Calling children 'Shotta', 'Dawg' or 'Killer' influences their character

Many times people will hear the word 'curse' and refrain from thinking about it much less discussing it. But one thing that we must recognise is that curses are real.

There are several examples in the Bible that make reference to or speak about curses. Several things cause curses. The main causes are disobedience and sin. Curses can come down through genealogy and they take different forms. Exodus 34 speaks of it being meted out to the third and fourth generations.

Curses can take the form of illnesses and diseases, for example, miscarriages, schizophrenia and other diseases that the doctors would call hereditary. A cycle is also another form of curse. They are those negative things that affect families at the same time every year or even every month. Curses hinder blessings and limit you from expanding - from being fruitful and multiplying in every way.

Some people are extremely qualified, but they can't keep a job - they keep struggling although they are brilliant people.

A curse comes not necessarily because of something you did directly, but it can come about because of the disobedience or sin of someone in your lineage - a relative; and it may have taken place long before you were even born.

In the Bible, names were very important - they carried great significance. For example, the name 'Ichabod' meant 'the glory has departed'. He was born at the time when spiritual degradation was at its peak and the glory of God had departed from the nation. As a result of the absence of God's glory on that nation, the priests became blind, corruption was at its highest, crime, violence and immorality were rife, the economy was in shambles and they were losing the battle. They could not stand up against the Philistines.

Let us look at I Chronicles 4: 10 - the Jabez syndrome. The name 'Jabez' means, 'because I bore you in pain'. Jabez was from the lineage of Judah. In fact, He was the fourth son of Judah. He was from a blessed family, and in addition to this, the number '4' is symbolically, biblically significant. The number four is a common element in the entire creation; even your blood is made up of four components.

Children born outside of wedlock are born under a curse. It is called a bastard curse. A lot of people are named based on the circumstances we go through. Names depict your character and personality and the effect of your name carries with you through life.

Our nicknames

Look at aliases - they are names, too - 'Shotta', Dawg, 'Saddam', 'Killer', 'Ninja', 'Kartel', 'Demon', 'Satan' - they ultimately depict the character into which that person develops. Would you name your daughter 'Jezebel'?

God had to change the names of many of the people in the Bible and the change of name propelled a change in their circumstances. For example - Abram was changed to Abraham, Saul to Paul, Jacob to Israel. A lot of towns and villages, organisations and even the name of Jamaica's police - Jamaica Constabulary Force - dictate the effects of such groups and thus carry a curse that must be broken.

Jabez got an insight into the negative potential of his name and that was the basis of his prayer. So he asked for God's intervention by confessing to God and renouncing evil. He understood the power of negative words and he knew that names should carry positive meanings if the person was to live victoriously.

Jabez asked God to grant him four things so that he would not live under the effects of the curse attached to his name. That God would: 1) bless him indeed; 2) enlarge his territory; 3) allow His hand to be with him (Jabez); 4) keep him from evil so that he would not cause pain. These requests of Jabez give us an even greater insight as to the importance of these four areas on our lives.

Interestingly, after 14 generations, a new genealogical cycle begins - Matthew 1. Furthermore, the fact that we are in 2014 tells us of the potential that exists for us in this year.

The fourth prime minister of Jamaica, Michael Manley, made an effort to break the bastard curse by stating that there were no more bastards and that everyone was legal. He further addressed the law to suit that statement. However, he should have also addressed the spiritual aspect as Jabez did.

Today, it is one of the biggest curses affecting the nation. Now, understand that the people born out of wedlock are not the curse - they live under the effects of the curse.

While Jamaica is a beautiful place with wonderful people, past decisions from political leaders of both parties have put the nation under the curse of oppression of every kind and, unless it is dealt with on a Biblical, spiritual basis, there will be severe problems ahead. (II Kings 2: 19 - 21).