Evans Krah_power In The Blood.doc

POWERHOUSE MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL BIBLE SCHOOL BOOK PROJECT APRIL 2018

POWER IN THE BLOOD

KRAH, Evans Kwaku 1|Page

Power in the Blood

Table of Contents Introduction Chapter One: Teachings from the bible on the blood - Why God required blood and the sacrificial blood - Why the blood has to be shed - What the shed blood accomplished for the fallen man Chapter Two: Cleansing and sanctification through the blood Chapter Three: Life in the blood Chapter Four: Victory through the blood Chapter Five: Pleading the blood

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INTRODUCTION Missionary Wassell stopped paddling his canoe as he heard a strange sound. It was the weird rhythmic beating of tom-toms echoing through the dark Borneo jungle. He turned to his native helper. "We must take the gospel to that village." "But that is the music of the skull dance." the native protested fearfully. "No one will listen to you as long as the tom-toms beat. They may go on for weeks and months until the chief calls a demon to himself." But Wassell insisted on pulling into the shore. Fastening their canoe they shoved through the brush. Louder and louder grew the noise. Finally they entered a clearing where about 100 or more men, their nearly naked bodies painted with wild pig's blood, weaved about in a frenzied dance. Their weird heathen chanting rose and fell above and fell above the steady beat of the tom-toms. On top of a nearby pole was the human skull of a Dyak who had recently died. Horror and pity gripped the Missionary. But the compassion of Christ burdened him. And so he sat down, to watch and wait. Constantly he claimed the power of the blood of Jesus, as the screaming, devil-inspired Dyaks spun and whirled about him. Days went by, and weeks, and still the tom-toms, never stopped beating. Three weeks passed, when one night Wassell detected a new note, a faster tempo. Suddenly the Dyiak chief flung out his arms, "Lady Djwo," he screamed, "Why don't you come to me?" Desperately, the missionary prayed, struggled, against the powers of darkness. "The blood, the blood of Jesus," he pleaded over and over again in prayer. Then he spoke. "Lady Djwo cannot come," Wassell said. The Dyak turned and for the first time noticed him. "A stronger One than he is here, One Who has fought and conquered him," the missionary continued. "Tell me, commanded the chief, as he dropped wearily to the floor. Other tribesmen soon packed the room as Wassell began teaching them about Jesus, and how He shed His blood for them. When the sun rose, he was still talking. When it set that day, his strange congregation still remained, listening, asking questions. At dawn the next day they were still there. Then as the evening shadows fell, the chief gathered his fetishes, and said to Wassell, "Burn them. Your God is the true God." A week later there was a baptismal service in the village. There was never another skull dance in the village. But today there is a church where praises to God ring out from those who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus is one of the most powerful weapons we can use in prayer. D.L. Moody, said about the value of the precious blood of Christ, as it is with doubt a word in the Bible that Satan fears.

To receive God’s blessing of redemption—and all His other blessings—nothing is necessary except faith in the blood. That means your faith, confidence, and expectation should be in the blood alone. It’s not in what you have or haven’t done, but in the blood. Within this manuscript, you will discover what the Scripture teaches about the blood, you will see that faith in the blood can produce greater results in you than you have ever known. And in the future, a ceaseless blessing may be yours. But you must live in constant view of the blood of Jesus to see those results! It’s not enough just to believe in the blood—to have knowledge of it. There must be an application of it; you must constantly plead the blood. 3|Page

