Curses and Blessings

This session will delineate the nature of curses that we can encounter in our Christian walk, and how to
get rid of them. The source book I have used for this material is from Derek Prince called Blessings or
Curse: You can choose. I have included it on the suggested reading list.
Today, when someone says curse, thoughts of Voo-doo witch doctors come to mind. It has the
connotation of something ancient, superstitious, and ridiculous to the western mind. The nature of
blessings and curses are far more subtle than these notions. Jesus said we justified or condemned by our
words. We can curse ourselves with our own words. Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the Law, but
we can still inadvertently curse ourselves by speaking negatively. The good news is that we can reverse
the curses weve invoked by our own ignorance. Paul admonishes us to bless and not to curse others. If
cursing and blessing are archaic terms then these citations in the NT have no meaning.
A curse is a negative sentiment expressed verbally, in written form, or simply thought, which invokes
sickness, death, poverty, hopelessness, joblessness, slavery, rape, murder, or any of the many other
aspects of the law of sin and death that scripture speaks about. The curses of the law are listed in Deut
28:15-68. A single word sums up the result of a curse in our lives: this is the word frustration. No
matter what we do when a curse is at word, our efforts at overcoming the issue end up in frustration and
ineffectiveness. If there are areas in your life that manifest in continual frustration, you may be operating
under a curse of some kind.
Blessings are just the opposite. They work by the same mechanism of words but invoke a positive
response: healing, deliverance, prosperity, joy, peace, fecundity, vision, hope and all the other aspects of
the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Blessings and curses can come from our own selves, from
others, from our ancestors, from our culture, from our parents, from satan, or from God, in the case of
blessing. There are degrees of each. We can be conscious of their workings or not. We can invoke them
on ourselves consciously or unconsciously. They work within just our own selves, or in wider circles such
as within a family, a community, an ethnicity, a culture, a nation, or even a civilization.
There are two realms which shape history: the visible and the invisible. Paul was quite familiar with
these realms. In 2 Cor 4:17,18, he said, (For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an
eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.( Knowledge is power. Paul, having gone
through much physical and emotional hardship, said, essentially, if I look at what I see, I(m doomed; if I
keep focused on the invisible realm, I can only win. In our case in this lesson, I want to make the point
that there is an invisible realm which we must contend with. By knowledge of it, we can have it work for
us instead of against us. Indeed, these verses say, the invisible realm is really where it(s at because it is
eternal, whereas the realm of the visible is constantly changing, by nature.
There are two aspects of blessings and cursing which are shared by both. One, as I(ve already
mentioned, is that they can effect a larger circle than just you alone. They can affect communities and
nations. The second aspect is that they persist over time, even over several generations. Ex 20:5,6 makes
this point for us: (You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a
jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those
who hate me, but showing love to a thousand [ generations] of those who love me and keep my
commandments.( Notice, blessings have a longer life span than iniquity. I believe this is because of the
self destructive nature of sin itself: it doesn(t last long before people involved in it die. There may be
forces in your life, either blessing or cursing, which originated from previous generations. For example,
you might have a history of heart disease in your family: your grandfather had it, your father had it, and
now you have it. On the blessing side of things, your grandmother may have been a pastor, your father a
pastor, and now you feel the call to pastor. Blessing and cursing can explain things in your life that, simply
looking at your own life and its circumstances, cannot be otherwise explained adequately.
Words are the main vehicle of both blessing and cursing. Pr 11:9 says, (A hypocrite with his mouth
destroys his neighbor: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered;( Pr 12:18 (There is he that
speaks like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health;( Pr 15:4 (A wholesome tongue
is a tree of life: but perverseness in it is a breach in the spirit;( Pr 18:21 (Death and life are in the power
of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit of it.( James says our words can control our whole
body for the better or for the worse. Words are power. They can carry life or death in themselves.
Words are not the only vehicle through which blessing and cursing are transferred. Physical objects can
serve also. In various instances in Scripture, the anointing of God was transferred via oil. The molecular
makeup of the oil is no different than oil that is not anointed by God, rather, God supernaturally
transmits power through it, either by faith in it to confer the blessing - thus, the faith of the person
allowed God to give the anointing to the person and the oil was simply a point of contact for the person
to believe; or, God supernaturally allowed the oil to (carry( the blessing of the anointing on the person.
Without faith and obedience, no blessing results.
1 Cor 11:29 is a NT example of a physical object conferring blessing or cursing. The bread and wine of
communion, when taken properly, confers blessing; if taken improperly, they confer a curse: (He who
eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself.( This judgment comes in
the form of sickness, weakness and premature death, it says. Again, there is no inherent power in the
bread and wine - they are merely foods; the power comes from our faith and obedience, or
disobedience, in them. God honors our faith with blessing, and ruefully gives us cursing if we choose to
disobey Him.
Satan is the god of this world. He is a source of cursing to us. Curses have the
quality that they blind our eyes from seeing the blessing that(s right before us. 2 Cor 4:4
says, (the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel
of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.( In Jer 17:5_6 it says, (Cursed is
the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. For he
shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched
places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.( Curses prevent us from seeing the blessing
that is right in front of us.
Some folks have no problem believing in blessings but somehow in their minds relegate curses to the
Dark Ages of witches and gargoyles. Let me offer this bit of logic. We cannot have blessing unless there is
cursing - the one defines the other. We cannot pick and choose what we believe in the bible. Either it(s
all true or none of it is true. The opposite of good is evil; both are real. You can choose to ignore
something but that won(t make it go away.
Perhaps it(s helpful to first identify the characteristics of both blessing and cursing in order to verify their
existence in our lives. By doing this we will be able to position ourselves to receive blessing and to
identify and remove curses that may exist. It may not be realized that God, unfortunately, is the source of
some curses in our lives. This comes in the form of judgment as a result of sin. Gal 6:7_8 says, (Do not be
deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his
flesh will of the flesh reap corruption.( God takes no pleasure in recompensing the seeds of disobedience
in our lives with judgment. Paradoxically though, judgment can be a blessing in disguise. If, for example,
you had a cocaine habit that was killing you, and you were arrested for possession, this judgment could
actually be a way for you to kick the habit, repent, and get on with your life.
I have been citing several OT scriptures in this lesson to illustrate various points. It is a common idea
amongst Christians that the OT is largely irrelevant to the NT believer because, (after all, God is a God of
love mercy; the OT portrays God as angry and judgmental. Why, didn(t Jesus say we shouldn(t judge?( A
closer look at both testaments will reveal the fallacy of this idea. Rahab, a prostitute, became the wife of
Salmon, one of the princes of Judah, who was in the genealogical line from which Israel's Messiah came.
This is God's mercy. David received the grace of God, which is the cornerstone of the NT, by worshiping
God as a priest when he had no right, by the Law of God, to do so. He established the tabernacle of
David by faith in God(s grace to enter into the holy of holies without being killed. The book of Revelation
talks about the White Throne of Judgment which all peoples, Christians or not, will hold forth their lives
unto God. Thus the OT contains many instances of mercy and the NT instances of judgment. Paul, in Rom
11:22, puts it succinctly: (Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God.( God is both merciful
and just. You cant have mercy without justice. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hes the
same God now that he was during OT times.
Pr 26:2 shows us how to identify, and get rid of curses in our lives. It says, (As the bird by wandering, as
the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.( The birds, here, can represent demonic
forces which God allows to come on us as the result of our sins which we, or our ancestors, have
committed. They persist as long as they go unrepented of. The blood and forgiveness of Jesus must be
invoked before a curse can be removed. This Proverbs verse also tells us that there has to be a cause for
curses, and, a curse cannot operate without a cause on our part, or on the part of those we are
associated with. Deut 28:1,2 tells us the cause of blessing: (If you diligently obey the voice of the Lord
your God, to observe carefully all His commandments ... all these blessings shall come upon you and
overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.( Notice that listening, or hearing, is
iterated twice. Blessing, then, comes from listening to God(s voice, and then doing it. This requirement
for blessing is the same in both covenants. Conversely, the cause of curses is also laid out in v. 15 of the
same chapter: (But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe
to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day, that all these curses shall
come upon you and overtake you.( Curses come from NOT hearing God(s voice and NOT doing what He
says. This refusal attitude is summed up in one word: rebellion. This rebellion is not against man, but
against God. Now, we all sin, but there are certain sins which have greater impact and consequence on
our lives than others.
Blessings are characterized by: exaltation, prosperity, health, victory, reproductiveness, and God's favor.
Curses are characterized by: humiliation, barrenness, unfruitfulness, mental and physical sickness, family
breakdown, poverty, defeat, oppression, failure, and God's disfavor.

