In one way or another there is something that we can each pick out about our own family that we view in a negative light. We are taught that we should not dwell on the past, and that we should move forward in everything we do. Philippians 3:13-14 says that we should forget what is behind and press towards the goal. Many people take this scripture out of context, basically using it to describe how we shouldn’t look back on the past but focus on what lies ahead of us. What we shouldn’t forget is that we can learn from the past.
Our past is what has brought us to where we are today. Our parent’s mistakes, our grandparent’s biological make-up and spiritual devoutness or lack there of, our historical background of our family that could explain “why we are the way we are.” We should take a look back at our family heritage: Our generational curses and blessings. God has been dealing with me about my generational curses that have plagued my family for years. I have grown up in it, and I have begun to attribute certain characteristics of my family that I never wanted. Looking back at your past, you can learn what needs to change about you and how you can become less like your curses and more like Christ.
Don’t take this the wrong way. I think that we should respect our past. We should take into consideration everything that has gone before us, the good and the bad. When we see our blessings that our families have inherited, we should take advantage of them. We should pray that God continues to show us how to use them faithfully, not taking advantage of it in any way but using it to advance His Kingdom. When we see our curses, however, we should not curse our parents for what they have raised us in, but otherwise grow more towards God and break the chains of bondage that could be upon our lives because of the curse.
God has called us to be free in Him. He doesn’t want to keep you in chains, in any way. He wants you to enjoy the freedom He freely gave by dying upon the cross for your sin. Christ probably cringes when He looks down and sees you taking less than what you deserve. It’s like someone offering you a million dollars and you only take $200,000. He wants only the best for our lives, and in order to see what is best, we must acknowledge His supreme existence and begin to take on His nature rather than our flesh. This may require stripping of old skin we don’t want anymore. It may be painful. It may take a long time. However, it will rid us of ourselves and create a new beautiful design, more beautiful than we could ever imagine.
A lot of our generational curses we don’t even recognize. That is just what the enemy wants us to do—not recognize that we have a problem. Sometimes we find ourselves saying “well, that’s how I was raised and I have too much respect for myself and my family to take less than this.” Or we might say something like, “This is just my nature.” We might even say things like, “My parents always taught me to….” Or “My dad is the same way, and I’m just like him.”
What’s the problem with all of this? Your parents way isn’t always the right way.
We each bear our own burden of sin. You can’t blame your parents for the way you are. We must take responsibility for our actions individually, especially if you are an adult, discerning if it is the nature of our forefathers or our Heavenly Father. Ezekiel 18:14-17 says, “Suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things… He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live.” We must understand that some things are things we see and make a point not to do because we have seen how it has negatively affected our families. Other times, we are blinded because the enemy tells us that “it’s just the way we are” when it’s not who we are called to be.
In studying this, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Kristen, this is a pride issue. Those who refuse to change their personalities because of pride also refuse my spirit. They believe that their way is right because their fathers have done it, but my way is higher.” There is probably one thing each of us does because we feel that it was a trait passed down to us through our genes. It doesn’t make it right, just because your parents have done it. We must take responsibility to evaluate every part of our life, including the places we don’t even think about.
As Christians, our actions must reflect the spirit of Christ. If pride has crept into your life because of generational curses or heritage, pray that God would restore you to His fullness. He wants to start a new lineage with you, throwing out the old habits that have become unrecognizably wrong, and placing a new heart and spirit into your life-- One which mirrors His character. Would you rather look in a mirror and see your father/mother or look in the mirror and see Christ?
As cliché as it sounds…Remember that you are the future. You will have children of your own one day, and although we cannot be perfect, we can strive to make sure we are as close to perfect as we can be through Christ’s redemption and spirit. We want to be able to pass down more blessings than curses to our children. So, I encourage you to start evaluating every aspect of your life right now. Pray that God would reveal the traits within you that need fine-tuning, transformation, or extracting. Pray that you would be accepting of the things that He shows you, even those things we are so prideful of. It takes humility to admit a mistake, and boldness to take the step to make it right.