Chapter One: TEACHINGS FROM THE BIBLE ON THE BLOOD

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The blood of Jesus Christ is the central theme of the word of God that runs through from the beginning to the end of God's revelation of Himself to man, as recorded in the Bible. In the Synagogue at Capernaum He spoke of Himself as "THE Bread of Life"; of His flesh, "that He would give it for the life of the world." Four times over He said most emphatically, "Except ye . . . drink leis BLOOD ye have no life in you." "He that drinketh my BLOOD hath everlasting life." "My BLOOD is drink indeed." "He that drinketh my BLOOD dwelleth in me and I in him" (John vi.). Our Lord thus declared the fundamental fact that He Himself, as the Son of the Father, who came to restore to us our lost life, can do this in no other way than by dying for us; by shedding His blood for us; and then making us partakers of its power. Our Lord confirmed the teaching of the Old Testament Offerings that man can live only through the death of another, and thus obtain a life that through Resurrection has become eternal. The Teaching of the Apostles under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit The bible evidences teaching in the writings of the Apostles about the blood. Paul writes of "being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus . . . through faith in his blood" (Rom 3:24, 25), Of "being now justified by his blood" (v. 9). To the Corinthian assembly, he declares that the "cup of blessing which we bless is the communion of the Blood of Christ" (I Cor 10: I6). In the Epistle to the Galatians he uses the word "CROSS" to convey the same meaning, while in Colossians, he united the two words and speaks of "The Blood of his Cross" (Gal 6:14 ; Col 1: 20). He reminds the Ephesians that "We have redemption through his blood" and that we "are made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Eph 1:7 and 2:13). Peter reminds his readers that they were "Elect . . . unto obedience and sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus" (I Pet 1:2), that they were redeemed by "the precious blood of Christ" (ver. 19). The beloved John assures his "little children" that "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:7). The Son is He "who came not by water only but by water and blood" (v. 6). The apostles by virtue of their teaching agree together in mentioning the blood, and in glorying in it, as the power by which eternal redemption through Christ, is fully accomplished, and is then applied by the Holy Spirit. Why God required blood and the sacrificial blood In old Testament times, the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place each year to sprinkle the blood of an animal sacrifice before the symbol of God's presence, the Ark of the Covenant; a temporary way of making atonement for a nation before God, for all the sin of the nation during a year. Blood is an earth-substance that God gave us to illustrate a spiritual reality. Earth-blood is a copy or shadow of what blood means in heaven. God points us to this illustration in His creation by saying, “‘For the life of a creature is in the blood...the life of every creature is its blood’” (Lev. 17:11 and 14). Blood is the material illustration of a spiritual reality called “life.” "FOR THE LIFE OF A CREATURE IS IN THE BLOOD, AND I HAVE GIVEN IT TO YOU TO MAKE ATONEMENT FOR YOURSELVES ON THE ALTAR; IT IS THE BLOOD THAT MAKES ATONEMENT FOR ONE'S LIFE.“ The life of a creature is in the blood.” What is it that makes atonement? “It is the blood that makes atonement.” Why does blood make atonement? Because it is the life. “Because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, ‘You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off’” (Lev. 17:14). The blood has the value because it is the shadow of the life. Hebrews 9:11-18 confirms the symbolism of blood as life and applies Leviticus 17:11 to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 12 states clearly that the Old Testament blood sacrifices were temporary and only atoned for sin partially and for a short time, hence the need to repeat the sacrifices yearly. But when Christ entered the Most Holy Place, He did so to offer His own blood once for all time, making future sacrifices unnecessary. This is 5|Page

what Jesus meant by His dying words on the cross: “It is finished” (John 19:30). Never again would the blood of bulls and goats cleanse men from their sin. Only by accepting Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross for the remission of sins, can we stand before God covered in the righteousness of Christ. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). 21

