THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD

THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD

Ephesians 1:7 — NLT

“He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.”

Revelation 12:11 — NLT

“And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.”

Hebrews 9:22 — NLT

“In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.”

There is something powerful about the blood of Jesus.

We sing about it. We talk about it. We hear it preached. But sometimes I think we can become so familiar with the words that we forget just how powerful they really are.

The blood of Jesus isn't just a religious expression.

It isn't simply something we talk about because it's in the Bible.

The blood of Jesus represents freedom, forgiveness, redemption, protection, and victory.

Ephesians tells us that through the blood of Jesus, we have been purchased and our sins have been forgiven.

Think about that for a minute.

Purchased.

That means Jesus paid the price for something we could never pay for ourselves.

The Greek word used for redemption carries the idea of being bought out of slavery or bondage. Jesus didn't simply make our situation a little better.

He came to set us free.

And Lord knows, we have needed that freedom more than once.

There have been times in my life when I have felt trapped by circumstances, trapped by my own mistakes, trapped by fear, trapped by things that happened to me, and sometimes trapped by the consequences of choices I made myself.

But God has never looked at me and said, “Well, Penny, you made your bed. Now lie in it.”

Instead, He has repeatedly reminded me:

“I am not finished with you yet.”

And maybe you need to hear that today, too.

Maybe you have made mistakes.

Maybe you've wandered.

Maybe you've spent years carrying guilt over something God has already forgiven.

Maybe circumstances have left you wondering how you're ever going to get out of the mess you're in.

Maybe you're simply exhausted from fighting the same battles over and over again.

Please remember this:

The blood of Jesus is still powerful.

It hasn't lost its power because your situation looks impossible.

It hasn't lost its power because you've failed.

It hasn't lost its power because you've had a bad week—or a bad year—or even a bad chapter of your life.

Jesus didn't shed His blood for perfect people.

He shed His blood for us.

For the broken.

For the wandering.

For the ashamed.

For the fearful.

For the people who have tried to do life their own way and finally realized they need God.

That's part of my story.

And maybe it's part of yours, too.

There is a little Greek word that helps me understand this even more: lytrōsis.

It speaks of redemption—a release brought about by payment of a price.

Jesus paid the price.

Not us.

We don't have to earn forgiveness.

We don't have to work hard enough to deserve grace.

We don't have to clean ourselves up before coming to God.

We come to Jesus because we need Him.

And then He begins doing the cleaning.

That's grace.

That's mercy.

That's the power of the blood.

Revelation tells us that God's people overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.

I love that.

God doesn't just use what Jesus has done.

He also uses the story of what Jesus has done in us.

Our testimony doesn't have to be polished.

It doesn't have to sound impressive.

We don't have to have all the answers.

Sometimes our testimony is simply:

“I should have given up, but God wouldn't let me.”

Sometimes it's:

“I don't know how I'm still standing, but God has carried me.”

Sometimes it's:

“I messed up, but Jesus forgave me.”

Sometimes it's:

“I was afraid, but God gave me courage.”

And sometimes it's simply:

“Look where God has brought me.”

Ross and I have certainly had seasons when we wondered how we were going to make it through.

We've had some pretty crazy chapters in our life together.

And yet, here we are.

Still standing.

Still believing.

Still serving.

Still loving.

Still laughing when we can.

Still crying when we need to.

Still trusting God.

And yesterday, after six long months without electricity, we were praying and hoping that our power would finally be restored.

Even while we're still waiting for the old bill to be taken care of, there was hope that the electricity would finally come back on.

That may sound like a small thing to somebody else.

It isn't small to us.

After six months of living without it, having light and heat again feels like a reminder that God is still working even when the whole answer hasn't arrived yet.

That's something I've learned the hard way:

Sometimes God doesn't give us the whole solution all at once.

Sometimes He gives us enough light for the next step.

And sometimes that next step is all we need.

The enemy would love for us to look at what is still unfinished and forget what God has already done.

But the blood of Jesus reminds us that the greatest victory has already been won.

Jesus went to the cross.

He gave His life.

He shed His blood.

He rose again.

Death did not win.

Sin did not win.

The grave did not win.

And because Jesus won, we don't have to live as defeated people.

We may have problems.

We may have struggles.

We may have bills.

We may have broken relationships.

We may have sickness.

We may have uncertainty.

We may have days when we don't know what tomorrow is going to look like.

But our circumstances don't get the final word.

Jesus does.

So today, let's stop staring only at what is wrong and remember what has already been accomplished.

We are redeemed.

We are forgiven.

We are loved.

We are not abandoned.

We are not forgotten.

And we are not finished.

There is still power in the blood.

Power to forgive.

Power to redeem.

Power to restore.

Power to break chains.

Power to give us hope.

Power to remind us that our past does not have to determine our future.

And when we don't know what to do next?

We can simply take the next step with Jesus.

One step.

One prayer.

One act of obedience.

One day at a time.

Because God is not finished with us yet.

And if you're still here, still breathing, still reaching for God, then your story isn't over either.

The blood of Jesus has already paid the price.

Now let's live like people who believe it.

LET'S PRAY...

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the precious blood of Jesus.

Thank You that we don't have to earn Your forgiveness or somehow make ourselves worthy of Your love.

Jesus paid the price for us.

Thank You for redemption.

Thank You for grace.

Thank You for mercy.

Thank You for every chain You have broken, every door You have opened, every time You have carried us when we couldn't carry ourselves.

Father, help us remember that our circumstances do not determine who You are.

When we're afraid, remind us that You are with us.

When we're discouraged, remind us that You are working.

When we feel trapped, remind us that Jesus came to set us free.

When we look at our unfinished circumstances, help us remember all that You have already accomplished.

Give us the courage to tell our testimony—not because our story is perfect, but because You are faithful.

Help us to trust You with what we cannot control, obey You in what we can, and believe that You are not finished with us yet.

Thank You for Jesus.

Thank You for the cross.

Thank You for the empty tomb.

And thank You that there is still power in the blood.

In the precious and holy name of Jesus,

Amen.

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power,

and the glory,

for ever.

Amen.

BELIEVE, OBEY, BE BLESSED AMEN BOBBA ❤️

Love, Penny 💛

#Godisgood #faith #devotional 

“The darkness didn't win. God brought the light back.”