Blessing or cursing

Matthew 12

"...For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Also see James 3:9-12.

Curses are negative words spoken that "limit" or "wish harm" on a person. We can readily recognise the latter, but are we as ready to recognise the former? When I spoke to my RTF trainer to elaborate more on curses, she said: "A curse has power to limit a person from moving to her destiny."

The power of a put-down
I remember a story of a child being repeatedly told he was "a failure," and "good-for-nothing" by his father. Guess what he grew up to be? How about "harmless" words, such as "you're forgetful"? Said often enough, the person starts being forgetful. She is bound by the words spoken over her.

The power of a put-down is given through:

a. the emotional energy of the person doing the cursing -- anger, hostility -- all these negative emotions give power to the spoken word. This can be disguised as "playful teasing" unless you're the object being teased -- you know subconsciously that someone is trying to paste labels on you. Labels and libel aren't too far apart.

b. Constant repetition. Someone repeatedly told that she's "too emotional" over time can bring about the very thing that one wants to correct.

c. People, even Christians, who have undealt with occultism in their generational line. There is demonic oppression behind their words.

Christians are generally careful not to use obvious curses. The more subtle ones are harder to spot.

These can come in the form of comparisons:
"Your sister is so pretty." The message given to the other sibling is, she's not.
"Your brother is the smart one." The message given to the other, is that he's not.

Often, we curse ourselves:
"I can't pray aloud in front of others."
"I'm shy."
"I'm clumsy."

All the above seem to be statements based on "fact." Repeated often enough, it binds a person to a certain set of beliefs and behaviours that limit her from moving onto her destiny.

Prayer:
Father, this is a vast and nebulous subject which I'm trying to make concrete & to condense in a few paragraphs. Teach us, I pray, about the power of the spoken word to bless, or to curse. Let us be a people free to always bless others, and careful not to curse. In Jesus' name, amen.

P.S. You can also read "Blessing or Curse" by Derek Prince.