What Do You Believe
The lady before me was more than troubled. She was thirty-two years old, still single and most unhappy about that fact. All her friends were married with kids and she had about had enough of people trying to match-make.
Aduke was by all standards a pretty lady. Light skinned and petit, she really didn’t look her age. She had a good job in an oil company and hers was a somewhat charming personality. One of her friends had asked her to see me and she had reluctantly agreed.
Quite frankly, she believed her problem was beyond redemption. She believed her family was under a curse that drove away all prospective suitors and she was destined to go to her grave a spinster!
‘I am the fourth girl in a family of five girls. We are all still single. We have prayed about it and we’ve gone for ‘Deliverance’ several times. Nothing has changed’
‘You believe Jesus is the son of God and He’s Lord over you?’ I asked her to be sure.
‘Yes.’ She looked at me kind of strange.
‘You are committed to Jesus?’ I wanted to be sure.
‘I am Born Again,’ she almost snapped.
I smiled. ‘You believe that the Bible contains God’s word and God cannot lie?”
“I have been a Christian for Fifteen years, sir, I’m not a Baby Christian” She was loosing patience.
” Good to know” I smiled. ‘Then, you must know that you are blessed beyond every curse”
A frown appeared on her face, ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Galatians chapter 3:13-14 says Jesus became cursed to make every curse powerless against you. The blessings of Abraham are now yours and that includes a husband, if you want one’
Aduke sat up on her chair. ‘If that’s true, why is this curse working against me?’
‘Because you believe it has the authority and the power to work against you and you’ve been affirming it! Jesus said if you believe something and affirm it, it will become a reality. That’s in Mark 11: 23. Your faith in the curse, if there is indeed a curse, is stronger than your faith in what Jesus accomplished for you!’
The good lady stared straight at me as the import of what I had just said hit her. ‘You mean……, no, I can’t believe this. Are you saying that I’m the one doing this to myself?’
I nodded. ‘More or less. As long as you believe and confess the curse, you create and sustain a negative force, a curse that will work against you continually. You have what you say’
Now she was at the edge of her seat. I continued. “One of the words translated as “Curse” in the Old Testament is the Hebrew word ‘Arar’ which is the word “Execrate” in English. This is the word people often use when they say they are under a generational curse. To execrate means to declare to be evil or detestable. It also means to denounce.”
I’m sure you’re familiar with Balak and Balaam’s story in Numbers 23. Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel but Balaam couldn’t and the reason he gave is most instructive. He said to Balak, ” How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed”
God had told Balaam earlier, not to curse the children of Israel because they were blessed. Later, Balaam told Balack ” He hath blessed, I cannot reverse it.” Balaam was saying that because God had blessed the Israelites, he couldn’t curse them”
I had Aduke’s full attention now.
“Galatians, chapter 3 says the Blessing of Abraham in Genesis, chapter 12, has come upon Gentiles, non-Jews and that includes you. So, how can any curse work against you? Remember, when God has blessed someone, nobody can curse them. To curse them would be to reverse God’s blessings. Well, who can do that?”
“In the book of Romans, in chapter 8, we read that there is therefore now, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. The word condemnation is from the Greek word Katakrima which in English, means an adverse sentence. That’s like the word curse, isn’t it?”
Adeke nodded vigorously, transfixed.
I smiled. “The word Barak in the Hebrew, is “Bless” in English. To bless, is to confer prosperity and happiness. Now, if God has conferred prosperity and happiness on you, why would you accept that anyone, whether past, present or future can denounce you? To be able to denounce you, they would have to be above God in authority, isn’t it?”
Aduke simply nodded but I could see the beginning of a smile at the corner of her lips.
“Whatever your father or great grandfather did to warrant a curse coming upon your family is of no consequence. You are in Christ and you are blessed beyond any curse. Every member of your family that’s in Christ is immune from whatever curse could be ravaging your family. That’s what the Bible says, my dear and I believe the Bible. What about you?’
Aduke was up on her feet, her face radiating like a thousand lights!
‘My God, to think that I didn’t even want to come to see you….. I believe the Bible. Oh, I believe the Bible. Thank you, thank you so much.
I smiled at her. ‘I’m sure glad you came!’
Hugging her bag, she made her way to the door and then turned back to face me.
‘I have just one request’
‘Sure. What?’
‘Will you be at my wedding?!”
I smiled. ‘You can bet on it!”
“Sorry, I have another request. Can I bring my sisters to you?”
“Of course, anytime. Just call me”
Off she went, as free as a Bird! Isn’t our God so good?