Why the blood has to be shed The penalty for our sins is death (Rom 6:23), both physical and spiritual. In order to have atonement (forgiveness) for our sins, and be saved from "death," God has required that a life must be given, and its blood be shed (Heb 9:22). A living creature must forfeit its life, so that another can live. During the Passover, the unblemished lamb (picturing Jesus) was slain, and its blood shed, so that those in the house could be saved. Animals in the Old Testament were sacrificed, and their blood was shed so that a person could be made clean, or have their sins be forgiven. God said in (Lev 17:11) that the life of a living creature is found in its blood. Blood represents life. When a life was taken, and its blood shed as a sacrifice, it represented new life for another. It made atonement for their soul (same verse). Because of what blood represented, God would not allow anyone to eat the blood of an animal (Lev 17:12). Anyone who ate it was to be cut off from among the people (Lev 17:14). The Bible tells us, however, that the blood of bulls and goats could not actually take away sins (Heb 10:4). The Old Testament sacrificial system, and the High Priest, was simply a picture that pointed forward to Jesus. Only through the blood of Jesus can we actually have remission of, and redemption from our sins (Mt 26:28)(Col 1:14)(Eph 1:7). His blood cleanses us from ALL sin (1 Jn 1:7). Through the offering of Jesus' body, we are sanctified once for all (Heb 10:10). What the shed blood accomplished for the fallen man The blood that has redeemed fallen human beings is the blood of Jesus, the Son of God—Acts 20:28; 1 John 1:7 . As a man, the Lord Jesus had genuine human blood to shed for our redemption, and as God, He has the divine element that gives His blood eternal efficacy. The Lord Jesus had to die on the cross as the God-man; the blood that He shed was not only the blood of the man Jesus but also the blood of the God-man: - In 1 John 1:7 the name Jesus denotes the Lord’s humanity, which was needed for the shedding of the redeeming blood. - The title His Son denotes the Lord’s divinity, which is needed for the eternal efficacy of the redeeming blood. - The blood of Jesus His Son indicates that this blood is the proper blood of a genuine man shed for the redeeming of God’s fallen creatures, with the divine surety as its eternal efficacy; for this reason, the redemption accomplished by the God-man is eternal—Heb. 9:12. By His blood the Lord Jesus has released us from our sins and has purchased us for God—Rev. 1:5; 5:9. The Blood and its Mystical Meaning Blood alone moves the wheels of history. ~Martin Luther The question about the spiritual significance and esoteric meaning of the blood have been a thematic of study and much interpretation through the ages; being the subject of a variety of religious and spiritual traditions. The tradition of Sacred Blood of the Christ, the ultimate sacrificial lamb, as the means of redemption of the entire human race, brings to the front the importance of this vital physical element in our understanding of ourselves, our beliefs systems and our abilities to heal and to be healed. The significance of the blood as a deep commitment is also easily perceived through the ritual of meaningful, valid blood pledges or vows. 6|Page

All the soarings of my mind begin in my blood. ~Rainer Maria Rilke It is in the blood that we have the flow of the current that sustains life and as the element that integrates all the physical and metaphysical functions of the organs. The blood and the circulatory system can, in this sense, be compared to the materialized structure that represents the etheric movement of energies and the prana in our extra-physical bodies. As long as we can maintain a vigorous circulation of blood and energy in our systems, we will experience health and a strong immune system. Who has fully realized that history is not contained in thick books but lives in our very blood? ~Carl Jung The blood also relates to the concept of hereditary or DNA heritage, thus the emphasis in the importance and influence of bloodlines as a tool to determine the natural capabilities, aptitudes and limitations of each individual through the processes of life, that each one of us faces in the process of awakening and in the path of selfrealization. The blood is constantly recycled by the heart and it has, according to the 15th Century Alchemist Paracelsus, simultaneously the "Spirit of Air and of the Fire". The modern science gives us the details of its physical composition and structure: more or less six liters of blood in average of an adult body of 135-140 pounds. Each litter contains 25 trillion of red cells which transports oxygen; and many more white cells or leukocytes, which are cells of the immune system involved in defending the body against both infectious disease and foreign materials. The number of leukocytes in the blood is often an indicator of disease. Whenever a germ or infection enters the body, the white blood cells are quick to attention and race toward that specific place in the body. The white blood cells are continually on the lookout for signs of disease. According to the Mystic Manly Palmer Hall, author of the book The Secret Teachings of All Ages, the blood is an "electric" fluid that carries in itself a suspended form of the vital principle of life, which is absorbed by us through the act of respiration. The Hindu tradition classifies this vital principle as Prana. In many other human cultures, the blood is seen as a prevailing symbol of life. The tradition to affirm contract, alliances and vows, regarded as irreversible in nature, was done through a solemn ritual that involved the mixing of two bloods as a sacred seal.1 The power of the blood of Jesus has provided everything you need to live a life of victory, including Redemption, fellowship, healing, protection and authority over the devil. From Genesis to Revelation, the words the blood are kept before our eyes—a reminder of its importance and significance to God and to us. The sacrifices of Abel, Noah and Isaac, and the Passover lamb, and the giving of the Law all came to pass, but “not without blood” (Hebrews 9:7, NKJV). The blood symbolizes cleansing and purification—the settling of a matter. God is love. And the greatest expression of His love toward us is the blood of Jesus. That love covers every need man has had or ever will have, and every time we apply the blood, we experience an outpouring of this love. It is love, through the blood, that has created a barrier between you and all the works of the devil. “Of all the glorious things that the blood means, this is one of the most glorious: His blood is the sign, the measure, yes, the impartation of His love.” —Andrew Murray

