Curses Via Email

By Phil Scovell


     Now, don't become offended, or take it personally, as you 
read this article.  It is something I have been prayerfully 
considering for a long time.  Now just seems to be the time to 
write about it because I believe it is a spiritually important 
topic.

     I know everyone with an email address has received Christian 
related email messages which tell a wonderful story.  I have read 
these for years.  These messages are often clones of the secular 
type which normally end with a tag line which reads, "If you don't
forward this to your 10 best friends within 5 days, you will
experience bad luck for a month."  Sometimes it will say just the
opposite, that is, you will have amazingly good luck for a week. 
The Christian ones, or those that appear Christian in nature,
normally have a kinder and gentler suggestion that you won't be a
very good Christian if you don't forward the message.  The
variables on this theme are endless and I have literally seen 
hundreds of them.

     The Christian stories have always intrigued me.  I mean, they
sound true, they feel good, they are often stories of miracles, or
cute innocent reminders of a big God somewhere up in the sky that 
loves you, but when you hit the tag line, wham!  You are belted 
with a threat.  For example, "If you believe in prayer, forward 
this message to your friends."  So if you don't, you aren't a
believer in prayer?  "If you want to really experience  God's
love, forward this message."  Meaning, of course, if you don't,
you won't experience God's love?  "Forward this message and don't
break the circle,"" Meaning, if you don't send it to others, you,
you and you alone, have broken the circle?  Again, they vary
limitlessly but  they all sound somehow threatening.  The question
is not, "Is the  story real," but what is behind the message tag
line.  I do believe it is a curse, of sorts,  which is very
likely, in most cases, initiated by someone who  doesn't believe
in the salvitic message of the Bible and wants to  see their own
message come back a couple of months later to get a  good belly
laugh at Christians.  At the very least, it is a passive form of
control, or manipulation, and those who participate are engaging
in acts of superstitious beliefs.

Note.
Definition of Superstition.
1. An irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance
not logically related to a course of events influences its
outcome. 
2. 
a. A belief, practice, or rite irrationally maintained by
ignorance of the laws of nature or by faith in magic or chance.
b. A fearful or abject state of mind resulting from such
ignorance or irrationality.
c. Idolatry.
(The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth
Edition copyright -2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in
2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company).
End of note.



     More sinister, in my opinion, is the  curse that is delivered
with the good old Christian story for  which I have already stated
examples.  Is it really a curse?  Good  question.  Those who
fiddle around with the unseen world have no  problem believing it
is a curse that works.  Christians, on the  other hand, think it
is just good Christian works playing itself  out on the global
internet and reaching millions of souls for  Christ.  I consider
them a story with a curse.  Yes, I have  forwarded them on myself
over the years so don't get your tail in  a knot because I am not
criticizing anybody.  The question that comes to my mind asks, "Is
it wrong to forward the message?"  I believe it is more than
possible that the suggestiveness of the tagline is a passive form
of executing a curse.  The harsher ones, those that threaten bad
luck and the like, may fall into more spiritually harmful
categories such as hexes and spells.  Then again, as Christians,
we don't believe in such evil things today, so what do we do?  We
forward the message right on.

     Let's look to the Bible for confirmation of what I am saying.

John 5:1-9
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to
Jerusalem.
2  Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is
called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
3  In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind,
halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4  For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and
troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of
the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5  And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and
eight years.
6  When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long
time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7  The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the
water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am
coming, another steppeth down before me.
8  Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9  And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed,
and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.

     Many years ago, it was discovered that there was an
underground spring which fed this pool of water.  Occasionally,
therefore, the water passing beneath the pool released air into
the pool and the water appeared to be mysteriously moving by an
unseen hand.  A religion developed out of it, a superstition, if
you will, that whoever made into the water the second it began to
move, would be healed.  There is never any Biblical confirmation
that a single person was ever healed at this pool in this manner. 
Yes, it is possible, that God Himself did send an angel down to
this pool occasionally in order that people could be heal, too, so
I am not eliminating that possibility but if God was doing that,
then why did Jesus need to come an intervene?  Yes, it says that
the man reported, "I have no man to put me into the water," but
you will note, Jesus didn't offer to assist him; Jesus healed him
outright.  The only question Jesus asked the lame man is if he
wished to be made whole.  Likely the man thought, "Finally. 
Someone to help me into the water."  He was wrong.  Jesus healed
the man by His own spoken Words.  The Biblical truth is clear; it
is in the Lord, and in nothing else, we should believe.  If you
don't believe the Enemy works consistently in attempting to gain a
foothold in your life in any way possible, you have just exposed
yourself as a willing target for deceitfulness.

     With this in mind, people then ask me what I do.  If I think
the story sounds legitimate, or is an encouragement, I may forward
the message to someone I think would benefit from it.  First,
however, I removed the tagline and refuse to forward that part of
the message.  I also pray against, bind and remove, any curses
associated with the tagline or message.  So, I'm crazy.  What else
is new?  You may do as you like and believe as you wish.

     Many years ago, I was running a bulletin board.  This was
long before most of us were on the internet.  I received a message
sent to me directly, that is, the person was on the east coast
and he literally dialed up my computer's telephone number and sent
me a message.  It was short, had a nice little story with it, but
a very ominous tagline.  The tagline basically said, "If you
forward this to 5 or 7 or 10 of your friends, you, and they, will
have good luck come to you, lots of extra money that comes into
your hands, good health," and several other such things were
promised.  "If you don't forward it," so it read, "you will have
bad luck come your way."  So, the tone of the tagline sounded
evil.  I just laughed it off and deleted it because I in no, way,
shape, or form believed in such things.  The next three weeks were
hell on earth for me.  You can't believe the things that happened. 
I was even notified by the IRS I was being audited.  I did not
know how to pray against such curses back then, nor was I even
certain I believe in such things.  I do now and I know how to pray
against such passive suggestiveness.  I trust you do.

4  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty
through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when
your obedience is fulfilled, (2 Corinthians 10:4-6).

The Curse That Works Is The One We Believe.
www.SafePlaceFellowship.com