Satan, the Blood of Jesus Is Against You!

Hebrews 12:24 says the sprinkled blood of Jesus speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. When Cain killed his brother, God said Abel's blood was crying out from the ground. Abel's blood cried out for justice; Jesus' blood speaks mercy. Abel's blood testified that a life had been taken; Jesus' blood testifies that eternal life has been given. Abel's blood cried out from the ground; Jesus' blood speaks before the throne of God. Abel's blood exposed the guilt of a murderer; Jesus' blood provides forgiveness for the guilty.

Every voice that comes against you has an answer in the blood. Sin says you are guilty; the blood of Jesus says you can be forgiven. The law exposes our sin; the cross reveals God's provision for our salvation. Death says this is the end; the resurrection declares that death does not have the final word. Satan stands to accuse; Jesus stands as our Advocate. Sin separates us from God; the blood brings us near. Shame says you are unclean; the blood cleanses your conscience. The world says you are a slave to your past; the Son makes you free. Fear says you cannot approach God; the blood gives you confidence to enter His presence. The enemy says you have been defeated; the cross declares that Christ has triumphed over the powers of darkness. The grave says you belong to death; the risen Jesus holds the keys of Death and Hades. (See also Romans 3:20–26; 1 Corinthians 15:54–57; John 8:36; Romans 6:6–7; Hebrews 10:19–22.)

Sickness says you are broken; by His stripes we are healed. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; Jesus came that we might have life, and have it abundantly. The enemy brings confusion and disorder; God is not a God of confusion but of peace. The world offers a peace that depends on circumstances; Jesus gives a peace the world cannot give. Darkness says you cannot find your way; Jesus is the light of the world. Bondage says you will never be free; where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The enemy wants to sift you like wheat; Jesus has prayed for you that your faith may not fail. The world says trouble will overcome you; Jesus has overcome the world. Condemnation says your sin defines you; there is now no condemnation in Christ. Death says your days are numbered; Jesus is the resurrection and the life. (See also 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 14:33; John 14:27; John 8:12; Luke 22:31–32.)

The enemy may have something to say, but he doesn't have the final word. Sin speaks guilt; the blood speaks forgiveness. Shame speaks condemnation; the blood speaks cleansing. Sickness speaks suffering; the wounds of Jesus speak healing. Bondage speaks captivity; Jesus speaks freedom. Fear speaks defeat; Jesus speaks victory. Death speaks finality; the resurrection speaks eternal life. The blood doesn't have to silence every voice around you to have the final word over you. Believers still face sickness, suffering and spiritual battles, but Christ's victory and promises are greater than anything we face. Satan may accuse you, remind you of your past, point to your failures and try to convince you nothing has changed, but he has nothing to say to God. When Jesus said, "It is finished," the debt was paid, the sacrifice was complete, the price of redemption was satisfied, and the victory was secured. The enemy can question what God has done in your life, but he cannot change what Jesus has done on the cross.

Forgiveness, redemption, healing, freedom, peace, victory and eternal life are not things man discovered by looking deeper within himself. They are things God provided through Jesus Christ. There's nothing wrong with growing, learning, developing discipline or making better decisions, but self-help cannot fix the deepest problem of the human heart. If self-help could save you, you would have already helped yourself. When man had no answer for sin, God provided one. When man could not reconcile himself to God, Christ became our mediator. When man could not conquer death, Jesus rose from the grave. God works in you, but the power originates with Him. Self-help says, dig deeper and find the strength within yourself. The gospel says, receive the grace and power that come from God. And once we receive His grace, we don't become passive; His power begins transforming how we live.

Before you ever opened your mouth in prayer, the blood had already spoken. Before you ever learned how to resist the devil, Jesus had already conquered sin and death. Before the accuser ever brought his accusation against you, God had already provided the answer in Jesus Christ. The blood has spoken, the blood is speaking, and the blood will still be speaking tomorrow, because the One who shed His blood for you holds eternity in His hands. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Everlasting Father, the same yesterday, today and forever. His sacrifice does not expire and His victory does not grow old. And here is the greatest contrast of all: Abel's blood cried out because an innocent man had been killed. Jesus' blood speaks because the innocent Son of God willingly died for the guilty.

Church, it's time we get back to simple faith in God: back to the cross, back to the blood, back to the authority and power of Jesus Christ, filled afresh with the Holy Spirit, and walking out the Christian life instead of just talking about it. Somewhere along the way we made so much of Christianity about us: our happiness, our success, our potential, our breakthroughs, our best life. But the gospel isn't first about what man can become. It's about what Jesus Christ has done. He didn't come simply to make us better versions of ourselves; He came to save us, redeem us, transform us and bring us back to God. When Jesus becomes the center again, we stop asking God to fit into our lives and begin surrendering our lives to Him. We stop trying to use His power for our purposes and let His power accomplish His purposes through us.