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Retrieved from http://humanityhealing.net/2012/01/blood-mystical-meaning/

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Chapter Two CLEANSING AND SANCTIFICATION THROUGH THE BLOOD "If ye walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin"-I John 1:7 One of the evidence of our reconciliation with God is the cleansing from our sins. CLEANSING from sin means deliverance from the pollution, not from the guilt of sin. The guilt of sin concerns our relationship to God, and our responsibility to make good our misdoings, -or to bear the punishment of them. The pollution of sin, on the other hand, is the sense of defilement and impurity, which sin brings to our inner being, and it is with this that CLEANSING has to do. This word CLEANSETH does not refer to the grace of PARDON received at conversion; but to the effect of grace IN God's children who walk in the light. We read, "If we walk in the light as he is in the light . . . the blood of Jesus Christ his Son CLEANSETH us from all sin." That it refers to something more than pardon appears from what follows in verse 9 :-"He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to CLEANSE us from all unrighteousness." 8|Page

Cleansing is something that comes after pardon and is the result of it, by the inward and experimental reception of the power of the blood of Jesus in the heart of the believer. This takes place according to the Word, first in the purifying of the conscience. "How much more shall the blood of Christ . . . PURGE your conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Heb. ix. 14). The mention already made of the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean typifies a personal experience of the precious blood of Christ. Conscience is not only a judge to give sentence on our actions, it is also the inward voice which bears witness to our relationship to God, and to God's relationship to us. When it is CLEANSED by the blood then it bears witness that we are well pleasing to God. It is written in Hebrews x. 2, "The worshippers once PURGED should have no more conscience of sins." We receive through the Spirit an inward experience that the blood has so fully delivered us from the guilt and power of sin that we, in our regenerated nature, have escaped entirely from its dominion. Sin still dwells in our flesh, with its temptations, but it has no power to rule. The conscience is CLEANSED, there is no need for the least shadow of separation between God and us; we look up to Him in the full power of REDEMPTION. The conscience CLEANSED by the blood bears witness to nothing less than a complete redemption; the fulness of God's good-pleasure And if the conscience is CLEANSED so also is the HEART, of which the conscience is the centre. We read of having the heart CLEANSED from an evil conscience (Heb. x. 22). Not only must the conscience be CLEANSED but the heart also must be CLEANSED, including the understanding, and the will, with all our thoughts and desires. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin," from original, as well as from actual sin. The blood exercises its spiritual, heavenly power in the soul. The believer in whose life the blood is fully efficacious, experiences that the old nature is hindered from manifesting its power. Through the blood, its lusts and desires are subdued and slain, and everything is so CLEANSED that the Spirit can bring forth His glorious fruit. In case of the least stumbling, the soul finds immediate CLEANSING and restoration. Even unconscious sins are rendered powerless through its efficacy. Likewise the by the power in the blood of Jesus Christ, sanctification is received. "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate"-Heb. xiii.12 CLEANSING and SANCTIFICATION, mean about the same thing ; but the difference is great and important in that CLEANSING has to do primarily with the old life, and the stain of sin which must be removed, and is only preparatory. SANCTIFICATION concerns the new life and that, characteristic of it which must be imparted to it by God. SANCTIFICATION, which means union with God, is the peculiar fulness of blessing purchased for us by the blood. The distinction between these two things is clearly marked in Scripture. Paul reminds us that "Christ gave himself for the church, that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it" (Eph. v. 25, R. V.). Having first CLEANSED it, then He SANCTIFIES it. Writing to Timothy he says, "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use" (2 Tim. ii. 21). SANCTIFICATION is a blessing which follows after, and surpasses CLEANSING. The first and simplest meaning of the word SANCTIFICATION is "separation. "Ye shall be holy unto me . . . I have separated you . . . that ye should be mine" (Lev. xx. 26) thus SANCTIFICATION includes personal consecration to the Lord to be His. Separation and consecration are together only the preparation for the glorious work that God will do, as He imparts His own holiness to the soul. "PARTAKING OF THE DIVINE NATURE" is the blessing which is promised to believers in SANCTIFICATION. "That we might be partakers of his holiness" (Heb. xii. 10)-that is the glorious aim of God's work in those whom He separates for Himself. But this impartation of His holiness is not a gift of something that is apart from God Himself; no 1 it is in personal fellowship with Him, and partaking of His divine life, that SANCTIFICATION can be obtained. True SANCTIFICATION is fellowship with God and His dwelling in us. So it was necessary that God in Christ should take up His abode in the flesh, and that the Holy Spirit should come to dwell in us. This is what SANCTIFICATION means. 9|Page

