Are Believers Still Under a Curse?

“Then another message came to me from the LORD: “Why do you quote this proverb in the land of Israel: ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste’? As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, you will not say this proverb anymore in Israel. For all people are mine to judge – both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: The person who sins will be the one who dies”. Ezekiel 18:1-4 (NLT)

It beats my imagination therefore, when a lot of people who are born again keep complaining that the reason they are not progressing is because of the ancestral curses following them. Some accuse such curses as being the reason why they are always sick, barren, retrogressive, poor, struggling, unfortunate, not promoted, etc.

They believe their grand parents did something sacrilegious and were cursed by certain persons or powers; and as a result the curses have now cut across several generations to affect them. They also say that until deliverance is conducted on you by somebody with a higher authority, you would never be free if you are really under such curses, spells, jinxes, misfortunes, etc.

But are you really cursed?
In the Old Testament, there were portions where it was mentioned that the children would suffer for the sins of their parents. One of such is found in the book of Exodus 20:4-6 “Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations”.

The above quotation from Exodus has in itself put a lot of believers in bondage because they keep making reference to it and fail to balance the bible. In Deuteronomy 24:16 God changed His mind and decided instead, that only those who sinned should die – not their children anymore.

However, if a man sinned and attracted a curse upon himself and his family, the curse may be transmitted to the next generations if they follow their father’s footsteps and refuse to accept the LORD Jesus Christ into their lives as their Lord and savior. If you repent and refuse to follow the footsteps of your wicked father, the transmission line is broken. You will not inherit his sins and curses.

When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and saviour, His blood washes you clean from all destructive covenants and curses. “What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!” 2 Cor.5:17 (NLT).

Why are we still held in bondage?
It is apparently not the curses of our ancestors that are holding us in captivity. There are other reasons why we are where we are today. Until such issues are decisively dealt with, we may continue to remain there.

1.Ignorance: Living in ignorance is the worst thing that could ever happen to any believer. If you don’t know your right, the devil would keep you in perpetual darkness and captivity. You need to know what the word of God says – that you are no longer under a curse.

2.Our character: The reason some believers fail to make a headway in life is because thy refuse to shed their old character after accepting Christ. You need to confess your past and forsake them. Confession without forsaking your old negative characters would surely keep you under a severe yoke. Your bad character can drive away your potential deliverer, employer, husband, wife, etc.

3.Forces of darkness: One of the reasons why Christians suffer is as a result of attacks from the forces of darkness. This is different from inheriting a curse. The enemies of God’s people keep attacking them to force them into denying God or forsaking their new found faith. 4.Genetic inheritance: This applies to issues like certain illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, sickle cell disease, etc. They are transmitted genetically from parents to their children. But they are not a result of a curse. They are purely scientific issues.

We therefore need to study God’s word and understand it properly to cure our ignorance. We also need to avoid old fables and purge our hearts of doctrines not supported by scriptures. God loves us and has good thought for us.

If you still feel there is a curse in your life that is limiting you, simply ask God to open your understanding to the truth of the Scripture and strengthen your faith. Please take a look at the following scriptural verse: Jer.31:28 – 34

Can You Separate Faith From Work?

Faith is not just a feeling, belief or confession; it does not just exist on its own, and as such cannot be completely separated from work. Some people believe that once they profess to trust God or to believe  His word, everything is finished; and then they would go and relax, waiting for results to come without any form of action.

Come to think of it, why did the bible say that “the demons believe God and they tremble?” (James 2:19 & 20). Does that make demons to be Christians? The answer, of course, is an emphatic ‘NO’. Demons may believe that God is real and that he made the heavens and the earth; but if they do not take action to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal savior, their belief amounts to nothing.

While was Abraham called the father of faith? Was it because he believed what God said? After all, he faltered along the line and slept with his housemaid Hagar. The reason he was addressed as the father of faith was because of the actions he took. First, when God asked him to leave Ur of the Chaldeans to a place He (God) would show him, Abraham believed God completely and he took action by leaving his father Terah and followed God’s direction.

Besides, when God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his promised son, Isaac, he didn’t argue; he knew that Jehovah Almighty was capable of giving him back what he would offer. He took action and took his son to the mountain of Moriah until God divinely intervened. His faith was totally backed with work.

The bible also says that faith that is not backed by good works amounts to nothing (James 2: 14-18). When you process to be a believer, you must back up your profession with good deeds. When you hear God’s voice, you also need to be proactive; you need not to be a passive observer of His command, you must take action and do what He says you should do before you start getting results.

If you are looking for a job for example, you must go and submit your CV to the company you hope would employ you. Don’t stay in the house and hope to get an invitation for interview when nobody knows your phone or email address. When you have submitted your CV, you put your trust on God to touch the management of the company to invite you for a job interview.

You get results because first you believed God; and second you took action which is a back up to your faith. If a prophet gives you a message from God for example and gives you instructions as to what to do, you must follow his instructions otherwise your belief without taking action would never earn you a positive result.

How To Build Up Your Faith in God

Developing a rock-solid faith could be an uphill task sometimes; but it could also be a simple thing to do if one understands the steps to take. It is the number one ingredient needed to please God as a believer: to please God, you must first believe that he lives and that he is able to reward those who earnestly seek him (including you).

Has God ever done anything unique for you or anything that would have been impossible from the human angle? Then you have a reason to develop your faith further because if what he did would otherwise have been very difficult or impossible then you should trust more in his ability to do the impossible or the extra-ordinary.

Have you ever woken up at midnight and your child takes ill and there is no vehicle to transport your ailing child to the nearest hospital? The acute sickness became so threatening that you concluded your baby would die before dawn? If in that circumstance you prayed and he/she suddenly gets well, your testimony should encourage you to build your faith in God.

If you have been close to a friend who suffered a terminal disease maybe liver cancer, liver cirrhosis, lung cancer, tumour of the brain, etc; and the doctors at a point ruled that he/she would definitely die in few days and you went on your knees to seek God’s face and your friend got healed, that should motivate you to put your trust in God.

Have you ever come face-to-face with death, maybe you got involved in an auto crash and remained unconscious for days or weeks and the prayer of the brethren sustained you? It shows that the mercies of God can actually do beyond what the orthodox medicine could do.

Albert Einstein was once told by his class teacher that nothing good could come out of him (Einstein): that was when he was about 14 years. But at 26 he propounded “the law of relativism”. Do you think his teacher or his parents gave him special tutorials? No, of course! The hand of God was at work in his life. If you could trust God for once, he can change your life story. Believe that the same God who did it for Albert Einstein could do it for you.

Sometimes you approach God for a thing in prayer and give him a sign to be sure he actually answers your prayers. You wait for the sign to come to pass. Surprisingly it comes to pass without anybody else assisting you to get that desired result. It is enough to help you develop your faith in him because he answers prayer.

To build your faith therefore, reappraise your life; look at those things God has done which no man could easily do for you. Acknowledge him as the source of those miracles. Believe he is trustworthy and that he would never disappoint you if you put your trust in him. Build on that trust; have that firm belief that even in the future God is able to handle all difficult situations you may come across in life.