The Ability to Perceive and Even Communicate with the Invisible Realm

Luke, chapter 2, beginning with verse 8: “...There were shepherds in the same region, keeping watch over their flock during the watches of the night. And behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: today, in the city of David, a Savior has been born to you, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find the child wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.’ It came to pass that when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they came in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger...”

My brothers and sisters, an angel—what does the Word declare? An angel appeared to them; a multitude of the heavenly hosts suddenly appeared. That is, it was not that they descended from heaven. Here, the expression the Word uses is as if they were actors in a drama, coming out from behind a curtain and appearing on the stage.

These angels manifested themselves. These angels became visible. They had always been there, but they were not visible to our earthly eyes. And that is what I want us to focus on tonight.

My brothers and sisters, there are so many details, even in the earthly world, hidden from our earthly eyes, which perceive only visible light. How many of you know this about human biology? Even a perfect eye is less efficient than the eyes possessed by many creatures, many animals, which are able to detect and see light in the ultraviolet or infrared bands and can see much better and much more than we can—beyond the visible light that we are able to see.

If that is so, how much more is it true of the spiritual world? Likewise, our earthly eyes do not perceive most of what is happening around us in the spiritual world. Again and again, the Word reminds us that we are surrounded by a heavenly company. We are surrounded by a population from heaven. Also, my brothers and sisters, not far from them are representatives of the world of hell, invisible to us but real and present. This is a biblical reality; it is found throughout the entire Word.

Jacob sees a ladder filled with the constant traffic of angels, descending and ascending, carrying out heaven’s business upon the earth, while he himself is dreaming. He awakens, and the Word says that he trembled with fear as the realization dawned on him, and he declared, “Surely Jehovah was here, and I did not know it.”

My brothers and sisters, I would say: What phrase could be more real, more universal, and sadder? That is how many of us live. That is why our pastor has declared 2013 to be a year of evangelism: to bring the revelation and manifestation of the Lord’s presence to a world that brushes against the Lord’s presence day after day without knowing it. The Lord was so close, right at hand, and we had not realized it.

Elisha’s servant was about to faint from fear until Elisha prayed that the Lord would open his spiritual eyes. And at that moment, he was able to see upon the hills a previously invisible but innumerable army of angels mounted on chariots of fire, at his disposal.

My brothers and sisters, no one comes to an ordinary, run-of-the-mill service. There is a passage in Hebrews, chapter 12, that I love. I have read it many times when opening the service, when the Lord gives me that privilege, and it is not merely poetry. Know this: when we read this verse, it is not mere poetry. In this church, it is a declaration of a reality. We believe that this is actually happening—an invisible but real occurrence. Hebrews, chapter 12, beginning with verse 18, declares—and I will skip ahead a little—but it says:

“...For you have not come to the mountain that could be touched, as Moses and the people of Israel did when they approached Sinai; and as they approached Sinai, they could tangibly see the Lord’s Shekinah glory engulfing this mountain, setting it ablaze, and causing great terror...”

We have come to a tangible Mount Sinai—that is, one we can see and feel—but likewise, the Word says, “Rather, you have come to Mount Zion—more fearsome still—to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, to the company of many thousands of angels who, that night in the fields around Bethlehem, manifested themselves to these shepherds. Those angels described by the book of Hebrews; to the congregation of the firstborn whose names are written in heaven; to God, the Judge of all; to the spirits of the righteous made perfect; and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant; and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better, that speaks better than the blood of Abel.”

If someone were to turn on the spiritual light, as on one of those rides you often visit at Disney where they stamp you, turn off the light, and then turn on an ultraviolet light so that you see things you could not see before—if someone turned on a spiritual light, what would we see here at this moment? Angels who are not limited by walls, seats, or barriers, passing through this place. The glory of the Lord. An ordinary, run-of-the-mill service. That is very beautiful, Pastor, but what do we get out of this?

So what? Why does this matter? First of all, my brothers and sisters, you are never, ever alone. You are never, ever, ever alone, my brother, my sister. This is a very strange season. I love Christmas, but it is also a season when loneliness often visits us and fiercely visits many of our homes. It is a time when loneliness often creates an echo within our feelings, whether we have people around us or not, because loneliness does not require isolation. You can be at a party, surrounded by people, and be the loneliest person in the world at that moment.

Know that the Lord understands that. And I recommend, my brothers and sisters, that you penetrate this veil and remain conscious of this. Marina, one of my wife’s favorite stories about Mama Toñita—and it is not a story; it is true, I heard it—was that people would often call Toñita and ask her, “Toñita, are you alone?” And she would say, “No, I am with the Lord.”

My brother, my sister, this is the scene around you, whether you see it or not. Why does it matter to us? If you are afraid, remember what the Word promises: the angel of Jehovah encamps around those who fear Him and defends them. In those moments of loneliness, know that the Lord has sent His angel.

Brothers and sisters, if you have a challenge before you, if you have a decision to make this year—something the Holy Spirit has called you to do—and this is now the decisive year to leave that harmful relationship or finally give up that addiction; perhaps to find the courage to connect with a program or appear before the court and clear that record once and for all; frightening things, or any situation in which you feel helpless, limited, and alone—my brothers and sisters, if I told you how many times during the week I have felt that way! That is part of my work, and that is part of everyone’s life.

When the Lord is enlarging your tent, get used to feeling that way. Do you want to grow in the Lord? Do you want to explore new territories in the Lord? Do you want to conquer something new in 2013? Prepare to put your faith into action, and that means preparing for a time when, sooner or later, you will feel totally inadequate, no matter how well you prepare.

