Companion
by Ernest Angley
October 2005
The dictionary tells us that a companion is a person who is employed to live or travel with another. We have been invited by the Lord to live with Him, to enjoy a companionship that few people on planet Earth have ever had. Man and woman were meant to have that divine companionship, for God had made them for His own glory, His own purpose, to honor, bless and glorify Him.
First Corinthians 1:9, God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. We’re called to that companionship of Jesus Christ. We have that same love, grace, peace and joy; we have the same everything that He had when He walked among men.
Jesus knew such wonderful companionship with the Father that He said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always (John 11:41,42). Do you have that companionship with the Lord? Can you say, “Father, you always hear me”?
Some people ask where God is. He’s where He’s always been. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded (James 4:8). God said to clean up, get ready to enter His Heaven. If your heart is pure there’s no sin there. Only a speck of sin will contaminate you. Purify your hearts—does that sound as though you can’t live free from sin?
First John 1:7, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship [companionship] one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Why would the Lord cleanse you from all sin if you can’t stay out of sin? Some say it’s impossible to live free from sin, but this scripture tells you that the blood of Jesus will cleanse you from all sin and you will have perfect fellowship with Him. You can never have perfect fellowship, perfect companionship with the Lord if you’re not free from sin. The Bible speaks of the righteous and the unrighteous, making clear that if any sin at all is in your heart, even a speck, you’re not righteous. In other words, you’re either righteous or unrighteous, holy or unholy, there’s no in-between.
More Than a Friend
Proverbs 18:24, A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Our Jesus is more than a friend. He came to be our elder brother. Taking on the fashion of a man, He grew up among the human race. What a companion He is to us, a wonderful brother who is always with us, a great help as He stands by us. We all have a true brother in Jesus.
Live by Faith, Not Feelings
Hebrews 13:5, Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Although Jesus said He would never leave you nor forsake you, some of you feel forsaken at times. Why? You’re giving in to feelings. The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17). Faith and feelings are not related; they have nothing to do with each other. Don’t bother with your feelings; forget about them and take faith.
Faith in God heals the sick. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him (James 5:15).
Faith in God moves mountains. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith (Mark 11:23).
Faith in God gets prayers through to the throne of grace; without that faith you can’t please God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).
Contend for Faith
To everyone is given a measure of faith. God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). You are given faith to reach for salvation—if you want it—and if you’ll use that measure He’ll give you more and more. Jude 1:3 tells us to earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. What great faith those holy saints had! Abraham, Noah, and Old Testament prophets, both major and minor, had unbelievable faith! I contend for it all. Do you ever contend for that faith? I want all that is promised to us. God never tells us to contend for something out of reach. The faith once delivered to the saints is offered to all who will contend for it.
Learn to Be Content
Paul said further, For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content (Philippians 4:11). This is a restless hour, and if you’re not careful, Child of God, you’ll be caught up in the restlessness of the world.
Many hundreds of years ago, Daniel got the picture of this endtime hour. The Lord said to him, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased (Daniel 12:4).
People are discontent; God can’t get them to be alone with Him very often. They always want to go somewhere, want to do something, want to be with other people.
Seek the face of God, seek to be alone with Him. Spending hours alone with the Lord day and night is a blessed, wonderful experience. Home should be a heavenly refuge with the Spirit of God dwelling in it all the time. When I go home, the glory of the Lord is there as I open the door. To have such fellowship with the Lord gives me great peace and joy. I know He will never leave me nor forsake me, and I rejoice that He is always with me.
The Lord has given you the same promise of fellowship. If you’re down and out today, in despair, if you have let fear take you over, possess you, it is because you haven’t accepted this promise of the Lord: I will never leave you or forsake you. Embracing the reality of this promise will cure you of despair.
To worry, to be depressed and oppressed is not for a child of God. As a child of God you have Jesus with you; in fact, you have all His promises, all His love. He is your big brother whom you can look to in confidence knowing that He’ll take your part against the devil any time and all the time. Why not look to Heaven and be happy?
