‘Cypress trees will flourish where there were only thorns and myrtle trees instead of briars. These will stand as a testimony to Yahweh’s renown, everlasting signs that will not be cut off.’, Isaiah 55:13 TPT
- Thorns and briars: Represent curses, barrenness, or the effects of sin (echoing Genesis 3:17-18)
- Cyprus and myrtle: Symbolize life, beauty, and divine blessings.
The replacement of thorns/briars (symbols of curses) with cyprus/myrtle (symbols of blessings) illustrates God’s power to take the undeserved curses assigned against us and in their place bless us.
These blessings stand as a testimony of Yahweh’s renown. And God promises, that curses-to-blessings are an everlasting sign in our lives that will never be cut off.
In 2 Samuel 16:5-12, during his distress, David faced false accusation and undeserved curses from Shimei of the house of Saul, who accused David of the blood of Saul being on David’s hands, which was not true. Saul had in fact died to his own hands during a battle against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa.
David says in verse 12, ‘It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.’
The Lord restored His covenant blessing to David! David was restored to the throne of Israel. You see, the Lord took the false accusations and undeserved curses that were levelled against David, and blessed David. The ‘thorns/briars’ David faced were replaced with ‘cyprus/myrtle’, illustrating God’s power to take the curses assigned against David and in their place restore the covenant blessing to David.
When we bring the false accusations and undeserved curses against us to the Lord’s remembrance, so He may look upon them, we invite Him to, in their place, bless us.
Removing the cause
‘An undeserved curse will be powerless to harm you. It may flutter over you like a bird, but it will find no place to land.’, Proverbs 26:2 TPT, or ‘a curse without cause shall not alight.’, NKJV
If we are guilty of what is spoken against us, then a curse may have the right to alight. It’s important to examine yourself and repent if there is any truth in the negative words that are being spoken against you.
‘Come to terms quickly [at the earliest opportunity] with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way [to court] , so that your opponent does not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you are thrown into prison.’, Matthew 5:25 AMP
If the adversary (your opponent at law) has cause against you before the throne of heaven (court). Agree quickly and repent sincerely before your Father in heaven, and ask for cleansing by the blood of sprinkling (the blood of Jesus) – giving your adversary no right to hand you over for judgement.
‘For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.’, Ephesians 6:12 AMP
Forgiving and blessing
We have to forgive the one(s) launching the attack against us. God never gives license to hold bitterness and unforgiveness in our hearts.
The enemy uses unforgiveness as a legal right to hold the words against us as a cause for the curses, so we have to be willing to forgive and release people from any offences that they might have done to us.
You know you have forgiven, when you are able to speak blessings over them.
Once you have forgiven them, the curses become without cause, and God can look upon those curses and turn them into blessings.
Prayer
Lord, examine my heart, search my heart to see if there’s any wicked way in me, if I’m guilty of anything I’ve been accused of, Lord, I would repent before you, and I would ask for the blood of Jesus to cleanse me of my unrighteousness.
And Lord, I forgive and I release right now, every person that has spoken these words against me. I speak blessings over their life. I speak blessings over their family. I speak blessings over their children. I speak blessings over their future and their destiny, and I declare that the blessing of God be upon them. Lord, let it be recorded before You, that I hold no unforgiveness against them [name them]. I release them, I bless them, and declare every place they have cursed me, I bless them instead.
Now Lord, let these curses spoken against me be turned into blessings that stand as a testimony to Your renown. Lord, just as Shimei attacked David in his distress, the curses spoke on behalf of Your chosen according to Your word in 2 Samuel 16:12. The curses against David caused You to remember him and do him good. Do me and my family good this day, Lord, turn all the curses spoken against us into a blessing right now.
[List the false accusations/curses you know of, and bring them before the Lord to look upon them in remembrance]
Lord, look upon these in remembrance, and turn all these curses spoken against us into a blessing right now. These that were spoken in the natural world, and Lord even those that have been picked up by the enemy to use as weapons against us in the supernatural world, may they fall to the ground right now, in Jesus’ mighty name, AMEN!