Alright, now I want to look at curses in more detail. After this, I(ll look at blessings. Curses can come
under 7 basic categories: 1. Mental and/or emotional breakdown; 2. Repeated or chronic sicknesses; 3.
Barrenness, a tendency to miscarry or related female problems; 4. Breakdown of marriage and family
alienation; 5. Continuing financial insufficiency; 6. Being "accident prone(; 7. A history of suicide and
unnatural or untimely deaths. These are gleaned from the list of curses in the 28th chapter of Deut. I will
look at each of these in detail. The reason I(m going over this is so that you can identify curses in your
life. We all have them. By identifying them we are well on our way to deliverance from them. You can(t
be delivered from something you don(t know you have. Jesus said He came to deliver the broken
hearted, to heal those who are oppressed, to set the captives free.
The first group of curses is mental and emotional breakdown. The key characteristics to look for in your
life regarding these are confusion and depression. Some of the verses in Deut 28 that elaborate on this
condition are: vs. 28, 34 - madness; confusion of heart or confusion of mind (vs. 20, 28); a trembling
heart or an anxious mind (v. 65); anguish of soul or a despairing heart. Often there is demonic activities
attached to these. Our activities can invite or deny demons into our lives. If we continue with negative
activities, no amount of prayer or anointing can prevent satan to continue to harass us. Once the
activities are stopped, now you have a fighting chance at victory. Hos 4:6 says we perish for lack of
knowledge. If any of these symptoms are in your life, ask God whether or not there is a curse involved
with them.
The second group is chronic and repeating sicknesses. Hereditary diseases are included here. Just
because your family has a history of schizophrenia, for example, doesn(t mean you have to receive it -
(the curse causeless shall not come(; Jesus took the curses of the Law on Himself so that we don(t have
to. Some of the verses that elaborate this condition are: v. 21 - plague or plagued with diseases;
consumption of wasting disease (v.22); sever burning fever; inflammation; incurable boils (vs 27, 35);
tumors (v. 27); scabs or festering sores (v.27); incurable itch; blindness (v.28); extraordinary, fearful
prolonged plagues (v.59); serious and prolonged sicknesses or sever and lingering disease (v.59); every
other kind of sickness and plague (v.61).
The third category of cursing is barrenness. This includes, a tendency to miscarry or related female
problems. Almost all, if not all, menstrual disorders are a result of a curse. (So Im not suggesting the
biological function of menstruation is a curse, just disorders associated with it). Among women,
menstruation is often called (the curse.( By calling it a curse, instead of the God-given ability to have
children that it is, we can invoke a curse on ourselves by our words of cursing. Remember, life and death
are in the power of the tongue. If you have ever called it this, repent, and receive forgiveness and
healing.
The fourth category is the breakdown of marriage and family alienation. Verse 41 of Deut 28 says, (you
shall beget sons and daughters, but you shall not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.( Mal 4:5,6
warns against a curse that will come upon the whole earth when the father(s relationship with his
children is broken. Fatherlessness is the basic cause of family disfunction.
The fifth curse involves finances. Some of the verses that elaborate on this theme are: v17 - cursed shall
be your basket and your store; v.29 _ (you shall not prosper in your ways( or you will be unsuccessful in
everything you do; v.47,48 (Because you served not the LORD your God with joyfulness, and with
gladness of heart, in the time of prosperity; therefore shall you serve your enemies which the LORD shall
send against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things.( The combined
effect of all these can be summed up in a single phrase: absolute poverty. Prosperity is consistently
depicted as a blessing in Scripture, and poverty as always a curse. It is from the eastern religions that we
get the idea that poverty is a blessing, or a form or worship to God. Weve probably all heard of vow of
poverty. In the west, we tend to think of prosperity only in terms of material wealth. This is only partly
true. True prosperity is the ability to do all that God would have you do without hindrance of financial
constraint. Jesus main objective while on earth was to do the will of His Father. This should be ours also.
Poverty is having less than what is necessary to do His will. The greater the gap between what you need
and what you have, the greater the degree of poverty. Abundance, which is God(s will, is having the
materials to do all that God has for you to do with some left over to give to others to help them do the
same. The standard of prosperity, therefore, will vary from individual to individual, depending on what
God would have for them to do in life. Some, like Moses, will give up a higher standard of living in order
to reach the people group they are after. Moses, esteemed (the reproach of Christ of greater riches than
the treasures in Egypt(, it says in Heb 11:26. Pr 13:7 (There is (he) that makes himself rich, yet has
nothing: there is (he) that makes himself poor, yet has great riches.( If our needs only include our
mortgage and utility bills, our vision is too small. God says we can enlarge the place of our tents (Isa
54:2): we can enlarge our sense of need to include those around us, in our church, our community, our
state and our nation. This will greatly increase your budget as you expand your sense of need.
The sixth category involves accidents. You may be a good driver and a careful person but your life is
plagued with accidents. If you find yourself saying, (why does it always happen to me?(, this may be
indicative of a curse.
The last category involves suicide and unnatural, untimely deaths. This would be a family history or large
social unit phenomenon. There may be experienced a dark foreboding ahead, a sense of evil to your
person just around the bend. Some might go so far as to predict their death by saying something like, (I(ll
never see the other side of 45 years old.( This is fear, or negative faith, in manifestation. It will more than
likely happen.
Another source of curse comes from idolatry. Ex 20, beginning at the verse three, iterates the first and
second commandments. Let(s read: (You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make any
graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that
is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD
your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth
generation of them that hate me.( God says here the consequence of disobedience to this
commandment is that God is forced to annul our rights in Christ Jesus Who took the punishment of sin
on Himself and allow the results of our sins to come upon us. Now, it(s doubtful that any of us worship
physical idols, but, any thing that takes the place of God in our lives is an idol. We all have effectively
worshiped ourselves, putting ourselves and our own resources in the place of God(s resources and
capacities. We all have the inner urge to control. Actually, this is of God - we(re made in His image and
likeness, and He is in control. But we must submit this urge to control onto God who sanctifies it. Jesus
did the same. He said, (I can do nothing but what I see My Father doing.( Now, we can overcome these
curses when we repent and receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. But my point is, if there are some
of these symptoms of cursing happening in your life, you may not be aware of the underlying causes of
them, and therefore never bothered to ask forgiveness for them.
Witchcraft is a form of ungodly control. Actually, we(ve all been guilty of witchcraft at one time or other.
How can this be, you ask? Well, witchcraft has two components: a flesh element and a spiritual element.
When I said we(ve all done it, I was referring to the flesh element. Most of us never go beyond the flesh
realm of this type of control. A few will get frustrated with the lack of power in the flesh only and then
seek further power in the spiritual satanic realm. This is where the demonic enters in and adds to the
flesh-power of trying to control people and circumstances, bypassing the throne of God.
We(ve all tried to control other people by our words and actions at some time in our lives. God controls,
not by fear and intimidation but by love; He also maintains our free will and dignity. Witchcraft is selfish
in nature. It is based on fear, greed and pride. The meaning of the word witchcraft is a derivative of the
word (occult(, which, in Latin means to cover over or to be hidden. Witchcraft is stealthy; it hides its
tracks. It is covert, unless provoked to come out in the open. (Bewitched( is a derivative word.
There are only two sources of supernatural knowledge and power in the universe: either satan or God.
Satan(s is illegitimate, God(s is legitimate. Satan(s kingdom is dark. He is the master liar. He(s so good at
lying that he deceives himself. Those who follow him, in this case, in witchcraft, don(t really realize who
they are serving and who he is. Those who worship satan openly think they gain something by it, not
knowing that whatever power and knowledge they have been given will be taken away from them
eventually. Those who are involved in the occult, the hidden art of control, are breaking the 1st
commandment, thus invoking a curse on themselves. This is spiritual adultery, a sin greater than physical
adultery. Pr 5:3-6 talks about the effects of physical adultery but I think it speaks well for spiritual
adultery as well: (For the lips of a strange woman drop as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than
oil: but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her
steps take hold on hell. Lest you should ponder the path of life, her ways are unstable, that you cannot
know them.( Instability and death are the result of adultery it says here.
There are three realms of the occult: witchcraft, divination, and sorcery. Witchcraft is the power branch.
Its root is exposed in 1 Sam 15:23 (For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.( Witchcraft is an expression of
man's rebellion against God. It is man's attempt to gain his own ends without submitting to God's Law. It
uses either psychological or psychic techniques, or a combination of both. The activity is to manipulate,
intimidate, and dominate. Domination is its ultimate purpose. Wherever people use verbal or nonverbal
tactics to manipulate, intimidate and dominate those around them, witchcraft is at work.
One might object, (Yes, but that(s all OT Law stuff. We(re in the NT. We don(t need to follow that any
more.( Let me ask you something. Is it still a sin to murder someone? How about to steel? To lie? How
about honoring your father and mother? The Ten Commandments are a standard of holiness which still
applies to us in God(s mercy and grace. You can(t have mercy unless there is a standard. Rom 8:4 says
the grace of God has been given to us to fulfill the Law in Christ, not to do away with it. The difference
between us and the OT saints is that we have the spiritual wherewithal to keep the Law. They didn(t
have this. They only had their flesh as a resource. The anointing was only on a select few.
Alright then, going on, Gal 5:20 lists idolatry as one of the works of the flesh. We invite satan to work in
us when we idolize our flesh by trying to control without God.
Some permutations of this type of witchcraft include: acupressure, acupuncture, astral projection,
hypnosis, levitation, marital arts (those that invoke supernatural spiritual power), mind control, mind
dynamics, parakinesis, table_tipping, telekinesis, "touch" healing, and witchcraft: this includes WICA and
satan worship.
Divination is the second branch of the occult. It involves knowledge. Fortune telling, or knowledge of the
future, is its most common form. It includes all false forms of religious revelation that claim a
supernatural force. Manifestations of this type of control include: astrology, automatic writing,
"channeling," clairaudience (hearing "voices"), clairvoyance - seeing things, crystal balls, diagnosing by
color therapy or a pendulum, divining, ESP, handwriting analysis, horoscopes, iridology, kabala, mediums,
mind reading, numerology, omens, palm reading, phrenology, sances, tarot cards, tea leaf reading,
telepathy, and "water witching". Objects in your possession that discuss these occult practices should be
burned and destroyed.
It might be objected that these practices have helped you in the past, or that they might be a little off
but not a lot. Satan is no fool. He(s not going to give us poison right off the bat. He gives us true Truth -
He knows the Word; but he(ll also add just enough junk to it that, if you continue in it long enough, you(ll
end up a prisoner of his, whether you realize or not. Remember, there(s only two sources of power;
there are only two gods. You are either in one camp or the other. If you think you(re in between, you(re
deceived. Now its true, as Christians, we have all sinned in this area. But I(m saying it IS sin, and
therefore a source of cursing. Repentance breaks the curse.
False religions are part of this branch of witchcraft. Particularly dangerous are religions that misrepresent
the Person, the nature of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Jesus is "God manifest in the flesh" it says
in John 1:14, but Jehovah's' Witnesses, for example, claims he was a created being. Islam rejects the
claim of Jesus to be the Son of God, and denies that He ever actually died on the cross. Some other false
religions include: anthroposophy, Black Mass, Children of God, Christadelphians, Christian Science,
Freemasonry, Inner Peace Movement, Jehovah's Witnesses (Dawn Bible Students), Mormons (Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter_day Saints), New Age movement, Religious Science, Rosicrucianism, Scientology,
Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Unification Church (Moonies, One World
Crusade), Unitarian Church, and Worldwide Church of God (founded by Herbert W. Armstrong).
Some object to Christianities exclusive claim. The world calls us narrow minded. Being open minded is
laudable to a point, but there comes a time you can be so open minded we become empty headed.
Absolute openness is randomness - everything is game. This is clearly at odds with Scripture, and our
own experience. Is it open minded to disallow murder and rape? I think if one brings this thinking to its
logical conclusion, we must embrace randomness and meaninglessness. Nature is (open minded,( in this
sense. It is not murder for a mountain lion to kill a deer, it is just survival of the fittest. A materialistic
view point must ultimately lead to this same conclusion concerning human affairs if it is to be consistent.
Truth, by nature, is exclusive. 1 + 1 is 2; it is not 3 or 4 or 124. My name is Dennis. It is not Tom, Mary or
Steve. The sky is blue; it is not green or pink. In logic, A = A; A cannot equal A and B simultaneously. Jesus
said the only way to the Father is through the Son. The reason for this is that Jesus is God. All founders of
all other religions, made no claim to godhood. Jesus did - He said He is I AM. Furthermore, He
substantiated His claim by doing god-like things, including being raised from the dead an immortal man.
Unbelievers will generally agree with this until it comes to moral issues. Then they want their cake and
eat it. It is consistent with the truth of Christianity, therefore, that it claims exclusivity. By nature, truth IS
exclusive.
Alright back to our subject. Sorcery is the third branch of witchcraft. It operates in the physical realm of
natural objects that impact our physical senses. Thus, objects are imparted spiritual powers by the
practioner. I include also drugs and music here. The Greek word pharmakia is used for our English word
sorcery, from which we get our word pharmacy. 2 Tim 3:13 uses the word imposters( to describe those
who would deceive Christians away from the faith. It can also be translated (enchanters.( Chanting and
incantation is a technique used in sorcery. Heavy metal music uses drugs, chanting and incantation to
reach into the dark spiritual realm. Objects used in idolatry such as lucky charms, coins, horseshoes, or
figures of saints should be destroyed. Also, amulets, ankhs (angks)(an ankh is a cross with a ring at the
top), birthstones, charms (e.g., for wart removal), crystals used for healing, hallucinogenic drugs, "heavy
metal" rock recordings, hex signs, "lucky" symbols (e.g., inverted horseshoes), Ouija boards, pagan
fetishes or religious artifacts, planchettes (its like a Ouija board), talismans, or zodiac charms should be
destroyed.

