Revelation 12:11 Living Bible (TLB) They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony; for they did not love their lives but laid them down for him.
Friends, we aren’t going to sugar-coat the condition of this world. Because of the disobedience of God’s original humans (Adam and Eve), we live in a fallen world full of strife, anger, poverty, perversion and sickness. Yes, it is so bad that who can blame themselves or another person for just wanting to crawl up into a tight, fretful, ball and crying, “I give up!” But, thanks be to God we also have a ‘spark’ in us. It is the instinctual survival ‘spark’ that gets us out of bed each day and it is the power of a loving God who gives us the desire to overcome this world. Many people have heard of the power of a “testimony” after they have been “tested” and then share the evidence of how they overcame in the face of adversity (sickness, danger, lack of provision, etc.). Whether or not someone believes that they can be “tested” is not the subject of this article. Perhaps you have heard of the “power of the Blood of Jesus Christ” but do not know HOW to appropriate that “overcoming power” in your life? There are many old hymns that declare this: “Nothing But the Blood,” “There is Power in the Blood,” and “Thank You For the Blood,” to name a few. One refrain repeats: “There is power, power, wonder working power, in the precious blood of the Lamb.”
If you believe that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and have called upon the name of the Lord, (Romans 10:9,10,13) then you have been redeemed. (See our last blog post, Bought with A Price… Redeemed) You have at your disposal the power of the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ to overcome any obstacle in your life! But “how do I do that?” you ask?
The context of Revelation 12:9-11 is that “the great dragon, … that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world… was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him… for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 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.”
There are three ways listed in this passage that tell us how to “overcome the devil”: 1) by the Blood of the Lamb; 2) by the word of our testimony; 3) by our attitude of laying down our lives (dying to self). We will talk about the first: the Blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ).
There is scriptural proof of the overcoming power of the Blood of the Lamb that shows us how to apply this in our lives today.
Exodus 12:11-13 (ESV) 11 … It is the LORD's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
You have probably seen the famous movie, The Ten Commandments, where the Israelites were enslaved under the Egyptian Pharaoh. Hollywood gave us a strong Moses in the form of, a brooding yet handsome and charming, Charleston Heston. But we know that the strength the Hebrews found in themselves didn’t come from charisma. It came from an unfaltering faith in the One true God. Similar to our world today, God’s people found themselves in a world ruled by brute force, immorality and greed. It appeared as though no victory could ever be won over the cruel Egyptians…… But, God had a plan…… His instructions were for each family to take a lamb without blemish, kill the lamb, and take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the house where they eat the Passover meal. The lamb was killed and its blood was collected in a basin in the doorway. Hyssop was used to apply the blood to the sides and top of the doorway, therefore the blood was “drawn around the door” from the bottom, up the side, across the top, and down the other side of the doorway. A “circle of blood” sealed the house and kept the destroyer from entering.
Exodus 12:22-23 (NKJV) And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.
The story of Rahab may not be as familiar. After the death of Moses, God commanded Joshua to take the children of Israel across the river Jordan and enter the promised land. He sent spies into Jericho and they came to the house of the harlot Rahab. She knew that the Lord had given them the land, and that their God was the true one. She helped the spies escape harm and they promised to save her and her household when the Lord gave the Israelites victory over Jericho.
Joshua 2:17,18,21 (CEB)
The men said to her,… 18 unless, when we come into the land, you tie this red woven cord in the window through which you lowered us. Gather your father, your mother, your brothers, and your whole family into the house with you … She sent them away and they went off. Then she tied the red cord in the window.
This was a sign like the blood of the lamb that was “drawn around the doorways” of the Israelites in Egypt. This red cord was tied around the open window for the army of Israel to see. Rahab and all who were in her house were saved when Jericho fell. “And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father’s household, and all that she had.” (Joshua 6:25)
Today, we are not commanded to tie a red cord around our windows nor are we to kill a lamb and paint his blood around our doorways.
The Blood of Jesus Christ spoken / applied is our DEFENSE against the enemy. When we “speak: I apply the Blood of Jesus Christ to my: family, health, finances, or whatever the need” ....... or speak, “I draw the Blood line of Jesus Christ around me and all that pertains to me and my family;” we are keeping the enemy from attacking us.
There are other “defensive” and “offensive” spiritual weapons we can use against the enemy that are described in the Word of God.
In the book Living Above the Snake Line written by James Malone, the author states, “Psalm 91 teaches us that there is a literal place of existence in our lives that is free from the constant vexations of the enemy. A place where we are so hidden in Christ that the devil and his angels are incapable of finding us. We have termed this living above the Snake Line.
This secret place is found in abiding, perpetual resting in the presence of the Lord. I am thoroughly convinced 90% of our issues would be taken care of if we would devote the necessary time of waiting upon the Lord, ministering to Him in praise and worship, serving Him just by remaining under the shadow of His wings.”
Note* You can find this book at Amazon: Living Above the Snake Line.
We will continue to discuss these defensive and offensive spiritual weapons along with the "literal place of existence" where we meet with Jesus …. Where we overcome by the blood of the Lamb.
~ Joanne and Sarah