It’s a disgrace for children of God to be down and out. We should give the world a smile, for we’ve been made to sit in a heavenly place. How wonderful it is to have Jesus with us and to dine with the Holy Spirit! We don’t need alcohol or drugs to intoxicate us.
Do You Walk in the Light?
If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, know that He’s available and wants to live in every clean heart, every clean life. However, you can’t have this companionship unless you walk in the light of the Gospel.
Preacher, I think I’m in the light.
When you go into your house at night, you know if you need to turn on the light. It’s the same way from a spiritual standpoint. Thinking you’re in the light isn’t enough; you’ve got to know whether you’re in the light or in the dark of the world. If you don’t recognize you’re in the dark, you will stumble your way through life.
A Friend of God
John 15:15,16, Henceforth I [Jesus] call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends. How wonderful that the Lord calls us friends! To be a friend of Jesus is incredible! Jesus went on to say: For all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. I have given you what the Father has told me, and it’s real, it works. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you [given you my power to do my work], that ye should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. To bring in the harvest, we’re to put God first and foremost in our lives. He will give us what we ask when we ask in the name of Jesus according to His divine will.
The Bible says Jesus pleased not Himself. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me (Romans 15:3). How sad that most Christians today think they need to please themselves or someone else! Seek to please the Lord first and foremost. No matter who is in your life, put God first.
Hold to Your First Love
If you have your first love, mentioned in the book of Revelation, God always comes first. One of the seven letters the Lord dictated to John was sent to the church at Ephesus. In that letter Jesus mentioned good things the church was doing, but then He said, Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love (Revelation 2:4). They had lost their first love for Him and His works.
When you first receive salvation, you want to be with God’s people; you don’t want to miss a service. You let nothing come between you and the Lord. Treasuring the anointings of God, you long to be in His presence. You love to go to the prayer chamber, to close the door on the world, family and friends alike, and be with your best friend, Jesus. It is wonderful! But if you leave your first love you can stay out of church and not think much about it. You can skip the services, miss the anointings, go a whole day without praying. For days you don’t open your Bible: You’ve left your first love. Don’t be deceived; you weren’t that way when you first found the Lord; you fell in love with Him, and wanted to please Him in all ways.
As I grew up, I knew about the Lord through my parents and my two older sisters who served God, but I didn’t really know His love personally. When at eighteen I discovered that love, I wanted to be with Him all the time and I regretted when I had to do something else. He had blessed me, made Himself real to me. My prayers were going forth and the Lord was answering; it was heavenly sunshine.
If you obey the Lord you will get answers to your prayers. The reason God answers my prayers is that I obey Him in everything, not a few things, but all things. It’s simple for me to get a prayer through. I just dart a prayer and the Lord heals a person, supplies the need or gives the answers to the problems. You can do the same thing. The same Jesus is yours; the same Holy Spirit, the same Heaven is offered to you.
God Will Supply Your Needs
Isaiah 54:10, For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. The Lord’s kindness is promised to you. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). God has promised to supply all your needs.
My God will supply, my God will stand by: To doubt that promise will hinder you in getting your needs supplied. The next step would be blaming God for something He has no part in. Never doubt God or His promises. Do what the Bible tells you to do and trust Him with all your heart.
Don’t Waver
The Bible says that if you let your faith waver, to not think you are going to receive from Him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord (James 1:6,7).
Don’t worry, don’t fret; just put your trust in Him. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:3-5).
God is a faith God. When you come to Him you must believe that He is Lord God Almighty, Lord of everything. He’s Lord over your problems, over your body, over your soul, and over your spirit. You must believe who He is if you are going to receive from Him because it’s impossible to please Him without faith in what He has said about Himself.
Does God Love You?
Some of you wonder at times if God loves you. Why wouldn’t He? God said He loves you; are you going to believe Him or not? For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Why have trouble believing God loves you? Of course He loves you; He said so. Paul tells us as well, I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38,39).
