WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT...
Breaking Curses From Our Lives
Pastor R.S. "Bud" Miller
If you are looking for prayers to break curses click here.
Today, we think of "cursing" as someone using foul language, profanity, or perhaps, even blasphemous words against God. Our definition usually is synonymous with "swearing." This is a form of cursing, but it is only a small portion of what curses mean in the Bible.
Cursing in the Bible is not only speaking evil of someone, but evil coming upon someone. If a person is under a curse, according to the Bible, evil has come upon them in some way. Sickness, tragedy, or bad circumstances are occurring in their lives.
[Please Note: This does not mean that every difficult circumstance that we go through is a curse. Sometimes God leads us through circumstances to stretch our faith. This is for our own good, as it is helping us to grow stronger and identify ourselves with Him. However, He is not bringing anything upon us, but rather leading us through a circumstance so that we might experience His overcoming power. For the duration of this article we are referring to an evil curse that comes not from the hand of God, but from the enemy.]
Even today, in many cultures, witch doctors or shamans put curses on people through demonic powers. In some cultures, for example, "voodoo" is practiced. This includes such practices as sticking pins in a doll made in the image of a person, usually with some of that person's hair, fingernail clippings, and so forth incorporated into the doll. Hateful words are projected as the doll is stabbed over and over. There also are more gruesome practices used. However, with all evil witchcraft rituals, it is the hatred and evil projected from these people that is aimed at the targeted person that causes the harm. The curses spoken over that doll do not come to pass because of the doll or the pins. There is no power in those inanimate objects. They come to pass because of the demonic power operating through the person speaking forth the curses.
In many cultures, other than Western Societies, people have no problem understanding these curses and blessings, because the presence of demonic beings is very real to them. In fact, in many places, they leave offerings to appease evil spirits, for the purpose of warding them off so they will leave them alone.
If you have been affected by a curse such as listed above, we have good news for you. By accepting Jesus, you can be free from demonic oppression and actually have authority over the devil and his curses (Luke 9:1) instead of his spirits having power over you or your family.
CAN A CURSE AFFECT A CHRISTIAN?
In today's culture, some Christians still have curses operating against them. That is because various occult practices are openly practiced in our societies in this day. Many Christians need to be freed from curses spoken against them before they were saved, or from curses that have come upon them through involvement in idolatry and witchcraft. (Deuteronomy 29:24-28)
We have been redeemed from the curse, but if we walk in willful rebellion, we are "breaking covenant" and that leaves holes for the enemy to bring a curse on us. Many Christians mistakenly believe that the devil cannot come near them in any way. The Bible does not support this theory. When Paul wrote to "not give the devil any foothold, or a place" (Ephesians 4:27), he was writing to Christians! Curses can work against Christians if they are in rebellion, out of the will of God, or not walking in faith and love. However, if we are walking where God wants us to walk, a hundred curses against us would just bounce off and would do us no harm.
The story of Balaam and Israel gives us a good example of this principle. (Numbers 22) Although Balaam was not an Israelite, he was a prophet of God. The kings of Moab and Midian wanted him to curse the Israelites during the journey from Egypt to Canaan. Elders of those nations offered him what apparently was a lot of money, and he tried to do what their king wanted -- but he could not. He tried three times but was unable to do anything, but bless Israel.
JESUS TOOK THE CURSE FOR US
Before we are born again, we walk under the law of sin and death; but, after we are regenerated, we are under the law of life in Christ Jesus, who became a curse for us.
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Galatians 3:13-14
How wonderful is our inheritance as Christians! We do not get the evil that should be ours. We all deserve hell, but when we come to Jesus, we get Heaven. We are not under the curse of sickness and death any longer. We now have power over sin through Jesus. Sin can no longer pull us around like bulls with rings in our noses. You know, leading an animal by that ring must hurt his nose sometimes. Many of us have been led around hurting with rings in our noses!
However, we have to want to overcome the habit of sinning. God will not violate our wills. If we want to keep on sinning after we are saved from the law of sin and death, He will allow us to do so. We need to clearly understand that when we sin, it produces the death principle in our lives.
Although we are children of God and have been given the covenant of blessing, "idols" in our hearts and lives can cause us to be open in some ways to the curse. Those who come under the curses of God are unbelievers and Christians who knowingly and deliberately continue to sin.
BREAKING A CURSE
The way to break a curse is to repent for whatever involvement has occurred on the enemy's territory and rebuke the devil out of your life. You should also pray something along the following lines:
"Father, I ask you first to forgive me for my sins and cleanse me from any area where I have allowed the devil to enter my life. I renounce any involvement with the works of darkness. In the name of Jesus, I now cancel every curse, and Father, I ask you to forgive the people who have spoken them against me. I thank you that those curses will no longer operate against me. In Jesus' name, they are broken right now, by the power of Almighty God. I cancel every evil that was spoken against me and ask you to cover me and my family with your protection according to your Word in Psalm 91."
The Bible tells us in James 4:7 to "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
If we think that someone is speaking a curse upon us, we should not send a curse back on the one who sent it to us. We are not to return evil for evil, but rather overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21) Ask God to forgive them, because many times they do not know what they are doing. If you intercede for such persons, you are obeying the Word, which allows the Holy Spirit to cancel the curse automatically if we are speaking good and praying for those who would seek to harm us. We should also quote the scriptures that promise us protection such as Psalm 91.
Remember the devil is the fallen one and we have power over him, so we need not fear him. As we use our authority over him in faith, he cannot hurt us. We have power over all curses through our Lord, Jesus Christ.
"And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." Luke 10:18
Excerpt from the book entitled COVENANT God's Guarantee for Victorious Living by R.S. "Bud" Miller