Deut 18:10_13 says, (Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who
practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a
medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD,
and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.
You must be blameless before the LORD your God.( It says here that those who engage in occult practices
are in the same class as those who sacrifice their children in fire to pagan gods. The penalty is death. This
is serious with God. The curse associated with idolatry iterated in the first two commandments extends
to the fourth generation. This equates with our great grandparents. We all have two parents. Both of our
parents had two pairs of parents. Now we have a total of six people in a previous generation who, if they
practiced any kind of idolatry, the curse of it would be on you. Taking into account four more pairs of
great grand parents, now we(re up to 14 people who could have been involved in the occult without
your knowledge and their curse be upon us. That(s a lot of folks. Can any of us guarantee that none of
our ancestors weren(t involved in the occult, even by association? I don(t think I could. We(ll talk about
how to get rid of curses later. For right now, I just want you to see the reality of this dynamic.
Someone might say, (Well I didn(t know about all that? How can God hold me responsible for actions
other people took?( My people perish for lack of knowledge. Now you know, and later we(ll talk about
getting rid of curses. Ignorance is not an excuse with God. Paul said he was the (chief sinner( in 1 Tim
1:13-15 for sins he committed (ignorantly in unbelief.( Ignorance does not let us off the hook with God.
We are still guilty even if we are unaware of what we(re doing. He says Hell go easier in judgment on
those who did things unknowingly than unknowingly. Even if you played the spiritual harlot as a joke,
God still takes it seriously. It would be like saying committing adultery with a married woman was done
as a joke, and that you really didn(t mean it. This is absurd. You did it on purpose.

After Joshua and the children of Israel had taken Jericho and the city of Ai, he set up an altar to God at
the foot of two mountains. These were Mts. Ebal and Gerizim. Six of the twelve tribes went to the base
of one of the mountains and the other six to the other mountain bottom. There, Joshua read to them the
Law of Moses in its entirety, both the blessings and the cursings. Moses had instructed them to perform
this solemn ceremony as they entered into the promised land. Deut 27:15_26 lists twelve moral and
ethical sins which provoke God(s curse. The gist of the curses are: acknowledging and worship of false
gods; disrespect for parents; all forms of oppressions and injustice, especially when directed against the
weak and the helpless; and, all forms of illicit or unnatural sex. The final curse covered all forms of
disobedience against the Law.
One might object that Jesus bore the punishment of our sins on Himself so that we don(t have to. Why
rehearse all this? The answer is that, while you may have, this does not mean that anyone in your
ancestry had done so. If we don(t receive what God has for us, then our guilt remains. In addition, if our
children or anyone else we might know does any of these things, this begins a new cycle of curses. All of
the curses of the Law have been dealt with at the cross, but sin is still sin. Murder is still a sin, even
though it is Old Testament, and even though it has been dealt with at the cross. Sin still causes curses on
us. Unbelievers amongst us who sin cause a curse to come on the land. This affects us indirectly. 2 Chron
7:14 mentions God healing the land - this must imply the land can be cursed by sin. If My people who
are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked
ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Anti Semitism
In Gen 12:2,3 God commands a blessing on Abraham, who is the founder of the Jewish nation. He says, (I
will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a
blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.( There are five blessings mentioned here and one curse. The word used
here for (curse( includes the ideas of reviling and speaking evil of. God does not take kindly to those who
persecute His people. He takes it personally. The Scripture says we are called by His name. Somebody
might say, (I thought all that Jew-Gentile stuff was done away with at the cross.( This is true, for those
who believe. The Jewish nation, as a people, however, have never accepted Jesus as the promised
Messiah. Individual Jews have - these are called Messianic Jews - but as a people they haven(t. Therefore
there are still Gentiles and Jews who are outside the new covenant. Well, the Jews are still God(s chosen
people. They sinned back then, they are still sinning now, but they(re still His people and He loves them.
They are still the seed of Abraham and his curses and blessings still apply to them.
I heard a testimony once of a Muslim who had converted to Christianity. He was a successful business
man. As a devoted Muslim - before his conversion - he hated the Jews. He cursed them. His testimony
was that during the time he had converted but still had not asked God to forgive him of cursing the Jews,
even if he made $250,000, he would need $300,000. He never seemed to have enough. After repentance
from his anti-Semitism, his testimony was that this curse went away. I believe the Arab countries will
never prosper as long as they hate the Jews. Again, individual Arabs or Muslims - or anyone else for that
matter - who has no hatred to the Jews may prosper, but as a nation under Islam, with its stated enmity
against the Jews, they will never do well. The Arab nations are said to be the progeny of Ishmael,
Abraham(s son in the flesh. The flesh wars against the spirit - Isaac, the son of Abraham, the father of the
Jewish nations. I believe America is blessed, in part, because we support Israel. In the future, should our
policies change on this head, I believe we will decline as a nation. Ps 122:6 says pray for the peace of
Jerusalem. Without out the Jews, we would be without apostles, without a bible, without a covenant,
and without a Savior.

Other sources of cursing: legalism, carnality, and apostasy.

