Spiritual Warfare, Intercession and a Closer Walk

[chicacanella]

Spiritual Warfare, Intercession and a Closer Walk-12 Part Series

Hey, everyone. As always, pray and let the holy spirit guide you in everything. Here is some scriptural information and testimonies from a woman named Diane Clancy that can help you. I pray that God receives the glory and that through this writing, God can use you more as a willing vessel.

Thanks

Chica_Canella









I. Spiritual Warfare

Christians speak of being attacked by the enemy. It is no wonder! Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, John 10:10. This is his nature. Furthermore, he hates God and hates God’s children. What better way to hurt God than to hurt God’s kids?

There is a further reason why Satan hates God’s children as well. He is afraid of their power. Here is a truth every Christian know:

Every person who has asked Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior has authority in Jesus’ name over Satan and over his demon hosts.

While Jesus was still one earth, He commissioned 70 disciples besides the original 12, and sent them out to heal the sick and to preach the Gospel. They returned rejoicing, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name,” Luke 10:17. Jesus responded that He had seen Satan fall like lightning from heaven, and then spoke these words which I believe are for every disciple of Christ:

Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

That Christians have authority of demons is attested in other parts of the Bible as well:

Mark 16:17 (Jesus speaking) “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons….”

1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith…”

Psalm 149:5-9 “Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand. To execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute on them the written judgment--This honor have all His saints.”

Furthermore, we are given instructions in how to fight the enemy:

Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…

Every believer, we are told, is to put on the full armor of God, to take up the sword of the Spirit, to resist Satan and to stand steadfast in the faith. This is our responsibility!

Consider also the example Jesus gave us. He addressed demons. He did this out loud:

Matthew 17:18 “And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

Luke 8:29 Jesus “commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.”

Furthermore, when Jesus fasted in the wilderness and was tempted by Satan, he countered every attack with the Word of God, Matthew 4:1-10. Jesus Himself took up the sword of the Spirit.

We should do likewise!

I hear pastors praying, “Oh Lord, please fight the enemy for us.” This is not Scriptural! While it is true that God is our refuge and fortress, and that He will fight for us, it is also clear that we have a responsibility to lift up the sword of the Spirit as well. God does fight for us: He fights as we fight. Like the children of Israel who were told to take the promised land, we must fight as well. It is then, like them, that we will find that the Lord God of Hosts is fighting with us!


Basic Spiritual Warfare

There are five steps in basic spiritual warfare. These are found in James 4:1-10.

1. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of sin in your life.
In James 4:1-6, several sins are listed: wars, fights, desire for pleasure, lust, covetousness, friendship with the world. The sin that is the root of all of these is in verse 6 where James admonishes, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” The root sin was pride. Similarly, ask God to search your heart and show you any sin--and its root--which you may need to be cleansed from,

Ps. 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts. And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.”

2. Submit to God, James 4:7. Repent of any sin God shows you. Be assured that if you confess your sins, He cleanses you from ALL unrighteousness,

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Be aware that Satan, the accuser of the brethren, Rev. 12:10, will try to tell you that you cannot be forgiven, or that you are not completely forgiven. Rest assured that if you sincerely ask God to forgive you, then you are completely forgiven.

3. Resist the devil and he will flee from you, James 4:8. Do this out loud. Say, out loud, “In the name of Jesus, I resist you, you unclean spirit of ________and I command you to flee. Scripture says resist the devil and he will flee from you. I resist you now, and you must go!”

Speak this out loud. I don’t believe that Satan’s demons can hear the thoughts of a Christian. Remember also that our authority is always in Jesus’ name. Make sure that you are clean before you come against the enemy. If there is ongoing sin in your life, you will not have power over the demons in that area. Rather, they will have authority over you.

4. Draw near to God, James 4:8. The fastest way I've found to draw near to God is by praise and worship. Thanking God, calling out Jesus' name (Proverbs 18:10; Rom. 10:13) and crying out to Him are also effective. Reading Scripture out loud and using it as a basis for prayer and declaration also help you draw near. Remember, though, that you must be clean, James 3:11-12.

