How do I get an Ifa priestess’ curse off of me?
Question:
Hello,
I recently read the outline that's entitled "Is Witchcraft Real?" I'm desperately in need of spiritual help. A curse has been placed on my mother and I. None of the events that have been taking place in our lives are rational. I'm not sure if you've heard of the Ifa religion, but someone that we know practices rituals from that religion. The individual happens to be a high priestess and has traveled the world to practice voodoo. Personal possessions of ours were stolen in route of the trip, and the curse appears to be ancient. Because of the curse, people who wouldn't normally be able to impact our lives in a negative manner have been able to do so. Our situation is unique, and we're not being harassed by people that we've chosen interaction with. We're unable to avoid the people who are harming us. We've prayed for the curse to be taken off of us, and for God to remove the people from our lives who are harming us, but God hasn't done anything. We've asked God to reveal all of our unknown wrongdoings to us. We repent for our sins every day, fasting has been done, we've anointed each other, we've rebuked demonic forces in Jesus' name, and we don't hate our enemies. We've been able to pray for them despite their continuous harassment. We're not able to receive spiritual help in the church. We are also being attacked by the pastor and the congregants. Slurs have been made to us from the stage by him and several people in the church have resorted to kicking the backs of our seats during church service. I don't understand why God won't remove the curse and why he won't remove the people who are harming us from our lives. I'd greatly appreciate the response that's given.
Please answer.
Answer:
Let's see you are combating a religion of human origin with made-up rituals of human origin and wondering why you don't see any changes.
The Ifa religion is an idolatrous belief from Africa that has over the years picked up a few elements of Roman Catholicism. See: "Ifa: The religion of the Yourba peoples." As an idolatrous religion, it has no power.
""Present your case," says the LORD. "Bring forth your strong reasons," says the King of Jacob. "Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; let them show the former things, what they were, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare to us things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; yes, do good or do evil, that we may be dismayed and see it together. Indeed you are nothing, and your work is nothing; he who chooses you is an abomination. ... Indeed they are all worthless; their works are nothing; their molded images are wind and confusion" (Isaiah 41:21-24).
You claim to be a Christian, but you claim that a false religion based on imaginary gods has power. Because you have let your imagination run wild, you are attributing every inconvenience, which happens to every person, to this false religion. Let me put this bluntly: What happened to your intelligence?
"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth. Why should the Gentiles say, "So where is their God?" But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear; noses they have, but they do not smell; they have hands, but they do not handle; feet they have, but they do not walk; nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them" (Psalms 115:1-8).
There is no curse -- never has been one -- because these people have no power beyond their human ability. Stop believing in falsehoods and lies. And stop trying to remedy problems by making up rituals. "Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations -- "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using -- according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh" (Colossians 2:20-23). Oh, I know the things you are making up sound religious. They are loosely based on some Christian ideas, but you are not getting them from the Scriptures and doing things God's way. Yet, you blame God for ignoring your made-up solutions to imagined problems.
"But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them" (II Corinthians 4:2-4).
Open up your eyes and see the truth.
Question:
Please forgive me, but I don't understand how I've been using made-up-human rituals to address the satanic events that have been occurring in my life. I've never tried to combat my issues myself because I'm not capable. Mark 9:29 reads this kind can come forth by nothing but prayer and fasting. I've always done what Mark 9:29 has instructed me to do, which is why I don't understand why God hasn't responded. I indicated in the first email that my mother and I repent to God daily, we've forgiven our enemies, and prayer and fasting have taken place. How are those actions made-up human rituals when we're doing what God has instructed? Also, I haven't been imagining what's been happening to me. Multiple people have been attacking me without reason. Anything that is not of God is of Satan. Satan and satanic forces do exist as God has allowed Satan to become the prince of the earth.
Answer:
Good and bad things happen to every person all the time in this world. Being a Christian does not give you immunity to the world's evil. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:10-12).
People who claim to lay curses on others are practicing fraud by capitalizing on how people think about their surroundings. Let's say that 100 things happen to you each day. 70 of them are good things and 30 of them are bad. Normally people focus on the good. They are aware of the bad things, but it isn't as important as the good so the bad is pushed to the side. A charlatan tells a person they have a curse. If the person is gullible enough to believe it, they start focusing on all the bad things that happen and attributing them to the curse, even though they have always been there. Nothing in life changed, just how the person views life changes.
Yes, Satan operates in this world, but he operates through deceit.
"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44).
"The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (II Thessalonians 2:9-10).
The days of demons taking possession of people or directly interacting with people are over with. "'In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. It shall be in that day,' says the LORD of hosts, 'that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land'" (Zechariah 13:1-2). Both prophets and unclean spirits (demons) would leave in the time frame when salvation from sin is brought into the world. Paul stated that "Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away" (I Corinthians 13:8). That promise was fulfilled.
You took Mark 9:29, which dealt with the disciples handling demons in the days when they were in the world and applied it to your situation. But you made a huge leap. What proof do you have that demons are involved in your problems? Everything you described are things well within the scope of normal human experience. People get things stolen from them all the time. People take likes and dislikes to people all the time. Little kids are prone to be antsy and may kick a seat in front of them. It is only you who claims that this the work of a demon. I only see Satan getting you irritated at life so you will blame God for life's events.
Where do you read that bad things happen to you because you were bad? Yet, you think that by repenting of personal sins suddenly bad things won't happen. Tell that to Paul or Job. Yes, you must repent of your sins, but repentance isn't going to protect you from other people or the bad things in life. There is no promise that it will. That is why I'm saying you made it up.
There is no promise by God that you won't suffer if you pray and fast. "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (II Corinthians 12:7-10). God makes many promises, but He doesn't promise you an easy life. But you decided that just because you ask, all difficulties are supposed to disappear. Upon what verse? Again, I submit that you made this up.
As I stated before, this religion is a shame, the practitioners cannot put curses on people. The fact that you accepted it tells the world that you believe, at least in part, in Satan's lies. You need to open your eyes and see reality. There is only God who controls the world. Satan can bluster that he is in control. He can make my life miserable, but God still reigns.
