Adapted from "Curses: Cause And Cure"  by the late Derek Prince

Curses: Cause  

I. Some people can have things in the lives "coincidentally" work out well or work out badly without an obvious cause. These coincidents were true of their ancestors and are true of their progeny.  The Bible refers to these as blessings or curses.
    B. Examples of blessings
        1. Gen. 22:15–18 — God gave an enormous blessing to Abraham because he heard and obeyed 
        2. Gen. 27:27–29, 33, 37–40 — From man on behalf of God.  Isaac the father gave blessings that came to pass to Jacob
    C. The same principles apply to curses
        1. The word “curse” occurs nearly 200 times in Scripture
        2. Prov. 26:2—There is always a cause for a curse

II.  Sources of Curses
    A. God Himself
        1. Gen. 12:3 — Protection of Abraham against anti-Semitism
        2. Deut. 27:15–26 — Twelve conditional curses for breaking the law of Moses.
            b. Disrespect for parents
            c. Theft from neighbor
            d. Withholding justice from stranger
            e. illicit or unnatural sex, incest
            f. Treachery
            g. Idolatry
        3. Jer. 17:5–6 — For depending on flesh rather than God (compare Gal. 3:1–3, 8– 10)
        4. Zech. 5:1–4 — For stealing and swearing falsely (perjury)
    B. Men on behalf of God
        1. Josh. 6:26 — Joshua regarding Jericho. See 1 Kings 16:34
        2. 2 Sam. 3:28–29 — David regarding Joab
        3. 2 Kings 5:26–27 — Elisha regarding Gahazi
        4. Ps. 109:6–13 — David’s prophetic curse on Judas Iscariot (see Acts 1:20; Prov. 17:13)
        5. Mark 11:12–14, 20–21 — Jesus and the fig tree
        6. Rom. 12:14— divinely bless those who try to persecute you for their potential conversion. 
        7. 1 Cor. 4:12— divinely bless those who try to revile you for their potential conversion. 
    C. Persons with relational authority - fathers, husbands, divinely appointed leaders
        1. Gen. 31:30–32—Jacob regarding his wife Rachel (note - occult involvement)— compare Gen. 35:16–19
        2. Judges 9:19–21, 56–57—Jothan (as representative of his father) regarding Abimelech and the men 
            of Schechem
    D. Self-imposed curses
        1. Gen. 27:11–13—Rebekah, taking curse due to Jacob
        2. Matt. 27:24–25—Israel, regarding Jesus
    E. Satanic influence
        1. Emotional reviling
            a. 1 Pet. 3:9—do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling - return divine blessing instead.
        2. Spiritual cursing 
            a.  Num. 22:4–6, 12— The “professional” Balaam being sent to curse Israel.

III. Forms Of Blessings And Curses
    A. Forms that blessings take—Deut. 28:1–14
        1. Causes:
            a. Listening to God’s voice
            b. Doing what God says
        2. Indications in your life
            a. Exaltation
            b. Health
            c. Reproductiveness or abundance
            d. Prosperity or success
            e. Victory
            f. God’s Favor - be the head and not the tail
    B. Forms that curses take—Deut. 28:15–68
        1. Causes:
            a. Not listening to God’s voice
            b. Not doing what God says
        2. Indications in your life
            a. Humiliation
            b. failure to reproduce, barrenness
            c. Mental and physical sickness
            d. Family breakdown
            e. Poverty
            f. Defeat
            g. Oppression
            h. Failure
            i. God’s disfavor
    C. Conditions indicating curses (based on personal experience in ministering to people)
        1. Mental and emotional breakdown
        2. Repeated or chronic sicknesses (esp. without clear medical diagnosis) - especially hereditary
        3. Repeated miscarriages or related female problems
        4. Breakdown of marriage—family alienation
        5. Continuing financial insufficiency (esp. where income appears sufficient)
        6.  “Accident prone”
        7. history of suicides or un-natural deaths

