GENERATIONAL CURSES

[And Such Were Some Of You]

This "phrase" came up in the "Salvation and Deliverance" thread and I was hoping that we can discuss it hear as to not lose the flow of the other thread.

Nina mentioned how she believes that this has not been taught correctly and I basically agreed with her. I will be back later this evening (hopefully) to give my thoughts on the matter. I am looking to learn from this myself because I have been taught many things concerning this, heard many messages, and have my own convictions. I will share all of them here.

[krazeeboi]

Here's a pretty good article on the subject.

[And Such Were Some Of You]

Thanks Krazee!

That's kinda the way I have been leaning, which goes against everything I learned when I was in COGIC.

[And Such Were Some Of You]

Why is it that people even teach generational curses? Not too long ago when I was in a post-abortion bible study class, one of the facilitators mentioned how her she had an abortion, and her sister had one and at that time her sister's daughter (and therefore her niece) was contemplating having an abortion. One of the ladies in the study with me mentioned that it was due to a generational curse. The facilitator did not really recognize/understand the term so the lady tried to explain it to her and mentioned that she has a book that she will bring in the following week to share with the facilitator. The lady then goes, "Monica, I know you know all about generational curses, why don't you tell ______________________ (the facilitator) all about it." She said this because of the background/denomination that I am from. I didn't say anything because my belief was no longer with "generational curses" for the more I studied the more I came to see that it doesn't apply the way people teach. So I said "_______________________ (facilitator) just pray and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you in the area. However, in the mean time minister to your neice regarding her situation."

At the next class the following week, the facilitator said, "Before we get into the actual study, I want to say that I went home and studied "generational curses" and the bible clearly shows that we are accountable for our own sin, and not only that, Jesus became a curse for us. Therefore, I don't have to concern myself with a curse but I can continue to pray for my neice and she will be held accountable for whatever decision she makes". I was so relieved that she said this because I feel that if you mention something to someone you MUST show them (not just tell them) in the Word. I felt good knowing that the facilitator went home and searched the Word for herself.

After the class that evening the lady who originally mentioned generational curses was really offended and upset. She felt that the facilitator rejected her (which she didn't, it was the teaching she rejected). Then she goes, "well, Monica, you know she is baptist and she wouldn't understand anything anyway." I in turn told her that I don't want to bring denomination into it as I stand on whatever the Word of God says and not what a denomination says.

So why is it that you mostly see this teaching in holiness/pentecostal/charismatic circles?

[giantsdodie]

andsuchweresomeofu said:

Why is it that people even teach generational curses? Not too long ago when I was in a post-abortion bible study class, one of the facilitators mentioned how her she had an abortion, and her sister had one and at that time her sister's daughter (and therefore her niece) was contemplating having an abortion. One of the ladies in the study with me mentioned that it was due to a generational curse. The facilitator did not really recognize/understand the term so the lady tried to explain it to her and mentioned that she has a book that she will bring in the following week to share with the facilitator. The lady then goes, "Monica, I know you know all about generational curses, why don't you tell ______________________ (the facilitator) all about it." She said this because of the background/denomination that I am from. I didn't say anything because my belief was no longer with "generational curses" for the more I studied the more I came to see that it doesn't apply the way people teach. So I said "_______________________ (facilitator) just pray and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you in the area. However, in the mean time minister to your neice regarding her situation."

At the next class the following week, the facilitator said, "Before we get into the actual study, I want to say that I went home and studied "generational curses" and the bible clearly shows that we are accountable for our own sin, and not only that, Jesus became a curse for us. Therefore, I don't have to concern myself with a curse but I can continue to pray for my neice and she will be held accountable for whatever decision she makes". I was so relieved that she said this because I feel that if you mention something to someone you MUST show them (not just tell them) in the Word. I felt good knowing that the facilitator went home and searched the Word for herself.

After the class that evening the lady who originally mentioned generational curses was really offended and upset. She felt that the facilitator rejected her (which she didn't, it was the teaching she rejected). Then she goes, "well, Monica, you know she is baptist and she wouldn't understand anything anyway." I in turn told her that I don't want to bring denomination into it as I stand on whatever the Word of God says and not what a denomination says.

So why is it that you mostly see this teaching in holiness/pentecostal/charismatic circles?