5. Practice the opposite behavior of the sin you have confessed. Compare James 4:6, where the root sin was pride to James 4:10, where James is telling the people to do the opposite: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up..” Humility is the opposite of pride. If practiced by the people, it would tear down the sin of pride. We can do this as well.

 

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Do you have a choice?

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

There is no choice. It is naïve to believe that if you leave Satan alone, his hordes will leave you alone. Yet I've heard Christians say this!

Warning: A Christian with unconfessed sin in their life DOES NOT have authority over the powers of darkness. Instead, demons have power over them.

Consider these Scriptures:

Psalm 106:2-3 Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can declare all His praise? Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times.

Psalm 50:16-17 But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you?”

Psalm 7:10 My defense is of God, who saves the upright in heart.

The privilege of declaring God’s Word and using it to combat the enemy is for those who are clean. Therefore, ask the Lord to cleanse you before you start, 1 John 1:9. Learn to hate sin because of the authority the enemy gets by it, for Satan uses legal means to attack us:

Ps. 94:20 “…the throne of iniquity (Satan)...devises evil by law…”

Confess sin as soon as you are aware of it. Walk in holiness:

1 Peter 1:15-16 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."


Therefore, the most important step in spiritual warfare is to make sure your heart is clean. Ask God to search your heart, Psalm 139:23-24, to cleanse you from secret faults, Psalm 19:12-14, and to create a clean heart within you, Psalm 51:10. Here are the Scriptures:

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 19:12-14 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back you servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.


Do not rush through this step. Get rid of any unforgiveness, offense, pride, and wrong motives as well as overt sin. Set your heart to live at peace with others, so far as you are able, Romans 12:17-21. Set your mind to seek God and to serve Him with all your heart, Mark 12:30.

Romans 12:17-21 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore, "If you enemy hungers, feed him; If he thirsts, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.

Note on Romans 12:17-21: Those who take vengeance themselves make it impossible for God to move on their behalf. Hence, it says, "give place to wrath"--God's wrath, that is. If you want God to move on your behalf, then don't move yourself, except to bless that person! Also, "heaping coals of fire" on someone's head was a blessing. In those days, if your fire went out, you would go to a neighbor to get live coals. You would transport them in a container on your head. Someone who attacked you probably doesn't even have a fire, "fire" here can mean passion for the Lord, which sustains us! You need to help them get their fire going again by helping them!

Mark 12:30 (Jesus speaking) "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."

Diana Clancy
Copyright October 2007

 

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II. The Authority of The Name

Consider the following:

Acts 3:6-8 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

Acts 3:16 “And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know….”

Acts 4:10-12 “let it be known to you all…that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth… this man stands before you whole”

Acts 4:29-30 “Now Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants…that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

Acts 16:16-18 “…a certain slave girl, possessed with a spirit of divination met us….But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour.”


How were miracles effected in the early church? Miracles were always done by the authority of Jesus’ name!


There is power in the name of Jesus:

Acts 2:21 “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 10:13 For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

We often use Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 to speak about initial salvation, but I believe that calling on Jesus’ name is also effective in any situation. Just saying the name “Jesus” out loud is effective prayer!

I have some dear friends who, when seeing that without God they were going to be in a head-on collision, called on Jesus' name. That is the only prayer they had time for. Suddenly, there was a barrier between them and the car that was about to hit them, and that car went from about 70 miles an hour to a dead stop. No one was hurt. The point is that because you belong to Christ you have access to His name, and to the authority of His name.

Call on Jesus’ name. Use the authority of His name. Notice, too, that the name ‘Jesus’ was not used alone in these Scriptures. Jesus is identified completely, as "Jesus Christ of Nazareth," for example.


Prayer

Testimony____________________

There was a time in my Christian walk when I was afraid to pray to the Father, so I prayed to Jesus instead. The Lord started correcting me. Then I came across John 16:23 where Jesus tells us to pray to the Father in His name:

John 16:23 "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

I was still too afraid.

This was when my oldest children were still very young. I would get up at night to pray, because the days were too filled!

One night while praying in my children’s room, their little bodies slumbering on either side of me, I heard the Lord say that He was going to show me the Father. Suddenly in a vision I was in the throne room. I was kneeling, way in the back. Before me there was a throne. I could see the Father, that is, I could see Him sitting on the throne. I could see His white robe, His hands and His feet. I could not see His face. There is glory--extremely bright light--which comes out of Him and completely covers His face. I also felt His love cover me and completely encompass me. As I looked at Him still more love came over me like waves. There was no disapproval in that love, no correction. Just love. Just complete unconditional love.

