I say a blessing is a pronouncement or action of good toward another. And if it is God's Blessing then it has more power than all other spoken words. Proverbs 3:1-10 is an example of an exhortation with a promise of blessing:
My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Psalm 1:1-3 is another promise of blessing:
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
What do you think of when you read the word "curse"? Do you think of the scene in Macbeth with the witches stirring the bubbling cauldron? Or do you think of the obscene language that pours out of many popular television shows or movies? The witches of Macbeth are performing an action to invoke Satan's involvement. This will always bring a curse on susceptible people. Obscene language is a sign of the degradation of our culture and tears down the spirit of the hearers.
But I am much more concerned about the more pervasive, subtle curses of the powerful people in our lives, the people we trust. The father who calls a child "stupid"; the husband that nicknames his wife "fatty"; the mother who rebukes with "you're just like your father"; the pastor who threatens with the Curses of the Law and the Medical Doctor that labels you Diabetic or Arthritic or AIDS infected.
The definition of the word "curse" from The New Bible Dictionary includes this distinction:
"... just as a word was not a mere sound on the lips but an active agent sent forth, so the spoken curse was an active agent for hurt. Behind the word stands the soul that created it. Thus, a word which is backed by no spiritual capacity of accomplishment is a mere 'word of the lip' (II Ki. 18:20, but when the soul is powerful the word is clothed in that power (Eccl. 8:4; I Chr. 21:4).
This is especially true when we have health problems. Lacking knowledge and trust in God's design of the human body, we become troubled by symptoms and afraid. We become superstitious. Myths about illness abound today. Myths generated by medical experts and pharmaceutical companies are not founded in principles of physiology, but rather evolutionary philosophy and biochemical theory. But we want immediate relief because we lust for comfort. So we call doctors and other experts for miracles. Where is the faith in that? Then we get a diagnosis from the doctor - A curse.
A diagnosis with it's corresponding prognosis is a curse. A curse that must be rebuked. This curse only has power because of the "faith" the patient has in his physician. The physician merely organizes your symptoms and matches them to a list of diseases in the Merck Manual which he keeps in his office. Then he comes back in the examining room and tells you what you wanted to hear, "It's not your fault. It doesn't matter what you eat or if you exercise or not. Your problem must be genetic or caused by a germ. But we will help you. Take these drugs and set another appointment."
This medical religion has replaced faith and loyalty to the One true God, Jehovah Rapha. Curses are not usually meant to kill, but to enslave. The slavery happens when we are afraid to trust God. We feel compelled to "trust in the arm of man"
There is not a single verse that says, "go to a physician, he will heal you." So why do Christians go? The greater portion of Christians in the industrial nations have rationalized away the scriptures about health or spiritualized them to the point of absurdity. But God created the physiology of the human body and it is a true science. All true science magnifies God because it seeks to describe and understand his creation. When you accept medical theory and follow their prescription, you accept pseudo-science distorted by greed.
The world may condemn you as foolish for not using the latest drugs or surgery for your ailment or at the least letting a doctor look at it. But beware of the curses of diagnosis that enslave you just like the Galatians mentioned in Galatians 3:1:
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
I Corinthians 10:23:
All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
Blessings on the other hand, will edify and free you.
I am not saying, do not use physicians. I am saying submit to the truth first. Repent for the behavior and thinking that led to the illness. It only seems a mystery because we have not been taught physiology. Learn normal physiology before you become ill. Then support the healing ability that God placed in your body. God will forgive us when we ask. Let's try to avoid the need to ask.
For More Info Contact:
Chris Duffy, BS, LM, CNHP, ND
midwife.duffy(at)gmail.com
Please include the word "Health Stewardship" in the Subject.