The person IMO didnt do very good research. It is true that we are each accountable for our own sins and it is true that Jesus did become a curse for us. However that has nothing to do with the reality that there are things in family lines and demonic spirits that attempt to continue certain visitations and decrease the quality of life ( which is what this type of curse does ) generation after generation. God uses those that are saved like us to be curse breakers in our generation.

You can see clearly in the Word of God that certain family lines had certain traits.

David had a problem with women. All his sons had a problem with women.

Abram lies to protect himself. His son Isaac told the same lie.

Rachael came out of a con artist family. She was a con artist. Jacob was a con artist.

We see scriptures where evil folk in the bible committed the SAME evil ( or worse ) than their father did. ( Nebuchednezzar and Belteshazzar come to mind )

Exodus 34:6-7 - "And He [the Lord] passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. 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.' "

Leviticus 26:39-42

"Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their fathers' sin they will waste away. But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers - their treachery against me and their hostility toward me, which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies - then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land."

What we fail to realize is that what the generational curses do is affect our quality of life in the HERE AND NOW. They are not perpetual or throughout eternity which is what JESUS dealt with on the cross and because of the Cross we can now deal with those thing in our present life because of the authority we have been given in JESUS.

However people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Ignorance is often times the greatest bondage there is.

Now EVERYTHING is not a generational curse. But some things are. There are things that have passed down through the family line that affect our quality of life today.

What does the Lord day about those that KEEP His commandments ??

Deuteronomy 7:9

9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

So the disobedience and rebellion and sin againt God He would only allow for 3-4 generations and thats IF someone in that lineage doesnt repent. But if we keep his covenant he would extend it to 1,000 generations ??

Wow. So Basically some of us are walking in certain blessing cause great great great great granddad served the Lord and GOD remembered him and God remembered us too.

Following this line of questioning

So why is it that you mostly see this teaching in holiness/pentecostal/charismatic circles?

If that logic holds true then why not apply it to things like faith healing or speaking in tongues which is taught primarily in those circles but NOT across christiandom at large ?

[And Such Were Some Of You]

Thanks for your input Giants! I am going to print out your post and study it because again - I have not "shut down" the matter - just that what I have been taught has been challenged. T As for this part:

Quote:So why is it that you mostly see this teaching in holiness/pentecostal/charismatic circles?



If that logic holds true then why not apply it to things like faith healing or speaking in tongues which is taught primarily in those circles but NOT across christiandom at large ?

It really is a sincere question and I honestly don't want to bring in faith healing or speaking in tongues into the equation. I have only been involved with holiness/pentecostal/charismatic circles so therefore when I speak with people from other denominations, they either have never heard the term or they don't teach it at all. So that is why I asked the question. I am very limited in my knowledge of the subject so when I am asking a question it is from the heart.

[MsKayLander]

this is some very good info...keep it coming...

[Beck]

God punishes people for their own sins, not the sins of there parents.. As a christian we are new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) ... we just have to learn how to change our walk (Romans 8:1) . God doesnt not hold the sins of our father against the children (Deuteronomy 24:16).

[giantsdodie]

andsuchweresomeofu said:

Thanks for your input Giants! I am going to print out your post and study it because again - I have not "shut down" the matter - just that what I have been taught has been challenged. T As for this part:

Quote:So why is it that you mostly see this teaching in holiness/pentecostal/charismatic circles?



If that logic holds true then why not apply it to things like faith healing or speaking in tongues which is taught primarily in those circles but NOT across christiandom at large ?

It really is a sincere question and I honestly don't want to bring in faith healing or speaking in tongues into the equation. I have only been involved with holiness/pentecostal/charismatic circles so therefore when I speak with people from other denominations, they either have never heard the term or they don't teach it at all. So that is why I asked the question. I am very limited in my knowledge of the subject so when I am asking a question it is from the heart.

My point in quoting what I believe is a sincere question is this. No one has all truth. God used the pentcostal/charasmatic churches to bring to light some thing that would not be seen in other churches like God birthed a move of worship many years ago through the Methodist churches and Baptism through Baptist churches etc etc...

So simply because we a thing being taught throough mostly ONE venue doesnt necessarily means its off or wrong.

You have churches that completely IGNORE the realm of the spirit, you have organizations that believe that God DOES NOT talk to people, so they arent going to be very open to receiveing certain spiritua truths but GOD will still work to reveal the truth in the earth.

