Curses

Dan from Cerulean Sanctum posted a while back on curses. He was talking about the literal kind and his post has an incredible personal encounter with someone who was living with one. I'm not sure where I stand on the existence of such things, but his story was moving and thought provoking.

Even more thought provoking were some of his comments on the very real curses others place on us or we even place on ourselves. Our experiences and interactions with people can leave an imprint on us that can be hard to shake. He wries about how someone once shared that Dan's life had had a profound negative impact on this person. Not only was that man impacted, but his sharing it with Dan stayed with Dan for years to come. He writes:

I think it was just today that I came to grips with his pronouncement. In some of my darkest times, what he said to me that night haunted me, and only now do I recognize it for the curse that it was. Only now do I feel like the black power of that comment has been rendered inert in the light of Christ.

How many of us are laboring under a curse someone glibly tossed out a decade or more ago? What words carelessly spoken--or even spoken with intent--have pinned us to the ground or left us flailing?

That last paragraph reached out and grabbed me. I think that to a large degree lots of folks are laboring under such a curse. I think that plagues far too many former and current ICOC members as well. I know that I've found many things I believed fervently are false, yet I cannot seem to unplug myself from that mindset entirely. It sticks with me, shaping my thinking and my worldview. It is a kind of curse, an undercurrent running through my subconscious subtly and not so subtly influencing my thoughts.
  • Though I understand now that my worth as a disciple does not hinge on my evangelism, I still feel some guilt if I'm not constantly focused on sharing my faith.
  • Though I know that having daily, morning quiet times or Bible study is not necessary for salvation, I'm still afraid to admit that I don't practice that discipline (though I do get into the Bible in other ways).
  • Though I know that I don't need to give a certain percentage of my income to be accepted as generous, I wonder if I'm giving enough.
  • Though I now understand that my church is not the church, I still feel myself looking at others as outsiders.
Though I am growing through these things and others, I don't think I've put enough emphasis on the spiritual forces at work here. I've not prayed earnestly enough, acknowledging that I need a power bigger than me to release me from this line of thinking. Not only that, but I need Him to help me find balance in these areas. In my mental gymnastics to wrestle through to the truth, I can spring from a hyper focus on evangelism to an aversion to it, from a firm belief in a morning Bible reading ritual to being flippant about not getting in the Bible at all, from legislated giving to casual, inconsistent and thoughtless giving.

Church relationship aren't the only ones that can do this. How we are raised, our work environments, friends and family can all influence us in ways we are not entirely aware of - for the good and the bad. I can look back at my childhood and see so many blessings - how my parents taught me to love God, respect the Bible and love Jesus, how they taught me to love my country and respect authority. I can also look back and see curses that have hung with me, like a temper that gets the best of me now and then. Thankfully for me, the blessings far outnumber the curses. Some are not so lucky and they spend a lifetime battling against the curses of their past.

No matter where the curses come from, Dan brings to light for me a powerful concept that it's not just up to us to read our Bibles and sort this stuff out intellectually, we need God's intervention on our very souls. Only he can reach in and separate us from those things that have their grip on us, like a curse, and free us from them.

2 Comments

Thanks for the link and the added commentary. The whole idea of curses is not one we Westerners like to grapple with, but it is one that is very real.

Blessings!

I have been so discouraged and been feeling inner conflicts and horrible about how I have not known when, how if I should break free from an eight year relationship, me being strongly Christ led and absalutly possitively having known I am devinely sent on God's personal mission to touch many, many of those needing to be free and touched so THANKFULLY for togetherness dancing and rejoicing all at the same time!! My e-mail is not privote like I would want it to be, so if you could just e-mail in simple decriete manner than I'de feel confidient in your responding to mine. Perhaps it could than provide me a link to more personal info from just you to me. I have felt curesed so so long and love my mate but he is so not showing he's a believer. hHe is more athiest and claimed to be one when I first met him. I know I am choosen for somthing different and athentic for reaching other to so many others continuing to come to what God has ordained me to do. I'm not religious althouth like T.V ministries that provide much spritiual encouragement and faith building words for those so opressed and blocked from their own beliefe as believers in God and in Christ light those who know they know they are God's preious choisen children that always know him when he calls to them. I've tried to search the web for anyone or any links that you seem to express in your web-site so I guess it must be God directed that I found your web page because I just tried not edgucated on wording requeist for search box on my web screen america on line 9.0 I will so appresheate your responce and spritiual supernaturally touched by God I am mentally believing he's gonna do to touch you and touched you'll be to like minded christ light in God leading you to share your thoughts and know I will truely welcome your christly motivated encouragement to new spritiual aquaintence. p.s. Your loyalty and trustful faithfullness In my needing you Decrete e-mails back to me will be faith I am believing you have held in your heart as I have. Sincerely Rose sptitiual peace and christ love in light in God pure peace over and in filling you I mentally send you in God's directing me litterally to type this at the end of this 1st blessed contact I believe God will make sure you get and perfectly keep me unknown to mate who does not show any concern by his choices and actions in relationship that has totally affected my doing God's mission in my sprit he put in me, Ive known sience I was a baby. Thats right BABY not young child. That must mean something inportant because I have exstream memorey lapsess. (ha-ha) I look forward to hearing from you, and pray for you I will and continue weather you do or not . Rose.



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  • I have been so discouraged and been feeling inner conflicts and horrible about how I have not known when, how if I should break free from an eight year relationship, me being strongly Christ led and absalutly possitively...

    rose
    Curses
  • Thanks for the link and the added commentary. The whole idea of curses is not one we Westerners like to grapple with, but it is one that is very real. Blessings!...

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