God has set before us blessings and curses, life and death — but He gives us the ability and the responsibility to choose.— Derek Prince
In Christendom and even in societies with a Christian heritage, “God bless you” is a common phrase of appreciation. This makes it easy to trivialise the significance of blessings, especially those invoked in God’s name. Similarly, in a culture that often attributes progress to education and human effort alone, we can lose sight of a powerful, invisible force that affects outcomes and destinies: blessings and curses.
Reflecting on the benefits of the blood of Jesus, we now turn to this profound theme, examining how blessings and curses operate and how the blood of Christ has decisively dealt with them on our behalf.
A blessing is a release of divine favour and goodness, often manifesting in fruitfulness, growth, protection, righteous influence, and peace. A curse, on the other hand, brings limitation, hardship, frustration, misfortune, or estrangement from divine favour. Curses often hinder potential without explanations and may recur through generations.
As Derek Prince teaches, blessings and curses are words charged with spiritual power either from God or from the enemy. They are not mere wishes or expressions but spiritual forces that can shape lives and legacies. They manifest physically as abundance or scarcity, relationally as peace or strife, spiritually as favour or alienation, and eternally as life or separation from God.
In Genesis 1, the first words spoken over humanity by God were blessings: “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply…’” (Genesis 1:28). The Hebrew word barak means to bestow favour, abundance, and well-being. But after the fall, these blessings were corrupted. Pain, toil, and death entered the human story as the result of the curses pronounced in Genesis 3:16–19.
However, God’s redemptive plan unfolded with the calling of Abraham. In Genesis 12:2–3, God declared:
This covenant of blessing would find its ultimate fulfilment in Christ, the promised Seed, who would redeem us from the curse and release the blessing.
Crucially, God declared that people's treatment of Abraham would determine their experience of blessing or curse: “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you”. This principle still applies: our relationship to God’s ordained people, authorities, and order plays a significant role in our spiritual condition. It reminds us that how we speak of or treat those whom God has blessed can have real spiritual consequences.
Words have tremendous power to bless or curse. When Isaac unknowingly blessed Jacob instead of Esau, the words could not be undone. This shows the impactful nature of spiritual pronouncements. We must be mindful of our words and, when needed, cancel negative declarations, whether from ourselves, others, or spiritual agents.
Curses usually have a cause, as Proverbs 26:2 suggests. Common causes include:
Disrespect for God’s chosen people or leaders (Genesis 12:3)
Idolatry and disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15–68)
Dishonour to parents (Exodus 20:12)
Sexual immorality (Leviticus 18, Romans 1:21–32)
Injustice to the weak (Deuteronomy 27:19)
Trust in self or material wealth (Jeremiah 17:5–6)
Negative pronouncements by spiritual or relational authorities (parents, spouses, pastors, teachers)
Self-imposed curses and declarations in moments of distress (Genesis 35:16-18)
Curses from occult sources (Numbers 23)
To break a curse
Identify and renounce the root cause through repentance and confession.
Plead the blood of Jesus for cleansing and forgiveness.
Stand on God’s Word, believing in Christ’s finished work.
Make amends or restitution where necessary.
Declare your new identity and inheritance in Christ.
Align your words and actions with God’s promises.
The key to receiving lasting blessing is obedience to God's Word and abiding in Christ. Deuteronomy 28:1–3 links blessings to listening to and obeying the Lord. John 15 calls us to abide in Christ and bear much fruit.
Through the blood of Jesus, the blessings of Abraham are now yours. Walk in them. Declare them. Share them. For the blood speaks better things bringing life, peace, favour, and increase.