It’s only by God’s grace that we are allowed to minister at all.

And he brought Aaron’s sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.
	Leviticus 8:24
After being washed in water, robed in righteousness, and anointed with oil, the fourth step of preparation for Aaron and his sons was to be symbolically covered with blood. It was literally applied to the ear, the thumb, and the big toe. Because the things we hear, the things we do, and the places we go can pollute us, we need the blood applied to us, the blood to cleanse us, and the blood to protect us from future sin. As time went on, these priests applied the blood not only when they entered the tabernacle, but when they exited it as well—a principle I have found to be a real key in ministry. Before I teach or share, or counsel or serve, I need to say, “Lord, I know I am a sinner. I know I am frail. I plead the blood to cleanse me in order that Your Spirit might flow through me.” And when I finish teaching, sharing, counseling, or serving, I need to plead the blood as well because when I’m done ministering, one of two things invariably happens: either I am totally discouraged about how badly I did, or I’m proud of how well I did; and that’s even more dangerous, for pride goes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18). Pleading the blood takes care of both of these tendencies as we realize that, because we are sinners through and through, it’s only by God’s grace that we are allowed to minister at all. Pastor Jon Courson