Article Display
Email  |  My Account  |  Donate
In recent times, as we've gathered for prayer, the Lord has drawn us back in a new and powerful way to the blood of Jesus. We've read Scriptures about it. We've meditated on it. We've sung about. We've worshipped and praised the Lord for it.

Most crucial of all, we have used it in prayer as the powerful weapon of spiritual warfare God designed it to be.

When I think about it, this fresh emphasis on the blood makes perfect sense. We are living in extremely dangerous times right now. The natural signs of terrorism and violence that we see around us reflect what's happening in the spiritual realm.

And just as many have warned us that in these perilous times, we must be extra vigilant if we are to remain secure, our divine Commander in Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ, through the agency of the Holy Spirit-is warning us to do the same thing. He is saying now as He did through the apostle Peter: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith... (1 Peter 5:8-9 NKJ)

Facing a Desperate Foe
As we pray in dangerous times as these, we must be watchful to keep ourselves, our loved ones, and those things over which God has given us responsibility covered and protected against the attacks of Satan. We must be careful to give him no place for he is deadly serious in his onslaughts against us. Now more than ever, he is actively seeking to wreak havoc in the Church of the Living God.

The reason is simple. With each day that passes, the end of this age presses in upon him. His time on the earth is drawing to a close and he is growing more desperate. As Revelation 12:12 says, Satan is coming against us "...in fierce anger (fury), because he knows that he has [only] a short time [left]!" (Amp.)

How can we effectively guard against and overcome such a ferocious foe? We do it the same way the saints in Revelation 12 did it. "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" (verse 11, NKJ).

As believers who have fully committed our lives to the Lord, we can stop Satan in his tracks by declaring the power of the blood of Jesus against him. By faith in the blood, we can put demonic troops on the run, throw their plans into confusion, and enforce the victory of our Lord. The blood of Jesus applied in prayer will separate us from the deadly plans of Satan and delivers us into the glorious plan of God!

The Life Is in the Blood
How do I know that? The whole Bible declares it. From Genesis to Revelation, God reveals to us the power of the blood!

In Genesis, when Adam and Eve were stripped of the glory and left naked because of their sin, God shed the blood of animals and used the skins to cover and clothe them (Genesis 3:21).

In Exodus, when the Israelites needed protection from the plague of death that had been loosed upon Egypt and deliverance into God's plan for them, God gave it to them through the blood. He instructed each household to sacrifice an unblemished lamb, take the blood and put it on the doorposts and over the doors of their houses.

And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:13 KJV)

In Leviticus 17:11, the Lord clearly established the power of blood when He declared, "...the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." (KJV)

The word atonement actually means "a covering." Therefore, when we plead the blood of Jesus in prayer over anything or anybody, we are covering it with the very life of Jesus. We are actually bringing Him on the scene to cleanse, deliver, and protect.

Painting Us a Picture
God revealed that principle again in the book of Joshua when the Canaanite harlot, Rahab, asked the Israelite spies she had sheltered to save her family from the coming destruction of Jericho. They promised protection for her household, but only on one condition: She had to bind a scarlet thread in the window of her house (Joshua 2:18).

What was the significance of the scarlet thread? It was a symbol of the blood of the Passover lamb! The Israelites knew well the protecting, delivering power of that blood. And since the spies (who were being hotly pursued by the king of Jericho) didn't have time to make a sacrifice that day and apply the blood to Rahab's house, they decided a scarlet thread would suffice.

Sure enough, it did. When God demolished the walls of Jericho, He left one part standing—the part where Rahab lived. The entire city was destroyed and everyone else in it was killed, but Rahab and her family were kept alive, safe and sound behind the sign of the blood.

Some people miss the mighty lesson God was teaching us through those events. They think they're nothing more than Old Testament stories about God's dealings with the Jewish people. But the New Testament says that "...all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:11 NKJ).

In other words, through those events, God was painting us a picture of the power of the blood of Jesus. He was illustrating for us the meaning behind such New Testament Scriptures as:
Hebrews 12:24 which says that we as New Testament believers have come "to Jesus, the Mediator... of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks [of mercy]..." (Amp.).

Hebrews 13:20-21 which says that it is "...through the blood of the everlasting covenant" that God strengthens us, perfects us, and works in us that which is pleasing in His sight.

Romans 5:9 which says that we who believe in Jesus "...having now been justified by His blood ... shall be saved from wrath through Him."
Virtually every book of the Bible points in some way to the power of the blood. Time and again in His Word, God drives home this wonderful truth. It is the blood of Jesus that saves. It is His blood that cleanses and delivers.

Surely the words of the old hymn were inspired by God Himself—"There is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb!"

