“Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and
their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth
generation." - Exodus 34:7
The soul starts to develop in the womb right along with the body. It is
influenced by the genes and generational sins passed down to us by our
ancestors. The experiences and influences in our lives from conception to the
present time also affect our spirit, soul and body. This puts a great responsibility
on us as parents. Sin is very serious in the sight of the Lord. The
consequences of the behavior of one generation are passed down three and four
generations (Exodus 34:7).
For instance, are your relatives alcoholics, drug addicts, liars, murderers,
thieves, idolaters, sexually deviant, brawlers, foul-mouthed, covetous or
extortionists? Some of us inherited the
penchant for these same sins from our ancestors. People who habitually live in
sin will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but God gives us the opportunity to be washed, sanctified
and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
Do
you despise the riches of God’s goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering and
turn away from Him; or do you realize that the goodness of God leads you to
repentance (Romans 2:4)? The lovely concept about the Lord is that, even though He may pass down the
consequences of the behavior for a few generations, He shows love to a thousand
generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments (Deuteronomy
5:9-10). It goes both ways, but is farther reaching on the positive side.
So,
are you passing down God’s blessings or sin’s consequences to your descendants? We break these sinful strongholds by submitting our life completely to God
and resisting the devil. Satan has no option but to flee (James 4:7). After
submitting to the Lord, confess and ask forgiveness for any sins, which God
reveals to you. Also, forgive your parents and ancestors for putting you in
this position. It is time now to go to God for forgiveness for yourself, to
surrender your life to Him and to follow the leading of His Holy Spirit moment
by moment throughout the day.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I break any unhealthy soul ties that developed in my life due
to the actions of my parents and ancestors. I break the curse of these sins and
I take authority in Jesus’ name over Satan and his demonic forces, by the
authority of Your shed blood and Your death on the cross of Calvary. Satan, you
have no authority in my life. I place you in the hands of the Lord Jesus
Christ, because He has all authority over you. I command that you leave my
spirit, soul and body alone. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thought for the Day:
