For the past two weeks, we’ve been on a journey of identity discovery. In our first article, we explored how Christ’s blood both washes and crowns us, establishing the foundation of our transformation. Last week, we dove deep into what it means to live as kings, exercising authority over our inner world, our immediate sphere, and spiritual opposition.
Today, we complete the picture by exploring the second half of our dual identity: priesthood.
And here’s what you need to understand from the start—your kingship without your priesthood is incomplete. Authority without access creates tyrants. Dominion without devotion produces dictators. Rule without relationship breeds religion.
You’re not just a king. You’re not just a priest. You’re both, simultaneously, inseparably. And it’s in the integration of these two identities that you discover the fullness of what Christ made you to be.
The Priesthood We’ve Lost
I think one of the greatest tragedies in modern Christianity is that we’ve professionalized the priesthood. We’ve created a class of spiritual specialists—pastors, priests, ministers—and relegated everyone else to the role of spiritual consumers.
But that’s not what Scripture teaches. 1 Peter 2:9 declares: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
A royal priesthood. Not some of you. Not the particularly spiritual among you. Not those called to full-time ministry. All of you.
In the Old Covenant, the priesthood was restricted to the tribe of Levi, specific families, with intricate qualifications and requirements. There was a thick veil separating the Holy of Holies from everyone else. One man, one day a year, could enter God’s presence—and even then, they tied a rope around his ankle in case he died in there and needed to be dragged out.
But when Jesus breathed His last on the cross, Matthew 27:51 tells us: “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” God didn’t daintily pull back the curtain. He ripped it apart—from top to bottom, indicating this was His doing, not ours.
The message? Access granted. Priesthood restored. The intimacy with God that was lost in Eden, the direct access that was forfeited through sin—it’s back. And not just for a select few. For everyone who comes to God through Christ.
What Does a Priest Actually Do?
If you grew up outside religious traditions with active priesthoods, you might not even know what a priest is supposed to do. Let me give you the biblical framework:
A priest stands in the gap. They’re mediators, bridges, connectors. They represent God to people and people to God. They carry heaven’s presence into earthly situations and bring human need before the divine throne. They offer sacrifices, make intercession, declare blessings, teach God’s ways, and maintain the holy places.
Now, here’s the revolutionary part: in Christ, you do all of that.
You represent God’s heart to the people in your life. You carry His presence wherever you go. You bring the needs of others before His throne in prayer. You offer spiritual sacrifices of praise and service. You intercede between heaven and earth. You declare God’s blessings over people and situations. You teach others about God’s ways through your life and words.
This isn’t metaphorical. This is your actual calling.
The Intimacy of Priesthood
While kingship is about authority and rule, priesthood is about intimacy and access. Kings command; priests commune. Kings exercise dominion; priests experience devotion. Kings establish order; priests encounter presence.
Hebrews 4:16 captures this beautifully: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Boldly. Not timidly. Not apologetically. Not hoping you might get an audience if you’re good enough. Boldly—because you’re a priest, and priests have access.
This is where your priesthood must start: in your own relationship with God. Before you can mediate His presence to others, you must experience it yourself. Before you can represent His heart to the world, you must know His heart intimately.
How much time do you spend in His presence? Not performing religious duties or checking off spiritual to-do lists, but actually communing with Him? When was the last time you lingered in prayer not because you needed something but simply because you wanted to be with Him?
Your priesthood gives you unlimited access to the throne room of heaven. The question is: are you using it?
I’m amazed at how many Christians live like spiritual orphans, standing outside the palace, when they’re actually priests with full access to the King. We beg for crumbs when we’re invited to the banquet. We hope for a word when we have direct communication. We settle for secondhand religion when we’re offered firsthand relationship.
Carrying Presence, Not Just Preaching Principles
Here’s where your priesthood becomes utterly practical: everywhere you go, you carry God’s presence.
This isn’t about being preachy or wearing your faith on your sleeve or making everything awkwardly spiritual. It’s about being so connected to God that His presence naturally flows through you into the spaces you occupy.
