Thank you for the encouraging scripture.

Here are the notes:

Empowered by the Blood of Jesus:
Five Points of Victory:
Blessed, Not Cursed
Creflo Dollar

Scripture References

Proverbs 3:33
Matthew 15:4
Romans 13:1, 2, AMP
Psalm 105:14, 15
Joshua 7:1
Exodus 20:5
Romans 2:28, 29
Hebrews 12:14, 15


Summary

Jesus took the curse upon Himself so that we could be blessed. However, many Christians are empowered to fail because they choose to travel down a path that brings curses. Jesus has redeemed us from all curses, but we must choose to obey God. Doing so activates the blessing instead of the curse.

A. There are ten different curses discussed in the Bible:
1. The curse of God
a. God allows curses to come upon those who disobey His Word.
b. “The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just” (Proverbs 3:33).
2. The curse of man
a. If someone with authority over us places a curse on us, it will affect us negatively.
b. For example, Noah cursed Canaan and his descendants.
c. Many children have been cursed by their parents, or because of their parents.
d. When we dishonor our parents, we invite a curse upon our lives (Matthew 15:4).
e. All authority comes from God. When we violate the spiritual authority (pastor) or the natural authority (parents) He has placed over us, we invite a curse upon our lives (Romans 13:1, 2, AMP).
3. The self-inflicted curse
a. When we speak negatively about ourselves, we curse ourselves.
4. The curse of sowing and reaping
a. If we sow evil, we will reap evil.
b. If we sow to the flesh by giving in to a way of thinking that opposes God’s Word, we will reap corruption.
5. The curse of the prophets
a. If anyone tries to harm a person who is genuinely anointed by God, through words or actions, they may reap a curse (Psalm 105:14, 15).
b. Many times people harm the prophets of God by speaking negatively about them.
6. The curse of the accursed
a. If we associate with anything or anyone who is accursed, we invite a curse upon our lives (Joshua 7:1).
7. Generational or inherited curses
a. A curse, like a blessing, does not die with the person from which it originated.
b. For example, when Abraham died, Isaac carried on the blessing of the covenant.
c. A person’s children can partake of the curse that is on his or her life.
d. Many people suffer terribly because of a generational or inherited curse.
e. When we do not obey God’s commands, we subject ourselves to generational curses as well as other curses.
f. Our identification is not limited to the natural realm. Our spiritual identity overrides who we are in the flesh (Romans 2:28, 29).
8. The curse of unforgiveness
a. If we harbor unforgiveness and bitterness in our hearts, we invite a curse upon us.
b. Also holding others sins and offenses against them causes God to hold our sins and offenses against us.
c. Pursue peace with others. Do not allow bitterness to remain in your heart and take root (Hebrews 12:14, 15).
d. Live a life of holiness.
e. To be holy is to be of one mind with God.
9. The curse of the law
a. When God’s law is broken, a curse is automatically released upon the person who broke it.
b. This curse is only removed when we sincerely repent, completely turn to God, and commit to obey Him.
10. The curse of Satan
a. Satan, through his agents, can put a curse on individuals who are outside of Christ, and have broken the hedge of God’s protection.
b. If we are obedient and remain under the covering of the blood of Jesus, the curse of Satan cannot affect us.
c. If curses are operating in your life, identify the root.
d. Engage in a comprehensive study of the Word concerning those areas, repent, pray, and begin to genuinely seek God concerning the issues in your life.

Thank you.

Ishallwearpurple.....This is an interesting post although after doing some research on Creflo Dollar, I have concerns about his teachings. Many sources refer to him as one of the Prosperity TV evangelists. Have you done any research on him at all?

The troubling thing to me out of the Study Notes is the sense that a Christian can fall under the spell of Satan and that Satan can put a curse on individuals that are outside of Christ. What do you think it means to be "outside of Christ?" Is it a non-Christian? Is it a Christian who has lost his salvation? I'm just not too sure what he means by the term.

I have always been taught that a Christian is under the power of the Holy Spirit as it says in Romans 8:9-11....."But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you."

Guelsmom, it is confusing to me as well. I have never heard of the person. I do not know the meaning of the term, either.

Guelsmom and Lindajoan - To be honest I was very happy with the comforting verse - but the notes have also bothered me - there is a verse that says:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
- King James Bible "Authorized Version", Cambridge Edition
There is also a verse that says:
Isaiah 54:17 - No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.

It is unfortunate that I put this post on here because we can clearly see we cannot be cursed if we are following Jesus - and loving our children certainly is expected of us - as is a wholesome, committed and close family united which I believe is the Lord's will regarding us all.

Anyway - glad we tested this as we are told to test all the spirits - and even our common sense tells us this is skewed. I apologise for posting the notes here - but back to Luke 1v17 - we can write that down on our refrigerators and be encouraged!!

I believe our children are coming back to the fold!! In the name of Jesus!

