Friday, July 12, 2019

What is a Curse?

VIDEO: Can Christians Have a Curse & 
How to Take Communion

And to Adam He said, Because you have listened and given heed to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it, the ground is under a curse because of you; in sorrow and toil shall you eat [of the fruits] of it all the days of your life. (Genesis 3:17 AMPC)
And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you... (Genesis 12:3)

To remove attacks, we must identify them and know why they are allowed in our lives. A curse is a legal right for the enemy to afflict us in some way. The first mention of a curse in the Bible is when God put a curse upon the ground after Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3:17). God also told Abraham that He would curse those who dishonored him (Genesis 12:3).  

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse— The blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day…  (Deuteronomy 11:26-27 AMPC) 

When our actions are against God’s ways, we can come under a curse. Because we have gone against what God tells us to do, we have given the enemy a place to attack our lives. Many verses in Deuteronomy give specific actions that will open the door for the enemy, however, anytime we walk away from God’s way, it may give the enemy a place to attack us.  

To understand how curses can affect a Christian even after you have taken Jesus as Lord, you will need to know a simple, basic biblical principle. Everything God created in the first chapter of the Bible, He did by speaking words.  

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:3 AKJV)   

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. (Genesis 1:6 AKJV)   

And God said, Let the waters under the Heaven be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. (Genesis 1:9 AKJV)  

For anything to happen, God had to declare it by speaking it out loud. The Bible tells us that we have been justified and saved from eternal damnation by the blood of Jesus. (Romans 5:9) Salvation is not automatic or something that “just happens” when we learn that Jesus is the Son of God. Even the demons know this and they tremble at His name. (James 2:19) We have to know He is the Son of God in our heart and confess with our mouth that He is our Lord. (Romans 10:9) Only those who confess that He is Lord, go to Heaven. This same principle applies to curses. The New Testament tells us that Jesus redeems us from the curse of the Law: 

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us… (Galatians 3:13 ESV)  

The word “curse” is singular. The single curse was that you went to Hell for violating any part of the law. This is what taking Jesus as Lord has redeemed us from. We no longer go to Hell for violating even a tiny part of the law as the Hebrew people did. That is the curse of the Law that Jesus paid for and we receive, by taking Him as Lord. Our sins can still give the enemy access to us and hinder us from achieving the destiny God has for us. The Bible tells us when there will be no more curses: 

And there shall be no more curse… (Revelation 22:3 KJV) 

This verse is after the 1000-year reign is described. Then the Earth is destroyed by fire. Next there is a “new Earth” where there will be no more curses. Until that time, there are still curses and they work under this same principle as salvation. Curses are not immediately broken when we take Jesus as Lord. We have to confess that we are turning from whatever allowed that curse to come upon us, then it can be both broken and removed by the blood of Jesus. (See the class “Traps When Praying” to understand more about how to properly use the blood of Jesus)

Some Christians will quote this verse about sin, reasoning that if we have no sin or guilt, we cannot have a curse either: 

…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt…  (1 John 1:7 AMPC) 

Taken out of context, this verse seems to say that Jesus did it all, once we accept Him as Lord, all our sin is taken care of. This is partially true. We no longer have to PAY for our sins. His blood pays for any sin, however, just like with salvation, there is something for us to do. Let’s look at this verse in the context of what is said around it where more accurate meanings are given: 

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleans us from all sin. (1 John 1:7 AKJV) 

Our sin is continually removed from us “if we really are living and walking in the Light and we are in fellowship with one another.” How is sin cleansed from us? Jesus is the Light, light reveals what is hidden. We must be walking with Him and He will reveal our sin to us. Also when we fellowship with other Christians, then there is someone to help us realize when we are in sin! Two verses later, John makes this point: 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us. (1 John 1:9-10 AKJV) 

We have a part to do, we must confess our sins. The blood of Jesus blots out our sin, but we must appropriate it. When scriptures are taken out of context, they can easily be seen to say there are no consequences for our sin, however, that is not so. Everywhere the topic of not being judged or condemned is discussed, you need to look at the surrounding scriptures to see how to apply it. Let's look at one more scripture to find out how to apply what is being said: 
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1 AKJV) 

Condemnation is a Greek word, κατάκριμα which means “damnatory sentence,” as in damnation or sentenced to Hell. This lack of condemnation is conditional: you must walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. This means you must be focusing on the things of God and His Spirit and not on sin. 

