Release From Curses

In this session we’re going to continue with the exchange from curse to blessing. In the previous session I listed a number of examples of blessings and curses, taken primarily from Deuteronomy 28. But then I also added some which were the basis of my own observation. Actually, if you put the two side by side, it’s remarkable how much they agree.

I wanted to go on to say very briefly that apart from specific problems I want to describe to you what it’s like to have a curse in a general term. This is something that God has plunged me into in the last five or six years and He’s kind of taken me around the world and taken me to certain places and certain people as object lessons. I would say leaving aside the specific kinds of problems I’ve listed, a curse is like a dark shadow from the past. You probably don’t know where it comes from but it’s not from your life time, probably has something to do with your family background, and it just stretches out over your life and somehow shuts off the sunshine of God’s blessing. And you can see other people around you in the sunlight. But very rarely do you ever get into the sunlight yourself. And you have no idea what it is from the past that causes this.

Or, to take just another example, you could compare it with a long evil arm stretched out from behind you. And every now and then it maliciously trips you up or pushes you out of the way. Usually it’s like this, you struggled hard to get to a certain point in life where you say now I’ve got it made. And just at that moment something happens and success slips out of your grasp. So you go through the painful struggle again, get back to the same situation and again this evil hand trips you up. And this becomes a pattern in your life. And sometimes when you look back at your parents or your grandparents, or some other relative, you say that used to happen to them, too. It’s just the same kind of thing being repeated in my life story.

However, a curse does not always make a person obviously unsuccessful. I always think of a lady I met in Southeast Asia who was from a royal line and she was highly educated and successful in her career. She was a judge. I was teaching on this and she came up to me afterwards and said, “I don’t fit your description because I’m not unsuccessful. I’ve been successful.” But she said, “I’m frustrated.” She said in effect, “I believe in Jesus but I never seem to get the things that people are supposed to have who believe in Jesus.” So I spoke with her for a few moments and I discovered that she was descended from a long line of idol worshipers. I pointed out to her that is probably the nature of your problem. The essence of a curse, in a sense, is summed up in one word: frustration. And you can be successful and frustrated, how many of you know that? There are a lot of successful frustrated people in the world today.

Now, you say how could such a thing come over me? And I’m going to give you seven possible causes. I mean, there are other possible causes, we’re not going to be able to devote much time to it but we’ll just go through it rapidly. The primary cause of all curses is idolatry, the breaking of the first two commandments out of the Ten Commandments. I would say idolatry invariably results in some kind of a curse. But included with idolatry is the whole realm of the occult because though people don’t realize it, those who go into the occult are turning to false gods for help that they should be seeking only from the true God. So they are making false gods and they come under the same curse that’s pronounced on a person that makes an idol or worships a false god. And in my personal opinion, according to scripture, that inevitably and invariably results in some kind of a curse.

The second, which is very close to it, is false religion and secret societies. And any religion that rejects the revelation of scripture and rejects the particular unique place and function of Jesus is a false religion by biblical standards. I don’t need to tell you that the world is full of false religions. I also include secret societies because, in a way, a person who joins in a secret society has made a covenant with people who are worshiping false gods. And I don’t want to be controversial but the example that Ruth and I have encountered again and again is Freemasonry. My personal conclusion is any family in which there’s Freemasonry is liable to be under a curse. And if I had time I could give you example after example after example.

The next common cause is a wrong attitude to parents. Honor your father and mother that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth. Now, honoring your parents doesn’t mean you have to agree with them. They may be very wrong. But you have to treat them with respect. And in this present generation there’s probably a higher proportion of people who have a wrong attitude to their parents than any previous generation in human history. And when young people come to me for help I always try to check on their relationship to their parents.

You can have a wrong attitude to your parents and get saved. You can speak in tongues and you can go to heaven when you die but you will never have it well with you in this life. So you might as well adjust.

The fourth reason is injustice to the weak and the helpless. God is on the side of the weak and the oppressed. And the particular example which is so conspicuous today is abortion, the deliberate taking of a life of an unborn child. Because if there ever was an example of something weak and helpless, that’s an unborn infant. Again, my personal opinion is if you deliberately procure an abortion, you have invoked a curse over your life.

I have to stop at this point and say don’t get too depressed because there is a way out.

The next cause is anti-Semitism. In other words, hating and speaking against the Jewish people. When God called Abraham, He said, “If anybody curses you, I will curse him.” And that was transferred through Isaac to Jacob and to their descendants. Again, I say that no one will truly have it well with him who has a wrong attitude and expresses wrong words about the Jewish people. Let me add I am not Jewish. One of the most amazing examples of this is a close friend of ours, a Palestinian Arab born in Haifa, who is a United States citizen today, to whom I ministered and brought into the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I can’t go into his testimony in detail but he recognized that he and all his ancestors as far back as he could remember had persistently cursed the Jewish people. And when he repented of that, renounced it and was released from the curse, God has prospered him spiritually, in his family and in his business in an astonishing way. And today he boldly tells people and his fellow Arabs if you want the blessing of God you’ve got to change your attitude to the Jewish people.

