KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING A BARRIER TO GOD’S BLESSING
The word “curse” appears about 200 times in the Bible.
In the book of Genesis, we already see God placing a curse. He cursed Satan for leading Adam and Eve into sin, as seen in Genesis 3:17. He cursed the ground so weeds would sprout and man would work hard and sweat to make a living, as seen in Genesis 3:17-19. God bound Cain with a curse for killing his brother, as seen in Genesis 4:10-12.
As we go through the Bible, we learn that God provides blessings to those who obey Him and curse those who disobey Him.
Curses come as a result of disobedience to God. Similarly, to bless is to wish good upon someone or something. God promised blessings to those who follow His commands.
God promised Israel in Deuteronomy 28 that if they obeyed His commands, He would bestow tremendous blessings upon them.
They would have:
- safety while travelling;
- healthy children;
- abundant crops,
- increase in livestock,
- food in abundance,
- victory over their enemies,
- success in everything they set out to do, and
- control over all other nations.
“GOD WAS EQUALLY DETERMINED TO PUNISH ISRAEL IF THEY DISOBEYED HIS COMMANDS”
“However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you.” - Deuteronomy 28:15 (NIV)
CAUSES FOR CURSES:
Jesus died on the cross, became a curse to redeem us from every curse and inherit God’s blessing — Galatians 3:13-14. God’s blessing is more prevailing than any curse. But if we do not recognize curses and how they work, we can live under them unnecessarily.
- WORD CURSES:
Words can bring upliftment and blessing to others or take the form of a curse. When people, especially those with an authoritative presence, speak into our identity or destiny that is not in line with God’s Word, this can bring a curse into our lives. Many people will need to be set free from the power of destructive words pronounced over them so they can move beyond the curses and walk in the blessings of God.
2. OCCULT CURSES:
Occult curses are intentionally released by those involved in occult practices such as witchcraft, satanism, and other dark, mysterious activities, who often attempt to put curses on others through rituals, spells, and other demonic activities. They are the fiery darts the Bible speaks of that we need to deflect with our shield of faith — Ephesians 6:16
3. GENERATIONAL CURSES:
Our parents gave us a spiritual legacy that contains both blessings and curses. God visits “the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation” Exodus 36:7. Sins and destructive behaviours that parents do not conquer will be the ones their children are more susceptible to and possibly struggle with. When bondages break, healing occurs, generational curses lift, and deliverance starts to take its course.
HOW TO BREAK CURSES:
THE BLOOD OF JESUS:
The good news is that the Blood of Jesus is unmatched in its power, and curses cannot prevail against it.
According to the law, nearly everything can be cleansed with blood, and there can be no forgiveness without the spilling of blood, as seen in Hebrews 9:22.
There are two basic principles we need to know:
- A generational curse comes through the bloodline.
- Only blood can break a generational curse.
It is all about the blood of Christ. In Romans 3:23-25 (NIV), we read, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice because in His forbearance, He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.”
GENERATIONAL BLESSING:
In Exodus 20:5-6 God reproves the children to the third and fourth generation for the iniquity of their fathers — but did you notice what the rest of that verse says? The lifespan of a blessing transcends to the third and fourth generations to a thousand generations. A blessing is more powerful than a curse.
In Deuteronomy 30:15&19 (NKJV), says, God says, “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil…I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”
SPEAK BLESSINGS:
Words can have a significant influence, especially on those around us. Our families, friends, and others can benefit from our spoken blessings by receiving hope, inspiration, and guidance. When people understand the effectiveness of spoken blessings, they develop strong relationships and spiritual growth.
A spoken blessing is a positive, biblical declaration invoking God’s blessing in our life. The power of spoken blessings is directly from God, Who “hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” — Ephesians 1:3 (KJV).
A BLESSING IS GOD’S LOVE:
The spoken word has the potential to do good or harm. The Bible describes the impact of our words in the following verses:
- “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” — Proverbs 18:21 (KJV)
- “Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones” — Proverbs 16:24 (KJV)
A spoken blessing does well for those who hear it. When we bless others, we direct God’s goodness to them; we intercede for them; we stand in the gap for them as we come boldly to the throne of grace in faith.
