Curses and words spoken against you

[Bern]

Hi guys,

Just to let you know, as a young Christian I was brought up on the teachings of Derek Prince and other Arminian teachers. The church I attended was by no means pentecostal, but was mildly charismatic. I have some friends who left there a few years ago, who now go to another church (that seems to be even more charismatic), and I mentioned the other day to them, that someone said to me "be careful not to fall away while you're looking for a church" and a few other things.

Their reply was "I hope you refuted that". I'm assuming they believe in the power of words to curse and stuff like that. Has anyone got any thoughts on curses, generational curses and things like that?

 

[ewenlin]

I have no thoughts on curses, generational curses, and things such as that.

If I even begin to think that such things are, it would be such a detrimental testimony to my trust in the supremacy of Christ and His finished work of atonement.

But what are your thoughts brother Bern?

I had in mind this thread http://www.puritanboard.com/f62/cerebral-vs-experiential-knowledge-holy-spirit-54243/ when I was replying here. I went back and reread it. I was alluding to brother Pedlar's posts about the sort of things we are supposedly to experience versus a simple trust in Christ in all areas of life.

You're in that thread too.

 

[Andres]

Bern,
In my old Pentecostal church references to "speaking against" certain things was quite common. I believe they reference James 3, misunderstanding the references to the power of the tongue. Also Proverbs 18:21 was constantly quoted - "The tongue has the power of life and death". Basically they taught that you had to be careful to "speak" the right things into your life and guard what other people spoke over you. For example, if you were struggling financially and were trying to turn that around, you would never call yourself broke. The other big one was never saying you were sick. They could have a temp of 101 degrees, breaking out in a cold sweat, and coughing up a lung, but they would still "claim" their healing literally walking around saying, "i'm healed in Jesus name".
So I guess to answer your question I would have to say that this stuff is silly at best and heretical at worst, especially when they get into telling God what to do. No, I don't believe you can curse yourself or other by saying things. As for generational curses, I don't know that I would describe them as curses, but some negative behaviors can be somewhat hereditary in a sense. I am thinking of things like alcoholism here. Also many negative behaviors are passed down in families, but it has nothing to do with curses or anything overly spiritual, but rather it is a case of a parent teaching those behaviors to their children. For example, lets say a father has anger issues and lashes out at his son. If this is all the son knows, he may grow up to think this is how a father should discipline/relate to his child. The son then grows up, has his own kids, and lashes out and them and so on and so on.
Okay, I should probably get my wife to explain this stuff better as she is the psychology/counseling grad student. I guess to sum up my overly long post, no I don't think our words curse us. Ewelin is correct. God is sovereign and omnipotent, not us and therefore to ascribe those qualities to man that we might make things happen in the future by what we say is contrary to the scriptures.

 

[TimV]

Prov. 26:2

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

 

[MMasztal]

"be careful not to fall away while you're looking for a church" and "I hope you refuted that" sound like typical Arminian/Charismatic talk. Their Christianity is man-centered. I simply ignore that, as Andrew correctly put it, silliness.

 

[Bern]

Ewen: I don't believe curses and the power of the spoken word either. I guess sometimes I fear that in an overreaction to charismatic things I go the other way and limit God. When all the Christians you know well in real life (you know what I mean... not online) have a different experience to you, it can make you feel like you must be doing something wrong. When thats all you've had for your whole Christian walk, it takes a while for it to get out of your system, so to speak.

 

[lynnie]

I got saved in 72 and quickly ended up in a "Ft Lauderdale 5" church. Derek Prince was practically canon. Heard him speak live and used to have a whole box of his tapes. For anybody intellectual he was the closest thing to a theologian, and on the plus side, he stressed the importance of bible study and doctrine.

We didn't just petition God- we broke curses constantly over people and geographic areas and churches and nations. We tried to be like Daniel and confess and repent for the sins of the church/nation. Then we'd go break some more curses.

This was based on Deuteronomy, and the blessings and curses. Yes indeed God spoke curses on them and their kids and grandkids if they disobeyed. So it was up to us to break those curses, with our authority as believers given to us. And yeah, you had to be careful not to be a victim of a spoken curse, but to renounce it right away.

I remember the day I began to question it all. I noticed that NOBODY in the NT broke curses. I mean, all those sick people and demonized people and persecutors of the saints, and all people did was pray to God and petition and cry out to God to move/heal/deliver/provide. NOBODY broke curses from great Granny's witchcraft or Grandpop being a mason. It just isn't there, not at all.

I could say a lot more, but getting out of that was such a release from works and into true prayer- total dependency on God to move in situations, and we bring our requests before Him.

By the way, it was just crazy, by the time we adopted our girl in 99 (she was almost 3) we were in a PCA church and all that cr@p was long past. But I had people crawling out of the woodwork from the old days to ask me anxiously if we had broken curses over our girl in case she had any from her biological parents in Romania. People got sooooooo upset when I bluntly said I had renounced all that stuff and I didn't see it anywhere in the NT- Jesus never broke curses when he prayed, or Paul or anybody else. Jesus became a curse for us, and took all the curse upon himself. I don't do what he already did. I do pray to God and ask Him to work in lives, but I don't break curses. Jesus broke the curse.

 

[Bern]

That was a good reply , thankyou As a young Christian, I was brought up on "The Spirit filled believer's handbook" which is now retitled "Foundations for righteous living". Derek Prince and other teachers like him were considered very sound. I guess its been a struggle for me to leave behind the ideas from my past, as there is a lot of fear there. Fear of being the only person you know to adhere to reformed doctrine, fear of what people think of you, inbuilt fear of leaving it all behind with a tiny thought in the back of your mind saying, what if its all true? Its like you are a second class Christian if you don't speak in tongues or dare to question the validty of teachings of people such as Prince.

 

[Rich Koster]

I drive a big, ssssllllooooowwww, bus. I get cursed a dozen times a day. I laugh at their distress. They rail over physics that they can't change and there's not teeth in it. If curses and ill will could hurt you, I'd be dead 10 years ago.