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Blessings and Curses
by
Captain Lynne Davis
What is a curse? The
dictionary says: “An appeal or prayer for evil or misfortune
to befall someone or something. (v) To invoke evil or
misfortune upon. (n) A malevolent appeal to a supernatural
being for harm to come to somebody or something or the harm
that is thought to result from this. A blessing, on the
other hand, is “Something promoting or contributing to
happiness, well-being, or prosperity.”
Today there sees to be an
epidemic of people with poor self-image. Violence is growing
in much of the world. Health issues are increasing.
Sociologists, psychologists etc put various labels on these
problems, trying various techniques and remedies to cure our
ailing world without success. I suggest a different course,
one which would be ignored or ridiculed by many ‘experts’ in
the scientific/medical world. Curses.
Many people accept the Bible
as truth, but fail to acknowledge that curses still exist
today – seeing them as outdated. Something that happened in
Old Testament times, possibly New Testament times. But not
today. In the Bible the word ‘curse’ appears around 165
times; ‘curses’ 34 times; while ‘blessing’ appears 89 times
and blessings ’ around 25 times.
For those few people who
accept curses as even a possible reality today, perhaps most
think of curses as spells being cast by witches. I knew a
woman convinced that her husband had put a voodoo hex on her.
And I saw a shaman, outside THQ, presumably cursing The
Salvation Army. And a written curse on a wall near Moorgate –
again cursing The Salvation Army.
Let’s educate ourselves in
this matter in order that we can know the schemes of our enemy
and stand strong in Christ as we explore blessings and
curses. First, we explore several different curses and their
sources, then we turn to the tools for dealing with these
things in Christ.
Sources of Curses
1 God
Yes, God can, and does,
curse His people. This is scriptural. To third and fourth
generations. If we go back 4 generations, that is 62
ancestors. Can we be 100% certain that not one of them was
involved in anything displeasing to God?
The Bible clearly states
that there are occasional situations where/when God curses
people. To give them the opportunity to repent, and turn from
sin. Only those who fail to do this are eternally condemned.
We find the first curses in
scripture in Genesis. In Genesis 3:14 God cursed the serpent
for deceiving Eve; Genesis 3: 16, God curses Eve, in Genesis
3:17 God curses the ground. Then in Genesis 4:8 Cain killed
Abel and in v 11 he was cursed by God. Then, in v 15, anyone
who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.
In Mark 11: 14, Jesus cursed
the fig tree and, in v20 they pass the tree again and Peter
remembers the curse.
Some say it is not possible
for curses to exist today, certainly they cannot affect
Christians. They quote Galatians 3: 13, 14 “Christ redeemed
us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for
it is written ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ He
redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might
come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we
might receive the promise of the Spirit.” But in Revelation
they still exist at the end times. (Rev 22:3 “No longer will
there be any curse”). Only after Christ’s second coming will
curses no longer exist. Could that mean that Christ’s
crucifixion redeemed us, but that we have to choose to accept
that redemption? The time the curse will be finally lifted
will be after the last judgement.
2 Other people
Other people can, and
sometimes do, curse us – whether intentionally or by
accident. These curses can be spoken, or by something as
seemingly innocent as a gift or souvenir. Or something we buy
(whether new or second-hand).
People who curse us can be
either amateurs, or professionals.
We can think of amateurs as
most of the people around us: family, work colleagues,
friends, neighbours, etc, etc. They can curse us when they
speak without thinking and say a curse over us. People in
authority – parents, teachers, etc, have a terrific
responsibility when they speak to those in their care as it is
so easy for them to say what is in effect a curse over someone
without realising it.
But we also encounter those
who curse us in a professional capacity. Witches DO exist.
They can, and do, come into our churches. We probably don’t
know they’re there. They may be coming in because they
want to leave their old ways behind. But (and perhaps more
likely) they are coming in to curse the building, the leaders,
and the congregation.
In a way, their presence is
a compliment. The enemy would be unlikely to deploy his
forces against us unless our work was concerning him. So we
must be doing something right.
