BLOOD OF JESUS
Jesus’ Blood Cleanses Just as the body needs cleansing, we also need that cleansing work in our spirits and souls. When the Holy Spirit points out sin to us, we need to repent and confess that sin so that we can be cleansed of it. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee from youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will (2 Timothy 2:21-26). Not only does the blood of Jesus bring cleansing to the body, but the Scripture says in Hebrews 9:14 that it will ...purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. The Lord desires that all the evil in our hearts and minds and consciences be purged so that we can have the mind of Christ. This cleansing process is accomplished by applying the Word of God to our lives. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3). By fellowshipping with the Word (Jesus) and reading the Word (the Bible), we shall be made clean. The more of His Word that we know and apply, the cleaner our vessel shall be. The Word of God cleanses and the blood of Jesus cleanses. When Jesus offered up His blood, He did it so that you and I could become clean, holy vessels. Life Is in the Blood The blood of Jesus also brings life to us, just as the blood in the physical body carries the life. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat (Genesis 9:4). Those who do not know the Lord Jesus are dead and have no life in them. Also, those who refuse to accept Christ will never have any life in them. Then 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...He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him (John 6:53 and 56). Anything that is not life is not from the Lord. Death and sickness are the enemies of man. Jesus said in John 10:10, The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. If we do not accept the life of Christ, eternal death will result. Just as life leaves when the blood flows out of the natural body, so it is true with those who have not the divine flow within their veins. Sin Requires Shedding of Blood Under the Old Testament law, the penalty for men’s sins (that were not punishable by death) was the sacrifice of an animal’s life. The shedding of blood was required to atone for their sin. We might wonder why such a terrible thing was required by God. Why were innocent little lambs and doves slain and their blood sprinkled on the altar? Perhaps we can understand this if we place ourselves in the situation of being instructed to kill an animal for telling a lie or committing some other sin. When one must kill an innocent animal because of his sin, it illustrates the awfulness of sin. God wanted man to understand that when he sinned, it meant death for something or someone. If we were still under the Old Testament law today, we would be required to take a little lamb and kill it for our sins. This would be difficult for most of us because we would cringe at the thought of slaying anything innocent. The Lord wanted us to realize that the penalty of sin would cause a life to be taken. When people had to take a little dove and bring it to be slain upon an altar as an offering for their sins, the impact of sin became real to them. Sin always requires a sacrifice. Today, we have the Spirit of God that cleanses us from our sins as we confess them. Jesus was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and His death and shed blood paid the price for sin once and for all. No longer does an animal need to be offered for our sins. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:6-9). Jesus’ Blood Gives Health and Strength The Lord desires that we walk in divine health. If we stay in close communion with Him, we will find our spiritual man will not become sick and depleted, needing continual healing. Satan tries to drain us of our spiritual strength and weaken us to the point where we have no resistance against His attacks. Staying in the flow of God’s Spirit prevents this, as we then have His strength to overcome and walk victoriously. The natural body becomes weak when proper diet and rest are neglected. This results in a condition commonly referred to as "tired blood." The medical name for this is "anemia," and it is due to the lack of iron in the red blood cells. The iron compound in the red blood cells is medically termed "hemoglobin." When this is low, the body becomes weary and fatigued. The blood carries this compound to all parts of the body to bring strength. We, as Christians, are admonished to ...be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might (Ephesians 6:10). Weakness is just another attack of the devil. We are to be strong in our spirits, souls, and bodies. Christians should not be spineless individuals, but strong in their witness for the Lord. Timidity and shyness can be overcome through Jesus by asking Him for His holy boldness. Many people suffer needlessly, unable to speak the things in their hearts, because of fear and timidity. Jesus wants them free. We are to be strong people, not weak individuals. Physically, we can also call upon the Lord to strengthen us when we are weary. We are not to walk in weakness but in the Lord’s strength. