Breaking generational curses: Generational curses can come both because of intentional behavior as well as unintentional. The important thing to remember regardless is that because God lives in believers, they are able to break any chains that can develop.
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” – 1 John 5:4-5 (NKJV)
Our faith conquers generational curses.
Unintentional Curses
Some curses begin unintentionally. Let me give you an example; this is about a father and his adult son – both Spirit-filled and both working in ministry.
The son told his dad at lunch one day, “I’m so tired of dealing with depression; I’ve had it off and on all my life.” He did all he knew to do, binding the enemy, filling himself with the Word, etc. The father was troubled by this. As the father prayed about it for three or four weeks, praying in tongues, God opened before him Jeremiah 33:3. It says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
God took the father back to years before (when his son was a teen). God showed him sitting in the kitchen with his wife having breakfast being critical over their son being depressed. They had a critical spirit because they had raised him in the Word of God, so “Why is our son not able to deal with the depression?
God told the man, “Your words have been stout and strong against your son. Repent!” The father quickly repented.
Two weeks later, the man had lunch with his son again. The son said, “The most remarkable thing has happened in the last couple of weeks. I felt two weeks ago this heaviness of depression literally lift off of me and leave me! I’m free and redeemed!”
The sin of the father was visited – though unintentionally – upon the son.
Exodus 34:7 tells us that there were generational curses that visited the iniquities of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation. And even Ezekiel 18:2 notes “the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”; parents have sinned and missed the mark and neglect to do what’s right. The father had repented over that sin.
Transgressions and Iniquities
The Bible speaks of transgressions and iniquities. Let’s define this. Iniquity indicates a conscious effort to go on in life without repentance. Transgression is to choose intentionally to disobey and to disregard authority and its knowledge.
Our parents have transgressed; they’ve developed bad habits and they’ve passed them on to us. Generations before us have affected us in the decisions they’ve made. This doesn’t mean Jesus hasn’t paid a price for us; it just means where decisions are made without God, consequences have had to be paid.
The enemy tries to build a legal case – a stronghold of issues – against us using our families from past generations. We have to recognize this and respond to it.
What has been in your bloodline? The Holy Spirit can reveal them to you. Examples: “Grandma got pregnant out of wedlock.” “Grandpa had a lot of anxiety and depression.” “My family seems to have a lot of suicide attempts.” Generations of drug and alcohol addiction, sexual immorality, mishandled anger, rebellion toward authority, causing strife, unfaithfulness, being in prison…the list goes on and on.
But God has made you a chain breaker through Jesus!
We’ve got to have knowledge and know our rights in Christ: You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. You have the right to bind the enemy and the curses that have tried to put chains around us.
This is such an extensive message, there’s no way it can be covered in a single blog.
To hear the entire March 27, 2021 service on which this post is based, CLICK HERE.
It’s part of our Chain Breakers series.
