HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND BREAK
GENERATIONAL (FAMILY) CURSES
BREAKING THE GENERATIONAL CURSE
The Word of God clearly tells us that a
curse can be placed on a family for several
generations. It is true that when you give
a place to God in your life, you open yourself
to His blessings (Deut. 28:1-14). But if
you give place to the devil, or if you and
your family are under a generational curse,
you are asking for your children to enter
into the same curse and the devil will devour
them.
I have seen family lines of blessings,
and family lines of curses. I have conducted
funerals where not one in 100 people knew
God and funerals where almost every family
member was saved.
Could this be just a great coincidence
or if not, how and why does this happen?
We are blessed for obeying the Word of
God and cursed for disobeying the Word of
God. Blessings and curses are promises from
God which will either bring down the wrath
of God or His favor on your family.
WHAT ARE GENERATIONAL CURSES AND HOW DO
THEY TAKE EFFECT?
Curses start when you or your ancestors
have committed certain acts (sins) that
are contrary to the Bible. They always start
with sin and will continue until the sin
is repented of and forsaken. This is the
reason a curse can continue in a Christian's
life, the sin isn't forsaken so the curse
can't be broken. Demonic spirits try to
perpetuate the curse for all remaining generations
of descendants, passing these characteristics
on until someone breaks the curse pattern.
Even insurance companies know that curses
are passed through the generations, that
is why they ask all the questions about
family histories. They just don't call them
generation curses.
Generational curses are judgements passed
on to individuals because of continued sin
in a family. These curses are similar to
"original sin curses" because
they also can be passed down generationally.
They differ in that generational curses
do not bring eternal judgement.
They bring judgement or bondage during
an individual's lifetime, or until the sin
is addressed.
Curses erode the quality of life. They
can produce failure, shame, sickness, and
even physical death.
They are administered to get our attention
and to bring us to repentance. Those who
are humbled by them and repent, find restoration
and renewed freedom. Those who become angry,
self-righteous and rebel against what God
has permitted, slide deeper into bondage
and darkness.
When there is a curse on a generation,
it didn't just happen to occur, there has
to be a cause. Sin is what always brings
the curse. There is a law in nature called
"The Law of Culpability" meaning
responsibility for wrong or error. Webster
says: deserving blame or blameworthy.
WEREN'T WE SET FREE FROM THE CURSE AT SALVATION?
Yes, when our names are written in the
Book of Life we are set free from the law
of sin and death.
But...when we come to Jesus, we begin to
break any family curses by hearing the Word.
The Word brings light! The light chases
away darkness if we will allow it. Repent,
renounce and forsake the sin and we will
be set free!
THREE WAYS WE REAP BLESSINGS AND CURSES
THROUGH OUR FOREFATHERS
1. Through genetic inheritance (DNA). We
are physically and chemically a part of
our forefathers, inheriting physical traits
and illnesses that are passed through the
genes.
2. Through the modeling examples of our
parents.
3. Through the law of "sowing and
reaping." When we choose not to repent,
thereby not letting Jesus take our sin to
the cross, we deny Him access, and condemn
future generations to reap what we have
sown.
Some would contend that generational sins
don't seem fair and that sins from our ancestors
cannot curse us. But the laws of God operating
in the universe are neither personal or
punitive, they simply state how things work.
Gal. 6:7 explains the law of "sowing
and reaping" and how it allows for
good as well as evil.
Once the curse is broken, we must continue
in God to keep the curse broken.
The Hebrew word for house is translated
"generation" or "family lines"
(Matt. 12:29, 43-45). This means that even
if you are born again and filled with the
Spirit, your children can still inherit
a weakness in the family line. This is another
reason that we must learn about and then
break any family curses. You may be cleansed,
but your children also need to walk in freedom.
The wonderful thing is that our loving Father
always wants to break a curse and set us
free! What we do affects our children and
our grandchildren.
EXAMPLES OF GENERATIONAL CURSES
1. Ex. 20:1-5 ~ Curse of idol worshp extends
to the 4th generation.
2. Deut. 23:2 ~ Curse of an illegitimate
child extends to the 10th generation.