That doesn’t mean the Jewish people are always right, let me tell you that.

Then, one of the commonest areas is self imposed curses, curses that people pronounce upon themselves. Like, “I wish I were dead. What’s the good of living?” “I know I’ll never make good.” “This always happens to me.” “I just can’t handle this kind of situation.” Do you know what you’re doing? You’re pronouncing a curse on yourself. We have dealt with scores of people who needed deliverance from the spirit of death because they invoked it by saying “I wish I were dead.” Do you know what that is? That’s an invitation to a spirit of death. “Come in, I’m welcoming you.” You don’t have to give many invitations.

Something that isn’t in the list but needs to be mentioned is curses from people with relational authority like parents and husbands. Unfortunately, many parents get provoked with their children and say bitter, angry words to them which they don’t really consider the implication. “You’ll never succeed.” “You’ll never make good.” “You’re a failure.” I’ve dealt with people in their 40’s and 50’s who were still struggling from the effects of words spoken by a father when they were younger than teenagers. Also, the words spoken by a husband to his wife. It’s unfair but it happens to be true. God has given husbands authority over wives.

Jacob said about an accusation that one member of his family had stolen Laban’s gods, he said, “The one that has done this, let him die.” He didn’t know that Rachel had stolen them. She was his favorite wife. The next time she gave birth she died under her husband’s curse. We’re not talking about something small and insignificant, we’re talking about something very, very real.

I’ve been writing in my book about the imaginary case of a husband that says to his wife, “You can’t cook. I’m sick of your food. You’ll never be able to cook!” The result is she never cooks. She’s talented and able in many other areas but when she gets into the kitchen she falls apart. And that continues for the rest of her life.

On the other hand, he didn’t know but he pronounced a curse on himself. He said, “I’m sick of your cooking.” For the rest of his life he has indigestion, you see? You can laugh, I agree, but it works. I happens. That’s the way it is.

Now, we have to tell you if you feel there’s a curse of death over yourself, there’s a wonderful way to get out of it. Psalm 118:17. You couldn’t count the number of times Ruth and I have said this. We are in a spiritual war ourselves. We’re not sharing theories, we’re sharing things we know. Psalm 118:17:

“I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”

How many of you would like to say that? All right, say it after us the first time.

“I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”

Now we’ll all say it together.

“I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”

Amen, thank you, Lord. Then the last is witch doctors, shamans, tohungas, it depends on what part of the world you come from. jewogee if you’re from east Africa. Practitioners of satanic power. They’re very real, their power is real and they can kill. And lots of people are killed by witchcraft. There are today covens of witches in almost every major city in this nation that specifically pray against Christians. And pray against the marriages of Christian ministers. Their supreme aim is to destroy the church of Jesus Christ. There is again a real source of curses. Having lived in various countries like Palestine and Africa, where people specialize in that, that’s the man with power is the witch doctor. He’s the person everybody goes to. And in lots of countries people who’ve become Christians up to a certain point, if they can’t get what they want from God will go to the witch doctor.

Now, we come to the steps to get out of it. We’re going to do this very quickly. I’ve got four words, each of which begins with RE there. Recognize. Ask God to show you what your problem is. The whole aim of what I’ve been saying is to help you to recognize. Recognize. I feel that some of you have recognized. Suddenly a light has come on. You say now I understand why my life has gone that way. Now I understand what the problem was with my parents. I want to tell you there’s hope.

Number two, repent. If it’s your personal involvement in anything evil, repent of it. If you’ve been involved in the occult, you’ve been to a fortune teller, you’ve played with a Ouija board, you’ve studied books on the occult, you need to repent personally.

However, it may well be that it wasn’t your involvement, it was the involvement of your parents, your grandparents, your great-grandparents or other people. In that case, you repent on their behalf. You’re not guilty but you’re suffering the consequences. Do you understand what I mean? Whereas if you’ve done it you’re both guilty and suffering the consequences. But in order to clear that thing from your background, you need to repent on behalf of your parents or whoever it may be.

Number three, renounce. Declare this is not for me. I have been saved by the blood of Jesus. My faith is in the atonement of Jesus. On the cross He took all the evil that was due to me that I might receive all the good that is due to him. That’s renouncing it. The Bible says submit to God, resist the devil and what will happen? He will flee. Do you really believe that? Do you really believe he will flee from you? He’ll only flee if you’ve submitted to God first. He’ll laugh in your face if you haven’t submitted to God.

