The Blood of Jesus Christ
The blood of Jesus Christ is a powerful weapon for spiritual warfare. Revelation 12:10-11 provides a vivid description of how the blood of Jesus was/will be used to ultimately defeat Satan:
"...for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" Revelation 12:10-11 NKJV
These Christians relied on the blood of Jesus (the Lamb) and their spoken testimony about Jesus to overcome Satan and the fear of death. In the same way, we can invoke the blood of Jesus along with our testimony to fight the spiritual battles we face.
How does the blood and the testimony work? Derek Prince, a respected authority in spiritual warfare, explains*: "It is when we testify personally to what the blood of Jesus does for us that we can claim all the benefits that God has provided for us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Our bold, continuing personal testimony becomes the hyssop that applies the blood of Jesus to our lives." Hyssop was a plant the Israelites used to sprinkle the blood on their doorposts during Passover. Only then was the home protected from God’s judgment.
Using the blood in spiritual warfare: We overcome Satan when we claim (pray, sing or state) what the blood does for us. Specifically, the blood:
- Redeems and cleanses me from past, present and future sin (Ephesians 1:7, 1 John 1:7)
- Justifies me, making me righteous, as if I had never sinned (Romans 5:9, Hebrews 13:12)
- Cleanses my mind and conscience from sin and the memories it created (Hebrews 9:14)
- Reconciles me with God, because Jesus bore all the punishment for my sin (Romans 5:1, 1 Peter 2:24); I am forgiven for all my sins (1 John 1:9)!
- Enables me to boldly approach God's throne without fear of punishment (Hebrews 10:19)
Praying the Blood: The following prayer is a good one to pray before you start the day, go to bed or any time you are going into a spiritual warfare situation.
"Lord, I cover myself and everyone around me with the blood of Jesus. I cover all of the members of my family (state them by name) with the blood of Jesus. I cover my home, my land, my car, my finances, my marriage, my ministry, with the blood of Jesus. In the Name of Jesus Christ, by the power of His blood, I break off every power of the kingdom of darkness and cancel every argument in heaven that has established itself against the plans of God in my life and spoil every attack of the enemy. I call forth, in the name of Jesus, all of God's plans and purposes for my life, and my family. As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord. Satan, the blood of Jesus is against you and you have no authority over my life. NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME (OR MY FAMILY) SHALL PROSPER!"**
Practical example: God healed me from the compulsion to view pornography several years ago. Since that time, the Lord has shown me how to fight the enemy in my thought life. When the temptations to lust over memories of porn images assault me, I say (audibly or in my mind), "Satan, in the name of Jesus I rebuke you and command you to leave me alone. I am saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, who died for me and defeated you." When the temptation persists, and it usually does, I keep speaking "the blood of Jesus covers me" until the temptation subsides. In the rare cases that the temptation continues after applying the blood, I find that singing praise songs helps to eliminate any remaining distracting thoughts.
Applying the blood of Christ should be done with understanding, reverence and recognition of its meaning. As with all spiritual weapons, our understanding combined with belief (faith) will unleash God's power in the situation we are facing.
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