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Generational curses…the corner stones that help build a contentious, difficult, and unfruitful life. The power of these influences has huge impact on individuals, families, and communities. It is important for us to identify these issues and stop the devastation they bring to our lives. Let me first start out by giving a definition of what they are:
Generational Curses are the destructive ideas or thought patterns transferred through the actions and spirit of one or more persons to others. These influences become embedded in the mind and spirit of the receiver turning into strongholds. They manifest themselves in ongoing unfruitful behaviors, attitudes, and conduct (iniquity). This derails a person's ability to meet their purpose in God.
In this Bottom Line Session, we want you to recognize patterns of generational curses that may be affecting you and how they can be broken.
Has someone ever given you something that you did not see any use for? You then sold it, gave it away, or stuffed it into a drawer or closet because it seemed insignificant or worthless? We do that with our own lives sometimes. We don't understand and take to heart that there is a master planner who has a purpose for us. As a result, we treat our lives with irrelevance and unimportance. They become like that object that was given to us that we had no use for.
The cares, negative influences, trials, and hardships of this life penetrate the depths of our heart and soul taking us down dark paths. Because of these things, we are either unable or unwilling to look to God, who is the author and finisher of our faith. He is hesitant to commune with us because he will not break down the door of our spirit. He will only knock saying that he is there and willing to come in if we open it (Rev 3:20).
Recently I had the good pleasure of hearing my pastor speak of God having equity (vested value) in us. If we are not careful, we will begin to spend that equity, which is our lives, in the wrong way. Unfortunately, we many times view things from an earthly perspective rather than a "kingdom of God" perspective. We spend God's equity in us poorly due to low self-esteem and self-image. We lose forward momentum and get terribly sidetracked. Sometimes we shipwreck ourselves by acting impulsively and outside of the scope of God's laws. We end up laying waste to our lives in ways that not only affect us, but those around us.
Let's first of all look at one of the ways this happens and what can be done about it by using the follow verse of scripture as a starting point.
Exodus 20:5 Thou shall not bow down thyself to them, not serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and show mercy to thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
There is a direct correlation between disobedience through rebellion and the disfavor it bring from God. He would not have warned us that we should not have idols and false gods for no reason. When we fiercely resist and rebel against Him, He will allow us to go our own way. We will eventually self-destruct if we don't turn to Him. He cares greatly for us and wants us to do well in this life, but we must abide in Him to accomplish that. God has given to us pre-established codes of attitude, understanding, and conduct that are embodied in the Ten Commandments. The essence of these laws protects us from ourselves and from bringing hardship and pain to others.
These laws were later demonstrated and fulfilled perfectly in the life of his son Jesus. This so much so that Jesus earned the right to become the propitiation (substitute) for our sin (1 John 2:2 and 1 John 4:10).
When we ignore the laws of God to pursue our own course, this is rebellion that sets us up for disaster.
Satan and his demonic employees want to continue the ultimate rebellion and contempt started toward God in Heaven. They are doing this by thwarting and destroying the purpose of his most prized and cherished part of creation, man. More important to God than the stars, sun, moon, and planets is you. Above the oceans, mountains and all species of living things on planet earth, you are his masterpiece!!
Ephesians 2:8 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Not only are we his workmanship, but we also created for good works! The implication is that we are not created for bad or poor works. Do we walk in these good works that God had prepared for us before hand? Not if we let these curses have their way in our lives. The difficulties of these things are not exclusively Black American issues. They are across every race and ethnicity of people. We have concerns that are very common to all groups of people and individuals, and some that are more specifically strongholds in the Black community than in other racial, ethnic, and cultural groups.
EZEKIEL 18:2 (KJV)
What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?
In the scripture above, its context lays the responsibility of each man's/woman's righteousness or wickedness at his/her feet. This does not negate us of our obligations and responsibilities to our posterity (children) and others around us.
In Black culture, as in other cultures, we have tragically and continually transmitted bad understandings and habits from one generation to the next. We can see the terrible conse- quences of these continual failures. There seems to be, however, little effort to embrace changes that infuse a culture of life, growth, and prosperity into our community. Iniquity, according to Author and Pastor Stan Nixon develops from a warped or distorted view in the heart. Over time, a predisposition develops where people show a propensity toward certain destructive actions and sins given the right circumstances and timing.
Though many of the people that have gone before us have done great and wonderful things, no generation comes along without some level of iniquity. Parents, other adults, and leaders ignore the laws of God as mentioned earlier. Someone in the previous generation failed to interrupt destructive patterns of thinking and behavior. Someone has "eaten sour grapes" and now some of us choose to do the same.
These iniquities manifest itself in the following behaviors and attitudes:
• Child and adult physical and sexual abuse
• Uncontrolled misdirected anger and aggression
• Spiritual psychic phenomena and others sins
This is not by any means an exhaustive list, but these are some that appear to be quite common and very much in the public conscience on a daily basis.
Why is it that men who are violent or philanderers often have sons that do the same, or parents that are regularly dishonest have children that tend to lie, cheat, and steal?? If you have an extremely bad attitude and are negative all the time there's a great possibility your children and others that hang around you will also be that way. Understand that words and actions transfer into spiritual implications for others. To be fair, sometimes people will go their own way even when good Godly examples have been set for them.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way that he should go: and when he is old, he shall not depart from it.
