It's Only By His Blood

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Revelation 12:11

Your ability to become all that God has designed you to be, your ability to defeat the enemy and your ability to persevere through the test, trials and tribulations are found in “the blood of the lamb…” Satan knows that he can defeat you when you try to take him on in your own power; however, he also knows that he doesn’t stand a snowballs chance in hell to defeat you when you call on the name of Jesus… The storms you are enduring are developing your testimony which will bear witness to the power you didn’t have and the power that God bestowed on your behalf… When you go through challenges and oppositions in life and know that God brought you out, your approach to life will change; the things that mattered most to you will become less significant in your life and you will display a form of humility that was never seen before in you… As you mature in Christ, the life that you sought in this world will become a life that you seek to please Christ, this is what John is referring to when he starts of this verse by proclaiming how to overcome and finish by saying, “they loved not their lives unto the death…” You won’t care about please men when you realize that those same men can’t help you when you are in the midst of tragedy or trial… You will care less about what people say about you when you begin to understand that God’s words produce life and fruits… John reveals the secret to overcoming and being victorious… Today’s focus verse begins with the words, “And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb…” Everyone on this earth is fighting the same war; it maybe a different form of the enemy, but it is the same war… John, writing during his exile informs us that those who are victorious don’t fight under their own power, but under the blood of the lamb… We all face trials and tribulations and we must learn today to plead the blood of Jesus over every situation instead of trying to stand in our own finite power… Jesus paid the price on the cross for all and this includes every mistake (past, present, future) that we make… Instead of trying to solve problems under your own might, lay them before the Lord… Read this passage taken from the 2 book of Kings during the reign of Hezekiah in the 19^th chapter;

“¹⁴ Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. ¹⁵ And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

¹⁷ “It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. ¹⁸ They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. ¹⁹ Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, LORD, are God.”

Hezekiah faced a big obstacle in the form of Tirhakah, the king of Cush… All the other regions surrounding Hezekiah has been destroyed and now the king has turned his focus upon the house of Judah… If Hezekiah would’ve went out to battle under His own might he would’ve utterly fallen and been defeated; however, notice the course of action that Hezekiah took after receiving the message… He “spread it before the Lord…” Spreading your current situations before the Lord makes way for His authority, power and might to reign in your life… When you spread things before the Lord you plead the blood of Jesus over them and therefore will indeed be victorious…

John goes on to say that, “by the word of their testimony…” We all have seen God exercise His favor in our lives… We, being alive is a testimony in and of itself… When we realize what God has done and that He is all powerful, we are able to turn from our worldly life (even if it means death) believing that God is with us and that He indeed has a plan that will not be stopped… Think about this, as Jesus hung his head on the cross, our breakthrough became a reality; as He was buried in the tomb, our chance to be saved was presented, and when He rose from the dead, Satan is now powerless. Every drop of blood, every crack of the whip, and every hurled insult, a soul was given a chance at eternal glory. Jesus said that He has gone to prepare a place for you… That place is being built and Satan can’t stop Jesus, so he is trying to persuade and stop you… Jesus paid your penalty; however Satan desires for you to turn from God because he himself cannot pluck you from His mighty hand… Knowing all that Jesus has done and accomplished through His bloodshed; now, we can look at all that we have been through and know that it was because of God’s grace and mercy; we are able to stand and give our testimony. We understand that trouble doesn’t last always, and joy comes in the morning. But more importantly, we now can appreciate knowing that Jesus will crack the sky one more time, and we will be caught up and given OUR undeserving key to OUR new home with OUR name on it. Plead the blood of Jesus over every situation, not because you can’t figure it out, but because He is only one who has defeated death and can bring you and/or your children out of the grasp of the enemy and plant you/them on solid ground…

BE BLESSED!!!