“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
As I sat in prayer and thought this morning over myself and the church, I was drawn to this passage of scripture. There are four things that popped out at me and stirred my spirit. I pray that if you are reading this, you will allow the Holy Spirit to examine you as He is me.
The first is that they, the believers, “have conquered him…” that is Satan and his agenda. The verb here means an act that was accomplished in the past and continues its affect. (John 16:33) We are conquerors through Jesus’ finished work on the cross. It continues to affect our present situations and circumstances. What a comfort in facing life when we get to see the end from the beginning. We should be comforted and emboldened knowing that we win. Let this strip away any fear you may have and thrust you into the kingdom plan God wants to unfold in your life. We don’t have to resist God’s leading or hesitate when He commands us to go. “Be strong and courageous…”
Secondly, this defeat of the enemy comes by the “blood of the Lamb…” Faith in Jesus and the blood He spilled, through His death in our place and for our sin won us the victory. This means Satan’s power is stripped from Him over those who believe and receive Jesus’ sacrifice as their own. Therefore the only power the enemy has over you is that which you give Him through doubt in Jesus’ promise and provision. Our boldness comes from this fact. “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world…” (I John 4:4)
Thirdly, we conquer “by the word of our testimony…” There is power in our words. It is by the words of God that all things came into being. God intended for His children to be the authoritative representation of Him in the earth. Our authority is mainly carried out by our words. Our testimony of Christ’s work in our lives is power and authority. We must proclaim Him out loud. God’s kingdom is established by His Word of Power. If we become firmly convinced of the finished work of Jesus and the power of His blood, we will be bold in proclaiming Him. Where there is a lack of proclaimed testimony, there is fear; and where there is fear, there is doubt. If you find there is doubt in you, come to Jesus and ask Him to make the blood and finished work of the sacrifice real to you. An evidence of this is the passion and boldness that comes and constrains our hearts to testify about Him.
Lastly, “they loved not their lives even unto death.” This is the battle of Self-preservation or the battle for our flesh to live and rule. We do not become resurrection people until we die to self. We do not walk in Resurrection power until the power of self is broken. Paul said, “For to live is Christ and to die is gain.” These people have come to a place where the cause of Christ is more important than their own lives. They are willing to lay down anything for the promotion of God’s agenda.
Can you imagine the power in our lives and the church if we loved Him and believed Him this much? What would happen if we removed self from the picture? The removal of self-preservation does away with all limitations. Nothing is impossible to those who believe. (Mark 9:23) Are you trying to preserve yourself in any way that limits the expression of God through you to the world? Let us take up the cause of Christ with boldness and fearlessness, let us proclaim Him everywhere to everyone, and be willing to risk it all for His Glory!!!