As a Believer, the Lord Jesus HAS SANCTIFIED you through His own blood, and He desires to make you experience, through that blood, the full power of this SANCTIFICATION. The holy God desires to have you entirely for Himself. No one, nothing, may any longer have the least right over you, nor have you any right over yourself. God has separated you unto HIMSELF, and thus, He set His mark upon you. That mark is the most wonderful thing that is to be found on earth or in heaven: THE BLOOD OF JESUS. The blood in which the life of the eternal Son of God is; the blood that on the throne of grace is ever before God's face; the blood that assures you of full redemption from the power of sin; that blood is sprinkled upon you, as a sign that you belong to God.

Chapter Three LIFE IN THE BLOOD "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life ; and will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him "-John 6:35 -36 What did Jesus want us to understand? Why did He make this enervating statement? Just as water has a twofold effect, so is it also with this holy blood. When water is used for washing it cleanses, but if we drink it we are refreshed and revived. He who desires to know the full power of the blood of Jesus must be taught by Him what the blessing of drinking the blood is. Everyone knows the difference there is between washing and drinking. Necessary and Pleasant as it is to use water for cleansing, it is much more necessary and reviving to drink it. Without its cleansing it is not possible to live as we ought; but without drinking we cannot live at all. It is only by drinking that we enjoy the full benefit of its power to sustain life. From the illustration, one can attest to the truth that drinking expresses a much more intimate connection with water than washing, and hence produces a more powerful effect. There is a blessing in the fellowship with the 10 | P a g e

blood of Jesus which goes much farther than CLEANSING, or SANCTIFICATION ; not only must the blood do something FOR us, by placing us in a new relationship to God; but it must do something IN us, entirely renewing us within. It is to this that the words of the Lord Jesus draw our attention when He says: "Unless ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." Our Lord distinguishes two kinds of life. The Jews, there, in His presence, had a natural life of body and soul. Many among them were devout, well intentioned men, but He said they had no life in them unless they "ate his flesh and drank his blood." They needed another life, a new, a heavenly life, which He possessed and which He could impart. All creature life must obtain nourishment outside of itself. The natural life was naturally nourished, by bread and water. The heavenly life must be nourished by heavenly food and drink, by Jesus Himself. "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Nourishment by His flesh and blood effects the most perfect union with Him. This is the reason that His flesh and blood have such power of eternal life. Our Lord declares here, that those who believe in Him are to experience not only certain influences from Him in their hearts, but are to be brought into the most close and abiding union with Him. "HE that DRINKETH MY BLOOD DWELLETH IN ME AND IN HIM." Jesus is saying: “My Life must be inside you. My Life must be flowing through your spirit-veins.” He wants to transfuse us with His Life. Just as blood flows through your physical veins, His Life, His blood, flows through your spirit-veins. Just as your natural, earth-body is given life through blood, so your spirit has Life through the blood of Christ. The blood of Jesus has two roles in our salvation: “We were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life” (Rom. 5:10). Firstly, His earth-blood that He spilled out for payment of sin: “We were reconciled to him through the death of his Son….” Secondly, His Spirit-blood that He poured out before the Father in the heavenly tabernacle and that now runs through your spirit-veins: “How much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” His Life imparted the value to His blood. Because not one drop of sin’s infection invaded His Life, His blood was deemed pure. When Jesus, our atonement sacrifice, died on a cross, every last drop of His earth-blood spilled out. In the Old Testament, a blood sacrifice required that all the blood be drained from the animal. It cost a whole life—every last drop—to atone for a life. All of His blood was spent to reconcile us to the Father.