Curses: Cure

I. Basis For Cure: The Atonement Of Jesus- "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having 
        become a curse for us that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ
         Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through Faith." - Gal. 3:13-14
    A. One source of good: God the Father
    B. One channel: Jesus Christ
    C. One basis: work of the cross 
    D. One way to appropriate good: faith
II. From Curse To Blessing 
    A. Deut. 21:23 — Jesus was made a curse according to the law of Moses
        1. Is. 53:6 — Covers all consequences of disobedience
        2. Deut. 28:1–2 — It still takes obedience to qualify for the blessings. 
            a.  Illustrate from Ex. 15:26 to “hearken diligently” to the voice of the Lord.
        3. The way we respond to God’s voice will determine our destiny.
    B.  The cross has totally satisfied every legal requirement. We have to move from legal to experiential
        1. Josh. 1 — God had already given the land to the Israelites — but they had to fight for it
        2. In moving from the legal to the experiential, often the key is determining the cause. We need to pay 
            special attention to curses where there is an additional cause beyond simple obedience to God’s law.
        3.  Further examples:
            a.  from Persons who speak on behalf of God.-  Joshua 6:26 and 1 Kings 16:34
            b.  from Persons with relational authority. - Gen. 31:30-32
            c.  Self-imposed curses.  Matt. 27:24-25
            d.  covenant making with idolators - Ex. 23:22
            e.  Satanic influence  - Numbers 22:5-8
    C. God’s protection — Prov. 2:1–11 — With example from personal experience
    D. Primary cause of curses: occult involvement (compare Deut. 27:15; 5:6–10)
        1.  Consequences: specifically extended to third and fourth generations.
            a. Reading from articles re U.S. presidency.
            b. Deut. 27:17—U.S. government treatment of American Indian.
        2.  “Legal” issue of curses: where a person has given “legal” occasion to the enemy to bring him under
             a curse,
             one essential requirement is to repent and turn from whatever evil conduct has exposed him to
             the curse.
        3.  Basic problem of America: dominion of satanic power cultivated by original inhabitants
        4.  Your background is part of you. Personal examples

III.  Process Of Release / Deliverance From Curses
    A.  Basic Pattern
        1.  Recognize what your problem is
        2.  Repent of anything you've done to expose yourself to the cure
        3.  Renounce - declare you will no longer be subject to this thing
        4.  Resist (James 4:7) - keep on refusing
    B.  Specific steps
        1.  Establish a clear scriptural basis (Gal. 3:13–14; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:12–14; 1 John 1:8b; Luke 10:19)
        2.  Confess your faith in Christ
        3.  Commit yourself to obedience
        4.  Confess any known sins (of yourself or your family/ancestors)
        5.  Forgive all other persons
        6.  Renounce all contact with occult (by yourself or your family/ancestors). Get rid of all “contact” 
             objects.
        7.  Release yourself in the name of Jesus
    C.  Close: Collective prayer of release/deliverance.

The Word for Release and deliverance from curses:
  "Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you are the son of God and the only way to God.  You died on the cross for my sins and you rose again from the dead,  that on the cross you were made a curse with every curse that was due me, that I might be redeemed from the curse and enter into the blessing.  
  Lord, I confess any sins committed by me or by my ancestors.  (pause)  I ask your forgiveness.  I also forgive every other person, whoever harmed me or wronged me.  I forgive them as I would have God forgive me.  (pause)  I also forgive myself.  (pause)  I renounce all contact with the occult in any form and I commit myself to get rid of any contact objects such as charms & idols.  
  And now, Lord, having received by faith your forgiveness with the authority I have as a child of God, I now release myself and those under my authority from any curse over our lives right now.  In the name of Jesus I declare release.  I claim it and I receive it by faith, in the name of Jesus.  Amen."

Breaking self-imposed curses:
"I shall not die but LIVE and proclaim the works of the Lord."  - Ps 118:17

edited: May 31, 2017         orderofsaintpatrick.org/bless-curse.htm