I lost my fear after that. I still am full of the fear of the Lord, that is, reverance for God. But I knew in that moment what it means that God is my Father. Do you understand? He is Lord, Master of the Universe, Creator of all the earth. Yet He is also my Father. He is beloved, holy, excellent in every way--and my Father.

If you have asked Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior He is your Father, too!
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We are told in John 16:23 to pray to the Father in Jesus‘ name. Here is a sample prayer, “Father, I love You. Be with me today. Cleanse me and heal me. Forgive me for all my sins. Help me to bless someone today. I pray this in Jesus' name.“

But what does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? To get a fuller understanding of what this means, it helps to put several scriptures together:

John 14:12-14 (Jesus speaking) “…whatever you ask in My name I will do….If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

Therefore, to pray in Jesus’ name means to pray using Jesus’ name, and also:

John 14:15, 21, 23 (Jesus speaking) “If you love Me, [you will] keep My commandments….He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me….If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word….”

to keep His commandments, and also:

1 John 5:14 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us….”

to pray according to His will, and also:

1 John 3:1-3, 10 “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!….And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure….In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, is nor is he who does not love his brother.

to purify ourselves, that is, to allow the Holy Spirit to correct us, to walk in righteousness, and to love our brother.

So then, putting these Scriptures together, “To pray in Jesus’ name” means to pray using Jesus’ name, to keep His commandments, to pray according to His will, to purify ourselves, to practice righteousness and to love our brother.

If one of these requirements is not met, then our prayer life is weakened.

Moreover, if there is active, ongoing sin in our lives, our prayers will be totally ineffective:

Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

Always, always ask the Lord to show you your heart and forgive any sin as you go into prayer. Also remember, that the more you live according to the requirements for praying in Jesus' name, the more effective your prayers will be--both for yourself and others. Be blessed!


Diana Clancy
Copyright October 2007

 

[tgrowe]

Awesome!! Totally uplifting, bold, and validated with the word of God. I am now in tears due to the life-changing anointing in this post. Thanks for sharing. I will have to do some research on Ms. Clancy.

 

[chicacanella]

I'm glad it was a blessing. Here is the third part of the series.


III. The Power of the Blood

I was listening to a Christian missionary testify in a church one day when I was surprised to hear him say that he had experienced terrible problems with demonic attacks on the mission field. Now, the attacks didn’t surprise me. Christians ministering in other dark places had told me of similar experiences. But what surprised me is that this man said that he didn’t know what to do about them. So in desperation, he went and got a minister "from one of those other churches” (his words) to come and pray for him and the work God was doing. The particularly horrific attack he described stopped immediately, and other attacks were diminished.

Since that time I have asked other missionaries how they prayed for their churches. Many had the same answer: they asked God to cover their ministry, their homes and their families with the blood of Jesus Christ and to put a hedge of protection around them. They even prayed this from day to day.

So is this scriptural? I believe that it is. Look at what Scripture says:

Rev. 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

In Revelation we are told of a terrible battle between the saints of the Lord and the enemy. The saints will overcome, we are told, by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus‘ blood, and by the word of their testimony. I believe that this is an ongoing battle, daily coming against the enemy with the Word of God, and with the blood of Jesus Christ.

Going back to the Old Testament, consider Job, a servant of God. What did Satan complain about?

Job 1:9-10 So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land.”

According to Job 1:1-3 this hedge of protection protected Job, his seven sons and three daughters, his possessions including seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, complete with servants. Notice that these children were adults!

How did this hedge of protection come about?

Job 1:5 Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, ‘It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This Job did regularly.

Here we have the reason why there was a hedge of protection. The blood of the sacrifice Job made on a regular basis was the foreshadowing of the blood of Jesus Christ which is available to us now. Job sacrificed on a regular basis and all his household was covered. Similarly, I believe that we should ask for the blood of our sacrifice, Jesus Christ, to cover us and all our families and households on a regular basis.

