Copyright
CESAR CASTELLANOS D © 2015
Published by G12 Editores SAS eISBN 978-958-8824-16-1 © All rights reserved Total or partial reproduction of this book in any form - printed, electronic, audiovisual or otherwise - is prohibited without prior written permission from the publisher All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation Used by permission Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version ® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc Used by permission All rights reserved Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the King James Version of the Bible Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®, NIV ® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc TM Used by permission of Zondervan All rights reserved worldwide Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ®, ESV ® Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers Used by permission All rights reserved Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc , Carol Stream, Illinois 60188 All rights reserved
G12 Media: Editing Perla Doris Mora Claudia Wilches Ashley Lawrenson Cover & Book Design Julián Gamba Diego Gómez Daniel Durán
Spanish Version: VICTORIA POR LA SANGRE - Published by G12 Editors 2015. Translation Richard Harding Roxanna Bayat Doug Graham Ashley Lawrenson Pablo Martinez Doris Rybaltowski Jennifer García
G12 Editors: G12 Editores Sur América Calle 22C # 31-01 Bogotá, Colombia (571) 269 34 20
G12 Editors USA: 15595 NW 15TH Avenue, Miami, FL 33169 Introduction
Every believer should understand that we are living
in the end times and that there is no longer any room for neutrality. The work of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary was God’s divine strategy to bring redemption to all humanity. Every time He shed His blood, He won another victory for His people. -
Our Father in heaven offered His one and only Son who, through His sacrifice, has become the only bridge between God and mankind. Assuming human nature, Jesus Christ took our place. He became the greatest revelation of God as He bled and died, demonstrating the infinite love of God the Father toward those who did not deserve it. In a divine exchange, God handed over His Son Jesus, who had never sinned, to receive the punishment we were due. Paul said, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21a), to pay the price for our redemption with His blood.
It is so important for us to be aware that the adversary fights with all his strength to cause believers to ignore the power of the precious blood of Jesus. He does this because he knows that Jesus’ blood is the weapon with which God has powerfully and definitively defeated him. This is why it is so imperative for every believer to take hold of each of the seven times Jesus shed His blood, determining to face the adversary – though we should never do this alone – we need to rely on Jesus and His Word. He will then send us the Holy Spirit to help us in all things. Jesus said, “Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house” (Matthew 12:29). Note that, for the strong man (who represents the adversary) to be overcome, someone stronger must face and overpower him. That someone stronger is Jesus, who has already overcome the adversary by the power of His blood. Jesus told His opponents, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28).
Jesus has made the weapons we need to face and overcome the enemy readily available to us. “And they overcame him because of the blood of the
Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death” (Revelation 12:11). Every believer should know how to apply the blood of Jesus; if we do not understand the power it holds, we will be unable to overcome the adversary. The writer to the Hebrews said, “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Hebrews 2:14-15).
When we apply the blood of Jesus, we are weakening the adversary, destroying his rule and setting people free. The members of our own families should be the first ones to experience this blessing; when we help them understand and assume their responsibility as believers, we will together be able to bring the kingdom of God to our cities and our nations. What the writer to the Hebrews adds is amazing: “For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham” (Hebrews 2:16). This implies that the Lord had to choose between redeeming the angels who rebelled, and redeeming us. He loved us so much that He was willing to give everything for our redemption. Regarding the angels, Jude said, “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6).
Dear reader, I am placing in your hands a manual for the most powerful weapon in existence: the blood of Jesus. The goal is that you would become an expert in applying this blood and that you would be aware that you can wreak havoc on the realm of darkness with it.
If we are able to truly appreciate this powerful spiritual weapon that God has given to us, we will not only see our lives and families transformed, but our cities and nations as well.
I pray that the Holy Spirit will shine His light on your life, and give you understanding and wisdom, so that you will be able to make use of the precious spiritual truths found in this book.
Cesar Castellanos
Chapter 1: THE SIGN
Chapter 2: THE REBEL
Chapter 3: THE STRUGGLE
Chapter 4: GETHSEMANE
Chapter 5: REDEMPTION
Chapter 6: THE CROWN
Chapter 7: THE FACE
Chapter 8: THE HANDS
Chapter 9: THE FEET
Chapter 10: THE HEART
Chapter 11: THE ANOINTING
Chapter 12: FREEDOM
Contents
Chapter 1: The SIGN
The Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States, has come to represent freedom and liberty for many.
