Pleading the Blood of Jesus: A Fierce Prayer That Breaks Chains of Darkness
So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance (Exodus 12:14 NKJV).
Living under the blood of Christ is not a one-time thing; it’s a daily reality.
We’re not called to apply the blood once and move on—it’s something we need to celebrate and live under constantly. God commands us to make this a permanent, everlasting ordinance because it’s not just about an event in the past; it’s about continually abiding in His protection and grace. As long as we’re here on earth, living in our earthly bodies, we’ll inevitably get stained by the world around us. That’s why we must return to the blood regularly, even though Jesus has already made us clean.
This isn’t just for us—it’s for every generation. God wants each one to see and experience the power of the blood, because we all need it. It would be heartbreaking for me to be covered by the blood but for my children or descendants to ignore it. Paul felt this burden for others too. In Romans 9:3 (NIV), he says, “I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race,” showing his heart for his people’s salvation.
If we have a heart like Paul, we’ll want to bring our whole family and loved ones under the blood of Jesus. It’s hard to truly believe someone is living under the blood if they don’t care about their family and others being covered by it too. Of course, we can’t force anyone to accept it—that’s something only God can do. But like Paul, we can pray. As he says in Romans 10:1 (NIV), “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” We should pray for the salvation of those around us, that they too can live under the blood and experience God’s grace and protection.
When we live under the blood, there’s no way judgment can touch us. It’s the safest place we can be—from judgment, from sin’s curse, and from anything that could harm us. The blood is our ultimate refuge—both in this life and in the next. But it’s not a one-time covering. It’s something we need to continually return to, for ourselves and for the ones we love.
The Calling
The calling of the priests to serve God is incredibly holy, and to set them apart for their duties, many ceremonies and regulations were necessary (Exodus 29:10-25). But if these acts were only about going through the motions, they wouldn’t hold much meaning. Aaron’s garments—the undergarments, ephod, robe, breastplate, belt, crown, and cords—weren’t just beautiful; each piece had deep significance, given by God to remind the priest of his holy calling.
The priestly garments were designed with meaning in mind. If they’re only worn to look impressive or to assert authority, they’re just empty symbols—nothing more than dead skin. And if that attitude persists, all that will come of it is hypocrisy.
God’s commands to Moses for Aaron and his sons to carry out their priestly duties and maintain the temple aren’t just for them. They apply to us today as well. So, what role does the blood play in the priestly calling? Even though we’re not Israelites or Levites, we’ve been given salvation through Jesus’ blood and have become a nation of priests. Through His sacrifice, we now have access not just to the Holy Place but to the Most Holy Place at any time, as priests of the Most High God.
This holy calling is ours in this era of grace. As believers, we must never forget that, as priests, we too must apply the blood to ourselves. It’s not just a historical practice—it’s something that still matters today in our walk with God.
The Blood of Jesus Redeems
When people brought the calf to the door of the tabernacle, Aaron and his sons had to lay their hands on its head (Exodus 29:10). This act symbolized the transfer of their sins to the animal. The priest’s primary duty was to address the issue of sin, and the laying on of hands was how the sin was symbolically passed onto the calf. After that, Aaron and his sons had to catch the calf and kill it because it now had to shed its blood.
That blood represented redeeming blood and pointed forward to the blood of Jesus. Moses took his fingers, applied the calf ’s blood to the horns of the altar, and poured the rest out at the base (Exodus 29:12). The wages of sin, then as now, was death. The calf, carrying the sins of the people, had to die, and its blood had to be applied to the altar’s horns, which symbolize the Cross.
The Lamb of God, Jesus, shed His blood on the Cross, marking the fulfillment of God’s plan of redemption. This is what the Blood Gospel is all about—only blood can bring redemption. Throughout history, people have sought different ways to receive forgiveness for their sins. Some have gone on pilgrimages, lived ascetically in mountains, inflicted pain on themselves, fasted, or followed other religious practices. While some of these practices might have benefits, they are foolish attempts to deal with sin.
This confusion is not limited to outside the Christian faith. Even within Christianity, where we believe Jesus is the only Savior, people sometimes try to earn salvation through suffering or spiritual disciplines. But doing so is essentially rejecting the power of Jesus’ blood and trampling on it. Yes, like Paul, we are called to discipline our bodies, as he says in 1 Corinthians 9:27 (NKJV), “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection,” but we must never confuse such practices with a requirement for salvation. That’s a serious mistake.