You are going to feel it. What is Carlos’s son doing? Imagine, [inaudible], he is alone. Samuel, the mighty hand of God is upon you. My sister, the angels of the Lord are around you. There is an entire heavenly congregation saying, “Amen, go, we are with you.” There is a squadron of angels holding back every demon that might try to make you stumble. Who told you that you were alone?

God is with you. Know it. And if that is so, my brothers and sisters, the other thing I want you to inscribe upon your hearts—and this is represented so beautifully in this account—is that God shows no partiality. These shepherds were not priests; they were not teachers of the Word; they were not educated people. I doubt they even knew how to read and write. That is why they were shepherds. And the Lord manifests Himself to these simple people. The Lord manifests Himself to simple people. The Lord knows to whom He will manifest Himself.

Here is this little flock, enduring the cold, yet keeping watch and remaining vigilant; and at that moment, the night is illuminated by the glory of the Lord. And what had been invisible a moment before became tangible, became manifest, and appeared before them.

So, my brothers and sisters, I leave you with this advice: do everything possible to develop your ability to perceive and even communicate with the invisible realm. You do have that ability. Do everything possible to perceive and interact with this invisible world. Do everything, Pastor, everything possible. So does that mean calling Walter Mercado, having someone read your palm, or calling someone to smoke a cigar for you so that your great-grandmother appears? May the Lord rebuke that. There is only one mediator, do you hear me? There is only one mediator between God and men. Before going in there, my brother, the Lord provided us with a guide for this spiritual safari, a place where you do not want to go without a good guide. You do not want to enter that spiritual jungle—and that is what it is, by the way. My brothers and sisters, are there reasons why the Lord does not allow us to see that world? If He did, I do not know who would go to church. They would be terrified. That world is a jungle. And it is best, first of all, to develop this ability through the Holy Spirit who dwells within you. That is, beyond angels, beyond a multitude of heavenly beings, you have access to the very Spirit of God, and that is enough.

The Spirit of God penetrates skin and bones and consciousness and makes His dwelling within us, making our lives His temple. Brothers and sisters, cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit of God. Seek the Holy Spirit of God. Seek the baptism of the Spirit of God. If you do not understand that, let us talk a little more about it. Make it your goal in 2013; make it your goal tonight.

Spirit of God, fill me from head to toe, from one end to the other; fill my cup, Spirit of God. And that leads us... He will answer you, also through a life of prayer. The Word declares that our invisible Father awaits us in our inner room. The one who honors Him in secret, says the Lord, He will honor publicly.

If you do not believe in God, sitting down in the early morning and having a conversation with a table would seem like the most foolish thing you could do. But if you picture yourself appearing before the throne of God at that moment, with your heavenly Father present, the angels of the Lord around you, and the blood of Christ covering you, that moment of prayer is sublime. And suddenly you discover that this has less to do with your words and more to do with the language.

The Word of the Lord says that the Spirit of God intercedes with our spirit through groanings that cannot be uttered, from heart to heart. Do you know what it means to begin the day by tuning our hearts to the heartbeat of God? See prayer that way: a moment of tuning. However it may be, “Lord, I want to tune my mind, my attitudes, my goals, my perception of You, my perception of myself. Tune me properly, Master, before my first conversation or my first decision.”

And through worship and praise—it is a mystery. That is something I would like to see: how invisible and glorious a moment of prayer, worship, and praise is, and how it affects the heavenly choir around us. What the Word tells me—and this truly is incredible—is that they sing with us. They likewise... Somehow, your praise empowers the army of God. Praise and worship advance the interests of the Kingdom. That truly gives me... When you praise the Lord from your heart, when you go beyond mere words and say, “No, I am not merely singing into the air. Around me, heaven is alive. The Lord is seated upon His throne, reigning here,” then with every praise I lift to Him, there is greater exaltation... If it were possible, Jesus is more highly exalted, Satan’s resistance grows thinner, and I feel Him closer.

Above all, my brothers and sisters, this happens through a life of surrender and holiness. And I would add: even if no one sees you. And I would add: even if no one applauds you. This same chapter of Hebrews, which tells us that no one comes to just any ordinary service, that there is an invisible mountain that could not even be compared to Mount Zion, opens by telling us that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. And, my brothers and sisters, it is your daily prayer... And what would I call your daily prayer? The spiritual energy you emit through a decision you make invisibly... because you are a spiritual being. The most powerful parts of you are not visible. Your decision to please God, hidden in your heart and mind where no one sees it, emits a powerful spiritual energy that carries over into the spiritual world.

That is the best way I can explain it. That decision... There are things that no one sees and no one will understand, perhaps even until eternity: why you decided what you decided in the secrecy of your heart in order to honor God. They would not even understand, so why bother explaining it to them? But do you know what? There is a choir of angels saying, “Goal! Tremendous! Goal! Our brother scored! Glory to God!” They are applauding you; an invisible Father is smiling upon you; God’s favor is extending toward you; and the glory of the Lord is becoming manifest to you.

Let us stand, my brothers and sisters. You know, Pastor Omar led us for a moment; he called us to a time of chain prayer, and not long ago, during that prayer chain, a sister began to intercede for me. But I want you to hear this. She said something that shows how often we do not even realize the way we bless people. In her prayer, led by the Spirit of God, she said this: “Lord, surround him with your angels,” without knowing what I was going to preach about today.

You know, my brothers and sisters, before the presence of the Lord, I likewise ask for each one of you that the Lord surround you with his angels, that the Lord minister to you, and that heaven draw closer to you this Christmas than ever before. Father, may it be so. Thank you that we are never alone and that you are faithful to your promise never to forsake us, even to the end of the world. Stay with us and enfold us in your warmth. We make our heart your throne, in the name of Jesus.

Thank you, Lord, for these words.