Week 6: Familial Blessings and Curses (23-29th September 2016)

¹“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. ²And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:

Deuteronomy 28:1,2

⁵Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. ⁶And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, ⁷keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

Exodus 34: 5-7

According to Derek Prince in his book, “Blessing or Curse – You can Choose”, one word sums up the effects of a curse: frustration. Things keep going wrong even when the forecast is good. Curses like blessings belong to the invisible realm. They are vehicles of supernatural spiritual power. Blessings produce good and beneficial results while curses produce bad and harmful results. The Baganda have a saying that when the Lord blesses one, even the he-goat delivers a kid!

Both blessings and curses are major themes of scripture. These two words are mentioned 640 times in scripture; compare this with the words, “Do not be afraid” or “Fear not” which are mentioned 366 times.

Features

They are seldom limited to an individual; they extend to tribes, families, communities or nations
Once released they tend to continue from generation to generation until something happens to cancel their effects.

Some of them have lasted 4,000 years. The main vehicle of their propagation is words.

Sources

God is the supreme source of all blessing. Apostle James tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17)

Curses can proceed from any of the four sources:

Some curses come from God (these are usually as a result of the violation of God’s principles)
Satanic agents
Authority figures

It should be noted though, that a curse must have a spiritually legal right for it to take effect (Proverbs 26:2).

Indications of a Curse

Curses from Satan and his agents are meant to destroy while those from God are meant to get our attention so that we repent and get things right. Based on Deuteronomy 28:16-68, Prince summarizes the effects of a curse as follows:

Mental and or emotional breakdown (verses 24, 34, 65)
Repeated or chronic sicknesses (verses 21, 22, 27, 28, 35, 59, 61)
Bareness, tendency to miscarry or related female problems including inability to conceive, tendency to miscarry, failure to menstruate, irregular menstruation, cysts, tumors. These often affect whole families (verses 18)
Breakdown of marriage and family separation (verse 41)
Continual financial insufficiency (verses 17, 29, 47, 48)
Being accident prone (verse 29)
Suicidal tendencies and unnatural or untimely deaths

“However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.”

As verse 16 indicates, curses know no geographical boundaries; whether in the city or in the country.

REFLECTION

Do you see the following patterns in your family line?

Do YOU or ANYONE in your family

Have a history of mental illness that may have progressed through generations?
Have a history of repeated or chronic sicknesses (especially if hereditary)?
Have a history of barrenness, unfruitfulness, a tendency to miscarry or related female problems?
Have a history of breakdown of marriage and family separation?
Have a history of continuing financial insufficiency (Absolute Poverty)?
Have a high record of accidents or accidents that are unusual in nature? – that is, being “accident-prone”
Have a history of unnatural or untimely deaths and suicides a large number of people who have died prematurely?
Have a pattern of constant failure?
Have a history of broken engagements?
Exhibit a high level of anger?
Have a history of abuse such as physical, emotional, or sexual?
Exhibit any of these personality behaviors: high-control, manipulation, addiction, co-dependency, depression, unforgiveness, humiliation, defeat, confusion, retrogression, or isolation?

Pray the Prayer of Jabez

1 Chronicles 4: 9-10

He was honorable because he did something, which others had failed to do in the same family of many brothers.

Something negative was operating in his life.
His brothers saw it and did nothing about it.
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel. He cried out! Not a casual little talk with God. He must have gone through a bad patch of his life and he cried out to the LORD out of pressure.
Bless me: that means a curse was operating over his life or he felt he was living outside God’s blessing.
Enlarge my territory: that means he felt confined in a territory that was small
Let your hand be with me:that means he was outside God’s hand or felt that God seemed to be against him.
Keep me from harm: he either feared harm or had gone through a lot of harm.

2062 SECTOR FOCUS: LEADERSHIP, GOVERNANCE, AND POLITICS

We desire to see God’s Kingdom fully manifested in the Leadership, Governance and Politics Sphere of Uganda by 2062

“For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.”

Isaiah 33:22

All the three arms of government are represented in this scripture: the Judiciary (judge), the Legislature (lawgiver), and the Executive (king). The Lord is keenly interested in all the three and desires to be the ultimate authority behind each of the three arms of government for any nation that chooses His ways. Everything rises and falls on leadership. Without the right leadership in any jurisdiction, there can be no progress. God has a plan for the politics of our land. He is at work to bring this nation to its destiny. This process is accelerated as we in the Body of Christ first engage in continual prayer for the nation and its leaders, and it slows down and even reverses when we fail to do so. It is also accelerated as the Body of Christ disciples believers and releases them to their calling in the Kingdom of God

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”

Proverbs 14:34

Governments all over the world suffer from corruption. Uganda is seriously plagued with this vice.

Ask God’s forgiveness for:

The sin of theft in our society – corruption is theft and a breach of both the 8^th and 10^th commandments (Exodus 20:15,17);
Covetousness and theft in our homes, businesses, Churches and national institutions;
Our failure in the Body of Christ to set a good example to the nation with regard to truthfulness and upright living.

Pray that God will raise leaders who:

Honor Him and understand that the authority and power is held in trust on God’s behalf and that they will have to give an account to Him of how they exercised it;
Understand not only their responsibility to the electorate but first and foremost their responsibility before God as far as governance is concerned;
Are, “a terror for the wrongdoers” as God has mandated them to be (Romans 13:3). In order for this to happen, the Lord has to purge the ranks of government of the wrongdoers since they do not have the moral right to punish fellow wrongdoers. According to Romans 13:3, when a government is properly carrying out its God-given mandate, wrong doers and evil people live in terror. This is the right kind of terrorism!

Pray that:

There will be harmony between the three arms of government: the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature; conflicts and infighting are detrimental because a house divided against itself cannot stand (Mark 3:25);
Envy and selfish ambition will be uprooted from the corridors of power (James 3:16);
Evil advisors and conspirators will be removed from places of influence (Proverbs 25:5);
God will deliver Uganda from “gangster politicians and leaders” plus power hungry syndicates.

Pray that God will raise for Uganda leaders according to His word:

Psalm 72:1,2,4: “ ¹Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. ²He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. ⁴He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.”

Leaders with:

God’s sense of justice and righteousness;
The ability and resolve to crush all forms of oppression in our communities

Proverbs 20:28: “Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upheld by mercy”

Leaders with a spirit of mercy and truth, and no falsehood.

Proverbs 20:26: ”A wise king scatters the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them”

Leaders with the ability and determination to scatter and punish the wicked.

Proverbs 25:5: “Remove the wicked from the king’s presence and his throne will be established through righteousness”

Leaders that will refuse to surround their thrones with wicked men and women.

Pray in accordance with:

Proverbs 29:2: “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked bears rule, the people mourn.”

That God will raise an ever-increasing number of righteous people to places of authority so that our people will rejoice and not moan or groan.

Proverbs 29:12: “If a ruler listens to lies, all his official become wicked”

That God will raise leaders who will refuse to listen to lies or allow wicked people to surround them;
That God will remove liars, evil counselors and bootlickers from places of authority across the land.

Proverbs 16:12: “Kings detest wrongdoing, for a throne is established through righteousness.”

That at all levels of governance in our nation there will be an increasing hatred for wrongdoing.

Proverbs 29:4: “By justice, a king gives a country stability but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.”

That there will be justice in the governance of our land so that we will experience stability;
That the company of people tearing down our nation every day by giving and receiving bribes will diminish.

From Daniel 10 and Ezekiel 27, it is clear that there are specific satanic beings working in the politics and in the governments of the world.

Pray resisting the influence of these evil powers on the lives of those in authority.
Pray that the Lord will judge and remove evil establishments in government (Jeremiah 1:10).

Psalm 33:12: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord”

Pray that Uganda becomes more and more a nation that acknowledges Jehovah God as our Lord so that our national motto “For God and my country” will be more than lip service.

Psalm 104:

Verse 30: “You send forth your spirit and they are created, and you renew the face of the earth”

Also read verses 10-13 and Isaiah 32:15

God has promised to renew the face of Uganda.

Beseech the Lord to pour out His Spirit over Uganda that this word will be fulfilled in all sectors of our society;
Pray that the wilderness situations in all spheres of our society: education, the economy/business, politics/government, media, culture, entertainment and the arts, families etc. will become a fruitful field and that the fruitful field will become a forest (Isaiah 32:15).

Verse 19a: “He appointed the moon for seasons…”

God has appointed a new season for Uganda and in this new season, many of the negative things that have been characteristic of Uganda will be swept away.

Verse-14-15:

Pray that the Lord will indeed usher in a new season of “food, wine, oil, and bread”. Earnestly pray that God will visit agriculture in Uganda so that the enormous agricultural potential of this country will be realized.

Verse 16a:

Pray that the Lord will visit the forests of Uganda, many of which are fast disappearing, that the trees will become healthier and more productive and the deforestation trend will be reversed.
Ask the Lord to raise human trees: trees of righteousness. (Isaiah 61:3). Ask Him to raise Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Teachers and Pastors in the Church, in the Marketplace, in the Professions, in Government, in Politics, Business and Treasurers of the Kingdom who would be full of sap-life, substance, vision, wisdom, understanding, knowledge and power for reconstructing, rehabilitating and renewing the Great Lakes Region.

Verse 23:

Pray for a change in the work ethic of our nation. Pray that there will not only be increased employment but also a desire and willingness to actually work so that the able-bodied will work from morning until night.

Verse 25:

Pray for the fisheries sector that the visitation of the Lord will cause the water bodies of this region to teem with creatures beyond number. Pray also that there will be proper management of these resources and a stop to the pollution of our water bodies.

Verse 28b:

Pray that the Church in the Uganda will understand and embrace this new season of open hands that the Lord has brought to us.

I Timothy 2:1-4:

Pray that this scenario will be experienced in our nation:

The Body of Christ being increasingly involved in prayer for the nation and the government;
Increasing peace and quiet in all areas of the nation;
Increasing godliness and holiness in all areas of authority throughout the nation: the downfall of the wicked from places of influence – liars, thieves, the corrupt, murderers, opportunists, those who do not have the interests of the nation at heart but are in authority for personal advancement, and, the raising of the righteous in places of authority;
The gospel of the Kingdom of God being preached and men increasingly coming to the knowledge of the truth as the Church takes seriously the mandate to disciple the nation.

Remember 1 Timothy 2:3 says this scenario is good and pleases God and so we can pray with confidence knowing that this the will of God and so the Lord will answer this prayer (1 John 5:14,15).

Praying for righteous and just leaders to emerge

“Whenever a nation has lack of quality, legitimate and just leaders, national deterioration occurs…. Quality leadership is a key to a prosperous and peaceful life and nation… It is obvious that our nations are painfully in need of such leaders… God’s answer to all our social, moral and economic problems is qualified and righteous leaders.”
Myles Munroe

“Leadership is cause, everything else is effect”
Steven Adei

Isaiah 32:1-8 (NLT)

Look, a righteous king is coming! And honest princes will rule under him. Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a parched land. Then everyone who has eyes will be able to see the truth, and everyone who has ears will be able to hear it. Even the hotheads will be full of sense and understanding. Those who stammer will speak out plainly. In that day ungodly fools will not be heroes. Scoundrels will not be respected. For fools speak foolishness and make evil plans. They practice ungodliness and spread false teachings about the Lord. They deprive the hungry of food and give no water to the thirsty. The smooth tricks of scoundrels are evil. They plot crooked schemes. They lie to convict the poor, even when the cause of the poor is just. But generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity.

Pray that God will raise righteous and honest leaders into all places of authority who will:

Shelter the nation from political, economic, social and international winds and storms;
Serve as a shadow: a protection and shield over the land, people, resources and institutions;
Refresh the nation, its communities and institutions like a drink of water refreshes a weary desert traveler;
Be honest, speak the truthful and open the eyes of their followers to see the truth and to see new horizons and possibilities.

Pray that God will remove unrighteous and dishonest leaders from places of authority:

The hotheads or rash – the trouble makers, weak-willed, poor decision-makers, the greedy and selfish and unstable;
Those that enter politics with evil plans and schemes;
Those who lie and pervert justice;
Those who practice ungodliness depriving the hungry and poor through corruption and other means.

Pray that God will bring us to a season where the leadership of the nation, its communities and institutions is truly honorable, noble, selfless and generous.

Isaiah 22:15-25 (NLT)

This is what the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, said to me: “Confront Shebna, the palace administrator, and give him this message: “Who do you think you are, and what are you doing here,
building a beautiful tomb for yourself— a monument high up in the rock? For the Lord is about to hurl you away, mighty man. He is going to grab you, crumple you into a ball, and toss you away into a distant, barren land. There you will die, and your glorious chariots will be broken and useless. You are a disgrace to your master! “Yes, I will drive you out of office,” says the Lord. “I will pull you down from your high position. And then I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah to replace you. I will dress him in your royal robes and will give him your title and your authority. And he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. I will give him the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them. He will bring honor to his family name, for I will drive him firmly in place like a nail in the wall. They will give him great responsibility, and he will bring honor to even the lowliest members of his family.” But the Lord of Heaven’s Armies also says: “The time will come when I will pull out the nail that seemed so firm. It will come out and fall to the ground. Everything it supports will fall with it. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

The Shebna-types of leaders are corrupt, arrogant and self-seeking; the Eliakim-types of leaders, like good fathers, are servants and live for the next generation.

Pray that God will:

Frustrate and drive out of office the Shebna-types of leaders across the nation (v. 19);
Arise and judge the corrupt, arrogant and self-seeking in this season (Psalm 68:1-3);
Close the doors of politics and governance to the Shebna-type leaders: leaders who like the leeches in Proverbs 30:15, exploit those that they lead.

Pray that He will raise the Eliakim-types of leaders all across the nation. Leaders who will:

Father and nurture Uganda and all her communities and not exploit her for what they can get from her;
Increasingly bring the nation to places of honor among the community of the nations;
Be strong, like a peg fastened in a sure place, to carry national burdens in a responsible way;
Be firmly established and secure from the schemes of crafty and wily men from both within the nation and internationally.

Earnestly pray and spiritually decree that the doors of politics and governance will open up for the Eliakim-type leaders.

PRAY THAT GOD WILL BE GREATLY GLORIFIED IN THE LEADERSHIP, GOVERNANCE, AND POLITICS SECTOR IN THE YEARS LEADING UP TO 2062.