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees (Isaiah 35:3). Weakness is another area in which we must resist and learn to claim the Lord’s strength. Of course, if we have been abusing our bodies, we need to correct our habits and get the proper rest and diet. However, if we have been doing this, sometimes the problem is a spiritual one and needs to be dealt with through prayer. When we are about the Lord’s business, He gives us the energy and vitality to accomplish those things that require our attention. Protection Through the Blood Protection is another benefit of the blood. This does not mean that if we chant "the blood of Jesus" repeatedly we will not be harmed. Some people have made a fetish of Jesus’ blood by pleading the blood over themselves, over their houses, and sprinkling the blood here and there. It is not the chanting of "the blood of Jesus" that brings protection, but rather faith in what the blood of Jesus has done for us. Expressions such as "the devil cannot cross the blood line" are futile unless one’s faith is in the protection secured by the shed blood of Jesus on Calvary. It is what is behind the blood, not the mere speaking of the blood that brings protection. Of course, we can voice our faith in Jesus’ blood, and as we do so there is power in those words. We should, however, understand that mere speaking is not sufficient unless our words are backed by real faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A beautiful type of this is found in Exodus 12:13, 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. When the Lord sent the plague to destroy the Egyptians because of their refusal to release Israel, He instructed His people to slay a lamb and place the blood on the upper and side doorposts of their houses, so that the death angel would not come into that house. Because they had faith in God and obeyed His command, all that were in those houses were spared. Blood Covenant For Your Household Today, our faith in the Lord's blood can bring salvation to our households too. If we have unsaved loved ones, we must remember to claim their souls and believe for their salvation, just as the first Passover was followed in Egypt. It was "a lamb for a house." One member of that household sprinkled the blood on the door and all beneath the roof were safe, for God's covenant was with them. That covenant is still good today. Rahab is another beautiful type of the Lord saving an entire family by one woman's faith. By faith, Rahab put out the scarlet thread, which is a type of the blood of Christ, and saved all of her family (Joshua 2:18). In the New Testament we also find an account of the Philippian jailer who cried out, ...what must I do to be saved? Paul replied, ...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (Acts 16:30-31). Our families are promised redemption if we believe. The angel promised Cornelius that Peter would tell him words whereby he and all his house should be saved. Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved (Acts 11:14). What are the conditions we must meet in order to make this "Blood Covenant" effective for our loved ones? First, we must consecrate our lives fully to God. Then we must take the matter to the Lord and put in a definite claim for the salvation of our kindred. As we claim them, let the Spirit of God lead in how we are to pray for each of them. Some are led "with strong crying and tears" (travail), others by fasting since it will break Satan's hold. For some a steady faith applied for their souls will bring them into the kingdom. If we are claiming our children, remember we must first ...bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). We must lay a good foundation by teaching them God's Word. If the children are grown and we have failed to do this because we were not walking in God's light at the time, we need to repent and ask God in His mercy to save them. We should not allow Satan to condemn us after we have repented, but trust the Lord to redeem those lost years. He is able, no matter how deep in sin those rebellious children have become. "Dying to Self" Are you "dead to self?" At this hour, the Holy Spirit would bring us to the cross. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:11). Dying to the flesh means making choices, dying to our ways and living to the Lord's ways. The power of man's will can either make him an overcomer or send him to hell. If we set our will with the will of God, we can become that overcomer. We are promised many blessings as we follow the Lord, and on the other side of the coin there are curses for going our own way. We must choose. Isaiah 1:19-20 says, If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. The Lord wants to heal us, bless us and make us whole. The choice is ours. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (II Chronicles 7:14). Healing of the spirit, soul and body always begins with the choice to follow Jesus and the subsequent choices to continue to walk with Him. To receive complete wholeness, we must make a complete commitment, even as our Lord spoke the greatest commandment of God. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:37-40).
Beware of: pychics, foretune tellers, Ouiji board, crystal ball, tarot cards, tea leaf reading, etc. Beware of: astrology, horoscopes, numerology, palm readers, etc. Beware of: yoga, meditation, mantras, hypnotism, subliminal tapes, New Age Medicine; etc. 5).WITCH - a person who practices magic. One who deals with demonic spirits . They practice black or white magic (Exo. 22:18, 2 Chron. 33:6, 1 Sam. 15:23, Gal. 5:19-21). There is no such thing as good magic. Both come from Satan. Beware of: wicca, white or black magic, casting spells, seances, etc. Beware of: occult symbols, talisman, amulets, crystals, New Age positive thinking and confession; etc. 7). CONSULTER WITH FAMILIAR SPIRITS- to ask, demand, or desire of an evil or demon spirit. (2 Kings 21:6, 2 Chron. 33:6, Isa. 19:3). A person called a medium believes they are contacting the dead, but in reality what they are really contacting is an evil spirit that is pretending to be the dead. Beware of: channeling, spiritism, mediums, space brothers, ascended masters, invisible spirit friends, ouija boards, auto matic wring, seances; etc Beware of: Visualization, sorcery, mantra, astral travel, clairvoyance; etc. Beware of: channeling, medium, spiritism, ouija boards, sorcery, voodoo; etc. |