This verse begins with “There is therefore…” which means it is referring to something previously stated. You will need to read the chapter before this one to put it in the right context. This letter was addressing Jews in Rome who were trying to follow the Law instead of Jesus. The key verse to understanding Romans 8:1 is this: 

Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. (Romans 7:4 ESV) 

Paul is trying to show his Jewish brothers that they are no longer justified by the Law but by the sacrifice of Jesus. Throughout these two chapters, Paul is showing them that they need to be led by the Spirit and stop trying to be justified by the Law of Moses. It is through Jesus that we are no longer condemned.   

In chapter eight, Paul also states that someone who is focused on doing things of the flesh (sin) and not following God’s ways, has not really received Christ as Lord; nowhere in this chapter does it say that sin does not affect us in this life. The topic is our eternal life and being righteous or in right standing before God. 

Another verse in Hebrews is often quoted to state that we are perfect and no sin or curse can affect us. There are some who have even gone as far as to say that we have the perfect blood or perfect DNA by using this scripture out of context. Let’s take a look at that as well: 

For by a single offering He has forever completely cleansed and perfected those who are consecrated and made holy. (Hebrews 10:14 AMPC) 

You must keep reading to find out how to apply this verse: 

And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds...” (Hebrews 10:15-16 ESV) 

Hebrews 10:16 is about our heart, our spirit, not our bodies. Most of the New Testament speaks of the corruption of the flesh (the body) and the need to continually crucify it. It is important to remove sin because it will allow a curse to attach to us. 

....the curse causeless shall not come. (Proverbs 26:2 KJV) 

A curse must have a reason to come upon a Christian. That reason is sin. To remove the curse, we must remove the sin from our lives. The blood of Jesus has paid the price, it will cleanse us and set us free. He has done it all, we only need to correctly appropriate it. 

Sin & Communion 

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way also He took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. (1 Corinthians 1:23-26 ESV) 

The first communion was spoken of in the Books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, so it is of utmost importance. The words of the Lord were quoted by the Apostle Paul as he gave instructions to the first churches concerning communion. Jesus used bread and wine to represent His body and blood. These two items were common elements in every meal.

Jesus said, “do this as often as you drink it.” Our Lord was telling His disciples to remember His sacrifice at every meal! We should spend a moment every day remembering that our Lord came, lived, and died so that we could receive the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of the Lord, to lead and guide us (Luke 4:18). When we take communion, we proclaim what our Lord has done.  

So then whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a way that is unworthy [of Him] will be guilty of [profaning and sinning against] the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man [thoroughly] examine himself, and [only when he has done] so should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discriminating and recognizing with due appreciation that [it is Christ’s] body, eats and drinks a sentence (a verdict of judgment) upon himself. 
That [careless and unworthy participation] is the reason many of you are weak and sickly, and quite enough of you have fallen into the sleep of death. For if we searchingly examined ourselves [detecting our shortcomings and recognizing our own condition], we should not be judged and penalty decreed [by the divine judgment]. But when we [fall short and] are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined and chastened, so that we may not [finally] be condemned [to eternal punishment along] with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:27-32 AMPC) 

With the action of taking the wine and the bread, we are saying that we know what Jesus has done. Receiving communion in a “careless” way means doing it without appreciating the fullness of the sacrifice of our Lord. When we don’t take our new Lord seriously, we may be sick or even die as we are “disciplined” by Him.  

Daily, we should be aware that the Holy Spirit is inside us because of what our Lord has done. We are willing servants of our Lord and He is always with us; we are to “abide in Him,” (John 15:4). Each day we need to look at our life and what we are doing.  

No one who abides in Him [who lives and remains in communion with and in obedience to Him—deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] commits (practices) sin. No one who [habitually] sins has either seen or known Him [recognized, perceived, or understood Him, or has had an experiential acquaintance with Him].  (1 John 3:5-7 AMPC) 

We cannot continue in sin when we are servants of the Lord and know that Jesus is always with us through the Holy Spirit. God doesn’t expect perfection, but He does expect improvement and the first step is to begin learning. The Lord has revealed so very much to us about the fullness of what He has done which is recorded in the free courses at the Online Christian Church. Begin learning and as you go through the classes, prayer is available as you do so that you can be freed from all the effects of sin!  

Online Christian Church courses of learning can be found at: www.onlinechristianchurch.com

 

Click on Classes tab in the top menu.

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Eager hearts cry out, hoping for a single word to confirm that He hears us. Yet, many times the only sound is silence. Over the years I have heard several reasons why God speaks to some and not to others. One night, as I tossed and turned, I brought each of these reasons before the Lord, stating why each of them did not line up with who I thought He was. 

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The death of Jesus freed us from the curse of the law. However, we must declare this freedom just as we must make a declaration for our salvation.

  • Can curses be passed to our children?
  • What are signs of a curse?
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