Overcoming by the Blood: Applying the Power of Christ’s Sacrifice
Did you read in the news this week about the man who just died, but he saved two million babies because he donated his blood?
In my last blog I tried to lay a foundation: the life is in the blood. Jesus’ blood is the most precious and powerful substance in the universe because everything about Jesus is encoded and encapsulated in His blood. When He shed His blood for us on the cross, He literally poured out His life for us – therefore whatever Jesus can do, His blood can do.
We saw how God required blood to atone for sin, foreshadowed in the Old Testament sacrifices and fulfilled in Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice at Calvary. But shedding blood alone is not enough; for us to fully benefit, we must apply the blood.
This is how we overcome. Revelation 12:11 tells us, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”
Today I want to explore the four life-changing benefits of the blood of Jesus and how to actively apply them in our daily lives, so we shall overcome!
1. The Blood Brings Forgiveness and Cleansing
In Matthew 26: 28 Jesus speaks of His blood as having been “poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many”. Ephesians 1:7 says “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins”.
We are not just ‘mistakers.’ We are sinners. Sin is more than a mistake; it is a stain on the soul, causing a separation from God. Sin is not just a social ill or behavioural problem, it is a spiritual problem which is why you cannot fix sin with self discipline or psychoanalysis. The root of sin goes far deeper than that. To tackle a spiritual problem you need a spiritual solution.
Therapy may offer insight and show us how we are broken, but only the blood of Jesus can wash sin away. “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). When Jesus’ blood was poured out, it didn’t just cover sin—it removed it completely.
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains
To get rid of a spiritual stain you need a spiritual stain remover. To overcome something as deep and powerful as sin, you need something even more powerful; the blood of Jesus. Isaiah 1: 18 says “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson they shall be as wool.” Jesus shed His blood so now not only do we receive forgiveness, but we are also cleansed as the stain of sin is removed from our lives and we stand guiltless before God. You can come to God and receive forgiveness through the blood of Jesus! Come just as you are, and you’ll never be the same!
Life Application: Are there areas in your life where guilt still lingers? The blood of Jesus will make you completely clean. Have you fully received that forgiveness, or are you still carrying what Jesus already washed away? Talk to the Lord right now and ask because…
2. The Blood Grants Us Access to God
Sin separates, but the blood reconciles. The tabernacle and temple, the holy of holies and mercy seat, the priest and all the sacrifices were all “shadows” of things to come.
“For the law having a SHADOW of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. … For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:1 and 4)
Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies on one particular day, as blood was shed copiously while he fearfully entered in. Now Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, has ascended from earth and passed through the heavens carrying His blood and his ‘finished work’ happened then – when “by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” (Hebrews 9:12). He put his blood on the mercy seat
He who is ‘The Way’ has once and for all, procured and secured a new and living way for us to come into the presence of God our Father, by his blood! So now, we can go into God’s presence without hesitation, condemnation or intimidation – because we have an invitation!
But when Jesus died, the 60ft high temple veil was torn from top to bottom— that’s God’s invitation for us to enter freely. Now, we approach Him with confidence. “Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22).
Life Application: Do you approach God with that assurance, or do you hesitate, feeling unworthy? Realise you are not entering on behalf of your own merit but because the blood of Jesus has already secured your place before the Father— and step in boldly!
3. The Blood is Our Protection
On the night of the first Passover, the Israelites applied the blood of a lamb to their doorposts, and the destroyer passed over them (Exodus 12). Every believer must know that you are in the midst of spiritual warfare every day.
Demonic spirits have been assigned to afflict and attack you, but when you pray ask the Lord to cover yourself and your loved ones with the blood of Jesus, you will find this is not a superstitious incantation but a supernatural shield of protection – defending against the fiery darts of the devil (sickness, disease, accidents, violence, theft, lies – all forms of supernatural attack or natural calamity).
Today, when we apply the blood of Jesus, we create a spiritual boundary the enemy cannot cross. Your family, house, travel, finances, career or education; it’s off limits!
Life Application: Have you covered your family, home, and life under the blood? Speak the power of Jesus’ blood over every area where you need divine protection. Don’t believe me? Believe God’s word! Believe Him and see what He will do!
4. The Blood Brings Deliverance
I’m not saying of course you’ll never have a hard time! Psalm 34: 19 says the afflictions of the righteous are “many”, but we are promised and we can pray for deliverance from evil. You are in a combat setting where the chances of getting hit are ever present. If the enemy succeeds in landing a blow in the fight, don’t be like so many so called ‘believers’ who fall to the mat in pieces. Don’t despair. Don’t give up -especially on church. The devil and people may bring you down, but you’re not out! Don’t try to leave the battlefield. You might think you have done, but really you’re just fighting alone now and letting the enemy win. .
He will always try to afflict, but the blood of Jesus is our weapon of warfare so go on the offensive rather than run and hide. “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19). The blood is that standard – because it reminds Satan of his defeat at Calvary and the certainty of his coming judgement.
Life Application: What battles are you facing right now? Instead of retreating in fear, declare the power of the blood. Speak it over your situation and remind the enemy that he is already defeated.
Applying the Blood Daily
So it’s not just a theological concept but a daily reality I am praying this way every day in Lent, and especially when I take Communion.
- For forgiveness and cleansing: Coming into God’s presence by the blood of Jesus, confess your sins and receive His forgiveness daily.
- For access: Step boldly into God’s presence in prayer and worship, because of the blood of Jesus, our Great High Priest has gone before us.
- For protection: Declare the blood of Jesus over yourself, your family, your home, and your travels.
- For deliverance: When facing attack, proclaim the blood and enforce the victory Jesus won for you.
The power is not in the method but in the faith and understanding that everything you need has already been paid in full.
Reflection Questions:
- Are you still carrying guilt over sins that Jesus has already washed away?
- Do you confidently enter God’s presence, or do you hold back?
- Have you actively applied the blood of Jesus over your family and circumstances?
- How can you use the power of the blood in your current battles?
Will you join me in praying this way? So that whatever we undergo, we overcome – by the blood of the Lamb!