Again, looking at the New Testament, we see this verse:

1 Peter 1:18-19 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct….but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

The blood of Jesus Christ has redeemed us. Together with Rev. 12:11 quoted above, we know that we are redeemed and can overcome Satan by of the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

Looking again at the Old Testament, there are several instances of blood sacrifice. When giving instructions for the Passover, for example, God told Moses:

Exodus 12:3-7 “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying” ‘On the tenth of the month every man shall take for himself a lamb…for his household….Your lamb shall be without blemish….And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it,

Also, Exodus 12:13 (God speaking) “Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike that land of Egypt.”

When the Temple and Aaron‘s sons were consecrated, the blood of sacrifice was sprinkled on them, Lev. 8:10-15, 19, 21, 30. Cleansing was also done by applying the blood of sacrifice for the Leper, Leviticus 14:1-18, esp. vv. 7-8, 13-14.

Consecration and cleansing was always done by using the blood of sacrifice.

The general principle is in this verse:

Hebrews 9:22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

Something else that is apparent in Scripture is that the blood was always applied. It was taken out of the bowl and sprinkled or smeared on the things it cleansed and consecrated.

We see in the Old Testament, for example, that the priest would sprinkle with hyssop, a small woody plant, that was dipped in the blood of sacrifice. By sprinkling with hyssop, people were made clean and consecrated. In Ps. 51:7, after his terrible sin with Bathsheba, David writes, Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. I believe that he is referring to cleansing his sin by sprinkling with the blood.

Look at these passages as well:

Exodus 24:8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.

Heb. 9:19-21 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the blood itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.

Moreover, I believe that every believer is sprinkled by the blood of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 52 and 53 are prophetic passages that speak of the torment, crucifixion and death of Christ. Look at this passage:

Isaiah 52:13-15 Behold My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; So shall He sprinkle many nations....

We believers are those nations that have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood, to make us clean and cleanse us from all sin:

1 Peter 1:18-19 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

I believe that every believer is cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ blood upon salvation. I believe also that we can ask for that blood covering from day to day. Just as Job sacrificed for his household and enjoyed a hedge of protection, so can we. The blood must be applied.


Sample Prayer: Father, thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus, and for His precious blood that was shed for us on Calvary. Father, I pray for You to cover me and my household with the blood of Jesus Christ, and to put a hedge of protection around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Diana Clancy
Copyright October 2007

 

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IV. Curses and Word Curses--What They Are and How to Break Them

Testimony_______________________________________

It was one of those dreary Saturday mornings when the sun just wouldn't come out. I had been up early, and I was feeling depressed. I'd say one thing to my husband, and then another. Sometimes he'd respond. He was trying to read the paper, and I was trying to put the kitchen back together after the night before. There was nothing remarkable about that morning, except that the Lord spoke to me.

He spoke into my heart in that still small voice. He asked me to start labeling everything I said that morning as either positive or negative. Just that. I wondered, but decided to obey. So for the next two hours I started listening to myself. Negative, negative, negative. Everything I said was negative. It was then I noticed that every time I made a negative statement or observation, my dear spouse's shoulders would slump down a bit further. He was listening, and it was affecting him, too.

I began repenting. I asked the Lord to forgive me for being so negative. I decided to start throwing in some positive statements. I realized that this was something I would have to work on.

As I prayed for further understanding, the Lord showed me something that I still think about today. When I spoke so negatively, I was releasing a negative confession spiritually. A dark atmosphere came over my home, something you couldn't see naturally, but that was definitely there spiritually. It looked like dark clouds, darker than anything outside. The Lord took me to the book of Proverbs and asked me to keep track of scripture about speech. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit, Proverbs 18:21 said. There were many others. I began pondering how the tongue could bless or curse, and thought about the scripture in Proverbs 14:1 where it says, The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands." Would I build my house, using positive speech, blessing my husband and children? Or would I pull them down with my negative words?

It was a battle, my old self didn't want to obey. But for the next six months I kept track of my speech, asking myself the question, was that positive or negative? Then the Lord spoke to me again and gave me a further challenge that I'm still trying to master today. He asked me to start labeling my thoughts. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, Jesus told us in Matthew 12:34. I needed to catch those thoughts before they came out of my mouth. And I needed to be more vigilant about what kind of stuff was going into my heart. This is still a challenge!