3 Ourselves
In the same way, we can
curse ourselves, by saying negative things repeatedly about
ourselves. The enemy just loves us doing that – really, we’re
doing his work for him. An example of this is in Matthew 26:
74 where Peter disowns Jesus.
Sometimes we do things that
bring down curses on our heads. It is currently ‘fashionable’
to practice yoga, feng shui, all kinds of martial arts. But
these can lead us into idolatry, whether we realise it or
not. And idolatry will bring a curse upon us.
4 Generational
Can affect many aspects of
our lives. Relationships, health, finance, etc. Is there a
recognisable pattern? Multiple divorces, hereditary
illnesses; female problems’ financial problems’ etc, etc.
Multiple incidencies may indicate the presence of a curse.
Remember our 62 ancestors!
Each of us has a history, a
family history. Today’s interest in genealogy can show up
surprising results. I’ve always been interested in the social
aspect of history – how it affected the ordinary people. I
was fortunate enough to study social and economic history,
rather than political history. But now my son is working on
the family history – and he is finding some surprising
things. Some people studying their family tree merely look
for the lists of names – a bit like the Biblical genealogies.
A begat B, B begat C etc. But we’re often fortunate enough to
discover something about the people in the family. Not always
nice stuff. But it makes the people more real, not just names
on a piece of paper.
And as I look back through
the generations, patterns begin to appear. They may not be
good events. But, at least when I see a recurring pattern
those alarm bells sometimes ring, alerting me to the fact that
this set of circumstances could be the
gateway that has allowed a
particular curse into my life. I always thought I was only
the second person in my family to divorce. Now I know of many
others. Now my son is divorced. As well as divorce there are
at least two incidences of ‘multiple marriages’ or bigamy at a
time when divorce was out of the reach of most people.
5 Soul Ties
Some are Godly. But others
are not. Sometimes we have to accept that a particular
relationship is not what God wants for us. Perhaps that
person is trying to turn us away from our relationship with
God. Perhaps they are adversely affecting our lives in other
ways. We probably all know people who we think are ‘just not
good to be around’, and we avoid them or, at least, limit time
spent with them.
But if we are linked to
someone in an ungodly way, we need to sever the soul-tie, the
link between us. And to destroy anything that they have given
us. Why? Because any souvenir of that ungodly soul-tie we
kept would attract a curse back on us.
Curses can also be passed to
us by our sexual partners. The Bible tells us that the man
and the woman become one flesh. At that moment any curse on
one partner is passed to the other partner. In today’s
society, how many people have just one sexual partner? For
someone has been engaged in sexual activity with multiple
partners, the implications are serious – not only for their
physical health, but also for their spiritual well-being.
Anyone who has been sexually active with someone of a
non-Christian faith takes on the curses placed on their
partner.
6 Tongue
Words are powerful. ‘Sticks
and stones my break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ is
just not true. Words can, and do, hurt people. Sometimes
irreparably.
If we say, repeatedly, to
someone that they are stupid, or clumsy, that they’ll never be
successful, that their marriage will fail, etc. We are, in
effect, speaking a curse over their lives – opening a gateway
for evil spirits/demons to enter them and make our statement a
reality. That places terrific responsibility on each and
everyone of us to be aware of what we are saying to others.
So many teachers tell
children they can’t….. This can become self-fulfilling.
Children who are told they are stupid, or clumsy, or can’t do
a particular thing will, eventually fulfil what was spoken
over them.
7 Objects
Things can be cursed, just
as much as people. The souvenir you bring back from an exotic
holiday may have a curse as the unexpected, unwanted, free
gift. Many holiday souvenirs honour other gods. How many
buddhas do we see in shops today? Many interior designers
incorporate them into their plans. But they are meant to be
worshipped, and we are commanded not to worship other
gods. So why bring them into our homes? Totem poles,
statues, etc, etc.
Sometimes the workers who
make the souvenirs speak curses over them. Curses that will
stay with the object and affect its’ owner. If we buy
something with writing on it, which we are unable to
translate, how do we know it is not a curse?