If you doubt Jesus’ love, then you’re in no shape to pray, to walk with Him, to claim Him as your big brother. Never question His love; know beyond doubt that Jesus is your brother as well as your Master who will walk with you on all your seas of life, help you get off the boat and keep you from sinking.
Is the Lord moving for you in any way? Are you getting answers to your prayers? Are you receiving from the Lord? Are you being blessed by miracles and healings? It’s wonderful to receive from the Lord! Yet some professing Christians not only don’t believe in miracles and healings, they think those who do are in fanaticism. It certainly isn’t fanaticism that I’m alive today because of a miracle. Years ago I was at death’s door, and then the Lord made me whole all over. People can mock and scoff all they want to, but I still have that life-saving miracle today.
The Lord Jesus, the healing Christ and your big brother, walked on planet Earth, making steps that you can take. Look for His footprints in your valleys; if you don’t find them there, beat a path out of that valley; it’s not for you. If Jesus hasn’t been there first, you have no business there either.
Look for the Good
Live in grace; trust in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Too many Christians don’t know what it is to trust because they look at the bad and not the good. They’re frightened by so much sin in the world. But the Bible says that where sin abounded, grace did much more abound (Romans 5:20). Rejoice over abounding grace, grace that’s yours, grace that’s being poured out, grace that can help you serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone throughout the whole world who will listen. To feel the presence and the grace of the Lord moving all through you makes you feel good all over.
Do you fail to feel the companionship of the Lord; are you trapped in a lowly, desolate existence? If so, then you’re not living the Christian life, the God life that He has planned for you. You may say you’re a child of God on your way to Heaven, but are there people going to some hamburger joint who look happier than you look in serving God? Some who claim to be Christian think they have to drink a little wine, down a few cocktails just like the world, but it’s because they don’t really have Jesus. When you have Jesus, alcohol won’t do a thing for you; you’re above it as you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory (I Peter 1:8). You can’t even speak the joy the Lord has put into your heart it’s so great.
“Plugged into Heaven”
Are you full of God’s glory? If so, then you’re full of His faith, love, courage, goodness, full of His healing and miracle power. You’re full of Heaven—connected, plugged in.
When you’re plugged into the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, you’re plugged into Heaven. Why go around looking depressed? There shouldn’t be a person on planet Earth more happy than you. I’d be ashamed to say I was a child of God if I didn’t look any happier than some drunk staggering down the street.
What’s wrong with Christians today? Many have left their first love and the Lord has somewhat against them. Do you want the Lord to have somewhat against you, or do you want to walk hand-in-hand with Him? Jesus wants to be with you all the time, not part of the time. But if you are grouchy and grumbling, He won’t be there; you’ve tied His hands.
But, Preacher, I don’t know what I’m going to do!
Wake up and realize that no matter if it’s the darkest day ever, you’re going to trust in the Lord. Believe what God says in His Word and let that settle it. Why worry and fret? The Lord said He’d look out for you.
Isaiah 54:10, Neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. The God of mercy has promised you peace, but what kind of peace do you have?
Windows of Blessings
The Lord said, for instance, that if you live for Him, pay your tithes and give love offerings, He would open up the windows of Heaven on you. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:10). Do you think you’re going to starve to death with the windows of Heaven open for you? With just one window in your house open, the Lord could put so much food through it that you’d have plenty to eat. Right through that one window He could fill your house with suitcases of clothes. Instead of running around in fear as though you’re half crazy, think about the windows of Heaven being open for you.
Are you obedient unto the Lord?
Oh, yes, Preacher, I tithe, give unto God, live holy before Him. I know the windows of Heaven are open.
Then you have nothing to fear, nothing to worry about. Trust in the Lord until you die and go to live with the Father in Heaven as the eternal ages roll on.
People in the world don’t understand that kind of faith, but the Lord understands it; it’s biblical.
Invite Him In!
In Revelation 3:20 the Lord said, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20). How many times do you invite the Lord to come in? Have you opened the door? Do you even believe He’s at the door? Are you going to give Him any time, any attention?