A Total Miracle
But there is one thing we need to remember. That blood doesn't work until we put it to work. Its power does not avail for us unless we apply it. Just as the Israelites had to paint it over the doors of their household and Rahab had to tie the scarlet thread in her window, we must pray and confess the blood of Jesus by faith over all God has entrusted to us for its power to be effective there.

Let me show you what I mean. Years ago, a good friend of mine and her husband were getting ready to drive up into the hills of Oklahoma to minister on a reservation. Before they left the house, their pastor's wife called. She had sensed as she was praying that my friend and her husband shouldn't leave the house that day without pleading the blood of Jesus over all their affairs.

So, my friend and her pastor's wife did just that. Over the phone, they agreed in prayer that the blood of Jesus would cover and protect them all day long.

Later as my friend and her husband were driving to the reservation, they rounded a corner going 40 or 50 m.p.h. and plowed into a car that had stalled in the middle of the road. Nobody was hurt and when they got out to examine the cars, they found there wasn't a scratch on either one. There was absolutely no damage from the accident.

It was a total miracle! The blood of Jesus covered the whole situation because it was actively applied by faith and prayer.

Even When the Earth Shakes
That wasn't a one-time event either, I could tell you about many such incidents. Just take what happened some years ago to some pastors I know in California. They found themselves at the center of one of the worst earthquakes that has ever hit that part of the country.

The Sunday night before that earthquake struck, the pastor's wife was prompted by the Holy Spirit to preach to their church about the power and protection in the blood of Jesus. As she was preaching, she boldly declared, "It doesn't matter if you live on an earthquake fault line. The blood will work for you!"

The people in that church believed and acted on that word of the Lord and the next day when the earthquake hit, they were preserved. While buildings all around them crumbled, cracked, and fell, the homes of these believers were preserved. Their businesses were left standing. Their lives were protected.

During one of the aftershocks, the pastors themselves stood out in their yard and watched their house shake like a leaf. But they kept pleading the blood and when they went inside they found not a thing was out of place. No pictures were tilted. Everything was in perfect order!

Stir Up Your Faith
Sometimes we read stories like that and we think, Wow! Pleading the blood worked for those people so I'm going to do it too. Then we just add "plead the blood" to our list of things to pray and do it mechanically day after day. But there's no power in that!

What we must realize is this: the people in these stories truly believed in the power of the blood of Jesus. The revelation of it was real and alive in them. And they acted on their faith by applying it through prayer as they were led by the Holy Spirit.

For us to experience the results they did, we must do the same thing. First and foremost, we must stir up our faith in the blood. We may have once had great faith in that area but Satan is constantly working to steal it from us. So, especially in crucial times like these, we must frequently re-awaken our hearts and strengthen our belief in the blood.

How? By going back to the Word. After all, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). When we find our faith in the power of the blood is weakening or growing stale, we can go back and read about that first Passover in Egypt. We can meditate on what the Bible (both Old Testament and New) has to say about the blood and our faith will grow strong and fresh again.

Then we must stay ever on the alert, watching for the leading of the Holy Spirit as we pray. When He warns of trouble or leads us for some other reason to plead the blood of Jesus over somebody or some situation, we must be quick to obey. If we'll do our part, God will do His. He will save us from every plot of Satan and deliver us into His glorious plan—all by the power of the blood!

I sincerely believe we haven't yet scratched the surface of all that the precious blood can do. So let's search it out. Let's follow the leading of the Spirit and emphasize the blood more and more in the coming days. Let's sing about it... and meditate on it... and declare it. Surely God will show us great and mighty things as we do.

Excerpted from the newsletter Prayer Notes by Lynne Hammond
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Author Biography

Lynne Hammond
Web site: Lynne Hammond Ministries
 
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”
Read more...

About Us

The online ministry of cfaith has been helping people discover faith, friends and freedom in the Word since 2000. Cfaith provides a unique and comprehensive collection of faith-building resources for the worldwide faith community.

At cfaith, you can strengthen your faith and deepen your understanding of the Word of God by digging into the vast collection of teaching articles, streaming audio and video messages, and daily devotionals. No other website offers such a unique and extensive collection of spiritual-growth resources aimed at helping you grow in your knowledge of the Word.

Read More...

 

 

Support Us

Why support cfaith?


(All contributions are 100% tax deductible)


SUPPORT CFAITH WITH ONE CLICK!

For every Internet search you make using
goodsearch, cfaith will receive one penny!

GS Logo 250x38

Contact Us

Business Hours:


Monday—Friday: 9 a.m.—5 p.m. CST
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Phone:

(763) 488-7800 or (800) 748-8107

Mailing Address: 

CFAITH.com
9201 75th Avenue North
Brooklyn Park, MN 55428

 

Login Form

Please ignore the “Secret Key” field; it is not needed to log in to cfaith.

Login Change Article

Spring360x442
You need to enable user registration from User Manager/Options in the backend of Joomla before this module will activate.