Articles
A Curse without Cause?
Barbara L. Klika, MSW, Undershepherd, Life Coach
January 2016
Written for Wisconsin Christian Newspaper
As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.
Proverbs 26:2
We live in a pressure filled society, in which people are often frantic and overscheduled. Anything that goes wrong is very stressful and results in behaviors that might not otherwise have erupted. Scripture also tells us that as we approach the time of Messiah’s return, people will become cold, lovers of themselves, hostile, and unwilling to listen to sound teaching. (2 Tim. 3:2; 4:3)
Believers are often unaware of the issue of cursing, thinking it is a bygone thing. Unfortunately, it is as current as we can imagine. The power of words at just an emotional level is great but there is also an added spiritual component that makes it dangerous as well.
On the strength of the above verse, I had considered it unnecessary to be concerned about cursing, especially when I was working with satanic ritual abuse survivors who often cursed me. I had not done anything wrong to warrant it so saw it as a non-issue. I have come to understand an additional aspect now.
A series of events caused me to realize that it is possible for a “cause” to be established for a curse to settle simply by the nature of our response to the provocations around us. As human beings, we all will react to events initially. The key seems to be whether or not we hold on to that reaction beyond the moment. It may be obvious that if we respond and hold anger to a provocation or word cursing that we are opening ourselves up to that curse having a cause to be effective. It has become evident to me that it is not simply a hostile response that opens us but any emotional response outside that of walking in shalom in Messiah. Recently, for me, it was a feeling of grief that took hold and was hard to shake over several days. I came to understand that there was a spiritual aspect to it as well. The effect of even simple grief was to take me away from walking in peace, which left me open to spiritual harassment. Understanding this and responding in prayer, returning to His shalom, was the resolution.
Psalm 91 speaks of the plague not coming near your home when you are under the shadow of His wings in peace. In a metaphorical sense, our home can refer to our bodies or our souls; our mind, will and emotions. When we stay “under His wings” we will be guarded and protected. If we allow ourselves to be drawn out from that position, we are vulnerable, giving cause to receive a curse.
On a personal level, we need to maintain a deep shalom in our daily lives, so that we do not inadvertently walk out from under His covering. Our provocation may come through believers and unbelievers alike. The community with which one is affiliated will be affected by the individual’s well-being as well as the individual being affected by the community well-being—for good or for ill.
I think many Believers understand that we are drawing near to the time of Messiah’s return. This would indicate that we are living in times such as have never occurred before. Even the elect, if possible, may be deceived. (Matt. 24:24) Our study of the themes of sevens throughout the Scriptures sheds light on this. We are in the seventh millennium, anticipating Messiah’s return, which is also related to the seventh assembly, Laodicea, characterized by lukewarm believers. The seventh thing of the seven things that YHWH hates is spreading strife and division among brothers. (Prov. 6:19)
In this season in which more and more people are uninterested in Godly ways, and even believers are often lukewarm, we function in a world in which the powers that be are increasing pressure on the average person. This is done through political and economic machinations that ultimately are very much like the Pharaoh taking away the straw yet expecting the Israelites to make as many bricks as before. I realized that there was no concern for the quality of the product as it was overshadowed by the concern and perceived need for control over the people. I see this same concern for control reflected in many political and economic venues today.
I see that the very thing that YHWH hates is what those who hate Him will increasingly use against those who do serve Him. Strife and division among brothers leads to chaos. In this case, it is a planned chaos that is intended to leave people begging for deliverance, without discernment as to the identity of the Deliverer. Like a Hegelian Dialectic in a spiritual sense, herding people toward their own destruction, if we fall into the trap. (Briefly, the Hegelian Dialectic is a model of reality/social change, and can be used as a method in which a population’s beliefs can be manipulated in a desired direction by those in control.)
His people need to mature unto Messiah in every way (Eph. 4:15). We need to know His Word and Character and be more and more fully yielded to our Messiah in order to remain in His peace so that the increasing harassment by those given to evil does not open us up personally or corporately to the adversary’s curses.
(If you found this interesting, please check www.set-apart-ministries.org for an extended discussion of this topic.)