Stop Cursing!

I love the prophet Jeremiah. He found God’s Word, devoured it and was forever changed. He talked about living for God, and how he became an outcast to the world for his faith. He prayed on behalf of God’s chosen people, pleading for a nation that had forgotten their Creator.

As I was reading his dialogue with God, I was struck when God told him to stop praying (Jeremiah 14.11). I thought to myself, “Prayer must be a pretty powerful tool if God would command Jeremiah not to use it.”

Earlier that day, I was reading a book by Derek Prince, and he wrote about how we can actually curse ourselves and other with our words. I made a connection between Jeremiah’s powerful prayer to how powerful our curses can be. I think we have grown so accustomed to speaking ugliness over ourselves and others that we don’t even notice it. However, when we speak forth negative sentiments, are we not in fact offering up curses?

“I’m so fat. I’ll never lose weight.”

“She’s going to ruin her life by marrying him.”

“My son will never do well in school.”

“My husband always says the wrong thing.”

“That family will never break out of poverty.”

Here’s the thing. We might be speaking the physical truth as we see it, but God sees a potential that we can’t understand when we are not looking through His eyes. In a split second, the circumstances we’ve labeled can change, and we are forever stuck with our ill-spoken words. Words are eternal and powerful, and I know I won’t fully comprehend their potency until I’m surrounded by the words I spoke on earth.

My desire is to use my words to carve out godly, blessed lives for myself and others. If I could speak a beautiful truth over others again and again, maybe the path of righteousness will be easier for them to walk down. Maybe if I speak God’s love over myself, I wouldn’t struggle with carrying guilt, insecurity or hopelessness. Jesus died for each of us, and He looks beyond our faults and mistakes. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be caught speaking a curse that has the potential to harm one of God’s children, including me!

I think we simply need to speak God’s truth more often and our truth a lot less. How can you start today by speaking crazy, beautiful truths over yourself and those around you?

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18.21 NIV).

“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken” (Matthew 12.36 NIV).

Alisa Hope Wagner

Alisa Hope Wagner gave her life to Jesus at the age of 14 in a small Baptist church in South Texas. All she wanted was to be loved, and she found that love through Jesus Christ. Alisa has never felt unloved since that day! Alisa has her BA degree in English from A & M - Corpus Christi and her MA degree in English - Applied Linguistics from the University of Houston. She served in women's ministry leadership for five years. She has a God-given passion to write, and she loves to write about what the Holy Spirit is currently teaching her. Alisa has published devotionals, articles and poetry; and she is continuously trying to reach people for Christ with her writing. She has also written her first novel and is currently seeking publication. Alisa married her high school sweetheart, and they have been married for over twelve years. They enjoy raising their two sons and daughter.

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