When you get out of bed in the morning, the first thing you ought to do is talk to the Lord. I‘ve heard people say that they are not fit to face anything in the morning until they get their cup of coffee. It’s no wonder one meets so many grouchy people in the mornings: They’re depending on coffee to give them strength to face the day. No one is fit to meet the world until they first meet Jesus. It isn’t that sugar in your coffee that will sweeten your day, it’s that sweetening from Jesus, from His wonderful Spirit.
Jesus can put a smile on your face that the devil won’t be able to erase, and that’s beautiful! Sinners will ask why you are so happy, and you’ll have the chance to testify to them. If they keep on asking, you may have a chance to preach them a sermon on joy.
I know of one preacher who doesn’t believe in preaching joy. He told a newspaper reporter that he wondered what Bible I was preaching from; he didn’t think the Bible said that God’s people are supposed to be happy. That poor preacher evidently is spiritually dead! My Bible says that the joy of the LORD is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
God Will Lift You Up
Psalm 27:10, When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up. I’ve seen people terribly depressed because when they started serving God their mother and father turned against them. Your father and mother may forsake you, but the Lord never will. Don’t sit around and pity yourself, thinking you’re not loved. God loves you and Jesus is your big brother; why do you care about anyone else? If family and friends don’t love you because you’re serving God, let them be; they’re not worth thinking about no matter who they are.
God gives true love and He’ll never turn against you so long as you are obedient to Him. Jesus made it possible for you to come into the family of God through His divine blood. Doesn’t this excite you! John 15:12, This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
A true mother and father who love you would be glad that you put God first in your life. They wouldn’t try to tear you down; they’d lift you up. My parents were delighted when I found the Lord, ready to help me in every way they could. A great blessing to me, they were supportive until they went to Heaven, praise God!
Do You Struggle in Prayer?
I believe the Lord hears every word I speak. While some are struggling to get one prayer through, I’ve already gotten that one through and I’m on to more. I can’t be slow about getting prayers through for people who have emergencies; I’ve got to reach God, and He always hears.
Have you ever found the Lord sleeping? I’ve never found Him even nodding. No, He’s wide-awake, ready and eager to move, just waiting for you to call to Him in faith.
Preacher, I have a problem with my prayer life.
It’s not your prayer life that’s the problem: It’s your surrendering life. When you give all of self to the Lord you won’t have any trouble talking to Heaven. God has called you into fellowship with His Son, the same fellowship the Son had with the Father. You’re to have that fellowship because you are a son or daughter of God. God gives true love and He’ll never turn against you as long as you are obedient to Him. Jesus made it possible for you to come into the family of God through His divine blood. Doesn’t this excite you!
Do you really believe you’re a son or daughter of God? If your sins are all gone, washed away in the blood of the Lamb, if you’re living free from sin, you are in the family of God. Here on child, we must be sin free to take the place of Jesus in all His holiness, righteousness, faith and love.
John Had Close Fellowship with Jesus
First John 1:3, That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. John had fellowship with Jesus; he was close to Jesus. In fact, John seemed to be closer to Jesus, have a greater companionship with Him than any of the other disciples. In John’s teachings in the Gospel of St. John, and in First, Second, and Third John, this closeness is apparent. With marvelous love the Lord trusted John with the visions he recorded in the book of Revelation. He suffered much in writing that book! But Jesus had learned to trust John so much so that when He was dying on the cross and saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home (John 19:26,27). She’s your mother now, John; I give her into your trust. Look out for her. I believe John took care of Mary with great love the rest of her life. John had much love to give. He took the commandment of Jesus to his heart: This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you (John 15:12).
Some of you become depressed because your kin don’t show you the love they should or even the love that other people’s kin show. Don’t look at that, look at the magnificent fellowship that Divinity offers you while you’re still here on child. Know that you’re going to live forever in Heaven in the companionship of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, and all your needs will be supplied wherever you are.