Jer 17:5 says, (Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs
from the Lord.( The flesh here connotes, not the physical body, but the Adamic nature. Adam(s sin
stemmed not so much from an attitude of evil intent, but from a desire to be independent of God. The
motive of the flesh is to be righteous without dependency on God to do it. Religion is man(s attempt at a
relationship and understanding of God outside the cross, or in the flesh. This route always ends up with
an (Ishmael,( not an (Isaac.( The flesh is corrupt. 1 Cor 15:50 says, (flesh and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption.( The flesh always produces (dead works.
( God requires that we repent of dead works (Heb 6:1). The man in the Jer 17:5 scripture was not a
stranger to the power of God. It said his heart departed from the Lord: this means he knew Him at one
time but then turned his back on the Lord. He began relying on his own fleshly abilities. He has more
confidence in what he can do for himself than what God can do for him. God says this action and attitude
cause Him to invoke a curse. It says, (he will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity
when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.( All
that surrounds him is barren and wasted. Actually, refreshing may come to others around him, but it
never seems to affect him that way. He(s on the outside looking in. This describes Christians who, started
well, but ended up in the flesh, doing things on their own instead of with God. This is, unfortunately,
pervasive in the Body of Christ. It is the cause of much barrenness and ineffectiveness in the Church. It
manifests in several ways: theology will be exalted above revelation; intellectual education above
character building; psychology above discernment; programs above the leading of the Holy Spirit;
eloquence above supernatural power; reasoning above the walk of faith; laws above love.
Paul identifies the source of flesh power as witchcraft in Gal 3 starting at v1: (Who has bewitched you, or,
who has put you under a spell? Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith.( The works of the law is defined as legalism. Legalism is the idea of achieving righteousness with
God by observing a set of rules. Paul, in Rom 3:20, says this cannot work: he says, (therefore by the
deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight.( In the original Greek here, the word (the( in front
of (law( is added by the translators, thus, it should read: (therefore by the deeds of law no flesh will be
justified in His sight.( The law here refers to the Mosaic Law, but the absence of the article implies that
any set or rules is inadequate to attain righteousness.
Legalism can also mean adding extra conditions beyond what God laid out in order to attain
righteousness. The early Jewish converts were want to add the Mosaic Law to Jesus( work on the cross.
This amendment was denied by the apostles because it suggests that what Jesus did was incomplete or
inadequate to get the job done. This is not so. Jesus said, (It is finished( - the job I did was completely
complete, nothing left undone. I did it all, Jesus was saying.
Paul was very concerned for the Galatian Christians. In verse 3 he exclaims, (Having begun in the Spirit,
are you now being made prefect by the flesh?( The biblical term for this phenomenon is carnality. He
goes on to say, in verse 10, that, (as many are of the works of the law are under the curse of the law.( He
says in Rom 8:8 that (those who are in the flesh cannot please God.( Works of the flesh divert attention
away from God and onto self. Paul lists at least 15 (works of the flesh( in the 5th chapter of Galatians. He
categorizes them as witchcraft or spells. Looking back to Jer 17:5,6, trusting in the flesh as our strength,
results in a curse. Examples of carnality are: sexual uncleanness or immorality, vulgar language;
overindulgence of food or drink; driving personal ambition; uncontrolled anger or other evil passions.
What makes legalism so insidious is that it appeals to earnest, dedicated men and women, not easily
trapped in more obvious sins of the flesh. Someone once said, good has one too many (o(s( in it. It is
that old knowledge of good and evil again. It is one of satan(s favorite ploys to foil the otherwise serious
Christian from doing real damage to his kingdom.

Gal 1:6-9 exposes another source of curse: apostasy. In Greek it is the word anathema. Verse 8, (But even
though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have
preached to you, let him be accursed.
Apostasy entails any preaching of the Gospel that deviates from its central core beliefs. These are: Jesus
Christ is the divine, eternal Son of God, who became a member of the human race by virgin birth. He led
a sinless life, died on the cross as a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of humanity, was buried and rose
again in bodily form from the grave on the third day. He ascended in to heaven, from whence He will
return to earth in person, to judge the living and the dead in the future. Everyone who repents of sin and
trusts in the sacrifice of Jesus receives forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life.
These truths are based on three historical facts: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures...He
was buried...He rose again the third day according to the Scripture (1 Cor 15:3,4). Paul sites two sources
of authority to these statements: the first is Scripture itself, or the OT; the second source is eye witnesses
that saw the resurrected Jesus after His death and burial. Paul goes on to say that if Jesus did not raise
from the dead then our preaching is in vain, as is our faith; if He did not raise from the dead, then we are
still in our sins.

The prophet Zechariah points out another source of curse we can incur on ourselves. Chapter 5, vs 1-4,
lists two specific sins: theft and perjury, or lying. He describes these sort of like a consuming disease. He
says, once they enter a house, they eventually consume the whole building. The word (house( here could
be interpreted, from the Hebrew, not only physically, but as the individual, the family, the local church, or
even a community and nation. The former Soviet Union comes to mind as an example of a nation
becoming so corrupt from these two sins that the nation eventually collapsed. To this day, corruption
among individuals and the government still plague the nation. Ten percent of the price of goods
displayed in retail stores in our country is due to the cost of added insurance to cover theft. This is an
added source of inflation. Perjury affects the US government revenue by people lying on their income tax
reports. We lose billions every year from this.
These two sins contribute to the breakdown of the family. The family is the basic unit of society. When
the family breaks down, the nation is quick to follow. History is clear on this.

Haggai is another prophet who speaks of a curse coming as a result of certain attitudes taken. In the first
chapter he castigates the Jews for putting their own personal needs and priorities over God(s. Result?
They got holes in their pockets. They were earning money for their labor and business, but as quick as
they could make it, they had to use it to buy this or that that broke down, they had to make some
unexpected outlay for something or other unforseen... on and on it went: their wealth gained them little
satisfaction. Haggai said it(s because they put themselves first, and God second. Matt 6:33 says seek
first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. The things
spoken of here were material things of daily life. God is not opposed to us having things, indeed, he
wants us to have them; He just wants us to maintain the right attitude about them. God is life. There is
no other source for it.
Theft against God is another source of curse. Mal 3:8,9 speaks of the Jews robbing God of His tithes and
offerings, thus invoking upon themselves a curse. God keeps a record of what we give to Him (Indeed, He
keeps a record of everything we do. If He didn(t how could He judge us fairly at the end of our lives on
earth?). The Jews had a covenant with God that demanded a tenth of their income to Him. They agreed
to it. So do we. Actually, God says all the silver and gold, or wealth, is His. We don(t own anything. We
are stewards. Stewards don(t own the masters( stuff, he just manages it. If you think you own any of your
wealth, try taking it with you when you die! The Jews were being disobedient in their giving of tithes and
offerings. We can do the same. Verse 10 tells how to get out of the curse: start giving what you owe to
God. He required both repentance and restitution. If you have not tithed, start. Stop incurring a curse on
yourself. It(s not just about you because, as one member suffers, all suffer. The rest of us pick up your tab
one way or another, either financially or otherwise. 2 Cor 9:7 says give offerings as you purpose in your
heart to give, not grudgingly or of necessity. The Holy Spirit is not stingy. Ps 51:12 says (Uphold me with
your generous spirit.( God is generous. We have his spirit within us. If God(s people under the law were
admonished to give tithes and offerings, how much more we who are under the new covenant that(s
established on better promises. Stinginess toward God provokes a curse; liberality releases a blessing.