We can see people trying to enter the Kingdom of Heaven without fully understanding Jesus’ redemptive work. Some try to deal with sin on their own, others try to earn mercy through good works or buy papers that guarantee forgiveness. The world has always had these misconceptions. If we’re not careful, we too can start mixing man-made efforts or righteousness with the grace of God, which is the essence of the Gospel. We must always be vigilant against this.
The principle of “life giving life” is why blood had to be shed—it’s God’s will. He prepared Christ as the sin offering, the ultimate example of this principle. All the protocols for sacrifice were given to Moses, and offerings to God must be done according to His Word. The way we serve God doesn’t come from within us; it comes from God. Just because something seems right to us doesn’t mean it’s the right way to serve Him. We simply obey as He has commanded us. The Blood Gospel is from God, and there is no remission of sins without His blood. And for the one who dies without remission of sin, there is judgment of hell awaiting.
Adonijah, Solomon’s older brother, tried to exalt himself as king without King David’s approval. He sacrificed lambs and gathered Joab, the commander, and Abiathar, the priest, to support him. But Nathan the prophet rebuked him, and Solomon was made king in his place. The noise in Jerusalem was so intense that it caused the earth to shake (1 Kings 1:40). Fearful of the chaos, Adonijah fled and took refuge in the house of God, grabbing hold of the horns of the altar (1 Kings 1:50).
The way to salvation was for Adonijah to recognize his sin and cling to the altar’s horns. In the same way, as believers redeemed by the blood of Jesus, we too must hold tightly to the Cross, just as Adonijah did the horns. The blood has already been poured out beneath the altar, and this is where the truth of the Blood Gospel lies. It’s through the blood of Christ that we find redemption, and we must continually cling to it.
The blood’s effect is to forgive sin, for sin brings people to hell, but those under Jesus’ blood escape the judgment of hell.
All of the lamb’s blood was poured out beneath the altar. And before the Feast of Passover, knowing that His hour had come to leave this world and go to the Father, Jesus, having loved His own who were in the world, loved them to the very end (John 13:1). In other words, when Jesus loves us, He holds nothing back. His love is complete, all-consuming, and without reserve.
The blood Jesus shed on the Cross wasn’t just part of His blood—it was all of it. And that’s why we too are called to love Him with all our heart, mind, and strength. If we hold back any part of our love or devotion to God, something is missing. We must remember that all of His blood was poured out beneath the altar for our sins. This redemption is priceless, and we can never forget that Jesus gave everything for us.
We’re not receiving just a partial redemption; all of His blood was shed for our redemption—every drop of it. As priests who serve the Lord, we must first recognize that we need that blood for ourselves. The priests of the Old Testament didn’t just pour out the blood beneath the altar, they also applied it to their thumb and the horns of the altar. This points to the ministry of the Lamb of God, who would take up the Cross as the High Priest.
As priests of God today, it’s a grave mistake to think of the Cross as simply a symbol of glory, as many in the world do. A cross without the blood isn’t the Cross of Jesus. A cross that represents only success and glory is nothing more than vanity. We need to be careful not to defame the Cross by misrepresenting it. A cross without blood is a useless cross. In fact, it’s not the cross Jesus asked us to bear daily, and we must repent if we’re carrying a cross that doesn’t reflect His sacrifice.
It is heartbreaking to see people carrying the cross to pursue their fleshly desires—whether for fame, success, or their own glory. The true Cross, the one we should be proud of, is the one stained with blood. As Paul says, “the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14 NKJV). This is the Cross we should embrace—the one that speaks of suffering, sacrifice, and the blood of Jesus.
While it’s encouraging to see the symbol of the cross spread throughout the world, a cross that seeks only glory without understanding its true meaning—suffering, sacrifice, and bloodshed—is to ignore what the Cross really represents. Without the blood, the Cross becomes a hollow symbol of hypocrisy when people seek glory through it.
Carrying the Cross with the right heart means engaging in deep, sacrificial service—praying with labor, evangelizing with passion, serving God wholeheartedly in secret, and living to please Him. It’s not just about recognizing the symbol of the cross, but about walking in the will of God by taking up our cross daily. This is the heart of our Father’s desire for us.