You probably know people whose children act, think, and respond nearly identically to them. That can be good or bad depending upon what it is. In homes where there are alcohol or drug abusers, for example, a culture of co-dependency and despair often develops. The wife or husband uses mind and behavior altering substances and is sometimes unable to function effectively on behalf of the household. The spouse is in a quandary and tries to do everything to hold the family together. He or she attempts to hide the drugs and paraphernalia while attempting to get the spouse to seek help. At the same time, the spouse works hard to keep a game face on for the family and expects everyone else to do so. Because of the shame and embarrassment surrounding this addiction, it becomes a "family secret." The problems become more difficult if the person becomes violent, unable to work, or spends money the family needs for living. The spouse, in essence, becomes an enabler trying to salvage and rescue the person who is drug addicted. The actions that he/she took did not force the person in bondage to seek help and find deliverance.
The children from such a family often grow up with many difficulties. The idea of what a truly functional home looks like is not developed in their minds. This is because of the warped view of family developed from their experiences. As a result, these children will often find themselves in situations where they inherently seek out someone they can save or rescue. All too often, anger and resentment is developed in regards to the lack of quality parenting.
To pacify the pain that a person perceived as a child, he/she may engage in destructive behaviors to dull it. These responses may include abusing alcohol, drugs or become involved in bad or abusive relationships themselves as adults. The patterns of co-dependency, enabling, abusing, being abused are continued instead him/her of finding strength in God.
1 Peter 2: 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
If something is not done to break the bad thinking and behavioral patterns started in previous generations, the iniquities will continue to the following generation. Can we face God faithfully knowing that we have not done nearly enough to promote change in ourselves in those around us? Do we do enough to break these accursed things from off of our lives and the lives of those we love? God forbid if we don't
See Deuteronmomy28: 15-68
The scriptures in Deuteronomy 28 speak candidly of the curses that befell a disobedient Hebrew people. One might argue that that is Old Testament, but I would suggest to you that that is in part true.
I promise you that when you do not exercise discretion in God, many of these things will befall you whether they are called curses or consequences.
How do you break the negative generational patterns in your life and that of your family?
The long and short answer to this question is simple. You have to make a concerted effort to do things differently than the patterns you have seen and adopted. Dealing with these issues is often so difficult and emotionally painful, that people just want to avoid them. The question for you really becomes, do you value the equity that God has in you enough to make changes and turn your life around?
The devil tends to use anger, confusion, rage, disappointment, and lack of focus on God as the primary means to get a foothold in your life. He recognizes that children who come from dysfunctional families often develop dysfunctional tendencies.
To make changes concerning negative patterns that have been established in your family, there must be a commitment to a relationship with God. He is the one person who is constant though the world around us may be shifting. Our mind and attitude may change, but his word and faithfulness toward us is unchanging when we are committed to him.
2 Corinthians 5:17 If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
If you are born-again, you are regenerated in your spirit man already!! The penalty of sin has been removed from you through the blood of Jesus. It is our mind, will, and emotions that need constant adjusting. I am reluctant to give a "one, two, three step deliverance" section. People sometimes oversimplify a process that is given in steps. You may have to diligently work to clear up some issues in your life. There may be more to your situation being settled than is presented here.
I do promise you that these ideas will be fundamentally sound and a good way to start the process.
Ideas as to how to get Your Deliverance from Generational Curses (influences)
- You must first of all be very honest with yourself and, "look in the mirror." You often know destructive patterns that exist in your family that have in some way derailed your life and stifled your walk with God. You will need to talk to a qualified family member, pastor, or other qualified Christian leader to assist you. They will help you understand the dynamics surrounding these patterns of iniquity that you believe may be generational in nature.
- If you are not a Christian, I admonish you to ask Jesus to come into your heart and save your soul. He is the only one who has the power to truly deliver you from the power of sin and death. If you do not understand this, please ask the person ministering to you to explain the need to have this transformation in your life.
- After identifying the specific nature of the generational curse or curses plaguing you, you will need to fully renounce and completely disavow the iniquity. Sometimes a demonic spirit related to the curse can be attached to you and needs to be cast out. Again, you will need a qualified Christian ministry person to help identify the spiritual influence surrounding your situation. Please look at the bottom of this section for links to web sites and books that give more infor- mation concerning demonic influence and deliverance,.
- Pray daily asking for God's favor and strength as you move through this life. Having and on going communing relationship with him is of the utmost importance and is not negotiable. It is only through this primary relationship that you can truly be sustained.
- One of the most significant pieces to effectively destroying the power of generational influences is to walk with discipline (Ephesians 6:13). The discipline is partly done by your mind being washed by reading, meditating, and studying scripture (Ephesians 5:26). You must understand that you will need God's heavenly wisdom to fight this kind of battle. It cannot be won simply by your logic from daily experiences.
- Part of the discipline of your walk may include separating yourself from people, places, and things that are a negative influence. This step is very necessary and probably most difficult. For some people the power of certain influences is something that is hard to resist. You will need strong sisters and brothers in the faith to help hold you accountable as you break through. Over time, you will get an idea of where you are personally and how far you need to be from some situations.
- The need for professional help cannot be ignored. There are qualified counselors, psychologist, group therapy settings, Christian and otherwise that maybe needed as a part of the your deliverance and healing.
- Testify of what God has done for you. Find ways to help others obtained similar victories concerning issues in their lives and the lives of their family and friends.
I am hopeful that the preceding article has given some insight that will help you obtain victory in your life. We hope to continue presenting information that is compelling and life changing. God bless you as the new and more wonderful you begins to unfold!!
References:
Books:
"BattleField of the Mind" by Joyce Meyer
"Woman…Thou Art Loosed" by T.D. Jakes
"Breaking Unhealthy Soul Ties" by Bill Banks
"Blessing or Curse: You Can Choose" Derek Prince
"Breaking Free" by Stephen Bell
Footnote: There is a school of thought that believes generational curses do not exist at all. I have committed to this idea based upon the definition given in the second paragraph of this document.
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