But I learned, and am still learning. As Christians, we have tremendous power with our words. A parent can break a child or build them up, just by words. A mother can color her family's whole day, just by her attitude and words. She is the heart of the home. She can make a difference to everyone.

_____________________________


A. Curses caused by words we or others have spoken.

Curses are negative words we speak about ourselves or others. These words may seem innocuous and harmless at the time, but they are not, for Scripture is clear about the power of the spoken word:

Prov. 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit

Prov. 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Just as positive words can build up, comfort and encourage, leading to life, negative words can tear down, discourage and destroy, leading to death. In James 3, we are told that a perfect man has perfect control of his tongue. Would that we were all perfect! But why does James emphasize the power of the tongue in this passage? Obviously because of the damage that can be done by it!

James 3:2, 6 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body…And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity! The tongue is so set among our members that is defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

Many Christians agree that we must guard our tongue. And Scripture agrees:

Prov. 21:23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.

What seems less clear to Christians is the power of the tongue to curse others, and even put a yoke of oppression on them. Look at the link between cursing and oppression in the following Scripture:

Isaiah 58:9(b) If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk (NIV)

Ps. 17:8-12 Keep me as the apple of Your eye, hide me under the shadow of Your wings, from the wicked who oppress me….With their mouths they speak proudly….As a lion is eager to tear his prey….

Ps. 10:7-8 [The wicked] is full of cursing and deceit and oppression, under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.

Ps. 12:3-5 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own, who is lord over us?” "For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise,” says the Lord,“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns."

Ps. 55:2-3 Attend to me and hear me, I am restless in my complaint and moan noisily, because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked, for they bring trouble down upon me, and in wrath they hate me….(see also vv. 9-11)

Curses cause oppression. Oppression is not like depression. Depression comes from within, and is often based on anger. Oppression comes from without, and can feel like a thick cloud of spiritual darkness. It can make you feel sick, isolated and cut off from God.

 

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These curses can be broken:

Prov. 11:9 The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.

Prov. 12:6 The words of the wicked are, "Lie in wait for blood," But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

Prov. 14:3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Notice that the curses are broken through knowledge, and by the mouth of the upright. We break these curses in Jesus’ name.

Sample prayer: In the name of Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I break all curses against me and my household and family. I declare that no weapon formed against us shall prosper
(Is. 54:17), and nothing by any means shall harm us (Luke 10:19). I declare that the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped (Ps. 63:11).


The tongue of any person, Christian or non-Christian can curse. But these curses can be broken, as stated above, by knowing about them, by speaking against them and by breaking them in Jesus' name.

On the positive side, the tongue can bless. There is a story a pastor told my church about a man who spoke blessings over his family from day to day. Apparently, he not only blessed his immediate family, but his seed as well--the generations in the future. My pastor then read the list of persons who had descended from that man. The list included judges and representatives, doctors, lawyers and other esteemed professionals. It was an astonishing list.

The extent of that list bore witness to the fact that blessings are far stronger than curses. Look at this passage from the Ten Commandments:

Exodus 20:5 …For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

I experienced this truth, that blessings are strong. I have long been in the habit of blessing the people in schools and other public places as I drive by. One day as I was blessing a school, I became aware that someone had already blessed that place. I told the Lord, this has been blessed, and asked who did it. “You did,” He answered, and reminded me of a time a month previously when I had been praying for that school, its teachers, administrators, students and staff. I was blessed that day, to realize the power of our spoken words!

Given the power to bless, is it any wonder that when talking about being cursed, Jesus told us to bless those who curse us:

Luke 6:27 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you."

Matt. 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."

Jesus’ teaching is consistent with that given to Moses:

Lev.19:1,18 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “...You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

Also, we are given David’s example in the Book of Psalms:

Ps. 109:4 In return for my love they are my accusers, but I give myself to prayer.

Paul gives us a similar teaching as well:

Romans 12:14, 21 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.

Regardless of how badly we are treated, we are told to not take vengeance but rather bless those who come against us.

