Good Friday Devotional
Cody Carnes is a worship leader and songwriter whose passion is to create a meeting place for God and people with music. He shares a message for Good Friday!
In Exodus 12 we find an amazing story.
God’s people, the Israelites, are enslaved in Egypt and He’s about to send a tenth plague upon the land to free His people: the death of every firstborn – both people and animals. Yet, in His mercy, He reveals to Israel instructions for how to be kept safe. He tells them to spread the blood of an unblemished lamb on the doorframes of their houses. Upon doing this, destruction would pass over them.
It’s a powerful narrative. And we find it reflected in the aftermath of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, which birthed the song, “Plead the Blood.” In it, there’s one phrase I want to focus on.
“I plead the blood of Jesus.”
It’s a bit of an old-school phrase, really. If you’ve grown up in church, you may have heard it before. And there’s nothing magical about it. The phrase is simply an applicator, an agreement with the power of the blood. It’s a paintbrush. A paintbrush isn’t able to paint something without paint.
The power is in the blood. The power is in what Jesus did on the cross when He bore the weight of our sins so we might experience salvation through His victory.
When we declare that phrase understanding its meaning and truth, we’re agreeing with the word of God and proclaiming, “I believe that Jesus has ALL authority and that he has invited me into that same authority through His blood!”
I love what Colossians 2:13-15 says about this: “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross (NLT).”
That’s the promise we can rejoice in today. Our Savior has disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He defeated the enemy. He has the victory! So, in Him, we can plead His blood over our lives. We can experience His salvation, healing, deliverance, and restoration. Pray this with me today:
Jesus, thank You for Your sacrifice. Thank you for the blood You shed on my behalf. I believe in its power and by faith, I apply it to my life. May I be free from sin and bondage, walk in health and wholeness, and experience the promise of eternity with You for me and my family.
Today, I plead the blood of Jesus over my life.
In Your name, amen!
Scriptures:
Exodus 12:1-30, NIV
Ephesians 2:13, NLT
Ephesians 1:6-7, NLT
Luke 10:19-20, NLT
Colossians 2:13-15, NLT