Hebrews 12:22–24
One of the primary weapons we must use to repel Satan’s attacks is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. That Word quickened by the Holy Ghost in our hearts and spoken out in faith will always send Satan running in terror. I know that’s true not only because the Bible says so but because I’ve experienced it. Therefore, in my own life, the Word is the weapon I use the most.
Another potent weapon I use almost as much as the Word is the blood of Jesus. In recent years, the Holy Spirit has prompted me to put special emphasis on that weapon when I teach on prayer. Perhaps that’s because although we as believers have great faith in Jesus’ blood, we sometimes forget that just believing in it is not enough.
For the power of the blood to become effective in specific situations, we must put our believing into action. We must use the blood in our prayers. We must sprinkle it by faith and apply it wherever it is needed.
By speaking words of faith in prayer, we can do what the Israelites did on the night of the first Passover. They took the blood of a lamb and applied it to the doors of their households. Why did they do that? Because God said to them:
The blood shall be for a token or sign to you upon [the doorposts of] the houses where you are, [that] when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt.
(Ex. 12:13 Amp)
“But, Lynne,” you might say, “that was in the Old Testament. What does that have to do with us today?” Plenty!
The blood of the Passover lamb applied by Old Testament saints was a prophetic picture of things to come. It represented the blood of Jesus. That’s the reason it had such power!
As New Covenant believers, we have more than a picture, we have the real thing. We have the blood of the ultimate Lamb of God. When we sprinkle it over our lives in faith, that blood speaks mercy over us. It speaks of God’s grace that’s ours through Jesus and proclaims our covenant with Him. Like the blood on the Israelites’ doorposts, it forces destruction to pass over us and marks us as God’s own.
Scripture Reading: Exodus 12:1–28
Source: Devotions for the Praying Heart by Lynne Hammond.
Excerpt permission granted by Lynne Hammond Ministries
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
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!”