A Battle in the Midst of the Blood

War is not something that I'm fond of. In fact, I hate fighting altogether.

However, I've been learning a lot about spiritual warfare as of late (especially the sneaky form of it in temptation) and I'm aware that just because I don't like war doesn't mean I'm not in one at the moment. As a believer in Christ as my Savior, I have great opposition against me. I need to know what weapons to use when he attacks, so I turned to a war scene in the New Testament found in Revelation 12. The results of the war say,

"And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." -- Revelation 12:11 

They fought with two things: the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. And they overcame! In the same manner, we can overcome Satan and all of his attacks in our life with the same weapons.

The blood of the Lamb -- Christ's blood on the cross. This blood was required by God, but it was supposed to be mine. It was supposed to be your's. It was required as payment for our sins, for there is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). The Lamb -- Christ -- was perfect. Spotless. Without sin. Therefore, His sacrifice stood on behalf of every sinner. This blood is now our's!

The word of their testimony -- the Gospel! Spurgeon says, "If ever we are to conquer Satan in the world, we must preach the atoning blood." In this battle, Satan was overcome by the truth. In a similar instance, Christ was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, and as Satan twisted Scripture, Christ retaliated with the Word of God in truth and Satan was defeated. The good news of Christ is our's to hold onto when times of doubt arise in our minds, but also to proclaim as a shield in the face of our opponents.

Friends, as followers of Christ, you are in a battle. Satan is crafty and temptation is subtle, but we have weapons to fight with. As a believer, the blood of Christ is your's. You do not stand guilty before the throne of God. Without the blood you would be condemned and forced to pay the penalty yourself, but as you receive that free gift of Salvation by faith, His blood has washed over you. In the words of Pastor Haugen, "always and continually"! For each and every sin, the blood still washes. Also, the Word of God is your's. God has given us His Word as a sword, and we can cling to the promises that it holds when the deceiver sends darts of lies our way.

And always remember, the fight has already been won!