I would like to point out again that generational curses are things that tend to decrease the quality of life of the individuals in a generation. If we OPERATE in the same venues and things that caused the curse even though JESUS has made us free we can still have the affect of the curse operating in our lives because of our ignorance and disobedience.

Example. When my wife and I got married God said to us The curse stops with you two. What was God talking about. In my wife's family there is an issue with many of the women who have either been divorced or have been married to bad men. God said to us I am ENDING that curse with you two. God said the next GENERATION of women in her family see what I will do through your lives they will wait for ME to bring them who is best for them.

Thats a generational curse. God is working through two saved and redeemed people to bring about the change HE desires to impact a generation.

[Jasmine]

The Bible mentions “generational curses” in several places (Exodus 20:5; 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 5:9). It sounds unfair for God to punish children for the sins of their fathers. However, this is looking at it from an earthly perspective.

God knows that sin is passed down from one generation to the next. When a father has a sinful lifestyle, his children are likely to have the same sinful lifestyle as well. That is why it is not unjust for God to punish sin to the third or fourth generation – because they are committing the same sins their ancestors did. They are being punished for their own sins, not the sins of their ancestors. The Bible specifically tells us that God does not hold children accountable for the sins of their parents (Deuteronomy 24:16).

Example: I can use my own family for this. My mother had my older sister in high school. My sister had her oldest son, while in the 9th grade. I had my son in the 12th grade, my sister under me does not have any children, my baby sis had her daughter at the age of 20.

My mother was not married when she had my oldest sister, who has a different dad that I do. My sister is not married and has 5 children, and 3 baby daddies. I married my boyfriend, I gave my life to christ, I had 2 additional children, and He is the father of all. My baby sis, now has 2 children, is not married, but her kids have the same father.

Also, My mother didn't graduate from highschool, My sister didn't graduate from High school, I did and went to college, My sister under me graduated and went to a 2 universities, my baby sis, graduated and went to medical school.

The sins of the fathers are not passed, however because we have witnessed these sins, we are more proned to do them because we think its ok. This is why it becomes "generational"

On my husband side of the family. The men are drug abusers, women abusers, and none of them took care of their children. They threw them off to be raised by someone else. Well my husband doesn't abuse me, hes not an substance abuser and he provides and take care of all his children. His uncles look up to him for the way he taken care of his children, and loves his wife.

When God saved us, he used us to show our families that God has something better for each of us. We dont have to fall into those same sins because our mother or father did it. With Jesus the curse is broken.


If your father was a drunk, and you watched him turn to alchohol for everything, if you are not saved, your are likely to turn to alchohol for everything as well. Now it does not mean that you will, but the enemy will tempt you with alchohol. The only way to free ourselves of repeating those same sins- Is JESUS.

There is a trend in the church today to try and blame every sin and problem on some sort of generational curse. This is not Biblical. The cure for generational curses is salvation through Jesus Christ. When we become Christians, we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). How can a child of God still be under God’s curse (Romans 8:1)? The cure, then, for a generational curse is faith in Christ and a life consecrated to Him (Romans 12:1-2).

[nina]

"The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. 21 "But if a wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die." (Ezek 18:20-21)

Just adding a quick comment (I promise, I'll try to make it quick
I think - I may be wrong - that today's teachings on generational curses actually are rooted in some beliefs part of Judaism, rediscovered and misused.
From what I've read - and that's where I'll keep it short because it a broad subject - part of Judaism faith is the belief in reincarnation. The purpose of the soul coming back is to rectify and possibly complete what that specific soul did or did not do in the previous life in this world (obeying the law completely).
A soul, for that purpose, can be reincarnated for some only once, or several times, until it reaches the level where its rectification is complete and then is allowed to its final destination (the Garden of Eden) That has nothing to do with the final resurrection, again, according to Judaism.
So, looking at it that way, that could explain what and why God gave this specific word to Ezechiel, and made it clear.
There are definitely "things" inherited in the spiritual as well as the physical.
However, when we are born again, and become a new creature in Christ , old things are passed away, all things are new and all things are of God.
Jesus accomplished all that, once and for all. I believe that from that point on, being born again, generational curses don't stand anymore.
Does blood still run in our veins? Yes, but the soul and life principle running along with it cannot not be affected by the birth in the spirit.
If we are not aware of it, then it leaves the door open to believe that actually we still carry those curses and eventually will pass them on to our children and so on, down the generation.
Even Paul said that if the mother is saint, then the children also are saints.
If we accept the teaching of generational curses as a matter of fact, we are overlooking a very important part of what we receive through Jesus.
We are free, completely free. When it looks like the "curse" raises its head, we have to know its a lie and not give it an inch, for ourselves, for our children and the generations to come.
Jesus did it all, He rectified everything, He is the Christ, Messiah, Son of God, and so are we.
We are equipped to keep our soul from erring on the dark side, the power of His Word, His Holy Spirit, His name,His blood, and much more.
He conquered, we are more than conquerors.
(Sorry Jasmine, I repeated some of what you said, I posted right behind you...)

