What About Curses?
by Rayola Kelley
Q: I know that in your ministry to people there are often curses hindering them that need to be broken. My question is twofold. How do you discern curses, and how can a Christian be under a curse when Jesus became a curse for us, and the “a causeless curse shall come to nothing.”
A: Needless to say, whether a Christian can have a curse or not has been a heated debate. I have heard all the Scriptures Christians use to verify their particular stand. However, actual experience in this area has made me not only study the Scriptures, especially the one you have made mention of in Proverbs 26:2: “As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse that is causeless shall not come.” But, to scripturally come to terms with our various experiences, “causeless” in Proverbs 26:2 means devoid of cost, reason or advantage–without a cause, innocent, for nothing (naught) or in vain.
As I considered this scripture in light of its meaning, I realized that like a bird or swallow, it appears as if a curse moves, but it cannot land without a cause. In other words, to land it must have a place to take root. It is important to note that it does not mention that if a person is a believer that it cannot take root. It declares that it cannot take root as long as there is no ground, arena or open door for it to land.
As we all know, Satan shoots darts at us. We must be wearing the armor of God to avoid being wounded or affected by his darts (Ephesians 6:11-17). As you study Satan’s darts, you realize that curses could be in reference to some of his darts. We know that witches go around cursing Christians. As long as a Christian’s life (armor) is intact, Satan’s darts cannot land. However, if the armor is not in its proper place, Satan’s darts will land and affect our lives.
This brings us to curses. Curses can land where there is unbelief, delusion, ignorance, or sin in operation. Therefore, a Christian who is believing a lie and operating in unbelief and ignorance towards God, or in sin, has a flawed armor and is open for attack and defeat.
It is true that Jesus became a curse for us, but this was in regards to the Law (Galatians 3:13). Those who failed to adhere to the Law of God immediately brought themselves under the curse of the Law, which was death and destruction (Deuteronomy 27:13; 28:15-48).Clearly, God does not literally curse people; rather people bring themselves under curses when they are being disobedient to what is right.
Admittedly, before my various experiences in the spiritual realm, I did not possess an opinion or doctrine about curses. However, when we at GSM began to deal in the area of spiritual oppression, we encountered oppression that appeared to act like a curse. Curses set up an environment that oppresses people. For example, we have encountered curses of failure. The individual who was under the weight of this curse experienced failure no matter what he or she did. This brought the person to utter despair. However, once this weight was broken, the person was able to move forward in different accomplishments.
We have discovered that these curses come through two avenues such as generational sins and witchcraft. Generational sins clearly set up oppressive environments that affect each family member and manifest themselves in different ways. Witchcraft in the area of curses simply means there is a spirit behind a person’s destructive words. This wrong spirit will cause the words to go into the spirit of another person, especially if he or she is in a vulnerable state, and set the person up to operate in an oppressive or destructive environment.
We have also learned that curses simply serve as an avenue for Satan to work through. However, once the light exposes the weight or power behind the environment, it can quickly be broken in the authority of Jesus Christ and His redemptive work on the cross.
The problem with the debate about whether Christians can be plagued by curses is the fact that this form of oppression is not being dealt with. Satan does not work according to our theology or doctrine. Satan works where there is darkness and personal rights. Whether we want to face it or not, we often give Satan the necessary territory in our lives and homes to play havoc. Since we at GSM have to deal with his oppressive ways, we have to operate in the Spirit to expose and overcome the power and work of this enemy, regardless of what theology declares or may be comfortable with. Keep in mind, Satan’s power can only be maintained in the darkness of deception, unbelief, ignorance, and rebellion.
The way to discern the existence of a curse is by discerning the environment. If a person or people seem to be entangled in some type of oppressive lifestyle, sin or problems, there could be a curse that may be holding these people in bondage. You need to ask the Holy Spirit to confirm it and reveal how it can be broken. Remember, Jesus came to set the captive free from any type of entanglement that may be experienced in this world and in our lives.