Think about the Old Testament priests. When they ministered in the temple, the incense would cling to their clothes. You could smell where they’d been. They carried the fragrance of the holy place into ordinary places.
2 Corinthians 2:15-16 says, “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”
You’re a priest. That means when you walk into your workplace, God’s presence walks in. When you sit down with a hurting friend, you’re not just offering sympathy—you’re mediating divine comfort. When you serve in your community, you’re not just doing good deeds—you’re establishing sacred space in secular settings.
The Sacrifice Priests Offer
In the Old Covenant, priests offered animal sacrifices daily. Blood, fire, smoke—it was visceral, costly, and constant.
But Hebrews 13:15-16 tells us what sacrifices we offer as New Covenant priests: “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
Our sacrifices are praise, thanksgiving, good deeds, and generosity. These don’t sound as dramatic as slaughtering bulls, but they’re actually more costly because they require dying to self in everyday moments.
When you praise God despite disappointment, you’re offering a sacrifice. When you give thanks in difficult circumstances, you’re functioning as a priest. When you choose to do good to someone who’s wronged you, you’re laying an offering on the altar. When you share your resources generously, you’re fulfilling your priestly duty.
These aren’t random good behaviors—they’re acts of worship from someone whose identity is rooted in priesthood.
Intercession: The Heart of Priestly Ministry
But perhaps the most critical aspect of your priesthood is intercession—standing in the gap between heaven and earth, between God’s will and current reality, praying others into their destiny.
Ezekiel 22:30 contains one of the most sobering verses in Scripture: “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”
God is looking for intercessors. He’s looking for priests who will stand in the gap. Not because He can’t act without our prayers, but because He’s chosen to partner with His priestly people in establishing His kingdom on earth.
Who are you standing in the gap for? Your children? Your neighbors? Your community? Your nation? Or are you so consumed with your own concerns that you’ve neglected your priestly calling to intercede for others?
True intercession is more than “bless them” prayers. It’s contending for people’s souls, wrestling in prayer until breakthrough comes, believing God’s promises over someone’s life even when they can’t believe for themselves.
Every believer should have someone they’re interceding for regularly—someone who doesn’t know Christ, someone who’s wandered from faith, someone facing impossible circumstances. That’s your priesthood in action.
Blessing and Cursing
One often-overlooked aspect of priesthood is the power of pronouncement. Priests blessed people in the Old Testament—speaking God’s favor, protection, and purposes over them.
You have this same authority. Your words as a priest carry weight.
When you speak blessing over your children—”May the Lord bless you and keep you; may He make His face shine upon you”—you’re not just expressing nice sentiment. You’re exercising your priestly authority to release God’s favor.
When you speak life over struggling friends, when you declare God’s purposes over your church, when you pronounce blessing over your city—these aren’t empty words. You’re a priest. Your declarations matter.
But the inverse is also true, which is why James warns us about the tongue’s power. If you’re constantly speaking negativity, criticism, and cursing over people and situations, you’re abusing your priestly authority. Priests bless. They don’t tear down with words; they build up.
The Integration: Kings and Priests Together
Now, let me bring this full circle. Your kingship and your priesthood aren’t separate identities—they’re two sides of the same coin.
Your kingship without priesthood becomes authoritarian—all authority, no intimacy. You can rule your circumstances, exercise spiritual authority, establish kingdom culture—but if you’re not connected to God in genuine relationship, you’re just operating in your own strength.
Your priesthood without kingship becomes passive—all devotion, no dominion. You can spend hours in prayer, worship beautifully, feel deeply connected to God—but if you never exercise your authority to change actual situations, your faith becomes escapist rather than transformative.
But when you integrate both? That’s when you become dangerous to darkness and radiant with God’s glory.
You pray like a priest, then act like a king. You worship like a priest, then rule like a king. You intercede like a priest, then speak with a king’s authority. You commune with God like a priest, then carry His presence like a king establishing territory.
This is the fullness of what Revelation 1:5-6 declares over you: “He has made us kings and priests to His God and Father.”
Living as Kings and Priests This Week
So let’s bring this home practically. What does it look like to live as both king and priest in your actual life this week?