Chapter Four VICTORY THROUGH THE BLOOD "The Word assures us of things, but it is the blood that secures them to us." Charles Spurgeon The story is told of a teacher of philosophy who charged the water in a basin with electricity, put a piece of money in the basin, and told the class that anyone could have the money who would take it. One reached with his hand, but as soon as the water was touched all power left the nerves and muscles of his hand, and he could not take the money. Others with stronger nerves and muscles tried, but not one could succeed over the power of the electricity. They had come in contact with a power greater than they possessed and were overcome. This is how the blood of Jesus works against Satan. His power has to leave when he touches the blood. The blood is the token of Christ's victory over Satan, and therefore he cannot pass by that blood. The authority to use the power of this blood has been delegated to us by God in His Word (Rev.12:11). "The blood of the Lamb," here refers to Calvary, the victory which Christ won against Satan, and His complete atoning work (Col.2:14,15). But the victory of Calvary must be enforced by us. We are God's delegated enforcement agents, 11 | P a g e

and the power which Jesus had--all power--He has delegated to us, who are His followers (Matt.28:18,19; Matt.16:18,19). "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death "-Rev 12:2 FOR thousands of years there had been a great conflict for the possession of mankind, between the Old Serpent, who led man astray, and “The seed of the woman." Often it seemed as though the kingdom of God had come in power; then at other times the tyranny of evil obtained such supremacy that the strife appeared to be hopeless. It was thus also in the life of our Lord Jesus. By His coming, His wonderful words and works, the most glorious expectations of a speedy redemption were awakened. How terrible was the disappointment which the death of Jesus brought to all who had believed in Him! It seemed, indeed, as if the powers of darkness had conquered, But, Christ’s resurrection from the dead yielded an apparent victory proved to be the terrible downfall of the prince of darkness. By bringing about the deaths of “The Lord of Life," Satan permitted Him, who alone was able to break open the gates of death, to enter his kingdom. “Through death he has destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil," In that holy moment when our Lord shed His blood in death, and it seemed as if Satan were victorious--the adversary was robbed of the authority he had heretofore possessed. Christ came in order that " through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil." The devil had that power of death because of the Law of God. That law had installed him as jailor of its prisoners. Scripture says : " The sting of death is sin, and the POWER OF SIN IS THE LAW." Victory over, and the casting out of Satan, could not take place till the righteous demands of the law were perfectly fulfilled. The sinner must be delivered from the power of the law, before he could be delivered from the authority of Satan. It was through His death, and the shedding of His blood, that the Lord Jesus fulfilled the law's demands. Where the holy blood of the Lamb is sprinkled, there God dwells, and Satan is put to flight. In heaven, and on earth, and in our hearts, that word as the announcement of a PROGRESSIVE VICTORY is valid:-" They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb." The believer who desires to share in the victory over Satan "through the blood of the Lamb" must be a fighter. He must take pains to understand the character of his enemy. He must allow himself to be taught by the Spirit through the Word what the secret cunning of Satan is, which is called in Scripture " The depths of Satan," by which he so often blinds and deceives men. As a child of God, you must believe in the power of the blood which awakens in you a desire for an experience of its power because each experience of its power makes belief in victory more carious. Seek to enter more deeply into the perfect RECONCILIATION WITH GOD which is yours. Live, constantly, exercising faith in the assurance that “the blood cleanseth from all sin” ; yield yourself to be sanctified and brought nigh to God through the blood; let it be your life-giving nourishment and Dower. You will thus have an unbroken experience of `° victory over Satan and his temptations. He who, as a consecrated priest, walks with God, will rule as a conquering king over Satan.

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Chapter Five PLEADING THE BLOOD A testimony is given by Kenneth Hagin of a speaker who had been a spiritualist pastor for nearly 20 years before he was saved. The man said he was sincere and honest; he just didn't know about Jesus. He said they had all of the gifts of the Spirit in counterfeit in his church. (If the devil was going to set up a counterfeit church, naturally he'd pattern it after God's genuine church.) "We sang the same songs you sing in Christian churches," the man said, "but there was one thing that bothered me. We could sing about the blood of Jesus or the Name of Jesus, but when we began to sing, 'There's power in the blood,' those spirits got agitated." I remember they were always talking about "pleading the blood." I didn't know what they were talking about until I began to examine the Scriptures on the subject. And I noticed one thing in particular: What they did got results, and you can't argue with success!