Ishall.....I am glad that you have come to the same conclusions that we did. That is the most important thing here. You have done the same thing that I have done at times but, in essence, that is not bad if something was learned from it. It is the Holy Spirit guiding us both in the way of truth as I see it. When I stumble into something that is contrary to God's Word, but don't see it instantly, it just does not sit right with me and it is then that I start digging deeper until I have more confidence in what is being said about God's Word. To me, the most serious mistake a person can make is to just accept what "sounds good to the ears" because it "fits" what I want to either do or believe.

I hope you are also not offended if I suggest that you also look a little deeper into Luke 1:17 too. There are several different interpretations of that verse which really begins with verse 13.

Verse 16 establishes the foundation for the following verse by stating...."And (John the Baptist) will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God."

In addition, all other versions end the verse with...."to make ready a people prepared for the Lord," ....which is a little more clearer meaning of the mission of John the Baptist and the prophecy concerning him in Malachi 4:5,6.....

So, when the whole thought is put together it says..."And (John) will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, and (John) will go before (Jesus) in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to prepare a people for the (Messiah.)

For further reading if you choose to do so, you can check out a few well established and respected Bible commentators at the following links.....

John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/luke-1-17.html

Bible Hub Commentaries
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/1-17.htm

Lastly, I found one brief article that focused on what Dollar has (mis)used it for in his promise to you....

Meaning of “Turning the hearts of the Fathers back to the Children” In Luke 1:17

Immediate Context: Luke 1:16-17
"And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (NASB).
Here is a puzzling prophecy about John the Baptist: " And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17). This prophecy may have in mind at least two Scriptures in Malachi (4:6 and 3:1). In Malachi 4:6 we read, "He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction." The prophecy about John the Baptist just includes the first part - "to turn the hearts of the parents to their children." What might this mean?

Most commentaries that I've seen just try to explain this from the perspective of the relationship of parents to children and children to their parents. Therefore, John the Baptist is heralding a message of the restoration of the family. Is this right? Then, why did Jesus say according to Matthew 10:34-36,
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn " 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— your enemies will be the members of your own household.'”

This seems completely opposite to what is prophesied about John the Baptist, who comes to prepare the way for the Lord, to make a straight path for Him.

Now, if we look at Luke 1:17 itself without giving in to the temptation to read into the text our desire to see "family harmony," we might gain a different insight. Right after the prophecy speaks of turning the hearts of the parents to their children, there is the expression "and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous." While most see two different groups here, perhaps we are meant to see them in parallel.

Jesus associates "fathers" with disobedience and unbelief (cf. Luke 11:47-48). When Paul speaks about his Jewish ancestry in Romans 9-11, they were a "stiff-necked and disobedient" people. It is interesting to remember that God had judged all of the adults/parents coming out of the Exodus because of their disobedience, so that He struck them down in the wilderness; however, he preserved their children, to bring them into the Promised Land (cf. Deut 1;39). Of children Jesus says in Mark 10:14-15,
"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

Rather than speaking of familial relationships, could the prophecy of Malachi and the prophecy of John the Baptist be speaking of the nature of parents and the nature of children. The parents had a heart of disobedience and the children a heart of faith (i.e. because the wisdom of the righteous is "faith" [cf. Romans 1:17; Habakkuk 2:4]). And this is in keeping with Zechariah's, John the Baptist's father, prophetic word: "And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins" (Luke 1:76-77). What is this knowledge? It is the knowledge of salvation and forgiveness through faith (cf. Romans 10:1-4).

Now, going back to Malachi, the prophet also writes, "and [he will turn] the hearts of the children to their parents." Although Luke does not record this part, we should still try to understand what is meant. Remember, Malachi specifically speaks of the prophet Elijah in Malachi 4:5. What do we know about Elijah? In perhaps his most famous event, the fire from heaven at Mt. Carmel against the prophets of Baal, Elijah prays,
"LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again" (1 Kings 18:36-37).
Here, Elijah was praying that God might turn the hearts of the children of Israel back to the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (i.e. Jacob), their forefathers. Could Malachi have had this in mind? The principle is the same: Turning from disobedience to faith. However, on this occasion the faith resides not in the children but in their forefathers. You may say, the text says "fathers" or "parents" and not "forefathers" or "ancestors." That's true of the translation, but if you look at the Hebrew, you will see that the word can be translated as one or the other, depending on the context. Perhaps the prophecy of John the Baptist left out this second part because it was redundant. And perhaps Luke does not include it because he writes to a Gentile, even Roman, audience with whom the link to "Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" would not resonate.

I did not mean for this to be an extensive commentary, but it has sort of become that. My primary intent was to show again the danger of reading contemporary ideas or presuppositions into the biblical text. I also wanted to show that if we just allow the Bible to explain itself, we can discover greater clarity, as here. Now, you can see how understanding the words "turning parents to children," when properly understood, shows how John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus' ministry, which was a ministry of salvation by faith.

Written by Yujin Han @
http://ghcfrisco.org/biblestudy_notes.asp

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