The starting point for the teaching is that there are both God’s blessings and demonic curses, and that both have far greater power in our lives than we often realise. It is explained how a blessing in the Bible is not merely a kind greeting, but something that follows generations and shapes reality, just as concretely as a curse can do. Andreas Slot-Henriksen explains here how blessings and curses can run through family lines, settle over areas, individuals and families, and how Jesus has paid the price to break every curse, so that we may step into God’s blessing. Emphasis is placed on the fact that this is not about being afraid of the darkness, but about understanding the spiritual laws God has established, so that one knows how to cooperate with Him rather than unconsciously cooperating with the enemy.
The starting point is the account of Isaac, Jacob and Esau, in which Isaac, in his old age, wishes to pass on his powerful blessing, and Jacob, with his mother’s help, deceives his way into receiving the blessing that was actually intended for Esau. The blessing cannot be taken back, even though Esau weeps and begs to share in it; Isaac must say that he has already given it. This is used as an illustration that a blessing pronounced in God’s plan has power and strength that cannot simply be revoked at will. Blessings and promises pass through generations, but so do curses, and this is one of the main points: there are generational blessings, but also generational curses, which can remain active many years later if they are not broken. This challenges the notion that words are merely words, and demonstrates that in God’s kingdom, words create reality, whether for life or for death.
To demonstrate how powerful a curse can be, a biblical passage is recounted where an area was cursed so that nothing would grow there, and where, many years later, one can still see a barren mountain devoid of permanent vegetation, despite numerous attempts to plant it. The example is used to illustrate that words speak into the spiritual world in a way that has an effect in the physical world. Jesus’ words to the fig tree in the Gospel of Mark are also mentioned, where He says: “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” and the next day the disciples see that the tree has withered from the root. It is emphasised that it did not wither from the top, as a normal tree would, but from the root, and that the Bible itself calls what Jesus said a curse upon the tree. This shows that a curse strikes right to the core, and that the word of faith can move even ‘impossible’ things.
The teaching then shifts focus from blessing to the theme itself: demonic curses and how they are broken, so that one moves from a curse to God’s blessing. A personal experience from street evangelism is recounted, in which a small group of Christians meet a man who is strongly hostile towards Jesus, and where the whole atmosphere around him is marked by discord. On the way home, all three in the car begin to experience sudden pains – in their teeth, in their necks, in their stomachs – with no natural explanation, and prayer does not help. Only when it is put into words that a curse has been pronounced upon them, and it is declared in Jesus’ name that they do not accept it, do the pains cease immediately. This is their first concrete encounter with the fact that curses are not merely a theoretical biblical concept, but something that can be felt very directly, and which must be broken with clear words spoken in faith.
It is explained that the world is built upon spiritual laws established by God, which demonic forces also exploit. If there is a curse over an area of life, one will often find that ordinary prayer does not really resolve it until the curse itself is broken. This applies both in relation to sickness, where one can pray and pray without a breakthrough because a curse must first be broken, and in deliverance, where one can struggle for a long time with a demon without result until a demonic curse over the person or the family is broken in Jesus’ name. This does not mean that one should look for curses everywhere, but that one must understand the principle: first, what the enemy is holding on to must be broken, then healing and freedom can prevail.
An important area is the power of words. The Book of Proverbs states that the tongue has power over life and death, and this is taken very literally. Examples are given of how people can place a curse upon themselves with their own mouths: when, in anger and self-loathing, one says “I’m just so stupid” over and over again, or when, in the pain of adolescence, one says “I just want to die” or use expressions like “damn it”, where, through one’s words, one is in fact asking for the power (cancer) to consume one. Such words can open doors in the spiritual world, which the enemy is keen to exploit. Not as a mechanical automaton, but as a reality where the devil gains legal access to torment and bind.
The same applies to words from other people, especially authority figures such as parents, teachers or leaders. A teacher who repeatedly tells a child that they never learn anything can help to place a kind of heavy burden on the child’s self-image, which lingers for many years. A harsh word from a parent saying that you will never be good enough, or that ‘no one will ever love you’, can settle in the mind like a curse. Even when others later say loving and encouraging things, it can be difficult to believe them because the negative words continue to echo in the background. That is why it is so important to identify and break old words, both our own and those of others, and instead begin to speak God’s truth over ourselves.
A striking example concerns sexuality and womanhood. There is a story of a woman who, as a young girl, spoke incredibly negatively about her period and her female body, almost cursing the whole area with her words. Later, she experienced great difficulty getting pregnant, and during prayer, the Holy Spirit shed light on how her own words had helped to shut down that area. When such a thing is confessed and the curse is broken, the way can be opened for healing and fertility. It is emphasised that sex itself is created by God and is something beautiful within marriage, but that the devil uses it both to seduce, bind and destroy, including through pornography, masturbation, control, power and pain, which draw sexuality into his territory.
