midair and others he runs the length of my living room and dining room breathlessly scooping up the ball in his mouth and bringing it back at breakneck speed.
From the moment that Gabriel came into my home he became my little guardian angel. He brought joy into my life and his constant unconditional love warmed my heart and gave me the strength to push ahead no matter how life can pull you down. I guess that's the reason why, when Gabriel suddenly stops all of his activity and twists his head up and looks mysteriously into the empty air, I know he sees angels.
We live in a world where love is tossed aside for wealth and prestige. Having an unseen spiritual God in our lives becomes one thing we can let go of and not really miss until we are faced with a life changing decision that demands God. Sometimes these moments of faith are inspired by the very animals we love.
Numbers 22: 22-30, "God was angry that Balaam was going, and as Balaam was riding along on his donkey, accompanied by his two servants, the angel of the Lord stood in the road to bar his way. When the donkey saw the angel standing there holding a sword, it left the road and turned into the fields. Balaam beat the donkey and brought it back onto the road. Then the angel stood where the road narrowed between two vineyards and had a stone wall on each side. When the donkey saw the angel, it moved over against the wall and crushed Balaam's foot against it. Again Balaam beat the donkey. Once more the angel moved ahead; he stood in a narrow place where there was no room at all to pass on either side. This time, when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down. Balaam lost his temper and began to beat the donkey with his stick. Then the Lord gave the donkey the power of speech, and it said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you? Why have you beaten me these three times?'
Balaam answered, 'Because you have made a fool of me! If I had a sword, I would kill you.' The donkey replied, 'Am I not the same donkey on which you have ridden all your life? Have I ever treated you like this before?' 'No,' he answered."
Remember the times in your life when you wished you had someone tell you that you were about to make a very big mistake. Wouldn't it have been wonderful if God allowed your dog to speak and tell you not to do it? Think of all of the wasted time you wouldn't spend debating inside your head whether or not the biggest financial move you were about to make would be the worst possible thing for you to do.
This is the reason why we need to make God a priority in our lives. We do not know the future. But when we pray and ask God to lead us through a tough decision, like a fabulous job opportunity, then suddenly our eyes are opened to things we would not have understood without the spirits help.
During the Old Testament times of the Bible people did not have the Holy Spirit guiding them in their lives. So they had to rely on people who had the ability to see into the unseen spiritual realm surrounding our world. This area is where the spirits gather to influence the minds of men and interact in their lives according to God's plan for the world.
In order to understand the spiritual things of this world we must acknowledge the difference between good and evil. These differences are easily explained through the battle between God and Satan. God sent prophets, who were messengers, to warn and help people. While Satan worked through the false god's of the world to entice people to do evil.
Balaam was a soothsayer, a man who had the ability to interact with evil spirits. Because he was spiritually gifted he also had the same ability that we have today to hear from both evil and good spirits. The story of Balaam and his talking donkey happened because Balaam was given a great job opportunity from a very wealthy King, King Balak.
Balak was an evil king who worshipped idols. During these worship times, human sacrifice and sexual immorality was performed on a regular basis. God, who loves all people, saw how Balak was leading the entire nation of Moab into sin. God decided that the only way to stop this evil from spreading to the Israelites was to completely annihilate Moab from the face of the earth.
Balak had a plan to defeat God's plan and he knew that he could do this if Balaam would come and put a curse on Israel. A curse is the opposite from blessings. When you follow God you are blessed, but when you follow Satan you are cursed. Being cursed is to be enticed away from God and become blind to how evil can corrupt and ruin your life.
Numbers 22: 6, "They outnumber us, so please come and put a curse on them for me. Then perhaps we will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. I know that when you pronounce a blessing, people are blessed, and when you pronounce a curse, they are placed under a curse."
These verses show how powerful a soothsayer Balaam was in Moab and how much Satan controlled the entire country. The evil King Balak promised Balaam riches beyond measure, but God was not pleased with the how evil the nation had become. Israel was blessed because they chose to follow God and so God was not going to allow Satan to curse them and lead them astray like Moab.
Perhaps you have been in a job dilemma where you would become promoted over a person who had served at the same job you were doing for many years and your conscious tells you to do this would be wrong. Or maybe you are confronted with a business opportunity, but in order to have the freedom to be self-employed you must lie to a friend in order to get them to help you, all the time knowing that you would never pay back the loan even when your business turns a profit.
Do you know the difference between taking advantage of a friend or stepping on a fellow employee in order to get the better paying salary? These are clear examples of good and evil. But in our present day world decisions like these can be clouded over by the desire to have a better life: "I should take the promotion, because I have a family and I need the money. Why should I pay back the money I owe when they already have more money than me?"
This is the very reason why we need the leading of the Holy Spirit. God will condemn us through our conscious, but Satan will encourage us through the desire for more money. The only way that God could get Balaam to not curse Israel was to get his attention big time. He did this through his donkey seeing an angel. Balaam needed to know in no uncertain terms that he was not to curse, but to bless Israel.
Numbers 22: 31-35, "Then the Lord let Balaam see the angel standing there with his sword; and Balaam threw himself face downward on the ground. The angel demanded, 'Why have you beaten your donkey three times like this? I have come to bar your way, because you should not be making this journey. But your donkey saw me and turned aside three times. If it hadn't, I would have killed you and spared the donkey.'
Balaam replied, 'I have sinned. I did not know that you were standing in the road to oppose me; but now if you think it is wrong for me to go on, I will return home.'"
Because God used an animal to speak to Balaam today all of us have an opportunity to learn the difference between God leading us and being lead astray by Satan. Remember if the voice of the Holy Spirit condemns you, listen and you will choose the right path for your life.
We live in a world where we will learn the difference between good and evil whether we like it or not. This is the reason why there are bad people in the world. This is the reason why we have fraud in the business world. This is the reason why people are enticed into falsifying reports so that people will invest in their business schemes.
In order to win against evil people we must hold onto God principles. 'Love your neighbor as yourself', will help you to do what is right. Pray and talk to Jesus Christ about everything. Don't give into easy riches because in the end it can condemn you to never understanding what you are doing wrong. Read your bible and listen to the animals in your life so they can lead you down paths to doing right.
Balaam did continue on his journey, but instead of cursing Israel he blessed them, because God would not let Satan infect Israel and cause it to turn away from Him. During the take over of Moab, Balaam died with the evil people who had committed their ways to doing Satan's will.
There are inspired stories of animals rescuing their masters when faced with natural disasters to health issues. Animals have become intertwined within the human culture mirroring the characteristics of compassion and unconditional love. It should become no surprise to anyone that they are one of the littlest angels sent by God to help and aid human beings in their everyday lives.
Linda C Dipman author of THE GAME OF LIFE IT'S ALMOST OVER http://outskirtspress.com/gameoflife presents AND HIS LOVE SHONE DOWN my true life story! It describes all the persecutions I endured. It will put you on the edge of your seat as you read each vivid detail. You will feel terror and experience love like nothing you have ever read before. http://lovinghandsministry.com
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