Another source of cursing is rebellion against authority. Since the sixties, it has been a cultural norm to
not only question authority but to also resent it and actively fight against it in all forms. People now are
almost embarrassed and apologetic if they find themselves in some sort of position of authority. Some
have the idea that if you rebel against authority it will eventually go away. This is not the case. All
authority comes from God, and God has chosen to delegate His authority to people on the earth. People
have used this authority to create governments and laws; they have also abused authority creating the
holocaust of Nazi Germany and the killing fields of Pol Pot in Cambodia.
In biblical terminology, authority is termed by the word (head.( 1 Cor 11:3 says, (But I would have you
know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of
Christ is God.( Delegated authority always has limits. Outside these limits, if abused, it becomes
illegitimate authority. For instance, the man is head of his household, but he is not the head of another(s
household. The laws that govern the American people do not extend to Norway or Mexico. A father(s
authority does not extend to civil authority in the community. Abused authority is not cancelled because
it has been abused, it is simply abused authority. It is still authority, nevertheless. Abused authority
causes much pain and hardship, but no authority is much worse. In political terms this is called anarchy,
or no government. Anyone can do anything without retribution. A riot is an example of temporary
anarchy. I have never heard of a riot which was not violent and destructive. Margret Thatcher, the former
prime minister of England, noted, after a power outage in New York City several years ago which resulted
in looting and shooting, said (the veneer of humanity is rather thin.( How true. An abused child would
rather have his or her abusive parent then to go to some foster home in most cases. Even polluted air is
better than no air.
Authority can therefore either be a blessing or a curse. One cannot have blessing without cursing, or
cursing without blessing. They are opposites. It is the two-edged sword of authority. Let(s look at some
biblical examples. After Jacob and his wives secretly left Laban, Rebecca had taken some household idols
with her from her father(s house, unbeknownst to Laban or Jacob. When Laban caught up with Jacob
and demanded their return, Jacob said, (If you find anyone who has your gods, he shall not live.( This
was actually a curse, uttered under the authority of a husband. He did not realize it but it was directed at
his wife Rebecca who had indeed stolen the idols but told no one about it. This fact that he didn(t know
about it did in no wise decrease the weight and effectiveness of the curse. Not long after this incident
Rebecca died in child birth. God honored the curse. He derives no pleasure in insuring that we reap what
we sow, indeed, He delights in mercy. But if we refuse His mercy we default to His justice.
Some of us might be under the brunt of a father(s curse. You might have heard as a child your father (or
mother for that matter), say, (You don(t even try! You(re lazy!(; (your fingers are all thumbs!(; or, (You
have two left feet!(. These may have been uttered as a joke by the parent, but it was not taken that way
by the child. A child under these sort of curses often is lazy or is clumsy as an adult with no real good
explanation why. Negative words spoken by a teacher, who is an authority figure, may have had the same
effect: (You(ll never be able to read properly!( or (You always get things the wrong way around; you(ll
never succeed!( Moses described the out workings of curse in life as, (you shall not prosper in your ways(
(Deut 28:29). It becomes a source of poverty to us. Now for a curse to be effective it must be received as
such. For instance, if someone curses you but you truly don(t believe it nor receive it, it just falls to the
ground. But even if it seems words may not effect people, they almost always do, whether there is any
outward reaction or not.
The good news is that if you have uttered a curse on yourself or others, you have the authority to
remove them also, by repentance and forgiveness. If you have cursed your children or yourself, curse
your curses in the name of Jesus and call them dead; apologize to the person or yourself, and substitute
the curse for a blessing. I will address blessings in more detail later.
(Oh but I didn(t really mean it,( someone might say. This makes no difference. That(s like saying after you
shot someone with a gun accidently that this confession somehow brings someone back to life that was
killed or injured. Apology does not cancel the effects of the curse, only repentance to God and
replacement of a blessing. Peter was caught in this kind of a curse. He had denied the Lord three times.
We know he (didn(t mean it( because he cried in remorse after the third imprecation. His curse took him
out of the privileged place he enjoyed in the Lord. The angels at Jesus( empty tomb told Mary and the
other women, (Go tell His disciples, and Peter...( (Mk 16:7). Peter was on the outside looking in after
swearing an oath against the Lord. He was no longer recognized as a disciple of Jesus. He had cursed
himself by his own words. John 21:15-17 records how Jesus graciously restored him to his former
standing. Three times He asked him, (Do you love Me?( and three times Peter answered to the
affirmative. For each time Peter had denied Him, he had to make a confession of faith to nullify the
affects of the self-imposed curse. I will rehearse this process in more detail later, but to revoke a curse on
your life there are three steps: repent, revoke, and replace. First, acknowledge the wrong done and
repent of it; then revoke it by unsaying or cursing the curse you cursed; third, replace what you have
taken out by a positive, godly confession of faith. This releases you from a curse.
Rebecca is another example of how a curse works. She had persuaded Jacob, her favorite, to deceive her
husband, his father, into thinking he was Esau. Jacob was uneasy about this dissimulation. He said,
(Perhaps my father, finding out, will bring a curse on me and not a blessing.( She responded, (Let your
curse be on me my son.( Well, her words of cursing came to pass. Not long after this incident, her words
came to roost in her life. The success of her subtlety was short lived. Her mood quickly changed from
elation to pessimism and cynicism. In Gen 27:46, speaking of her son Esau(s wives to her husband Isaac,
she said, (I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the
women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.( The sentiments,
(what(s the use,( (I give up,( or (I might as well be dead,( are almost always indicative of a curse at work.
Now this happened not to be a curse unto death, but a curse nonetheless.
Another example of a self-imposed curse happened at Jesus( sentencing by Pilate. The Jews demanded
Jesus( death. Pilate couldn(t see the need for this sort of punishment, but because of their importunity,
said, (I wash my hands of the matter. I am innocent of the blood of this just man( (Matt 27:20-26). The
Jews( response to this was, (His blood be on us and our children.( Thus, they cursed themselves and their
descendants. History verifies that this curse is still working out its effects today: the Jews have been a
persecuted people ever since. They, or any individual Jew, could always remove him or herself from this
curse by repentance at any time. The one curse that God cannot protect us from is the one we impose,
by our authority, on ourselves. We have a covenant right from God to protect us from curses, but by
speaking negative words, we shut ourselves out from God(s protection.
The ten spies are another example. Joshua and Caleb had given a good report about the promised land,
but the ten others gave an evil report. The Lord cursed the ten for this, using their own words. He said,
(just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: the carcasses of you who have murmured
against Me shall fall in this wilderness.( Those who said, (we are not able,( were not able precisely
because they believed it in their hearts and confessed as much. Jesus said we are condemned by our
words. In Mal 3:6 it says God does not change. If He acted this way back then, He acts the same today.
We must be constantly aware of our words so as not to impose a curse on ourselves inadvertently. If we
do inadvertently do so, be quick to repent and get back on your faith.
Let me reiterate a general list of conditions that may indicate a curse is in the working:
1. Mental and/or emotional breakdown. (It's driving me crazy!(; (I just can't take it anymore...(; (It makes
me mad to think...(
2. Repeated or chronic sicknesses (especially. if hereditary). (Whenever there's a bug, I catch it(; (I'm sick
and tired...(; (It runs in the family, so I guess I'm the next.(

3. Barrenness, a tendency to miscarry or related female problems. (I don't think I'll ever get pregnant!(;
(I've got the 'curse' again.(; (I just know I'm going to lose this one _ I always do!(

4. Breakdown of marriage and family alienation. (The palm reader said my husband would leave me.(;
(somehow I always knew my husband would find another woman.( (In our family we have always fought
like cats and dogs.(

5. Continuing financial insufficiency. (I never can make ends meet _ my father was the same way(; (I can't
afford to tithe(; (I hate those 'fat cats' who get all they ever want _ it never happens to me!(

6. Being (accident_prone.( (It always happens to me(; (I knew there was trouble ahead...(; (I'm just a
clumsy kind of person.(

7. A history of suicides and unnatural deaths. (What's the use of living?(; (Over my dead body!(; (I'd
rather die than go on the way I am.(

Words like these give demonic spirits permission to come into our lives and do their dirty work of
harassment, oppression and even possession.
Secret societies are another source of cursing. These might be as innocent as sororities or fraternities.
There are pledges made and solemn oaths taken, sometimes with physical emblems involved like rings
or certain articles of clothing. God takes seriously the making of covenant, or promise. God said in Ex
23:32,. (You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.( That covenant would bind them not
merely to the Canaanites, but also to their false gods, bringing themselves into bondage to demonic
spirits and out from the protection of covenant. If these pledge entailed ungodly sentiments, demonic
forces have legal access into your life. If any physical artifacts were involved in your oath make sure to
destroy these. Jude 23 says, (Save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with
fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.( Burning these materials is the best way to get rid of
them.
Freemasonry is an example of a secret society. Masonry is a false religion. Some Masons would deny that
it is a religion, but here are some of the main features that clearly mark it as such: it has its own
revelation; its own temples and altars; its own religious symbols and emblems, including a ring; its own
confession of faith; its own priests; its own rituals. Finally, it has its own deity, a false god, whom it calls a
(Creative Principle( or (the Great Architect of the Universe.( It uses many of the objects and symbols
associated with Christianity _ including the Bible _ but this is a deliberate deception. The god whom
Masonry acknowledges in not the God of the Bible. Although the term Jehovah is used in Masonic
literature, it is interpreted as referring to a divine entity that combines in itself both male and female
principles. The Royal Arch degree uses an abbreviated form of the name Jehovah in combination with
abbreviated forms of two heathen deities, Baal and Osiris, and acknowledges this (combined( being as
god.

There are two minimum requirements for deliverance from a curse: first, a verbal renunciation: what you
have said with your lips, only you can unsay _ it is best to do this in the presence of sympathetic
witnesses; secondly, get rid of, and destroy, all the emblems, books and other materials, rings, apron,
etc. that are associated with the pledge and the organization.

Moving on now to more direct satanic associations, Christians generally take the stance of either totally
ignoring satan, or being abjectly afraid of him. Somewhere in the middle of these two lies scriptural
balance. Satan means adversary or opposer. His 24/7 agenda is basically to control all human activities.
Since he has no inherent power, his primary tactic is deception. Rev 12:9 says, (the great dragon... that
serpent of old, called the Devil and satan, who deceives the whole world.( In Eph 2:2 he is described as
(the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience( - that is, unbelievers. His attitude manifests in
rebellion, especially toward any kind of authority.
There are many who worship him directly, though they may not realize it or acknowledge it. These are
witch doctors, medicine men, mchawi, shamans, tohangas, wizards, witches, and priests or priestesses of
satan. There are churches that openly worship the devil, for example, the Church of Satan is a
denomination in the US. Jesus is our main source of information regarding satan. Curses are one of his
main venues to destroy Christians. The story of Balak and Balaam in Num chapters 22-24 illustrate this
fact. Balaam was a witch doctor and Balak was the king of Moab. Balak felt threatened by the coming
Israelites and requested Balaam(s assistance. He asked him to curse God(s people. God was concerned
about this so He intervened supernaturally on Israel(s behalf. He warned Balaam not to accept the
assignment. Balaam took it anyway, for the right price, but God turned his curse into a blessing (Deut
23:5).
In Ezk 13:17-20 God condemns false prophets and sorcerers. One of their methods was to attach magic
charms to people(s clothing. This would actually result in death. In return, they were awarded bread and
grain for their trouble. Voodoo witch doctors and other shamans do this in our day. Times have changed
but satan hasn(t. Neither has God. In the mid-1980's a leader of the satanic church in America was
interviewed on television. He was asked if it is true that Satanists practice human sacrifice, he replied,
(We perform human sacrifices by proxy, you might say _ the destruction of human beings who would,
let's say, create an antagonistic situation toward us _ in the form of curses and hexes.(
Satanists (witness( in a similar fashion as we Christians do, trying to recruit new people. They have a six
point program aimed at demolishing the church. It is to be accompanied by prayer and fasting, just like
Christians (all satan can do is pervert the truth. He cant come up with anything new and original):
1. That the Antichrist would manifest himself soon.
2. That ministers, leaders and missionaries would fall.
3. That ministries and works of God would be destroyed.
4. That Christians would become complacent; want peace over and above all; and seek churches that do
not preach a full gospel with pastors that keep peace no matter what the sin.
5. That Christians cease their fasting and prayer.
6. That the gifts of the Holy Spirit be ignored.
I don(t mention all this to scare you, just to inform you of the enemies tactics. Paul said we should not be
ignorant of satan(s schemes or devices. We always triumph in Christ Jesus. Satan has no power against
us so long as we are (in Christ.( Looking back to Balaam, his first attempt at cursing failed but his second
one succeeded, although it was indirect. He advised Balak to use Moabite women as a snare, to entice
the men of Israel, first into sexual immorality and second, into idolatry. It worked. The men fell for it. He
didn(t need the artiface of a curse, they brought a curse on themselves by breaking the first
commandment against idolatry. 24,000 died as a result (Num 25). In Num 31:16, Moses stated
specifically that this came about through the counsel of Balaam. The new testament verifies this fact in 2
Pet 2:15,16; Jude 11, and Rev 2:14. If we are undisciplined, disobedient and out of harmony with God(s
plan, we forfeit our claims to God(s protection. This does not mean we lose our salvation, but that we
are out of fellowship with him and therefore lose our protection and blessing in this life.
Another source of curse is soulish talking. Jm 3:14,15 says, (But if you have bitter envying and strife in
your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descends not from above, but is
earthly, sensual, devilish.( This is basically the wisdom of man that first starts out as earthly, then
becomes sensual, and finally demonic or devilish. Its a slippery slope. It may take decades or even
generations to descend the slope. Deception is at the heart of it. No one would knowingly take this
route. This is why deception is necessary. The word sensual here comes from the Greek word psuche,
meaning soulish, or of the personality. After the fall, the soul of man began to express itself
independently of God(s input via His Spirit through our spirit. 1 Cor 2:14,15 says, (the natural (soulish)
man does not receive the things of the spirit of God(; on the other hand, (he that is spiritual judges all
things,( it goes on to say in v. 15. It is apparent that (soulish( and (spiritual( are opposite one another.
The person functioning in the spirit is (one( with God; someone operating from within the soul is out of
harmony with God. Jude 16-19 characterizes those who become trapped in this mode: it says these are
(murmurers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts, sensual (soulish) persons, who cause
divisions, not having the Spirit (that is, the Holy Spirit).( A soulish person is incapable of apprehending
spiritual truth from God. His rebellious attitude and conduct grieve the Spirit of God and cause offense in
the Body of Christ. His soul _ out of harmony with God _ is exposed by its rebellion to the influence of
demons, which its blunted spiritual senses cannot identify. The outcome is a form of wisdom that
appears to be (spiritual( but is, in fact, (demonic.( Peter, an apostle of God, was found in this
predicament when he admonished Jesus not to submit to the cross. Jesus said satan was using him to
speak this to Him.