Many of us annually spring
clean our homes. We de-junk to get rid of all the unwanted or
unnecessary clutter we’ve surrounded ourselves with. But how
many of us do a spiritual spring cleaning of our homes? We
need to monitor what we have in our homes. Are any of our
books titles we know we shouldn’t be reading? It’s not only
books, but also cds/tapes and dvds/videos. Certain types of
music are displeasing to God and listening to them could bring
down curses on us.
What do we do?
Our response to and curses
on our lives? Curses can be lifted. We need to repent of any
sin that may have brought the curse into being in your life.
And sever ALL links with the activity/person involved. Ask
God to lift the curse. “There is no curse without a cause”
whatever that might be. Proverbs 26:2 Both blessings and
curses operate according to eternal, unchanging, laws.
Turn curse to blessing.
Answer curse with a blessing. NEVER try to ‘bounce’ curse
back – that would be acting like them. Bless those who curse
you. Sometimes we know someone is actively cursing us. We
should NEVER try to return the curse on them. We must forgive
them, then bless them. Exchange good for evil!
Blessings
We must remember that we
were not created to suffer, to be cursed. When God created
the world and human life, He created a perfect world, with no
pain or suffering. But evil entered that world, tempting Eve
and Adam, leading to the very first curse.
God loved (and still loves)
us enough to give us free will. He could have created us
without that, so that we were always obedient to Him. But He
did not want us to be like robots. So we have free will. We
can choose. We can choose how to live, who to follow.
The Bible declares this good news: "The Lord
your God turned the curse into blessing for you, because the
Lord your God loved you" (Deuteronomy 23:5).
Here are some
biblical references to explore, which are sources of blessings
for us:
Deut 28: 1-14 - blessings for obedience
Luke 6: 20 – 22
- Beatitudes
Luke 6: 27 – 36
- Love for enemies
Luke 6: 28 -
Bless those who curse you
Deuteronomy 28:
3-13 blessings
A strategy for victory and blessing
Consider this woman – her name is Rahab, a Canaanite
from a cursed people. “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of
servants he shall be to his brethren” (Genesis 9: 25). This
people excelled in sinfulness. Their constant refusal to
repent inevitably brought down upon them the destructive
judgment of God.
Rahab belonged to this cursed nation. Furthermore, she was one
of the most sinful women in the city. She was known as
Rahab the Harlot. How could she, a Canaanite, escape the
judgment of God over her people? How could she become blessed
instead of cursed? Scripture records her story to encourage
you. Whatever your sins and their ensuing curses, whatever
curses you have inherited, they can all be converted into
blessings. Follow Rahab’s example:
a) She Listened to the News of God
God had commissioned Joshua to attack the people of Canaan and
destroy them. Joshua obeyed the command and sent two spies
ahead. Rahab met these two men and talked to them. She said:
“ For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of
the Red Sea for you, when you came out of Egypt .. for the
Lord your God, He is God” (Joshua 2: 10, 11). Rahab started
on the road to salvation when she heard about the
wonderful deeds of God. She not only heard but pondered on
what she had heard.
The first step is to listen; to open your ears to the
wonderful news about God. Have you heard this news? Do you
know that this news assures you of God’s love for you and His
desire to save you from curses and to fill your life with
peace and joy.
You must begin by hearing this good news, especially
the part that says the Lord carried all the curses on your
behalf when He hung on the Cross. Paul says that faith
comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). Rahab heard the news, so
faith entered her heart. She believed that the God who had
delivered His people from Pharaoh, would rescue her as well.
b) She Trusted that God Loved Her
When Rahab met the two spies, she did not see them as enemies,
but as messengers from God, sent especially to rescue her. In
spite of her sinful past, and her cursed nationality, she
believed that God loved her and sent the men to deliver her.
The Bible says: “ Rahab .. received the messengers” (James 2:
25).
Beloved, do you want the curses over you to be changed into
blessings? Trust that God loves you personally.
Have faith that what you have heard about His abundant grace
applies to you. God sent these words to you. He wants to give
you rest, deliverance and healing. This is a tremendous
revelation – Christ has redeemed you from curse so that it may
not affect you.
c) She Shut the Door
The two men told Rahab that her city was going to be
destroyed, and that if she was to be saved, she and her family
would have to shut the door (Joshua 2:19).
