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WITCHCRAFT

The greatest barrier to revival in the church

Study 4 – Breaking the spell

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In undertaking these studies there was no intention of exposing members of the church, clergy or lay, in order to make them feel guilty, the sole intention is to expose the spirit of witchcraft and show from scripture how we can gain victory over it in Jesus name.

In Hosea chapter 4 and verse 6 we have an often quoted passage. "Through lack of knowledge my people perish." The enemy would like to make you think you are powerless against him and he will succeed unless you know in all its fullness what Christ accomplished for you on the cross. The following are verses from Ephesians chapters 1, 2 and 4.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us.

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. We are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" In these few verses we learn that we have forgiveness of our sin through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross, and that we now rule and reign with Christ in heavenly places."

That is not all: that is only a small part of what Christ has won for you on the cross. So why is it that so many Christians lead such powerless lives? It is because they have never entered into all that Christ Jesus won for them on the cross. The main reason for this is because nobody has ever told them. Many have never taught on this subject because they are afraid of what will happen to them if they do teach on it.

That is one of the things that comes with witchcraft, the fear of the enemy whom in fact we have authority over in Christ Jesus. Luke chapter 10 verses 19 and 20 tell of Jesus words to His disciples when they return from being sent out without Him to go into the towns and villages around and about.

"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." In verse 28 of Matthew chapter 10 Jesus told His disciples "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Have you ever seen somebody under deliverance ministry? Sometimes there is a lot of shouting and screaming. Do you know why? The reason is because anyone who knows their authority in Christ Jesus will be someone of whom the enemy is sorely afraid.

Once someone dares to teach on this subject and sees God set many people free from witchcraft and the effects of curses they will never want to go back to the type of preaching they walked in before. Whenever a crime has been committed one of the first things the police investigate is how the thief got in, it is the same with witchcraft, once we find out how it got in we can send it running through that very same exit.

There is no doubt whatsoever that many Christians today are walking around under ancestral curses that have never been broken. Anyone who is a believer can be subjected to an ancestral curse, even completely innocently. An ancestral curse is a curse that is passed on from generation to generation that has never been exposed, identified or broken.

Take for instance what so many people refer to as the demon drink, the fact is that if one of your ancestors was an alcoholic then the chances of you becoming one at some time in your life are very much greater than most people. Another curse that is passed down from generation to generation is a spirit of lust. If your father was a womaniser then that spirit will try to manifest itself in you also.

These things are obvious, but what about those things that are not so obvious? One or more of your ancestors may have innocently become involved in fortune telling, astrology (believing that your star sign controls what you do day to day) and perhaps even tarot card reading to try to discover what lies ahead of you in days to come. All these are forbidden in scripture because they will lead you away from the true God.

An ancestor of yours may have been involved in Seance or any other way of trying to contact the dead. In some parts of the world families are encouraged to try to seek advice from dead relatives, others are encouraged to pray to one or more of the saints who have died many years ago, all this is absolutely forbidden in scripture and is hateful to God.

Thankfully God has promised that if we follow His ways and walk in fellowship with Him then He will open up the windows of blessing for us and deliver us from such evil. A wonderful promise along these lines is found in the first letter of the Apostle John 1 verse 9 which reads: "If we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

At the end of this study you will find prayers that will release individuals, cities and even nations from the influence and curse of witchcraft. These really do work in all three cases, as has been proven on countless occasions and as you will see the prayers are based on scripture and are totally biblical.

One of the things that is not seen by many people as sorcery is what governments and scientists do when there is a lack of rain in a particular area. They drop certain chemicals into the atmosphere to make it rain, this is sorcery because the promise of God in Leviticus chapter 26 verse 4 God promises that if you obey His commands and walk in all His ways then He will give you rain in due season.

What should you do then if there is a drought on your land? You should do precisely what Elijah did when it had not rained for three years. In 1 Kings chapter 18 verses 41 to 46 we read: Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.

"Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back." The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea."So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'"

Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of The Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel." That is what worked with Elijah, God has not changed, this will work with you today if you follow the prayer to break witchcraft over a community towards the end of this study.

Another thing that many think is alright but will bring a curse on you is that if you fail to get pregnant in your marriage many people go to witch doctors who will mix a potion and when you drink it you find after a few weeks that you are a pregnant woman. You should do what Hannah did in 1 Samuel chapter 1 verses 1 to 20.

There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to The Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and The Lord had closed her womb.

Because the Lord had closed Hannah's womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. Her husband Elkanah would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?"

Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of The Lord's house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to The Lord, weeping bitterly. She made a vow, saying, "Lord Almighty , if you will only look on your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to The Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."

As she kept on praying to The Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, "How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine."

"Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief." Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."

She said, "May your servant find favour in your eyes. " Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast. Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before The Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and The Lord remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked The Lord for him."

Similarly in what you might consider to be the reverse situation, abortion is wrong because only God has the right to decide whether someone lives or dies, if you take it upon yourself to decide that whatever the circumstances then you are literally trying to play God, which is what the devil did at the beginning, this too clearly comes under the definition of witchcraft.

Now let us look at some of the promises and warnings contained in Deuteronomy chapter 7 as they are particularly relevant and important to this part of the study. In it we read in verses 1 to 15: When The Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations —the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— and when The Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them.

Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, or they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and The Lord's anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire.

You are a people holy to The Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.

But it was because The Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that The Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

But those who hate Him He will repay to their face by destruction; He will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today. If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then The Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors.

He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil —the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.

You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young. The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you."

Before you pray anything with regards to these matters put on the full armour of God as described in Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 to 18 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. Also ask God to cover you with the blood of Jesus for additional protection from the works of the evil one.

These things you should do every day before you put on your clothes or do anything else. When it becomes habitual for you to do these things then you are learning things about spiritual warfare.

Now for prayers to deliver your nation/community from curses however they have come about. To do this you will need to research what the sins of the ancestors were and confess those sins as though they were your own. Ask God to forgive these sins of your ancestors and yourselves and to turn the curse into a blessing for the sake of His people in that region.

Nehemiah chapter 1 verse 5 to 7 reads ""Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel.

I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses." This is not just a one off thing that an individual representative can do alone, it must be the act of a large number of people in that community/nation.

In Daniel chapter 9 the prophet was doing these things time and time again, the result was an angelic visit and right in the middle of the city that was most representative of evil in the whole of the world at that time saw a demonstration of the power and sovereignty of God, if that is what one man can do by continually obeying this principle imagine what a section of the community can do in their midst.

Here is a list of things that can bring curses upon individuals, households, cities and even nations, read it and confess those things which apply to your own life and/or the life of your community and nation. This is not a list of everything, there may be many other things, perhaps things that you will be reminded of by God as you begin to do these things that are in scripture.

Tarot Card readings (giving or receiving), astrology, yoga, acupuncture, free masonry, watching/listening to unwholesome talk or any other similar material, such as what might be referred to as dirty books, dirty jokes, dirty films or plays etc., martial arts, fortune telling (giving or receiving), water or metal divining (divining not detecting), sexual immorality at any time of life, and of any type.

Alcohol abuse, unforgiveness (maintaining a grudge against someone after many years), smoking, calling up the spirits of the dead, or communicating with them in any way, involvement in the worship or honouring of false gods, magic of every and any kind, aroma therapy, hypnosis, healing (other than medical or accepted Christian methods) unfulfilled promises/agreements, new ageism, transcendental meditiation.

Statues of false gods (however small), for instance a model of Bhudda. Books, magazines, records and tapes associated with any of the items mentioned should be destroyed. Heavy metal music, hard rock music, voodoo, and spiritualism. Ornaments and clothes bought or made in the Far or middle east can easily have a curse on it. If in doubt get rid of it.

Videos and computers games with demonic symbols, psychic phenomena, all involement with witches whether white witches or not or any kind of witchcraft. Jealousy, pride, covetness, pride, envy, bitterness. Whether yourselves, your grandparents, or your parents, or anyone else in the family have been involved with any of these things they need to be confessed and repented of, then ask God to break any hold these people have over your life, and to forgive people such sin.

For prayer to deliver a nation see Daniel chapter 9 and pray in the way that he did. In time you may confidently expect a noticeable change in the spiritual climate of the nation provided that you continue faithfully to pray these things day by day. Remember these things will not change your nation or your community instantly but over time the changes will be unmistakable.

However, with regard to the prayer for the breaking of a curse in your own or someone else's life you should expect things to happen to them even as soon as 24 hours later that clearly suggest the curse in their life has been broken. Do not under any circumstances try to put a curse on anyone or use so-called white magic all these things are of the enemy and should be left well alone.

I love and praise You Father God and in the name of Jesus Christ I seek Your Sovereign hands to release me from every type of curse that has formed against me. Father forgive me for every thing I have said, or done which was sinful and which may have produced and projected a curse towards another person. For those sins I have committed, whether deliberate, or in ignorance and which I have never apologized for or repented of, I do so now, (speak out whatever you feel needs to be spoken out regarding this then continue) and Father I retract and declare null and void the curses and condemnation I had knowingly or unknowingly spoke, or projected onto another person, object, or situation. Let it happen now.

Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph. (2 Corinthians chapter 2 v 14).

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