It can be heard at the opening of every sports game, military parade and academic ceremony in the United States of America. The song speaks about the significance of the American flag, which has become a symbol of freedom, not only for the country’s citizens, but also around the world. This song was born out of what is now known as the War of 1812 – a war between Britain and the United States (which was just coming into being at the time). This war is often referred to as the ‘Second War of Independence.’
Major George Armistead, the commander of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, knew that the region would be a key target for the British. He decided that he wanted a flag so big that “the British would have no trouble seeing it from a distance.” Armistead sent for a flag to be made, nine meters in height and thirteen meters in length.
Shortly before the attack on Baltimore, Francis Scott Key, a young
American lawyer, was placed under guard by the British, along with two others. They were first detained aboard H.M.S. Surprise before being moved to their own boat. They were forced to wait out the battle behind the British fleet. In confinement, Key could hear the sound of war and feel the impact of the cannonballs.
The battle continued throughout the night. Able to distinguish between the sounds of the weaponry, the young man was certain that the British would end up defeating the Americans. He stayed awake throughout the entirety of the fierce battle. After 25 hours of fighting and shelling, daylight came at last. Francis Scott leaned out of the boat’s window and, there in the distance, he saw that great flag! Though slightly tattered, it was flying high over the fort as a sign of victory for the United States. With tears in his eyes, he wrote the words of the song that is still a symbol of freedom and liberty for Americans today.[1]
The flag became a sign of victory for a nation that was still very much in its infancy, a nation that has today become a symbol of strength around the world.
As Christians, we have a very meaningful sign of victory– the blood of Christ.
“The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
(Exodus 12:13)
It is important to understand that nothing takes God by surprise. Ahead of time, He knew about a man named Abraham. He knew that from him would come a multitude, innumerable as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. God always has a very clear image of what He wants to do in the lives of His children; He could clearly see Abraham’s descendants before they ever came into being. After giving an offering to God, followed by a powerful time of intercession, Abraham felt as if all the power of the enemy came against him. He needed to face this definitive moment in his life. He fell into a deep sleep and great fear and darkness came over him. God showed him what his descendants would have to live through: “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions” (Genesis 15:13-14).
The people of Israel spent four hundred and thirty years in Egypt, where they were oppressed and subjected to slavery. Because they cried out in prayer, God chose a man named Moses to confront Pharaoh and set the Israelites free from the harsh oppression they were under.
Pharaoh watched as his entire nation was destroyed right before his eyes. Yet, after nine devastating plagues, his heart remained hard. That was when God taught Moses how to prepare His people so that none of them would fall under the coming judgment – the death of the firstborn. This divine lesson later became one of the most important celebrations for the people of Israel, known as the Passover. Every family was to take a lamb and closely follow all of the instructions for the sacrifice. The father of the house was to collect the
blood of the lamb in a basin. With that blood, he was to take some hyssop and paint the lintel and the two doorposts of the house. Finally, the family was to eat the meat roasted over the fire and stay in the house until morning. That was what the Lord had commanded them.
IT ALL BEGAN WITH THE PASSOVER
“This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you” (Exodus 12:2).
The celebration of the Passover marked a before and after in their lives, and separated the history of Israel into two. Their past in Egypt would no longer be taken into consideration because they were now entering into a new season in their lives. When Jesus came to earth, something similar happened; His birth, His ministry, His death on the cross, and His resurrection separated the history of humanity into two. It is the same when a person accepts Jesus in their heart as the Lord and Savior of their lives – when He begins to dwell in us, the past we spent in slavery is erased by the blood of Jesus.
When He comes to dwell in our hearts, the blood of Jesus erases the past we spent in slavery.
Jesus had taught His disciples, saying, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). When He faced death, He was wounded by it, but not defeated. His sprinkled blood touched the lintel and the doorposts of the house - we are that House - as are all those who have become part of His Church through faith in His redemptive work. As a result, His blood provides constant protection for us. “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate” (Hebrews 13:12).
