Seasons of Blessing

Excerpt from Seasons of Blessing by David Cerullo

A Formula to Defeat the Devil

The Bible makes it clear that Satan is real. He once stood in the presence of God. He even led worship in Heaven before God’s throne.

But Satan sinned. The Bible also says a rebellion occurred in Heaven, and a vast army of angels chose to rebel with Satan against their God and Creator. Some theologians point to Revelation 12:4 and suggest that a third of the angels followed Satan and rebelled against God. Whether it was a third of the angels or not isn’t important. The critical fact is that there’s now a vast army of fallen angels, and their master is Satan.

Satan goes by many names in the Bible. In Revelation 12:9 he’s called “the great dragon…that serpent of old.” In other places he’s called the devil, Lucifer, and Satan. John 8:44 calls him the Evil One. Each of these names reveals a different aspect of Satan’s diabolical personality.

Describing the devil as “the accuser” thrown down to earth in the Last Days, Revelation 12:10-11 provides a surefire strategy for victory over him:

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Originally foreshadowed in the Feast of Passover, Jesus’ blood is a crucial weapon in your arsenal against Satan. It’s the seal of your salvation…the proof of your forgiveness…and the sign of your covenant relationship with Almighty God! The devil’s accusations are nullified whenever you apply the blood of Jesus to your spiritual warfare.

The blood referred to in Revelation 12:11 as “the blood of the Lamb” is the blood of Jesus, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). In the Feast of Passover, His shed blood was beautifully depicted hundreds of years before He was even born:

Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill [the Passover lamb] at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it…

For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:6-7, 12-13).

Do you see the supernatural protection you have when you choose to apply the blood of Jesus to the doorposts of your heart…your mind…your body…your family…your finances…and every other aspect of your life?

• When the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy…
• When the devil comes as a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour…
• When demons of sickness, poverty, lust, addiction, fear, or depression look for someone to prey upon…

They will have to go past you and find someone else to attack!

Although preaching on “the power of the blood” isn’t very fashionable these days, the Bible says “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). This theme has been described as a “scarlet thread” that extends throughout the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

It’s interesting that Rahab the harlot was saved by tying a “cord of scarlet thread” to the window of her house (Joshua 2:17-21). While everyone else in Jericho was killed in battle, she and her family were kept safe by the scarlet cord! Similar to the Passover blood on a family’s doorposts, this cord represents the protection you have from evil because of the blood of our Passover Lamb, Jesus.

Rahab’s salvation wasn’t based on her own virtue or righteousness — she was a prostitute! Her only hope for safety was the scarlet cord that kept her safe from attack.

I encourage you to take a few minutes to pause and pray. As the Feast of Passover so powerfully depicts, you need to make sure “the blood of the Lamb” has been applied to every area of your life. Be certain you aren’t basing your relationship with God on your own goodness but on the “scarlet cord” that testifies of Jesus’ death on your behalf.

Remember: Before the devil will flee from you, you first must submit yourself fully to God (James 4:7). But then you can claim the powerful truth of Revelation 12:11 over your life by declaring: “I am overcoming Satan by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of my testimony, and because I will not love my own life, even when faced with death!”

The Lord hasn’t planned any defeats for you, my friend. He has given you “the blood of the Lamb” and other powerful spiritual weapons to defeat the enemy. Each of God’s “appointed times” is a VICTORY celebration, and the Bible tells us to expect a triumphant life in Christ:

Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14).

This victorious life is God’s will for YOU! Draw near to Him today. Learn to use the powerful weapons He’s given you to defeat the enemy and enter into a life of abundance (John 10:10).

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