3. Deut. 27:26 ~ Those who mistreat Jews.
4. Num. 5:27 ~ An adulterous woman.
5. Jer. 44:8 ~ Idolarty
6. Deut. 7:25 ~ Those who keep cursed objects.
7. Prov. 28:27 ~ Withholding from the poor.
8. Zech. 5:4 ~ Thieves and swearing falsely
by the Lord's name.
9. Mal. 3:9 ~ Those who rob God of tithes
and offerings.
10. Deut. 27:16 ~ Not respecting parents.
11. Job 24:15-18 & Deut. 22:22-27 ~
Adulterers.
12. Ex. 21:22-23 ~ Cause the unborn to
die.
13. Ex. 22:18 ~ Involvement in withcraft.
14. Deut. 17:2-5 ~ Following horoscopes.
15. Deut. 17:12 ~ Rebellion against pastors.
16. Deut. 22:13-21 ~ Single women not keeping
their virginity.
17. Lev. 20:13 ~ Homosexual and lesbian
relationship.
HOW WE CAN RECOGINIZE GENERATIONAL CURSES?
Even the world recognizes curses, but it's
people just don't know what causes them.
Some curses are called "learned behavior,"
others are labeled "inherited"
(even through they may not be able to prove
it biologically). Many are spiritually inherited.
Alcoholism, homosexuality, and rage are
not biologically passed down, yet they are
present generation after generation. Often
these are curses on family lines. We all
live with the results of our actions. Blessings
are the result of obeying God, while curses
are the result of obeying Satan and disobeying
God. It is possible to be a child of God
and at the same time have the curse working
in our lives. According to Ex. 20:3-6, we
are not guilty of our ancestors sins, but
we do suffer the consequences of their disobedience
if those sins are not dealt with scripturally.
Again, some examples are: alcoholism, family
history of diseases, poverty, rage, violence,
mental illness, depression, unforgiveness,
and many others. Sexual sins: homosexuality,
lesbianism, adultery, fornication. There
are generations of families who suffer nothing
but defeat physically, emotionally and economically.
Why? Often curses grow worse from generation
to generation. The demonic spirit gets a
stronger foothold each generation. For example,
poverty often breeds immorality, shame,
carelessness and crime.
The curse will continue until someone,
in Jesus' Name stops it!
HOW ARE GENERATIONAL CURSES BROKEN?
1. By recoginizing that there is a curse
operating in your family. Check your family
history and ask God to show you.
2. Any involvement in the sin that brought
the curse must be confessed, renounced,
(giving up by formal declaration and admitting
it is wrong), and forsaken.
3. Forgive your ancestor for bringing the
curse and torment into your family, even
if you don't know which relative is guilty.
4. Ask God to forgive you for involvement
in the sin that brought the curse, giving
you the right to break the curse in the
Name of Jesus.
5. Rid your home of objects, books, magazines,
games, or items that are inconsistent to
your new life in Christ. (Pornography, drugs,
cultic items, figurines, etc.)
6. Then the Blood of Jesus covers the curse.
7. Bind Satan in any involvement he has
had in your family's curse.
8. Walk in freedom and teach this to your
children so they aren't caught in the curse,
and then your generation has broken the
curse by the Blood of Jesus.
There is a place where God reverses the
curse for families. Believe that for your
family and God will restore what the devil
has robbed. (Joel 2:25).
Remember ~ Blessings also can be passed
down! "They that love Me, I will bless
them to one thousand generations" (Deut.
7:9).
Follow God, serve Him, pray, stay committed
to Him and that lineage will continue )Deut.
11:26-28, Deut. 28:1-2).
God gives us a choice, blessings or curses.
The choice is yours...for you and your family.
Choose abundant life, (John 10:10) "I
have come that you would have life, and
have it more abundantly."
A message given by Pastor Don Dinninger
Old Town C.O.C. Missions Ministry
The goal of the Mission's Ministry at Old
Town C.O.C. is to have a strategic part in
fulfilling the great commission by reaching
the lost by showing god's love in our communities
and beyond..
Find out how you can get involved in a
missions trip this year.
