Prodical Warrior

Revelation 12:11

I need to start with a confession: I can quietly turn something holy into something about me. I can talk about fruit and start measuring people. I can tell my testimony and somehow make it a platform. And if I can do that, so can you. The heart is slick like that.

That’s why this verse needs care, not because it’s fragile, but because we are:

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” — Revelation 12:11

There’s an order here that protects us.
Blood first. Testimony second. Cost third.

Keep the order, and you get worship and endurance. Scramble it, and you get fear, performance, or Pharisees.

1. “By the blood of the Lamb”

Revelation 12 is not a feel-good chapter. It’s a war chapter. The enemy is “the accuser,” pressing charges against the saints day and night. And this verse tells us how his accusations are silenced:

Not by cleaning up our image.
Not by crafting a story that sounds good.
Not by pretending we’ve never struggled.
But by the blood of the Lamb.

Victory starts outside of us, with what Jesus did. When Satan accuses, he’s often pointing at real sin. But here’s the difference for the believer: our sin has been answered. Not excused. Answered.

That’s why Paul can say we’re justified “without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28), and that there’s “no condemnation” for those in Christ (Romans 8:1). Condemnation is a sentence. Conviction is mercy.

Miss this and you’ll start hustling for peace. You’ll treat obedience like a payment plan, hoping God will finally relax His face toward you.

That’s not Christianity.
That’s slavery with church clothes on.

Blood first keeps Christ at the center. Always.

2. “By the word of their testimony”

Testimony isn’t the engine. The blood is. Testimony is witness, allegiance. It says: Jesus is Lord. His cross is enough. I belong to Him.

When I was 14, I heard a girl stand up at a conference and say she had never done drugs or touched alcohol, had saved herself for marriage, and stood in awe of God’s keeping power. I already had a list of regrets, and I remember thinking: I wish that was my testimony.

Now I know better.

That was a strong testimony.
Being kept is not a lesser miracle than being rescued.
Sometimes the loudest grace is restraint.

Our culture glorifies dramatic turnarounds, but that can quietly train us to think darkness makes a testimony powerful. It doesn’t. Jesus does.

Sin doesn’t add shine. Sin kills. Grace raises the dead.

A safe testimony always does two things:

• It makes sin look deadly.
• It makes Christ look precious.

3. “They loved not their lives unto the death”

This is not drama. It’s faithfulness.

These believers didn’t overcome because they had impressive stories. They overcame because they belonged to Jesus more than they belonged to comfort. They would rather obey than negotiate. Rather lose reputation than lose Christ.

This keeps the gospel from becoming self-help. Christianity doesn’t put us at the center, it moves the center to Jesus.

Jesus said:

“Without me ye can do nothing.” — John 15:5

Fruit doesn’t create life. It reveals life.
Obedience doesn’t earn love. It responds to it.
Works don’t justify. They testify.

But this doesn’t mean struggle = fake. Tender consciences panic when they hear “fruit” and think their weakness means they aren’t real. But the man who fights sin, confesses, repents, and comes back into the light, that’s life. Hypocrisy hides. Repentance agrees with God.

The solution isn’t willpower. It’s surrender.

“Search me, O God.” — Psalm 139:23
Not performance. Just honesty.

We don’t examine ourselves to see if God will love us. We examine ourselves because He already has.

Grace first. Then fruit.
Teach fruit without grace and you get fear.
Teach grace without fruit and you get confusion.
Scripture refuses both.

My Story (Briefly)

I lived double-minded. I wanted God, but on my terms. I knew Scripture well enough to be haunted by it, and still resisted surrender.

Eventually, I ran to the end of myself. 

Some of us were retrieved from ditches. Some were kept from them.
Same blood. Same Savior. Same grace.

The goal isn’t an impressive story.
It’s a faithful life.

We overcome:

• By the blood of the Lamb — not spiritual hustle.
• By the word of our testimony — not a curated image.
• By loving Jesus more than comfort — not self-protection.

Keep the order, and we won’t produce Pharisees or fearful strivers.
We’ll produce people who are grateful, steady, and free.
People who obey because they’ve been bought.
Who tells the truth because the Lamb is worthy.
Who keep walking when it costs them, because they’ve already found the only treasure worth losing everything for.

If you want to know more about Jesus, find a gospel-preaching church. One that talks about sin, repentance, and the cross, not just comfort or behavior tips. The real gospel doesn’t flatter us. It saves us.

“I am with thee… to save thee.” — Jeremiah 30:11

Let the gospel tell the truth about your sin, then lift your eyes to a real Savior, a bloody cross, an empty tomb, and a King who is worth your whole life.