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About this same time I read a testimony published in a Full Gospel periodical he added. The author was a woman missionary who had been left behind in a native village to take care of the church while the other missionaries were away. She went to the main part of that village and was examining some goods when a scorpion stung her. She was out on the street when it fastened itself to her hand, so many of the people saw this. She said, "I just shook it off and said, 'In the Name of Jesus, I plead the blood!' The missionary noticed that everyone was watching her, waiting for her to die, because no one had ever survived the sting of that kind of scorpion. There was no antidote for it, either. But the missionary just went her way, walking back toward the little mission church. The whole village followed, still waiting for her to fall over dead. But nothing happened. She went inside the church, and the villagers thronged after her. In fact, they couldn't all fit in the church. Since the church was full, the missionary decided to hold a service, even though it was the middle of the afternoon. She was never affected by the scorpion's sting. She had said, "In the Name of Jesus, I plead the blood against this!" Her understanding of the blood was a little different from most people. So I picked up that phrase, "In the Name of Jesus, I plead the blood" from those Pentecostals, and all through these years I've always pled the blood in the Name of Jesus. There's power in the blood, glory to God! It's worked quite well for me, and it'll work for you, too. 2 "And they overcame him [the devil] by [or because of] the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony [confession] ....

“Pleading the blood” is actually a legal term. Think of it like a lawyer pleading his case before the judge. He presents evidence and facts to support his case. We have examples of this term in the Old Testament (1 Samuel 24:15; Psalm 43:1). When the accuser says we’re guilty, our plea before God, the Righteous Judge, is the blood of Jesus. It changed everything. The blood of Jesus established a new and better covenant between us and a holy God (Hebrews 8:6-7, 9:11-14, 22, 12:24). The blood is our defense. It declares we are not guilty but free from all penalty of sin. The blood also gives us the authority and dominion to resist Satan and put him out of all the affairs of our lives and our families’ lives. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary, the devil has no legal right to interfere in our lives anymore. He says we’re guilty; we “plead the blood!” (James 4:7; 1 John 3:8; Luke 10:19). We have every right and provision to walk in victory through the precious blood of the Lamb. Pleading the blood simply means applying the blood to our life and circumstances just like the Israelites applied it to their door posts and were protected from the destroyer (Exodus 12). Pleading the blood is simply the taking hold of the authority and power available to us by the death and resurrection of Jesus. How do we plead the blood of Jesus? Jesus has shed His blood and made it available for every believer to use. Our mouths play the same role as the bunch of hyssop the Israelites used. We are to use our mouths to apply the blood. Knowing about the blood is not sufficient, speaking about the power of the blood is also necessary. Speaking with our mouths is important in enforcing our victory (Romans 10:10). We plead the blood by confessing the salvation and deliverance the blood has brought us. Let's use a simple illustration to fully grasp this point.

2

Extracted from The precious blood of Jesus; Pg 33-36, Kenneth E.Hagin

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Imagine the world as a big courtroom. God is the Judge sitting on the throne (Hebrews 12:23) Jesus is your advocate, standing beside you to argue your case (1John 2:1) He reminds the Judge that He died and shed His blood for you. The devil, satan, is your accuser bringing charges and even attacks against you (Revelation 12:10, Zechariah 3:1) When an accusation is brought against a person in a law court the defendant, if innocent, can greatly increase His or her chances of being acquitted by producing a reliable witness. Here lies the power of pleading the blood. Although we were not physically there when Jesus died, His shed blood bears witness to the fact that He died, rose again and defeated the powers of darkness (Colossians 2: 15). All witnesses need to speak. Remember the blood is living and speaks (Hebrews 12: 24). When we actively plead (speak out) the blood into the negative circumstances and attacks satan brings against us, we are bringing a powerful witness to speak on our behalf (1 John 5:8). Pleading or speaking the blood causes the blood of Jesus to speak out on our behalf and stops the attacks of satan. Any time you sense the hosts of darkness coming against you plead the blood of Jesus against. You can use whatever words the Holy Spirit lays on your heart to do this. A good example is below. "Your forces of darkness attacking my home and life, I command you to stop in Jesus name. I hold the blood of Jesus against you. The blood of Jesus has defeated you. The blood of Jesus has set me free. The blood of Jesus avails for me. I plead the blood of Jesus over my home, my life and my family. I protect them from your attacks. I walk in the freedom Jesus' death has brought me. Amen" Every day you have the right to exercise that authority by pleading what the blood of Jesus has done for you. Refuse to give the enemy even one small inch of territory. Satan is a defeated foe and through the precious blood of Jesus we are victorious!

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