But the problem with many Christians is they’ve reversed that. They submit to the devil and resist God. Some of you may be doing that. You’re lying down under Satan’s pressures and attacks, you’re letting him walk over you. That doesn’t please God, that’s not humility. That’s unbelief. Stand up, take your stand. Say, “I’m a child of God. This doesn’t belong to me. I’ve been redeemed by the blood of Jesus out of the hand of the devil.” Do you know what Psalm 107:2 says?

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”

Your redemption doesn’t really work until you say, till you make it your personal testimony. They overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Let’s say that. I’ll say it the first time.

“I’ve been redeemed by the blood of Jesus out of the hand of the devil.”

All right, let’s say it again.

“I’ve been redeemed by the blood of Jesus out of the hand of the devil.”

Let’s say it once more.

“I’ve been redeemed by the blood of Jesus out of the hand of the devil.”

Okay. Now, it’s unfair to stop there. I could say the session is over and you can go and have a good lunch. But some of you would be frustrated. So I want to give you an opportunity personally to do this. If you feel that there’s some kind of a curse over your life, and you may not fully understand the reason but you see it’s there, and you believe Jesus was made a curse on the cross that you might be redeemed from the curse. I’ll be willing to lead you in prayer not addressed to me but addressed to the Lord, in which you cover all the bases. In other words, you fulfill the requirements. So if you would like me to lead you in a prayer, you’ve got to believe for yourself. I’ll join with you but I can’t believe for you. I think I’m going to ask my wife to come and stand with me, we do better when we stand together. If you want me to lead you in a prayer, would you stand to your feet. Please don’t feel embarrassed. Don’t stand because somebody else is standing. It’s entirely a personal matter between you and the Lord. Some of you may have been in a meeting where we’ve already done this. You don’t have to do it.

Now, I want to put this prayer in your lips. I want you to say it, you’re praying to Jesus, not to me. You’re making the right confession, you’re renouncing every contact. Another thing you have to do, I didn’t mention, is forgive anybody that you have resentment against. Are you ready? Please don’t look to me. Just turn your eyes to the Lord Jesus. You can keep your eyes closed or open, that’s doesn’t matter. Say these words:

“Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that you are the Son of God and the only way to God. That you died on the cross for my sins and rose again from the dead. That on the cross you were made sin with my sinfulness that I might be made righteous with your righteousness. And also, that you were made a curse with any curse that might come upon me. And now, Lord, I come to you for deliverance from any such curse. I repent of any sins that have caused it to come, whether by me or by my ancestors. I receive your forgiveness. I take my stand now against the devil and all his pressures, and everything he wants to do against me. And in the name of Jesus, I resist him. I refuse to submit any longer to him. And in the name of Jesus, I now release myself from any curse over my life. Because of what Jesus did for me, in His name I release myself and I receive the release now by faith with thankfulness. Lord, I thank you now. I praise you now. I believe you’re faithful. I believe you are doing what I’ve asked you to do. And all I can do, Lord, is thank you and praise you, commit my life to you that from now on your blessing may rest upon me. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you.”

Now I’d like you to take a little while to thank him in your own words. Forget me, forget the people around about you. Receive with thanksgiving. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever and ever. We love you, Lord Jesus. We praise you.

“Lord, Ruth and I stand together on behalf of the people that prayed that prayer now, and we declare them released from this day forward. In the name of Jesus we declare them released in the name of Jesus. Lord Jesus, we give you all the glory and the praise. We thank you that you were willing to take our place on the cross. We thank you for that one final all sufficient sacrifice on the cross, that by one sacrifice you have perfected forever us who are being sanctified.”

Let’s say that.

“By one sacrifice He has perfected forever us who are being sanctified.”

Say it again.

“By one sacrifice He has perfected forever us who are being sanctified.”

Now, if you’ve got the courage to do this, turn around to somebody next to you and say, “By one sacrifice He has perfected forever me who am being sanctified.” All right? Make it very personal. Have the courage to say it to a person.

All right. We have just one or two moments left. I think we have just about two minutes left or something like that. So, I don’t want to waste the time. Let me say to you this doesn’t automatically solve all your problems from this time on. But, it sets you facing in a new direction. I’ve dealt with many people who have been released from curses, some of them had to fight tremendous battles. I think of one man who is now a very successful artist who was a complete failure and flop in life. He’d been deep in the occult because his background was in Brazil. And he heard this teaching and he saw clearly there was a curse over his life. He did what I told him. But it didn’t happen overnight. Sometimes you have to fight, do you know that? You have to have what they call guts. You have to be prepared to slug it out with the devil and say, “Devil, I’ve met the conditions. You have no more claims. Get out of my way, there’s a child of God coming down the road. Step aside.” When he knows you really mean it, he’ll step aside. But it takes quite awhile sometimes for some of you.

So don’t be disappointed if there’s still a few remaining problems. Just know that you’ve set your face toward the light and you’re progressing in the right direction. May God bless you.