I believe further, that when we bless others and pray, we can effect good in them, because Paul told us do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good, Romans 12:21. A Christian always has the ability to bless and thus make a difference. But because they have been sinned against, I believe that a Christian who is hurt and prays blessings anyway is praying a more powerful prayer, because God sees their hurt, their obedience and their sacrifice. He knows what it is costing them.

God is just. He hears the heart cry of those who have been hurt, but are determined to pray for those who have hurt them and desperately need Him:

Ps. 12:5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I will arise, says the Lord.

Paul, who worked so hard to preach the Gospel, was cursed, reviled, whipped, beaten with rods and even stoned and left for dead. But here is what he tells us:

1 Corinthians 4:12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure, being defamed, we entreat….

Lest we are still tempted to curse, here is our example:

Luke 23:34 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other one the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

 

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B. Curses caused by sin.

A second kind of curse occurs when someone sins and thus opens the door for demonic attack. This is especially true of recurring, habitual sin.

This truth was taught by Moses in the Old Testament when he told the people that if they obeyed God’s laws they would be blessed, but if they rebelled they would be cursed, Leviticus 26:3-46; Deuteronomy 28. He told them that they would have a choice:

Deut. 11:26 ”Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse; the blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.”

Deut. 30:19-20 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days…."

The power of the blessing that comes with obedience--and the curse with disobedience--is illustrated by the story of Balaam, a prophet of God who was hired by a heathen king to curse Israel. In the book of Numbers (chapters 22-24), we see him repeatedly try to curse Israel--to no avail. Every time he opens his mouth to curse, a blessing comes out instead. In exasperation, the king berates him. Later, however, we are told that Balaam told the king how Israel could be cursed. Get them into sin, he counseled, Num. 31:16. So the king sent his temple prostitutes into the midst of Israel, Num. 25:1-3. The men fell for the ploy, joining themselves with a demon, Num. 25:3; 1 Cor. 10:20. The blessing over them disappeared. Instead they were cursed because of their sin, and a plague broke out. 24,000 of them fell that day, Num. 25:9.

Sin opens the door for Satan. By sin, we are joining ourselves with this enemy of our soul, and giving him legal right to attack us:

Psalm 94:20: The throne of iniquity [Satan]…devises evil by law…

The idea that obedience leads to life is also delineated in the Beatitudes where Jesus says, Blessed are the poor in spirit…those who mourn…the meek…those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…the merciful…the pure in heart…the peacemakers…those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, Matt. 5:3-10. Their reward, we are told, is that the kingdom of heaven is theirs, and they will be comforted, inherit the earth, be filled, obtain mercy, see God and be called the sons of God, Matthew 5:3-10. Nor are these the only blessings for those who go on with Christ. There are many more blessings they will enjoy, both here and in eternity. True, they will suffer, John 16:33, and they will be persecuted, 2 Timothy 3:12. But overwhelmingly they will be more than conquerors, Rom. 8:37, and overwhelmingly they will be blessed, Rev. 19:7-8.

By contrast, in Romans 6:23, we are told that the wages of sin is death, and even in the New Testament, a sinful lifestyle is recognized as cursed, Matthew 25:41 and 2 Peter 2:14.

Therefore we see that obedience, in both the Old and New Testament, results in blessing, and sin in death. Those who sin against the Lord open the door for demonic attack--for Satan to come to “kill, steal and destroy,” John 10:10.

Especially when sin is habitual, its deadliness is evident. Sin results in a lifestyle that is leads to death, and is cursed.

The curses that are caused by sin can be broken by doing three things:

(1) Repent of the sin, (Lev. 26:40-42; 1 John 1:9)
(2) Break the curse. Do this out loud in Jesus’ name;
(3) Be obedient to Scripture: Walk against the sin, and practice the exact opposite behavior. For example, practice humility instead of pride, compare James 4:6 to 4:10.



How to Overcome Sin

We can strengthen the hold sin has on our lives, or we can weaken it. An anecdote related years ago by one of my pastors, Rick Merrill, is that of an old Native American who had gotten saved and complained that ever since he got saved felt like he had a dog fight going on inside of him. He said he felt like there were two dogs, one evil and one good, and they were ripping at each other. “Well,” his pastor asked him, “which one is winning?” “The one I feed,” the Native American replied.

This is so true for sin. You get what you feed. The more you resist sin, the stronger you will get at resisting it. The more you give in, the stronger sin’s hold on you will be. Look at this:

Romans 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Who wants to be a slave of sin, which leads to death? I’d much rather be a slave of obedience, leading to righteousness--even though it costs me something at the time.

I have found it useful to use James 4:7-8 to help me get rid of sin in my life. When there is habitual sin, it seems there is always some demon attached to it, tempting me to fall into it again. So I apply the steps in these verses: first, I submit to God by confessing the sin, then I resist the sin out loud, saying something like, “You demon of (name the temptation), I resist you now in Jesus’ name and command you to flee!” Then I do the third step, and draw near to God by praising, worshiping, quoting Scripture, or even just thanking God for His goodness and for His love for me.

Something else I do when tempted is quote Scripture. A good place to quote are several passages in Romans 6, and especially these ones:

Romans 6:6. 11, 12, 14, 18 [My] old self was crucified with Christ….[and so now I am] no longer a slave to sin…[Therefore,] I reckon myself to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus [my] Lord….Therefore, [I will not] let sin reign over my mortal body, that I should obey its lusts…for sin shall not have dominion over [me]…[for I have] been set free from sin, [and now I am a] slave of righteousness!

By the way, notice the context of the Roman 6 passage. It talks about our ability to overcome sin because we have been baptized into Jesus’ death, Rom. 6:3. This is one of the reasons I believe that we should get our new converts baptized as soon as possible.

How long does it take to break a sin habit? This will vary. I do know this: the more you walk with Christ, the less hold sin will have on you. You will sin less often. You will hate sin more. You will know how to attack the demon that comes with the temptation. And finally, you will have the wisdom of knowing when to run, 2 Timothy 2:22.

Breaking Curses in Intercessory Prayer

I will be going into more depth on intercessory prayer later, but I am going to give the intercessory application for breaking curses here. If you don’t understand this application, then wait, I will explain more fully later.

Because of sin in previous generations, demonic oppression, possession and attack can be passed down in a family, a group, or a church from one generation to another. These generational curses (e.g., Ex. 20:5), can be broken by first asking for forgiveness for the group or family, similarly to individual repentance and prayer.

See for example Nehemiah 1:1-7. In 586 B.C. Jerusalem had fallen, and Israel taken captive. In about 445 B.C., (141 years later) Nehemiah prayed to God, confessing Israel’s sin. He was heard. Also look at Daniel, who was taken captive in about 605 B.C.. Some 60 or so years later (around 545 B.C.) he says, “I was. . . confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel,” Dan. 9:20. An intercessor can confess the sin of a group of people who lived even generations before them. In Jesus’ name, and by the prompting and power of the Holy Spirit, you can intercede this way as well.

Remember, Satan only has authority if there is unconfessed sin, Ps. 94:20. If that sin is confessed and covered by Jesus’ blood, then he no longer has authority in that area of your life, or the life of your family, group, or church.

However, it takes three things to break the curse that comes because of sin: First by prayer, confessing the sin. Second, breaking the curse in Jesus’ name. Third, the intercessor must obey God and walk against that sin, especially practicing the behavior required by Scripture that is opposite the sin. If, for example, the sin of a people has been pride, then humility must be practiced by that intercessor, even when--especially when--Satan uses the people they are praying for to come against them. Fighting and divisions are broken by peacemaking (without compromising the Word of truth), slander by blessing, stealing by reimbursement and generous giving, and so on. The teaching for this is in James 4, as I taught earlier.

 

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Also, pray for God to save that person or people and fill them with the Holy Spirit so that there will be no room for ungodly spirits to return, and no legal hold:

Matt. 12:43-45 [Jesus speaking] “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then He says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first….”

So then, when curses are broken, always pray blessings, and especially the blessing of being turned away from iniquity and turned to God, Acts 3:26.

One last word: God loves His intercessors. They are blessed. Someday others will come to you and say, "I'm here because you prayed." Be blessed!

Diana Clancy
Copyright October 2007



I will try to post some everyday so you guys will have time to digest it all. I pray this is a blessing and strengthens your walk with Jesus Christ. In his name Lord God I pray, amen.