Understanding Curses and Blessings: A Biblical Perspective

In this teaching, I’ll explain the nature of curses and blessings, two significant themes in Scripture. The word “bless” in various forms appears approximately 600 times in the Bible, while “curse” is mentioned nearly half as often. Despite this, many of God’s people remain unfamiliar with the true nature of curses and blessings.

It’s God’s intention that, through redemption in Christ, we are liberated from curses and empowered to experience blessings. However, as I travel, I encounter many who are enduring curses when they should be enjoying blessings. This occurs because they struggle to distinguish between curses and blessings.

There are two primary reasons for this. First, many don’t know how to identify what constitutes a curse versus a blessing. Second, even when they recognize a curse, they often don’t know how to break free from it and enter into God’s blessings.

Let’s start by offering a simple definition: both blessings and curses are vehicles of supernatural power. It’s essential to understand that we are not dealing with something purely natural—they go beyond the physical realm. Blessings carry supernatural power for good, while curses bring evil. A key characteristic of both is that they can often pass from one generation to the next, especially curses, unless someone knows how to break them.

This generational impact means that many people are suffering from the consequences of events that happened generations ago. To find freedom, you must trace the root of the problem and take the necessary steps to break free.

Blessings and curses are typically conveyed through words—spoken, written, or even internalized. However, they can also be transmitted through physical objects. So, it’s not always just about words.

I recall an encounter with a Jewish woman who had come to know Jesus as her Savior. She shared a story with us about her time working as an executive secretary for a company. Her boss, the president of the firm, and other executives were involved in a cult under a female guru. At one point, the president asked her to type blessings that the guru had pronounced over the staff. However, upon reading them, the secretary realized these weren’t blessings in the Christian sense. She declined to type them, citing her conscience.

The president was understanding, but we can infer that the guru may have been aware of her refusal and possibly pronounced a curse over her. A few weeks later, the secretary, whom I’ll call Miriam, began experiencing extreme pain and stiffness in her fingers, which eventually curled up and became immobile. Doctors diagnosed her with rheumatoid arthritis, and she became physically disabled, enduring constant pain.

A fellow Charismatic woman, who had received a series of my teachings, felt that Miriam needed to hear them. Miriam was skeptical, as she saw the idea of curses as outdated. But after some persuasion, Miriam listened to the teachings. As we reached the part where I lead people in a prayer to release themselves from curses, the cassette jammed and wouldn’t play. Miriam was reluctant to pray, but the woman had the prayer in writing and encouraged her to read it aloud.

This moment was pivotal, as Miriam’s physical condition began to change after she prayed. This story highlights the power of blessings and curses and the importance of understanding how they affect our lives.