Start each morning with your priestly devotion: spend time in God’s presence before you face the demands of the day. This isn’t just discipline; it’s accessing your privilege as a priest. Then step into your day as a king: making decisions with authority, establishing kingdom culture in your sphere, exercising dominion over your inner world.
When conflict arises, respond as a priest first—pray, seek God’s heart, intercede for the other person. Then act as a king—exercise your authority to speak truth, establish boundaries, and govern your response with wisdom.
When you encounter someone in need, be a priest—carry God’s presence to them, pray with them, offer the comfort and hope that flows from your connection to God. But also be a king—use your authority and resources to take practical action, to create change, to establish solutions.
When facing spiritual opposition, intercede as a priest—standing in the gap, contending in prayer, releasing God’s power through worship and declaration. Then exercise your kingly authority—bind the enemy’s work, speak truth over lies, establish God’s kingdom reality in that situation.
Your 7-Day Challenge
Let me give you a specific challenge for this week to activate both identities:
Priestly Practice: Set aside 15 minutes each morning for pure devotion—no requests, no agenda, just being with God. Journal what He speaks to your heart.
Kingly Action: Identify one situation where you need to exercise authority—maybe it’s taking control of your thought life, maybe it’s having a difficult conversation you’ve been avoiding, maybe it’s making a decision you’ve been postponing. Exercise your kingly authority.
Intercessory Assignment: Choose three people to stand in the gap for this week. Pray for them daily as a priest, believing for God’s purposes in their lives.
Blessing Declaration: Speak blessing over five people this week—your family, coworkers, neighbors. Don’t just think nice thoughts; actually declare God’s favor over them as a priest with authority to bless.
Presence Carrying: Before entering any space (work, home, store, meeting), consciously acknowledge that you’re carrying God’s presence as a priest. Ask Him to flow through you into that environment.
Bringing the Journey Together
Over these three weeks, we’ve walked through a transformative truth: Christ’s blood has made you both king and priest. You’ve been washed clean and crowned with authority. You’ve been given dominion to rule and access to commune. You’ve been established as both a ruler in God’s kingdom and a bridge between heaven and earth.
This isn’t aspirational theology for super-saints. This is your identity—right now, as you are, in your current circumstances with your current struggles.
The Call Forward
As we close this series, I want to be clear: this isn’t the end—it’s the beginning. You’ve spent three weeks discovering your identity. Now comes the lifetime of living it out.
You’ll have days when you feel more like a pauper than a king, more like an outsider than a priest. Those feelings are real, but they’re not true. Your identity isn’t based on your feelings; it’s established by Christ’s blood and His declaration over you.
When doubt creeps in, come back to Revelation 1:5-6. Read it slowly. Let the truth settle deep: “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Loved. Washed. Made. Past tense. Already done. Not something you’re working toward—something you’re working from.
Join Us in This Journey
I’d love to hear how these three weeks have impacted you. Share your story in the comments—what revelation struck you most? How are you living differently? What struggles are you facing as you step into this identity?
Better yet, let’s continue this journey together. Consider joining one of our small groups where we can explore these truths in deeper community. Or sign up for our upcoming workshop on “Living Your Identity” where we’ll provide even more practical tools for walking as kings and priests.
And if you know someone who needs to hear this message—someone who’s feeling spiritually stuck, someone who’s forgotten who they are in Christ, someone who’s settling for saved but not transformed—share this series with them. Your priesthood includes declaring truth to others.
A Final Blessing
Let me close by exercising my own priestly calling and speaking blessing over you:
May you walk in the full reality of who Christ has made you—a king crowned with His authority and a priest consecrated for His purposes. May you rule your inner world with the strength He provides. May you establish His kingdom culture in every sphere you influence. May you carry His presence everywhere you go. May you stand in the gap for those who cannot stand for themselves. May you speak blessing with authority and intercede with confidence. May you never forget that His blood has both washed you clean and crowned you with glory.
You are not a victim. You are not powerless. You are not ordinary.
You are a king. You are a priest. You are both.
Live like it.
To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
