.... SUDDENLY JESUS STOOD RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME…

In 1963, my office occupied only the den of my little frame home in Garland, Texas. It wasn't really much of an office at that. Some men in another city contacted me. They said, "If you will move your office to this city, we will set up an office for you. We will buy all the office equipment, hire the secretaries, and pay their salaries. You won't have to pay anything. Let's get some of your material published."

Another man, who was an electronic technician, said, "Brother Hagin, if you will let me, I will make tapes of all your sermons. It won't cost you a thing. I will furnish all the materials free of charge." Those offers sounded good. You would think God must be in them. But about that time I was praying with a certain group. We were having special times of ministering to the Lord. It was the kind of atmosphere Acts 13:1 and 2 speaks of—an atmosphere where God will move. I was sitting on the platform beside a chair, praying, when suddenly Jesus stood right in front of me. I had my eyes shut. It was a spiritual vision. I did not fall into a trance. Standing right behind Jesus, about two feet to His right and three feet behind Him, was a large angel. I had seen angels before—but never one that big. He must have been 8 feet tall or more.

Jesus talked to me about some things. (And everything He said came to pass.) Occasionally, while He talked, I would glance at that angel. When I did, the angel would open his mouth and start to say something. When I looked back to Jesus, he would not say anything. After Jesus finished His conversation with me, I asked, "Who is that fellow? What does he represent?" Jesus said, "That's your angel." I said, "My angel?" "Yes," He said, "your angel. You read in the scriptures that I said concerning the little children that their angel is ever before My Father's face. You don't lose your angel just because you grow up." (Isn't that comforting! I have that big fellow following me around. Praise the Lord!) I said, "What does he want?" Jesus said, "He has a message for you." Then I got so letter-of-the-Word conscious I could have missed the Spirit. I said, "You are talking to me; why don't
You give me the message? Why do I have to listen to an angel? Besides that, the Word of God says as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. I have the Holy Ghost. Why couldn't the Holy Ghost talk to me?" Jesus had mercy on me, and patience with me. He said, "Did you ever read in My Word where the angel of the Lord told Philip to go down to the way of Gaza? Wasn't that direction? Wasn't that guidance? Didn't my angel appear to Cornelius, and he wasn't even a born-again man? Didn't the angel tell him what to do?" He gave me several more New Testament examples. Finally, I said, "That's enough. I will listen." Then I looked up to this big fellow and said, "What is it?" He started this way, "I am sent from the Presence of Almighty God to tell you not to let these men (and he called their names) set up an office for you. They have an ulterior motive. They will control your ministry because they will have put in all the money." Then he called the name of the man who was the radio and electronic technician and said, "Don't let him have any of your tapes. He has an ulterior motive. If he gets them into his hands, he will control them. I am sent from the Presence of Almighty God to tell you that.

"Then I am sent from the Presence of Almighty God to tell you this: The money will come so that you can set up your own office, have your own books, have your own tapes. You will be the head of it, the sole boss, because I am going to tell you what to do, and not some man. Within four months, after everything is paid and cleared out, you will have enough money to get you headed this direction. For I have sent my angels out to cause the money to come." When that time came, I had $4,000 which was enough to do what the Lord had told me to do. That was the
beginning of this ministry. I could tell more, but this is enough to illustrate that these things do happen. But let me emphasize this—although God does lead us through visions and other supernatural manifestations, I would encourage you NOT to seek a vision. You could get beyond the Word where the devil can deceive you. We often prefer to have a more direct word of guidance, but we don't always have it. So
don't try to manufacture it, if it is not there. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that anyone was seeking a vision when one came. Visions just happened without anyone in the Bible seeking them. But educate and train and develop your human spirit so that inward witness becomes more and more real to you. Then, if God sees fit for supernatural visitations and manifestations, just thank God for them. Know that the angels of God are with you. Your angel is with you whether you ever see him or not. (Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin)