What Curses are Not
What Curses are Not: Matters that do not Constitute Curses
Types of unpleasant and undesirable matters besides curses
Just covered in the previous chapter were five conditions curse words must meet before gaining any legal entry to operate on a person. Having an understanding of these conditions enables one to easily know what falls in the category of curses and what does not. This chapter goes a step further to identify matters that do NOT fall in the category of curses.
It was said earlier that curses are only a subset of a category of unpleasant and undesirable matters. The common factor in this set of matters is the unpleasant experiences, undesirable and in some cases distressful experiences.
In this set of unpleasant matters each sub-category has its own description or identity. The identities of each sub-category include curses (the theme of this book: breaking curses), trials of faith, thorn in the flesh, the cross, persecution, life's storms, the fallen nature, and so on. Below is a summary of each of these sub-categories of unpleasant, undesirable, and in some cases distressful matters:
1) Curses (topic of this book: Breaking curses)
2) Trials of Faith
3) Thorn in the Flesh
4) The Cross
5) Christian Persecution
6) Life's Storms
7) The Fallen Nature (Within its Context)
1) Curses (topic of this book: Breaking curses)
Chapter 1 defined what curses are. Chapter 2 gives conditions curse words must meet before gaining any legal entry to operate on a person.
2) Trials of Faith
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil,” Matthew 4:1.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything,” James 1:2-4.
Notice the One who originates trials. It is God not the devil. We have believers who're preoccupied with Satan over any little unpleasant matter. God allows the devil to cause trouble in our lives for a reason – a very good reason if they are trials of faith. It's therefore God himself we're to deal with, not Satan, when going through trials. The devil is just an agent or messenger in this case, even when he thinks he'll outsmart God.
When we deal with trials of faith God's way the bible says good comes out of it. We come out of the fire better, not bitter, and not obsessed with the devil. Dealing with trials of faith God's way includes submitting to God, seeking his will to reign over matters we may be experiencing and focusing on the big picture or the long-run outcome, not the short-run circumstances.
Focusing on the big picture or the long-run outcome, not the short-run circumstances enables us to see victory from whatever current circumstances. That's why the scripture given above in James says “consider it pure joy , my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds...”
It then goes on to give some (not all) reasons why we should be joyous even during times we're going through unpleasant experiences: “…because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything,” James 1:2-4. Apart from developing perseverance there are many other rewards or outcomes when we face trials God's way. We refuse to run for shortcuts.
3) Thorn in the Flesh
“There was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me,” 2 Corinthians 12:7.
No Christian wants a thorn in the flesh. A thorn in the flesh is a demonic attack that is illegally operating against a Christian. It is illegally operating or stealing from a believer because doors of its legal access were closed.
A thorn in the flesh may even look like a curse. And it's not something that is associated with spiritually young Christians. Even the most mature Christians can receive it. In the bible we have Paul, the spiritual giant of all among early apostles, if not the mightiest in all Christian history.
Like with trials God originates thorns in the flesh, not the devil. Paul was never preoccupied with Satan over his thorn. God allows the devil to cause trouble in our lives for a reason and it's him we're to deal with. In my other books on deliverance I cover on these reasons. They are called doorways of access for demonic influence and other unpleasant maters in our lives.
The four doorways are: 1) deception, 2) ignorance, 3) sin, and 4) storms of life (when not responded to correctly). A thorn in the flesh is the category of storms of life. It has been separated here just to expand on the nature of a thorn in the flesh.
In dealing with the demonic thorn in the flesh Paul turned to God instead of confronting Satan nor the ranks of principalities he identifies in Ephesians 6. He turned to God, not once but, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me,” Corinthians 12:8.
Next Part The Cross.