James warns us against the misuse of our tongue. Sensual, or soulish, wisdom finds its expression in
words used by Christians. The first area of use is among ourselves; the second is words spoken to God,
primarily in prayer. Titus 3:2 admonishes us to speak evil of no one(, believers or unbelievers. The Greek
verb (to speak evil( is blasphemo. We get our word blaspheme from this. Blaspheme is usually thought of
as words against God, but here we see it also applies to words against our fellow men. James 4:11 says,
(Do not speak evil of one another, brethren.( (To speak evil( is katalalo, meaning to speak against. Many
Christians interpret this to mean not to say anything false against other believers. But in fact it means
not to speak against fellow believers at all, even if what we say about them is true. The sin that James is
dealing with is not speaking falsely but speaking against someone. Another way of saying this is being
judgmental. This is not to say we cannot judge actions as evil, nor does it mean the church elders do not
have recourse if someone in the congregation is in overt sin. It simply means we personally have no
business judging people - this is God(s purview.
Gossip is another form of harmful communication. It is defined as: casual and idle chat, or, conversation
involving malicious chatter or rumors and about other people. Matt 12:36 warns against idle speech. This
is not a (harmless( sin. Rom 1:29,20 (They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are
gossips, slanderers, God_haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful.(Although this passage is addressing the
attitudes and behaviors of unbelievers, it defines sin for us in this area of malicious communication.
Some of the heart attitudes directly associated with gossip are strife, deceit and malice. Gossips
themselves are classified with people who are slanderers, God_haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful.
Christians who indulge in gossip may think of themselves as (exceptions,( but that is not how God sees
them. The words gossips speak about others would not normally be described as (curses,( but their
effect is the same. They are in fact channels through which demonic forces are directed. James 3:6 says,
(The tongue is so set among our members that is defiles the whole body.( They defile both himself and
that part of the Body they are directed to.
Matt 7:1,2 says, (Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be
judged: and with what standard you use, the same standard will be used against you in return.( The
English words critic and criticize come directly from the word (to judge.(
In Gal 2:11 Paul says, (I withstood him (Peter) to his face.( Paul did not criticize Peter's conduct to his
own co_workers, Barnabas and Titus. Instead, he went straight to Peter himself and settle his differences
with him in person. Later, in 2 Pet 3:15, Peter speaks with warm affection of (the wisdom given to our
beloved brother Paul.( Pr 27:5 (Better is open rebuke than hidden love;( Pr 25:9 says, (Debate your case
with your neighbor himself, and do not disclose the secret to another(; and finally, Pr 9:8 says,
(rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.(

Soulish prayers
A soulish prayer is one directed more toward those in the group rather than to God. It also speaks
wrongly about others in their prayers to God. Folks that are involved in this assume that their prayer is
always acceptable and its effects are always good. This in not supported by the Bible. Pr 28:9 (He that
turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.( Abomination is the
strongest biblical term for disapproval. When we indulge is this sort of thing we effectively shoot
ourselves in the foot. We sever our communication link with God. Again, this doesn(t mean you lose your
salvation, only that you are engaged in sin and therefore put yourself out of fellowship with Him and His
blessings.
Apart from the Holy Spirit, we are incapable of praying in a way that will please God or accomplish His
purposes. In our fleshly nature, all of us have certain weaknesses. These manifest themselves in two
related ways. First, we do not know what we should pray for as we ought; and second, even when we
know what to pray for, we do not know how to pray for it (Rom 8:26,27).Only God can show us both the
what and the how of prayer. Eph 2:18 stresses that it is only the Holy Spirit who can give us access to
God: (For through Him (Jesus) we both (Jews and Gentile) have access by one Spirit to the Father.( Two
conditions for acceptable praying are here combined: through Jesus and by the Holy spirit. Each is
essential. Eph 6:18 says, (praying always... in the spirit...( _ only prayers prayed in the Holy Spirit can call
down help upon those for whom we pray for help and encouragement. So how do we pray? Two primary
requirements are humility and purity of motive. First, acknowledge the need to God, then allow Him to
purge from us all wrong motives.
Prayers are not necessarily lengthy or eloquent. Moses prayed for his sister Miriam very succinctly,
(Please heal her, O God, I pray!( (Num 12:13); the tax collector, in Lk 18:13, prayed: (God be merciful to
me a sinner!(. After these requirements are met, pray whatever comes from your heart. James 3:14 _ the
Holy Spirit will not endorse prayers that proceed from selfish attitudes, nor will He present them before
God the Father. Again, James 3:15 says, (This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual,
devilish.( _ that is, earthly, soulish, demonic. The effect of soulish prayers is a release of invisible,
indefinable pressures, which do not relieve their burdens, but rather adds to them. We must not accuse,
and we must not seek to control. The devil slanderers or accuses (Rev 12:10). There is really isnt such a
thing as prayer that is not effective. The question is whether their effect is positive or negative.
The desire to control produces witchcraft: manipulation: we all do it. It is so common that we usually
don't even recognize it in ourselves or in others. In soulish prayers lies the arrogant assumption that we
have the right to (play God( in the lives of others. The power of soulish prayer is both real and
dangerous. The result it produces is not a blessing, but a curse.

Blessings
Phil 4:19 says, (My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus(. All of
our needs includes release from curses. God has not provided a multitude of different solutions to our
various problems, He has supplied only one solution: Jesus. Heb 10:14 says, (For by one offering
(sacrifice) Jesus has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.( Isa 53:6 identifies the universal
problem of the sin of humanity as (everyone turning, each of us, to our own ways.( When we do this we
turn our backs to God and onto ourselves - we make ourselves out to be god. This is summed up in our
English word rebellion. The Hebrew word for iniquity is avon. This means not only the sin but the
consequences of sin. Jesus bore our collective avon.
There was a divine exchange that took place on the cross. First, Jesus endured all the evil consequences
of our sin; in exchange, God offers us all the good that was due Jesus for his flawless obedience. Isa
53:4,5 says, (... The chastisement (punishment) for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes (wounds)
we are healed.( Thus, secondly, Jesus received the punishment due to our transgressions and iniquities
that we, in turn, might be forgiven and so have peace with God. On the physical plane, Jesus bore our
sicknesses and pains that we through His wounds might be healed. The physical is confirmed in Matt
8:17 which says, (He Himself took our infirmities, and carried away our diseases, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet.( Again, 1 Pet 2:24 (by whose stripes (wounds) we were healed.(
So, Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven; he was wounded that we might be healed.
A third aspect of the exchange is in Isa 53:10 which states that the Lord made the soul of Jesus (an
offering for sin.( It says, (He poured out His soul to death.( So, Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness
that we might become righteous with His righteousness.
The next aspect of exchange on the cross deals with the final outcome of sin which is death: Ezk 18:4
says, (The soul who sins shall die.( James 1:15 corroborates, (Sin, when it is full_grown, brings forth
death.( Heb 2:9 (Jesus... was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death... that He,
might taste death for everyone.( (For the wages (or just reward) of sin is death, but the (unearned) gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.( Thus the 4th aspect: Jesus died our death that we might
share in His life.