Become the new line for your family… the one which starts a new generation of children hungry for God. Your actions will one day spill over into the lives of your children and your children’s children and so on. Be the solid foundation of good fruit and a Godly spirit for your family.
Our past is what has brought us to where we are today. Our parent’s mistakes, our grandparent’s biological make-up and spiritual devoutness or lack there of, our historical background of our family that could explain “why we are the way we are.” We should take a look back at our family heritage: Our generational curses and blessings. God has been dealing with me about my generational curses that have plagued my family for years. I have grown up in it, and I have begun to attribute certain characteristics of my family that I never wanted. Looking back at your past, you can learn what needs to change about you and how you can become less like your curses and more like Christ.
Don’t take this the wrong way. I think that we should respect our past. We should take into consideration everything that has gone before us, the good and the bad. When we see our blessings that our families have inherited, we should take advantage of them. We should pray that God continues to show us how to use them faithfully, not taking advantage of it in any way but using it to advance His Kingdom. When we see our curses, however, we should not curse our parents for what they have raised us in, but otherwise grow more towards God and break the chains of bondage that could be upon our lives because of the curse.
God has called us to be free in Him. He doesn’t want to keep you in chains, in any way. He wants you to enjoy the freedom He freely gave by dying upon the cross for your sin. Christ probably cringes when He looks down and sees you taking less than what you deserve. It’s like someone offering you a million dollars and you only take $200,000. He wants only the best for our lives, and in order to see what is best, we must acknowledge His supreme existence and begin to take on His nature rather than our flesh. This may require stripping of old skin we don’t want anymore. It may be painful. It may take a long time. However, it will rid us of ourselves and create a new beautiful design, more beautiful than we could ever imagine.
A lot of our generational curses we don’t even recognize. That is just what the enemy wants us to do—not recognize that we have a problem. Sometimes we find ourselves saying “well, that’s how I was raised and I have too much respect for myself and my family to take less than this.” Or we might say something like, “This is just my nature.” We might even say things like, “My parents always taught me to….” Or “My dad is the same way, and I’m just like him.”
What’s the problem with all of this? Your parents way isn’t always the right way.
We each bear our own burden of sin. You can’t blame your parents for the way you are. We must take responsibility for our actions individually, especially if you are an adult, discerning if it is the nature of our forefathers or our Heavenly Father. Ezekiel 18:14-17 says, “Suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things… He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live.” We must understand that some things are things we see and make a point not to do because we have seen how it has negatively affected our families. Other times, we are blinded because the enemy tells us that “it’s just the way we are” when it’s not who we are called to be.
In studying this, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Kristen, this is a pride issue. Those who refuse to change their personalities because of pride also refuse my spirit. They believe that their way is right because their fathers have done it, but my way is higher.” There is probably one thing each of us does because we feel that it was a trait passed down to us through our genes. It doesn’t make it right, just because your parents have done it. We must take responsibility to evaluate every part of our life, including the places we don’t even think about.
As Christians, our actions must reflect the spirit of Christ. If pride has crept into your life because of generational curses or heritage, pray that God would restore you to His fullness. He wants to start a new lineage with you, throwing out the old habits that have become unrecognizably wrong, and placing a new heart and spirit into your life-- One which mirrors His character. Would you rather look in a mirror and see your father/mother or look in the mirror and see Christ?
As cliché as it sounds…Remember that you are the future. You will have children of your own one day, and although we cannot be perfect, we can strive to make sure we are as close to perfect as we can be through Christ’s redemption and spirit. We want to be able to pass down more blessings than curses to our children. So, I encourage you to start evaluating every aspect of your life right now. Pray that God would reveal the traits within you that need fine-tuning, transformation, or extracting. Pray that you would be accepting of the things that He shows you, even those things we are so prideful of. It takes humility to admit a mistake, and boldness to take the step to make it right.
Become the new line for your family… the one which starts a new generation of children hungry for God. Your actions will one day spill over into the lives of your children and your children’s children and so on. Be the solid foundation of good fruit and a Godly spirit for your family.
written 11.21.2007
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