The Curse of Darnel Salvation

Jesus told a parable of the wheat and darnel that has perplexed me for many years. Recently, the Lord has given this ministry examples of what this parable is speaking of. Let’s go over it line by line:

Then He left the throngs and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel in the field.”

He answered, “He Who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed means the children of the kingdom; the darnel is the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed it is the devil. The harvest is the close and consummation of the age, and the reapers are angels. (Matthew 13:36-39 AMPC)

When looking at this scripture, it discusses whether children are born of God or Satan. Does this mean that some children are born to commit evil, as children of the devil? Not if we put this into the proper context. The meaning of seeds is explained in the first parable in this chapter. It is about seed sown on different types of ground, which is explained here:

“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the WORD of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. (Matthew 13:18-21 ESV)

Seeds are not embryos or newborn babies. Seeds are words spoken into someone's life. There are words about the Kingdom of God that come from and are about Jesus, and there are words sown by the evil one, Satan. These words are planted in the hearts of people, and as we see here, some words can be snatched out of our hearts by Satan.

The Man sowing seed is Jesus, who plants His words in our hearts. These words are compared to wheat seeds, which are golden in color, just as God’s glory is seen as a golden hue. Words sown into the lives of others through us by Jesus should always give glory to God.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11 ESV)

Once we become Christians, everything we do should bring glory and honor to God. This is the first and most basic form of evangelism. However, some words, even if they refer to Jesus and are spoken by Christians, can have the wrong motivation. These are words sown by Satan.

Darnel seeds are black. Sin is also referred to as black in color. The evil words or ideas sown into our lives are not always obviously evil, as we see in the parable of the Man sowing the seed:

Just as the darnel (weeds resembling wheat) is gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the close of the age. (Matthew 13:40 AMPC)

Darnel or tares closely resemble wheat until they are fully grown. The main difference is in the top of the wheat, known as the “head.” Wheat becomes heavy as the kernels or fruit develop on the head, and it bends toward the ground. It looks like it is bowing its head. As Christians, we grow and develop the fruit of the Spirit:

But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). (Galatians 5:22-23 AMPC)

These fruits, especially gentleness, meekness, and humility, will cause us to submit more and more of our lives to God as we realize how little we know and how great God is. The more we learn about God, the more we should be willing to submit to Him in all our ways.

Darnels have tiny fruit which are poisonous. Their heads are so light that they stand straight up; that is why you have to wait until they are fully grown to recognize them. Jesus taught us this principle:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. (Matthew 7:15-17 ESV)

Christians should develop the fruits of the Spirit, which include kindness and gentleness. Those who have darnel seeds in their lives will think poisonous thoughts that are critical and will criticize others. They will be focused on sin instead of on God. When they are full-grown, they will speak words that poison the thoughts of others. Even if they speak the truth, it will come with “thorns.” Their words will make us feel:

• Condemned instead of corrected

• Better than some, and not good enough at other times

• Prideful instead of humble

• Fearful instead of enriching our faith

Whatever words are sown into our lives at a very young age can have an impact on us and may even continue to hinder us during or after salvation!

The Curse of the Darnels

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. (Matthew 13:24-25 ESV)

The Man sowing seed is Jesus, who planted the very first crop through the words He spoke to the disciples. Wheat will naturally produce more wheat, and the field will grow. However, Satan sowed his words into the hearts of some people as well, and sent them into the Lord’s church: the false prophets who have thorns. These, too, have multiplied.

Children of God are produced when they receive salvation through the Word of God, hearing about Jesus. But there are also children of Satan that are produced from what is spoken by those claiming to be Christians, but who are operating with a spirit from the enemy. This can even occur with a salvation prayer! Yes, when a salvation prayer is said with wrong motivation, because wrong words were spoken, it can bring a curse from the enemy instead of the freedom from Jesus.

To understand this curse, we need to know what should happen at salvation, beginning with mere moments before a salvation prayer is said. Before Jesus came with salvation, John the Baptist was sent to prepare the people’s hearts to receive Him.

In those days, there appeared John the Baptist, preaching in the Wilderness (Desert) of Judea, and saying, “Repent (think differently; change your mind, regretting your sins and changing your conduct), for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:1-2 AMPC)

“The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” means the time to receive and become part of the Kingdom of Heaven is close. To be ready to receive Jesus, they needed to regret their sins and be willing to change their conduct. This is an important part of salvation. Were you told that sin keeps you from God and that the only way to have a relationship with Him is to receive forgiveness for sin through Jesus? If you said a salvation prayer and were not told that you would need to be ready to turn away from sinful things, that you must be willing to change your ways in any way that you conduct your life that is not according to God’s ways, then you may not have received Jesus. You may have received a darnel, a seed from the enemy that could hinder you.