The Lord Is the Healer
What do you have to worry about? Stop worrying, stop fretting. If you have a disease in your body that the doctors say is terminal: Turn to the Lord who said, I am the LORD that healeth thee (Exodus 15:26).
Jesus told people He met, Be not afraid, only believe (Mark 5:36). He looked at Jairus when Jairus had just gotten the news his daughter was dead, and said, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole (Luke 8:50). And Jesus went on to raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead. Isn’t that just like our big brother! It’s wonderful to have a big brother you can trust and lean on!
Jesus is our companion and He looks out for us, takes our part. Many times He has put the devil to flight when we didn’t realize what the devil was up to. Trust your big brother. Study His actions when He was here on child and see the love He had for the disciples, how He stood by and helped them. Yes, our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said, I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you (John 14:18). As the song says:
He abides,
Hallelujah, He abides with me!
Receive the Holy Ghost!
The Holy Spirit abides on the inside, but some Christians won’t go on to receive Him; they think speaking in tongues is fanaticism. No, it isn’t. If you are really born again, living free from all sin, then the Lord is guiding you to the Upper Room. You can have the Holy Ghost if you obey Him. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him (Acts 5:32).
Jesus told the disciples to tarry at Jerusalem until they received the Holy Ghost, power from On High. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49). Praise the Lord!
No Lack
John 15:7, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. I ask, and people receive miracles. People will receive miracles today.
Is Jesus really your companion; is He always with you? Do you ever think you’re alone?
Jesus is with me;
I’m never alone,
No, never alone.
My Savior is with me
Wherever I roam.
I’ll hold to His hand;
Lean on His strong arm.
My Savior is with me:
I’m never alone.
Jesus is my big brother as well as my Savior, my Master, my coming King; He is my everything. Paul, writing to one of the churches, said, Ye are complete in him [Jesus Christ], which is the head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10). There’s nothing lacking when you are complete in Him; never doubt Him, only believe.
God Saves and Heals
Sinner, Backslider: Come home. Wandering around out in the night, you’re lonely and in despair—and no wonder. You think life is hard, but the way of the transgressor is hard.
If you don’t have Jesus, say this prayer today: Oh, God, I’m so sorry I’ve sinned against you; but I have come home and I will serve you, Lord, the rest of my life. I believe the blood of Jesus washes away all my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus! Come on in, Jesus! Come on in!
If you meant that prayer, by faith you now can say, Hallelujah! He is mine. Jesus is going to be my companion the rest of my life!
And now you who are sick and afflicted: God can get you well. Through the divine healing blood of Jesus, you can be rid of that cancer or that death disease no matter what it is. Anyone can be healed if they believe God’s healing promises, nothing doubting, for God has given the Jesus blood cure for sin and sickness. Jesus brought the remedy for it all, thank God! How beautiful it is to walk and talk with Him!
You may have AIDS or the AIDS virus; God is healing whole families of AIDS. Letters are coming in from different nations telling us that people have been back to their doctors, who find they have no more sign of AIDS. Thousands have already been healed of AIDS, and we thank God for it. The miracle hand of God is opening doors for this ministry that never have opened before, bringing souls to God that would not have come to Him otherwise.
Many of you are facing death; there’s no remedy for you through man, but if you’ll give your heart to the Lord, serve Him, you can be healed of any disease. However, you must live for God.
Lord, here they are. I bring to you those with AIDS and the AIDS virus, those with cancer, diabetes, heart trouble, leprosy, TB, all kinds of death diseases. Heal! in the holy name of the Lord. Heal! in the all-powerful, blessed name of Jesus. Heal! Heal! I pray.
If you believed that prayer, now get well, or watch that little one get well. Reach daily for more and more reality of the wonderful closeness and delivering power of Jesus, your greatest companion.
Let me hear from you. God bless you.
All literature available on this page is owned exclusively by Ernest Angley Ministries and is available for your personal, noncommercial use only. You may freely download, print or distribute this literature without prior permission, as long as it is NOT altered and is distributed in its entirety.