"Shutting the door" is a very important step.
You have to shut the door on all the things that can incur
curse.
Have you ever meddled in witchcraft or fortune-telling?
Shut the door and cut off this connection
right away. Do you have any amulets or charms in your home?
Burn them and get rid of them immediately. It is very
dangerous to keep them!
If
the difficult circumstances you are in now are due to your
past life, shut the door now. Shut it on the
life that takes away your peace. Resolve not to turn back to
the world. Stand against sin with all your determination and
the grace of God will strengthen you. Say: "I will shut the
door". If you realize that your current situation is because
you have continued in the sin of your fathers and
grandfathers, then take heart and shut the door
to this sin.
Like the Psalmist, Asaph, pray to God: "Oh, do not remember
former iniquities against us! Let your tender mercies come
speedily to meet us" (Psalm 79:8). Trust that Christ
has already redeemed you from the
curses inherited from your fathers and forefathers.
Praise God that He turns curses into blessings.
d) She Opened the Window
Her house was in the wall of the city, so she opened the
window and tied a
rope of scarlet thread to it, just as she had
been directed by the two men. She shut the door on the past
and opened the
window to heaven, to speak to the true God. He
would see the scarlet rope. Scarlet is the colour of
blood, which
it symbolises – the precious
blood of
Jesus.
You can open the window too, and look heavenwards. Look to the
blood
of the Lord Jesus, which speaks in heaven on your behalf
(Hebrews 12:24). This blood declares that the Lord loved
you and became a curse on the Cross to redeem you.
Close the
door on your former life
of sin and recklessness which brings curses into life.
Open the window
so the light of the Lord can shine in. The Holy Spirit is
calling you: "Awake… awake… shake yourself from the dust..
Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive"
(Isaiah 52:1,2) and "Arise.. shine.. for your light has
come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you"
(Isaiah 60:1).
Open the
window to the Lord’s
light and love. Open your heart to Him. Invite Him to come and
reign over your entire life.
Open your ears
to His encouraging words. Do not be afraid of following Him.
He knows that you are still weak. He will be your shepherd. He
will carry you on His shoulders.
He
bought you with His precious blood. He will protect you and do
wonders for you. Rahab was
transformed
from a cursed sinful woman, into one of the wonderful
witnesses of faith.
She became a mother among the people of God – an ancestor of
Christ Himself.
In conclusion
Her curses
were turned
into blessings.
Follow her example and you will go from blessing to blessing.
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Listen to the good
news – Christ has redeemed you from the curse. He has turned
curse into blessing for you, because He loved you.
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Trust in His love.
Believe that He wants to set you free and give you a better
life to enjoy.
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Shut the door on
everything that incurs curse.
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Open the window to the
Lord’s light. Look to the blood of the Covenant which brings
forgiveness.
Declare that you are "in Christ" and that you are "in Christ..
a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Resist the
devil when he tries to bring about curses over your life..
Declare to him that you are not under the curse but the
blessing. rebuke him in the Name of Jesus. Believe that life
in Christ is full of blessings, brought by the Holy Spirit to
your spirit, soul, and body. They are blessings which lead to
blessings and take you from glory to glory.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Unbroken Curses by Rebecca
Brown MD and Daniel Yoder
1995 Harvest Warriors
Clinton, AR
Me and My Big Mouth by Joyce
Meyer
1997 Faith
Words New York
The Breaking of Curses by
Frank and Ida Hammond
1993 Impact Christian
Books Kirkwood, MO
Blessing or Curse You Can
Choose by Derek Prince
2005 Authentic Media
Bletchley, Milton Keynes
Does Your Tongue Need
Healing? By Derek Prince
1986 Derek Prince
Ministries Charlotte NC
Blessings and Curses by
Derek Prince
2003 Chosen
Books Grand Rapids MI
The Weight of Your Words by
Joseph M Stowell
1998 Moody
Press Chicago
http://www.pastor-daniel.org/english/blessing.htm
http://www.christian-faith.com/forjesus/turning-curses-blessings
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