We see this principle demonstrated in the story of the Pharisee and the Weeping woman in Luke 7. A sinful woman knew how much she needed a savior and fell at the feet of Jesus, weeping, cleaning His feet with her hair, and anointing them with costly perfume. The Pharisee thought he was doing all that was necessary for salvation. He didn’t greet Jesus with a kiss, nor did he offer water for His feet, nor perfume. Here is what Jesus said about the two:

“Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Then those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”

And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:47-50 ESV)

If we want salvation, we must be willing to love Jesus, to fall at His feet, and know that without Him, nothing we do is good enough. If we are not willing to learn about the person who paid the price we couldn’t pay, then what did we receive? Saying a prayer because we are afraid of going to Hell is saying a prayer out of fear, not out of devotion to Jesus or God. This brings us to the second ingredient for salvation: taking Jesus as Lord:

Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation. (Romans 10:9-10 AMPC)

To receive salvation, you must confess that Jesus is Lord. The word Lord means owner, master. When you said the prayer for salvation, did you know you were asking Jesus to oversee, direct, and guide your life? Were you willing to submit your will to His will? This is what Jesus expects:

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples… (John 8:31 ESV)

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. (John 14:23-24 ESV)

To be saved by Jesus, you believe in Him and become His disciple. Only those who keep His word are truly His disciples. Jesus expects us to love Him and show that love by obeying His teachings. This is what brings salvation, our willingness to love and obey Jesus as our Lord, Owner, and Master. Even the thief on the cross next to Jesus had both of these ingredients:

1. A heart that is ready to repent for sin

2. Accepting Jesus as Lord

Let’s look at what happened:

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”

But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

And He said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-42 ESV)

The thief on the cross was saved because he confessed that Jesus was entering His Kingdom: Jesus was the Lord in Heaven. He was also repentant for his sin, knowing he had done wrong and was rightly being punished. Did you know that you were or will be rightly punished by God because you were not listening to Him? Were you aware that sin is bad, that you have committed sins, and that you may need help to stop?

When prayers for salvation are said for anything other than these two reasons, it allows a darnel seed to be planted in your life instead of a wheat seed. The type of seed planted brings in a spiritual influence with it. Just as we receive the Holy Spirit with the salvation prayer, the darnel prayer for salvation brings in a spiritual influence that is from the enemy. The reason behind the salvation prayer determines the spirit that comes into our lives. A few of the most common wrong reasons for a darnel salvation prayer are:

1. Fear of sickness, death, or going to Hell. This is often called buying “fire insurance.”

   1. This brings in a spirit of fear

2. To please others: parents or friends.

   1. This brings in a spirit of vanity and people pleasing.

3. Wanting to be better than other people.

   1. This brings in a religious spirit based in pride.

If you have said a darnel salvation prayer, you may eventually receive genuine salvation if you hear the word of God and receive it. If we have said a darnel salvation prayer when we were a child, but then, later, we give our hearts fully to God, the spirit deposited from the darnel salvation prayer can hinder us from growing into full-grown wheat. The darnel seed will try to choke out the wheat. Our Christian walk may feel like a struggle and a burden. Some common symptoms may recur throughout our lives when we have said this type of salvation prayer:

1. We feel the need to say the salvation prayer over and over, at every opportunity.

2. We don’t feel loved and forgiven for our sins.

3. We struggle to develop the fruit of the Spirit.

If these are in our lives, we need to look at the first time we said a prayer for salvation! Perhaps there is a darnel spirit hindering you from receiving the true shalom or the true peace from the Lord. Over the last month, we have helped several people get free from a darnel curse: poisonous words sown into their lives AT SALVATION or with a salvation prayer. If this occurs before the age of twelve, then it is a generational curse, and a confession will need to be made on behalf of your ancestors, with the blood of Jesus applied as well.

In one such case, we asked the Lord to reveal where He was during a traumatic moment of the person's life, let’s call her Jane. Instead of seeing Jesus, she saw a white, round figure like the Michelin Man or a Puffy Marshmallow Man.

Jane had prayed to accept Jesus as Lord when she was a little girl, to please her family. Everyone in her family was “saved,” so she felt compelled to say the prayer too. Jane’s mother led her in the prayer, motivated by a wrong spirit. Because that spirit came into her life when she was less than twelve years old, this was a generational religious spirit taking its place.

Later in life, Jane repeated the prayer, for the right reasons, so she was saved, but it was a struggle. She couldn’t feel saved, good enough, or truly loved by Jesus, and guilt and shame nagged her. This other spirit had a place in her life until she confessed, repented, and pleaded the blood to remove it.

Now, Jane can feel the joy of the Lord, is strengthened by Him, and knows she is loved and forgiven. In her words, “Everything has changed!”

I hope you will take time to consider the very first time you said the salvation prayer, especially if you have felt the need to say it over and over again. If you would like help finding the darnel roots from past salvation prayers, please schedule an intercession with us!