For the Church to have the fruit of complete protection, spiritual life, and communion with God, it is necessary that it knows how to use an extraordinary spiritual resource that the Lord placed at our disposal: The blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus has too often been merely a doctrine in which the Church believes, but not a doctrine it lives. Without living this doctrine, the Church has forfeited many blessings that are available to her, only through the power of the blood of the Lord Jesus.

The Word of God teaches us that it is necessary to ask in order to receive: “ask and it shall be given to you.” (Luke 11:9-10). Innumerable blessing that the Lord desires to give the Church must be requested in prayer in order for the Lord to bestow them. By faith we take hold of God’s promises found in the Scriptures (Heb. 11:1,6). In the same way that the Lord Jesus taught us to ask for the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13), we should similarly ask for the blessings that flow through the shedding of Jesus’ blood on Calvary.

What blessings are these? Normally the Church has an awareness at least that the Lord shed his own blood for our “salvation” or to give us new birth. Yet salvation encompasses more than just the new birth – it continues through a life of sanctification. We are exhorted by the Scriptures to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. The Word of God also shows us that the blood of Jesus was shed to bring forth the following blessings – which are included in salvation – in our Christian life:

1. Purification from our sins (1 John 1:7). Surely, just as we ought to confess our sins to be forgiven, we should believe that the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. Yes, it removes every obstacles that hinders our fellowship with the Lord.

2. Fellowship with the Lord (Heb 10:19-22). The Word reveals to us that we can now boldly enter the Holy of Holies – in other words, into the Presence of the Lord – through the blood of the Lamb. Therefore we can plead with the Lord for him to remove obstacles in our fellowship, whether in our spirit or in our soul (mind, emotions) so that we can have perfect fellowship with the Lord.

3. Victory over the Adversary (Rev. 12:11). We know we will overcome our enemy in the end by “the blood of the Lamb,” and by the word of our testimony. We should exercise our faith of this promise in moments of struggle, and the Lord will manifest the power of the blood of Jesus in our lives, and grant us the victory we need.

4. Protection against the Adversary. (Ex. 12:23). Our victory includes protection, as seen when the people of Israel were leaving Egypt. The Destroyer could not enter the homes of the Israelites or kill their firstborn, because when he saw the blood he was obliged to “pass over” these houses. For this reason, when we ask in prayer for the Lord to cover us with the blood of Jesus, we are protected again the attacks of the adversary in every situation, including the beginning of each service or meeting. In this way, we avoid manifestations of false gifts in our midst.

5. Freedom from habits, vices, and inappropriate behaviors (1 Pet. 1:18-19). The Word affirms that we were freed by the blood of the Lord Jesus from the empty way of life handed down to us by our forefathers. Thus, when some believer reveals that he is still in the grip of some type of behavior that dishonors the Lord, we can pray, basing our faith on this Scripture that guarantees us the victory in this struggle by means of the blood of Jesus.

The blood of Jesus is closely connected the operation of the Holy Spirit. The reason is simple: the Spirit can only operate based on the Work completed by the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary, shedding his precious blood; in other words, to give his life for our sins. In Leviticus we read that the life is in the blood. In the same way, eternal life is in the blood of Jesus. The Lord told us that without drinking his blood we could not have spiritual life. And soon after he explained that the works he said were spirit and life. We understand the lesson: when the Holy Spirit operated in our lives He transmits the life that is in the blood of Jesus, the eternal life that the Lord Jesus obtained for us by shedding his blood for our salvation.

Just as the blood of Jesus circulated in the physical body of the Lord Jesus during his earthly life, giving life to each of his cells, the Holy Spirit today operates in the Church, visiting each member of the Body, transmitting eternal life to each one of us, applying the Word of God in our hearts. When we pray for the Lord to give us some specific blessing (such as those mentioned already), we base this on the power of the blood of Jesus, and the Lord send the Holy Spirit, which performs the blessing we desired. This comes through the blood he poured out; every blessing is based on the Work fulfilled by the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary.

The blood of Jesus was shed only once on the cross of Calvary, but it is sprinkled continually over God’s servants, who are “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling by the blood of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. 1:2) Hallelujah!