The fifth aspect of the great exchange is found in 2 Cor 8:9 - (For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that through He was rich, yet for your sakes He become poor, that through His poverty you might
become rich.( From poverty to riches. Poverty is the curse, being rich is the blessing. When did Jesus
become poor for our sakes? By coming to earth as a mortal man and on the cross. In Deut 28:48 Moses
summed up absolute poverty in four expressions: hunger, thirst , nakedness and need of all things. Jesus
experienced all this in its fullness on the cross. He was hungry (not eaten 24 hours); he was thirsty (John
19:28); he was naked (John 19:23); He was in need of all things _ buried in a borrowed robe in a
borrowed tomb. Now the positive side of the exchange: 2 Cor 9:8 (And God is able to make all grace
abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, have abundance for every good
work.( The only basis for this exchange is God's grace. Acts 20:35 (It is more blessed to give than to
receive.( So, Jesus became poor with our poverty that we might become rich with His riches. Jesus gave
all that He had so that we might become rich.

Two of the cruelest wounds brought upon us by our iniquity are shame and rejection. Both of these
came upon Jesus on the cross. Shame from acute embarrassment to a cringing sense of unworthiness
that cuts a person off from meaningful fellowship either with God or with man. The most common
causes are sexual abuse and molestation in childhood. Heb 12:2 He (endured the cross, and despised the
shame.( Execution on a cross was the most shameful of all forms of death, reserved for the lowest class
of criminal. Heb 2:10 (For it was fitting for Him (God)... in bringing many sons to glory, to make the
author of their salvation (that is JC) perfect through sufferings.( The shame that Jesus endured on the
cross has opened the way for all who trust in Him to be released from their own shame.
Rejection forms from some broken relationship. In its earliest form, it comes from parents who reject
their own children. It may be merely a failure to show love and acceptance; it may be by favoring one
child over another; it may even occur in the womb by a mother who does not want the child. Another is
the break up of a marriage. Isa 54:6 (The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and
distressed in spirit _ a wife who married young, only to be rejected,( says your God.( Jesus also
experienced rejection: Matt 27:46,50 (About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, (Eloi, Eloi,
lama sabachthani?(_ which means, (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?( And when Jesus had
cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.( The Son called out to His Father and received no
response. The uncompromising holiness of God caused Him to reject even His own Son when sin came
on Him. Almost immediately after that, He died, not from the wounds of crucifixion, but from a broken
heart. Ps 69:20 says, (Reproach has broken my heart.( The blessing of the exchange is iterated in Eph
1:5,6 (... (God) has made us accepted in the Beloved.( The rejection of Jesus resulted in our acceptance.
At least one quarter of the adults in America today suffer from wounds of shame or rejection. So, Jesus
bore our shame that we might share His glory. Jesus endured our rejection that we might have His
acceptance as children of God. The evil came upon Jesus that the good might be offered to us. Once we
have learned to apply this principle in our lives, it releases God's provision for every need. Jesus bore the
curse of the law, it says in Gal 3:13,14. On the cross, His last words were, (It is finished.( In Greek, this
consists of only one word: it is the perfect tense of a verb that means (to make something complete or
perfect.( In English, it would be (It is completely complete( or (it is perfectly perfect.( Our response to
this in faith should be, thank you! The more you thank Him, the more you will believe what He has done
these things for you. And the more you believe, the more you will want to thank Him. Giving thanks is
the first step to release.
The Bible sums up our release from cursing to blessing in one grand, all_inclusive word: salvation. It is
the Greek word sozo; it means to save. This word has many meanings, all of which apply to us. It is used
physically in healing, in deliverance from demons, and in the context of dead people being brought back
to life; it means recovering from a lethal illness. In 2 Tim 4:18 Paul uses the same verb to describe God's
ongoing preservation and protection from evil throughout life. It includes the realms of body and soul as
well as spirit (1 Thes 5:23).

So how do we experience blessing and a release from cursing?

1. Confess your faith in Christ and in His sacrifice on your behalf. Rom 10:10 says confession leads to
salvation, or sozo. Literally, the word confess means (to say the same as,( or in other words, saying the
same thing God has already said in His word. If He says we have been delivered from the power of
darkness, for example, than we can say, or confess, (I have been delivered from the power of darkness.
( Heb 3:1 says, Jesus is called (the High Priest of our confession.( When we make the right scriptural
confession concerning Him, it releases His priestly ministry on our behalf. The Holy Spirit then makes it
happen, or manifests the promise on our behalf and to His glory.
2. Repent of all your rebellion and your sins. Before you can receive God's mercy, therefore, He requires
that you repent. A person who has truly repented no longer argues with God. (I give up all my rebellion
and all my sin, and I submit myself to You as my Lord.(

3. Claim forgiveness of all sins. The great barrier of God's blessings is unforgiven sin. (If we confess our
sins God is faithful to forgive us( (1 John 1:9). Make a specific confession of those sins. (I confess all my
sins before You and ask for Your forgiveness _ especially for my sins that exposed me to a curse. Release
me also from the consequences of my ancestor's sins. I ask you to forgive them for their sins on theirs
and my behalf.(

4. Forgive all other people who have ever harmed you or wronged you. Another great barrier to God's
blessings in our lives is unforgiveness. Mk 11:25 says if we don(t forgive others, God will not forgive us of
our sins. Forgiving another is not primarily an emotion; it is a decision. Forgiving another person is not a
tremendous sacrifice. It is merely enlightened self_interest. Verbalize this. Say, (Lord, I forgive so_and_so
for...(. (By a decision of my will, I forgive all who have harmed me or wronged me _ just as I want you
Lord to forgive me.(

5. Renounce all contact with anything occult or satanic. 2 Cor 6:14,15: (What fellowship can light have
with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial (Satan)?( v.17 (Come out from among
them and be separate, says the Lord, Do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you.( This includes
contact of physical objects which link you to the occult activity. Say, (I renounce all contact with anything
occult or satanic _ if I have any (contact objects,( I commit myself to destroy them. I cancel all Satan's
claims against me.(

6. You are now ready to pray the prayer for release from any curse. If you pray on the basis of faith, your
prayer should end not merely with asking, but with actually receiving. In Mk 11:24 Jesus established this
as a principle: (Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and
it will be yours.( So there are two distinct stages: receiving and having. Receiving is the cause, from which
having follows as the effect. Receiving takes place when we pray. If we do not receive at the time we
pray, we have no assurance that we will ever have. Say, (Lord Jesus, I believe that on the cross You took
on Yourself every curse that could ever come upon me. So I ask You now to release me from every curse
over my life _ in Your name, Lord Jesus Christ! By faith I now receive my release and I thank You for it.
( You should now have the sense that you have brought yourself to God with the words you have spoken.
Now don't stop at saying (Thank You( just once or twice. Respond to God with your heart continually,
especially when satan attacks!
7. Now believe that you have received, and go on in God's blessing! (Lord, I now open myself to receive
Your blessing in every way You want to impart it to me.( No false humility here. If you feel at all sheepish
about receiving God(s blessings, think about this: Rom 8:32 says when we receive Jesus as Lord of our
lives, we receive God(s very best; everything else he offers us is of secondary importance, He says. So, if
you feel unworthy to receive God(s blessings, you should feel even more unworthy to receive His Son
who is a far greater thing than simply God(s blessings. No, we are unworthy to receive His Son as well as
His blessings. They are both gifts which we are eternally grateful to receive by faith. God is liberal! Come
up to His table and receive freely and gratefully.

Let(s look now at our inherited blessings a bit more closely as they are listed in Deut 28:2_13: exaltation,
health, reproductiveness, prosperity, victory, and God's favor. Living under a curse often makes it difficult
for a person to envisage what it would be like to enjoy the corresponding blessing. Ask God to make your
new inheritance real and vivid to you. Repeat these six words - exaltation, health, reproductiveness,
prosperity, victory, God's favor; pause and thank God that each one is now part of your inheritance.
Remember that giving thanks is the purest and simplest expression of faith.
Paul points out three important facts concerning the promised blessing: First, it is not something vague
or undefined. It is quite specific: he calls it the blessing of Abraham. In Gen 24:1: (The Lord had blessed
Abraham in all things.( God's blessing covered every area of Abraham's life. Second, the blessing comes
only in Christ Jesus. It cannot be earned by our own merits. Third, the blessing is further defined as (the
promise of the Holy Spirit( _ John 16:13_15. All three persons of the Godhead _ Father, Son and Holy
Spirit _ are united in their purpose to share with us all that has been purchased for us by the sacrifice of
Jesus.
Many Christians never fully enjoy the guidance and companionship of the Holy Spirit for one basic
reason: They do not realize that He is a Person. (The Lord is the Spirit( (it says in 2 Cor 3:17) _ as God the
Son is Lord, so also God the Spirit is Lord. Say this, (Holy Spirit, I open my heart and mind to You. Reveal
to me the blessings that Jesus has obtained for me and how I may receive them.( Heb 10:14 says, (By
one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified.( To describe the outworking of the
sacrifice in those who accept it for themselves, the writer uses the continuing present tense: thus
literally it should read, (Those who are being sanctified.( Our appropriation of the sacrifice is not
immediately complete _ it is progressive we are (being sanctified.(
Someone might say, (But I thought I got everything when I was born again!( yes and no. Yes, you did
indeed (get everything(; Rom 8:17 says we were made (an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ(, but
no, the manifestation of it comes be revelation, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little there a
little. Its like someone deposited a million dollars in your bank account. That money is truly yours, but
unless you go to the bank, write out a withdrawal slip and hand it to the teller, you cannot enjoy it
experientially. The Christian life could be described as a progression from the potential to the
experiential. John 1:12 says, as Christians, we enjoy (the right to become children of God(. The word
right is translated from the Greek word exousia which means authority. Authority is effective, however,
only insofar as it is exercised. Joshua brought God's people into a promised land. In the second covenant,
Jesus brings His people into a land of promises also. Just as the land of Canaan was the physical
inheritance, so the promises of God are a spiritual inheritance which translates into physical blessings. In
the first chapter of the book of Joshua, God gave Joshua instruction on how the Israelites were to take
possession: It says: (Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross
the Jordan River into the land I am giving to them _ to the Israelites. I have given you every place where
you set your foot, as I promised Moses.( There is precisely the same contrast of tenses here as in Heb
10:14 - the continuing present: it says, (I am giving (the land).( The challenge to Joshua and his people
was to move from the potential to the experiential. First, they crossed the Jordan by a miracle in
response to their obedience. Then they besieged and captured Jericho _ again by a miracle. But after
that their future progress was mainly by battles, not be miracles. A long time later, God said to Joshua,
(There remains very much land yet to be possessed( (Josh 13:1). Like Israel, we must progress one step at
a time, and there is much land to be taken. Like Israel, too, we will face opposition. We overcome them
with the spiritual weapons. Rev 21:7 says, (He who overcomes shall inherit all things( and the victory
that overcomes is faith, it says in 1 John 5:4.
Heb 11:8 says, (By faith Abraham ... went out, not knowing where he was going.( The same kind of
obedience characterized his entire life: when God required him and all his household to be circumcised,
he obeyed immediately (Gen 17:9_14, 23_27); God asked him to offer up his son, Isaac - he did it the
next day (Gen 22:1_14). Heb 6:15 says about him, (And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained
the promise.( Rom 4:11,12 _ we are children of Abraham (if we walk in the steps of Abraham's faith.
( Endurance and patience are required for entering into (the blessings of Abraham( promised in Gal 3:14.

