Table of Contents
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2026.
TOPIC: THE ROOT CURSE
MEMORISE
And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. – (2 Kings 2:21)
READ: 2 Kings 5:20-27 (KJV)
20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.
21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?
22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
23 And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.
24 And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed.
25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?
27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
MESSAGE
In Mark 11:12-20, Jesus cursed a fig tree for not having fruit on it, and it dried up from its roots. I believe the detail that the tree dried up from its roots was added to let us know that curses attack roots; they always go root-deep.
Immediately after Jesus cursed the fig tree, the disciples could have looked behind them as they left the scene and discovered that its leaves were still green. I imagine that one of them could have said to himself, “Jesus missed this one because the leaves on the tree are still as green as ever.” Little did they know that the curse was already taking effect from the tree’s roots.
Beloved, be careful of curses, especially divine curses. If a man curses another man, it can be reversed by another man with a higher spiritual authority. However, when it is a divine curse, no one can reverse it, except God. There are several people who have been cursed but still look ‘green’. For example, a fellow might break away from his or her local church in a malicious manner and still look fine on the outside; however, the fellow’s roots might have been affected, and with time, the consequences will begin to manifest. If you remove a branch from a tree, it dies instantly; however, it is not immediately apparent. It is only after a while that it will start turning yellow before it eventually turns black. When it is yellow, people might think it is prosperous, only to discover later that it was actually dying.
In today’s Bible reading, when Elisha pronounced a curse on Gehazi, he said that Naaman’s leprosy would cleave to him and his seed forever. The curse went straight to the roots of his lineage such that any fellow who came from that lineage would carry the curse. In (2 Kings 2:19-22), the men of Jericho came to Elisha to tell him that their city looked beautiful, but they had severe problems. When they brought him the new cruse of salt he requested, he went straight to the source of their river so he could tackle the city’s curse from its roots.
Child of God, are you experiencing the aftermath of a curse that you or someone in your lineage brought into the family? I speak to the roots of that curse now, and I decree that every inherited curse will cease to function in your life and family from this moment, in Jesus’ name.
PRAYER POINT
Lord, please remove any curse that might be operating in my family from its roots, in Jesus’ name.
AUTHOR: Pastor E. A. Adeboye
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Judges 20 – 21
HYMN 27 – WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS
1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear;
what a privilege to carry
Ev’rything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear- All because we do not carry Ev’rything to God in prayer.
2. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged, Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a Friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
3. Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our refuge, Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer. In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there.
