Why do some people seem to be under curses and not under blessings? The more they try to get ahead, the more hopeless they become. Have you ever heard someone brag that he had everything in life: a good job, money in the bank, a nice house, many friends, and in the blink of an eye it was all gone? Or have you ever known a family where the grandfather died of cancer, and so did the father, and the son, too? Or, have you noticed how often in a family where the grandparents were divorced, so were the parents, and the children?The Bible says in John 10:10, "The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy . . ."
Recently I was watching the television news when they began to interview a woman who had lost her home in a fire. She had lost everything. When interviewed, she commented that besides the fire, she had lost her husband to another woman a few years earlier, and her young son, who had Down's Syndrome, was in the hospital with leukemia. She was wondering why all these things were happening to her. She didn't understand why. She had no answer at all and she seemed hopeless.
Many families today are being destroyed by violence, alcoholism, homicide, suicide, prostitution, homosexuality, bankruptcy, premature death, poverty, divorce, incest, debt, drugs, etc. In cases like these it seems like the answer is nowhere to be found. Your doctor doesn't have the answer, and neither does your attorney or your accountant. No one seems to have the answer for your problems, but God's Word has the answer.
The Word of God says in Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge."
Unfortunately, the magazines you find in the supermarkets, and the TV shows you watch every day aren't able to satisfy your soul. They lie to you, they deceive you, they are filling your soul with all kinds of pornography, and you welcome them into your home because they satisfy your fleshly desires. Sometimes they make you laugh, but they are not able to satisfy your innermost being. That is up to God. Only He can set you free from bondage. This is what the Word of God says. "When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God" (Deut. 18:9-13).
All these things that God hates are present in our daily life. How many people, first thing in the morning, read the horoscope before even having breakfast? How many people are practicing divination or sorcery by simply watching certain TV programs? How many people, when desperate enough, look for solutions through mediums, spiritists and psychics? How many people are in some way engaged in witchcraft or in buddhism or in new age? "Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord . . ." (Deut. 18:12). These things all result in destruction.
The other day I was watching a TV documentary about a well-known and very successful businessman who used to hold seminars in the United States and overseas. He taught people how to be successful in the computer business through some simple steps, one of which was meditation. In fact, he made a fortune and his disciples also became successful in their businesses by following his principles. One of his students shared that in one of the meetings where this man was teaching, he saw the room turn into gold. He also said that he saw his master practicing levitation. He was astonished by the signs. When interviewed, the businessman said he was the happiest man in the whole world. He had accomplished everything he desired in life. But not too long ago he was found dead in the lake outside his mansion. It was a suicide by drug overdose.
Now, this is my question: Why do famous people, rich people, well-known people, after reaching their goals seem to struggle to find pleasure in life? Why do they commit suicide? Why do some of them find themselves divorcing their partners and remarrying time after time? Why aren't they happy? One of the reasons is they are looking for God. They are thirsty. But they are looking for God in science, in the New Age movement, in humanism, in sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. They are not going to find God there. The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." And in John 10:10b Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
Unfortunately, many are those who find themselves involved in satanism without even realizing it.
Generational Curses
Generational curses are those which are passed from generation to generation. A common example is alcoholism. Often we find in a family that the grandfather was an alcoholic, and so was the father, and the son. The same can happen with poverty, divorce, diseases, suicide, depression, premature death, etc.
What the Bible Has to Say About Generational Curses
Exodus 20:1-6 says, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."
Let me give you an example:
In 1996 I was teaching spiritual warfare in a Christian Seminary in Goiania, Brazil. One morning we were having a workshop on how to break generational curses through prayer, and one of my students came to me asking for prayer. She told us that her husband was a hard worker, he always had plenty of work, and he was making good money, but somehow they were always in need. He wasn't able to save money at all, and she thought that there was possibly a curse in his life. We laid hands on her, myself and some of the intercessors, and suddenly she began to have convulsions. A voice spoke through her mouth, saying, "That man belongs to me and I won't leave him."
I ordered the demon to say his name and he answered, "My name is Poverty and I won't leave him because I found an opening in his life and I came to destroy the entire family."
That is what a demon said through the mouth of a woman!
I want you to know that if there's a problem that is leading you or one of your family members, or the entire family into destruction, it could be a curse in the family. It's important for you to know that only the name of Jesus has power to break curses. No other source is going to be able to deliver you from total destruction. Jesus, only He can set you free.
Words Can Also be Destructive
One day I was conducting a meeting on deliverance in a hotel in Brazil. A woman came to me asking for prayer. When I laid my hands on her, a demonic power began to manifest. The woman was totally controlled by a demon who began to curse me and some of my helpers. He said he had jurisdiction in her life because her mother had given her to him. After about an hour of deliverance, the demon left her and she became conscious again. The woman was 40 years old and she told us that she began having spiritual problems when she was 6. She told us that her mother hated her and used to curse her by saying that she belonged to the devil. In doing that, the mother simply gave Satan the right to possess the daughter. We need to be careful with the type of words we are speaking to others, especially to our children because we have authority over them. Depending on what we say, we can transfer this authority over to Satan, and in cases like this he is going to be the one who will have control over our children, or spouse, or friends.
Curses in your life will always be a hindrance for healing, prosperity, peace, and all the good things you desire. Once detected, the curse must be broken in order for you to receive God's blessings. I suggest you begin attending a Spirit-filled Christian church and ask for help. Begin reading the New Testament. Read it many times until the Holy Spirit becomes real in your life. Always confess Jesus as your Lord, confess your sins and ask Him to cleanse you, ask Jesus to forgive you. Spend time praying, listen to Christian music and watch Christian television programs. In doing this you are allowing God to work in you and He will deliver you from bondage. Remember always the Word that says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). Fill your heart every day with desires to see your entire family blessed and prosperous.
Excerpt from "The Creative and Transforming Power of Desire" by Carlos A. Oliveira (Copyright 1998)
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