The teaching then systematically explores areas of human life where curses and demonic influence often manifest: emotions, thoughts, speech, addictions and spiritual openings such as occult practices. In the realm of emotions, bitterness, jealousy, hatred, depression, fear and deep shame can be signs of something that is not merely ordinary human challenges, but something that has taken root and drives one, even though one does not actually want it to. On the level of thought, doubt, confusion, forgetfulness, constant compromise and “people-pleasing” can be signs that one is not thinking freely, but is under internal pressure. God’s plan is not compromise with darkness, but wholehearted surrender to Him.
The tongue is again highlighted as a key area. Gossip, slander, blasphemy, harsh speech and constant “negative self-talk” are highlighted as things Satan loves, because they tear down rather than build up. This can creep in, even in Christian contexts, for example disguised as “prayer requests” concerning others. All of this calls for repentance and a conscious choice to let our words be characterised by truth and blessing from now on. This does not mean that one must never say anything difficult, but that the motive must be love and truth, not shaming or self-righteousness.
A large section deals with addictions. Everyday examples such as sweets, cola, coffee, nicotine or screen time are used to show that the problem is not the thing itself, but the slavery to it. When you can no longer resist, when your body reacts strongly if you try to stop, and when your whole day is dictated by when you can get your next ‘fix’, then you are not just in a bad habit. Then you are bound. The same applies to addiction to pornography, masturbation, gambling, shopping and much more. And when a Christian sincerely does not want it, yet repeats the pattern over and over again, the teaching suggests that it is most likely something demonic, which must be exposed and broken, not merely shamed away.
There is a stark warning against occult and ‘spiritual’ things: horoscopes, clairvoyance, palm reading, New Age, healing without Jesus, secret lodges and anything that seeks power outside of God. These are described as spiritual ‘contracts’ whereby one grants the enemy the right to interfere. A single visit to a fortune-teller, a palm reader or a clairvoyant can be enough to open the door to a curse that plants fear, mistrust or lies in the mind. Therefore, people are urged to make a radical break with all such things, to burn what can be burned, and to say no to it in clear terms in Jesus’ name.
Forgiveness is also a key focus of the teaching. It discusses how people may have endured profound betrayals: sexual abuse, violence, neglectful parents, harsh words and gross injustice. The feeling that it is ‘justified’ to be bitter is understood as a human reaction, but a pointed question is asked: If a person has ruined the first twenty years of your life, will you really allow them to ruin the rest of your life through your bitterness? Forgiveness does not mean that what happened was right, but that you choose to hand the matter over to God, so that the person no longer has power over your inner being. Bitterness is described as a curse you lock yourself into, whilst forgiveness opens the way to God’s freedom.
The difference between having a sinful thought and being bound is also taught. All people have a fallen nature that can give rise to tempting thoughts, such as lust for a stranger or a desire for revenge. The thought itself that arises is not sin; sin arises when one takes the thought in, nurtures it and acts upon it. When one then finds oneself repeatedly doing something one does not truly want to do, and feels it as a compulsion, this is a sign that one is in bondage and not merely weak. Here, Galatians 3:13–14 is highlighted: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree,’ so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus.” Jesus bore the curse so that it no longer has power over us.
The teaching moves towards the practical: How do we break curses and enter into God’s blessing? Firstly, by being radically honest with God and calling things by their proper names: sin is sin, bitterness is bitterness, pornography is pornography, pride is pride. We are urged to let God’s light shine all the way ‘under the bed’, as Jesus says, so that what is hidden comes to light and we can confess it before God. Then it is a matter of repenting, turning away from sin, forgiving those who have hurt you, and also forgiving yourself. Finally, there is a clear call to take ownership of your own body and your own life and to say directly to Satan and the spirits that have tormented you that they are no longer welcome, but must leave in Jesus’ name.
Examples of deliverance are also given, where true liberation only begins when the person takes a stand and declares aloud that they no longer want the demon. A person who feels that a spirit is almost choking them and closing their airways is only set free when they cry out in their own words: “Get out of me, let me go, I hate you!” – and then let go. This shows that God does not force freedom upon anyone, but works in harmony with the choice made in the heart and spoken with the mouth. Jesus is the liberator, but the person must say yes, say no to the darkness, and accept freedom.
Finally, there is a strong encouragement not to cling to dignity and control, but instead to seek freedom, even if it may look strange to others. It is better to be set free from a curse than to maintain a respectable outward appearance. We are urged not to fill the room with our own prayers and speaking in tongues when seeking deliverance, but instead to let Jesus do the work and ourselves bring forth what the Holy Spirit touches. It all rests on the fact that the victory has already been won on the cross, and that the believer must now receive it and live as a child who has moved from curse to blessing.
Quote from the teaching: “If someone has ruined the first twenty years of your life, do not let them ruin the rest as well by holding on to bitterness – let go and enter into God’s freedom.”
Relevant keywords: curses – God’s blessings – generational curses – generational blessings – demonic influence – the power of words – bitterness and forgiveness – addiction and freedom – occult practices – New Age and witchcraft – pornography and masturbation – deliverance in Jesus’ name – spiritual law and order – breaking curses – identity as a child of God – healing and deliverance – tongue and confession – spiritual warfare – the light of the Holy Spirit – Jesus bore the curse