Another requirement for taking the land is the Word or promises of God. Eph 6:17 says the Word is our
sword of the Holy Spirit. It is our responsibility to (take( it. Our pattern for using the Word is like Jesus
being tempted in the wilderness. Satan's three temptations contained the word if. In other words, it was
aimed to produce doubt. The first two temptations began, (IF you are the Son of God...( Shortly before
this test, God the Father had publicly declared to Jesus, (This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.( Now Satan was tempting Jesus to doubt what the Father had just said about Him. The third
temptation began with if, but it was no longer a temptation merely to doubt, but also to direct
disobedience; (If you will fall down and worship me...( This would be breaking the first commandment
which incurs a curse.
Joshua received a thrice repeated admonition before taking the land: (Be strong and of good
courage( (Josh 1:6,9, 18). The first two were from God, the third from the people. Courage presupposes
opposition. Matt 11:12 says that the kingdom of heaven experiences violence, but the violent take it by
force. (Forcefulness( is an attitude of fixed determination. Acts 14:22 (We must through many
tribulations enter the kingdom of God.( This isn(t easy, but it(s the only way. Like Peter said, where else
are we to go to hear the words of life. There is no alternative to God. He(s it. He who has the Son has life;
he who does not have the Son does not have life.

Regarding confession, three possibilities exist: to make a positive, scriptural confession; to make no
confession; or to make a negative, unscriptural confession. If we make no confession, we are left at the
mercy of our circumstances; a negative confession exposes us to evil, demonic forces. Confession is not
(Mind_over_matter( philosophy. There are three main differences between mind-over-matter thinking
and true biblical confession: first, confession is limited to the statements and promises of the Bible.
Beyond this, confession cannot go. (Positive thinking( conjures anything the soul would lust after its
based on nothing divine. Second, confession is limited to the conditions attached to any particular
promise. The great majority of the promises in the Bible are conditional. (If you will do this, I will do that.
( If we have not done the appropriate (this( then we have no right to expect that God will do the
corresponding (that.( There is no substitute for obedience. Third, confession cannot be reduced to a
convenient (system,( operated by human will. Rom 10:10 says it is effective only if it proceeds by faith
from the heart. This faith is from God (lest any man should boast( (Eph 2:8,9). Mental faith often tends to
be boastful and self_assertive. Genuine faith humbly acknowledges its total dependence upon God.

Confession utilizes words. Our tongue, therefore is involved in confession. James 3:4,5 compares the
tongue to a rudder of a ship. In and of itself, the rudder is small, yet it makes the whole ship move, which
is much much larger than the rudder. Note also, in order for a ship(s rudder to function correctly, the
ship must be moving. Moving a rudder on a ship that is stationary does nothing. Faith is incomplete
without corresponding action.
Jesus said in Matt 12:37, (For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be
condemned.( Words are the currency of heaven, and faith is the paper on which it is printed. Rom 10:10
says faith in the heart becomes fully effective only when it is confessed with the mouth. This is also true
of the unbelief of worry and fear. Heb 4:14, and 10:21, 23 makes a direct link between our confession
and the ministry of Jesus as our High Priest. It is our confession that unites us to Jesus as our High Priest
and releases His priestly ministry on our behalf. It says we must (hold fast( to our confessions. This
means we must consistently reaffirm our original confession. It says we should hold our confessions fast
by not wavering. Wavering is failing to maintain the initial right confession, or changing a positive
confession to a negative one. Confess the truth to the end.
Full victorious expression of faith is a proclamation: derived from the Latin verb to (shout forth( or (shout
aloud(, it suggests strong, confident assertion of faith, which cannot be silenced by any form of
opposition or discouragement. It implies a transition from a defensive posture to one of attack. After
confession, Ps 118:11_17 tells us how to proceed: (Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the
righteous: The LORD's right hand has done mighty things! The LORD's right hand is lifted high; the LORD's
right hand has done mighty things!( I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
( We thank God for what He does; we praise Him for who He is. Joined together, thanksgiving and praise
give us direct access to God's presence. Ps 100:4 says we, (enter his gates with thanksgiving and his
courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.( First, we enter His gates with thanksgiving;
then, we pass through His courts with praise.

2 Chron 20 gives the account of the army of God winning over the enemy under extreme conditions of
overwhelming odds by simply praising God. Two important principles are illustrated by this account.
First, God expects us to praise Him for the promises He gives us, without first waiting to see them
fulfilled. Second, praise offered in faith releases the supernatural intervention of God on our behalf. Faith
begins to praise God before the promised victory, not merely after it. The faith of God looks at those
things which are not as though they already were, it says in Rom 4:17.
Ps 50:23 says, (He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show
him the salvation of God.( Ps 20:5 (In the name of our God we will set up our banners.( In Song of
Solomon 6:10 Christ is portrayed as (awesome as an army with banners.( Three of the most effective
(banners( God has given us are proclamation, thanksgiving and praise.

Our proclamations have two effects: it invokes on our behalf the help of God and His angels, and it
protects us from the schemes and assaults of satan and his demonic forces. Based on Rom 10:17 that
says faith comes by hearing the word of God, hearing others speak God's Word is helpful, but hearing
ourselves speak it is even more effective.

The following are a number of suggested confessions. These are only suggestions. I encourage you to
make your own also. We cannot live on someone else(s revelations. We must get them ourselves.
1. As a result of praying the prayer for release from curses: (Through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, I
have passed out from under the curse and entered into the blessing of Abraham, whom God blessed in
all things( (from Gal 3:13,14)

2. When becoming aware of negative forces directed against us, either from servants of satan of from
soulish utterances of Christians, say: No weapon formed against me shall prosper, and every tongues
that rises against me in judgment I do now condemn. This is my heritage (my inheritance right) as a
servant of the Lord, and my righteousness is from You O Lord( (from Isa 54:17).

In this confession, notice in the verse that we are not directed to ask God to condemn any tongue that
speaks against us. God has given us the authority and responsibility to do this for ourselves in His name
and authority. He expects us to exercise it. Our right to exercise this authority depends on the fact that
we are not acting out of our own righteousness, but because God's righteousness is imputed to us on
the basis of our faith. Say, (Lord, I forgive all who have spoken evil against me, and having forgiven them,
I bless them in Your name.( So first we condemn the tongue that has uttered the curse, then we forgive
the person from whom the curse proceeded. Third, we ask God to bless the person.

3. When pressures of sin or guilt or unworthiness curse us from our past, say, (I am in Christ, and
therefore I am a new creation. All those old things have passed away. Everything in my life has become
new, and everything is from God( (from 2 Cor 5:17,18). When the past reasserts its claims over us, we
need to meditate on the picture John gives us in Rev 21:5 (He who was seated on the throne said, (I am
making everything new!( Then he said, (Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.(

4. When oppressed by hopelessness and gloomy forebodings of death, confess, (I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the Lord has done( (Ps 118:17). This does not mean you wont die but that you
wont die before God's appointed time _ I will not allow myself to be murdered by satan. Remember that
Jesus required Peter to reaffirm his love for Him just as many times as he had previously denied Him.

5. When assailed by physical sickness or infirmity, confess, (Jesus Himself bore my sins in His own body
on the tree, that I, having died to sins, might live for righteousness, by whose wounds I was
healed( (from 1 Pet 2:24). (My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed and sanctified by
the blood of Jesus. My members _ or parts of my body _ are instruments of righteousness, presented to
God for His service and of His glory. The devil has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims
against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus. I overcome satan by the blood of the Lamb and by
the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death. My body is for the Lord, and the Lord is
for my body.( (from various scriptures).
6. When satan attacks an area for which God holds us responsible _ our home, our family, our business,
our ministry, your confession might be: (The bolts of our gates will be iron and bronze, and our strength
will equal our days. There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heaven to help us and on
the clouds in His majesty. The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He
will drive out our enemy before us, saying, (Destroy him!( (This is from Deut 33:25_27). There is an
assurance in our enemies defeat: (He will drive out our enemy before us.( God requires us to play our
part: He has equipped us with the spiritual weapons we need to do this destroying. He(ll back our words
of faith in his promises with power.

This ends this lesson.