[stillfocused]

However, when we are born again, and become a new creature in Christ , old things are passed away, all things are new and all things are of God. Jesus accomplished all that, once and for all. I believe that from that point on, being born again, generational curses don't stand anymore

There is another belief at work here; which maybe actually be a deception. When we get saved everything just doesn't change overnight..it is a process. Yes, we are saved, yet, we must go through a process of purification, regeneration, and we must be renewed by the word of God. Those demonic infleunces don't just rollover and say "Okay, boys we can't stay here comfortably anymore, let's roll out"...actually for some the attacks become very real.

I have to agree the generational sins..curses whatever you want to call them do exist. GiantsDoDie..explained it very well. Yet, there was a very important point in several posts. It is was in how this subject is taught in our churches. Many don't believe they exist; yet, they still live very defeated lives. For me in my family there are several..out of wedlock births, divorce, and violent tempers. We all understand that each man is responsible for his own sin; yet, how many of us can look at our families and see how someone else's actions caused some one to sin or worse, not to believe in God at all.

[auneeqsol]

This is a great subject and there have been some awesome responses!!!

But I wanna dig just a lil deeper.

What is the difference between Genetics and Generational Curses?

Such as genes in my family have presented diabetes to us. Now im not saying everybody eats healthy but it popped up here and there. Now some will pray over us and say they denounce the generational curse of diabetes.

My grandmother had it my grandad didnt.....my mom doesnt have it, I got it gestational and it lingered after...my mom's 2 brothers have it , but none of the sisters do....my other cousin was gestational but hers went away.....

Now whats the difference in genetics and generational curses? Or what is the relation? Is it that one is spiritual and one is natural? What say ye?

[krazeeboi]

I was actually going to bring in genetics, but let me back up a bit.

I see some people saying that God punishes children for the sins of their parents. In one way I can see how that is true, especially in instances in which God told the Israelites to kill everything that moved when they invaded a certain place, and that included women and children. Also, David's child died because it was conceived from a sinful act (adultery with Bathsheba).

But I would also like to say that the scripture says that God VISITS the inquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generations. Is this different than punishing iniquity? If so, what's the difference?

But getting back to genetics. It becomes a nature vs. nurture argument. However, the fact of the matter is that there are very few things determined by either genetics alone or environment/upbringing alone. Genetics may make you more prone to be susceptible to certain things (eg, alcoholism), but they're rarely the sole determining factor.

I think this is an example of the "tension" between the old nature and the new nature. The fact may be that we struggle or suffer with things due to genetics or our forefathers, but the TRUTH is that Christ has become a curse for us.

[nina]

"The fact may be that we struggle or suffer with things due to genetics or our forefathers, but the TRUTH is that Christ has become a curse for us."

Amen

"There is another belief at work here; which maybe actually be a deception. When we get saved everything just doesn't change overnight.."

Everything doesn't change overnight, but we are changed instantly when we are saved.
How it manifests in our daily life, in our walk with God, might take time.
I don't deny the reality of generational curses, that's why it is important to be aware of their existence and potential in our life, even after being born again. That would be where teaching takes place.
However, being aware of all the "symptoms" should prompt to look for the proper cure (for lack of a better word).
Being in denial is ignoring the reality of a fact/problem. Acknowledging a fact, having the resources and using them in order to solve it, is a different attitude.
The main thing this attitude does is to make us concentrate on the solution, not the problem. It causes us to speak the solution, not the problem, in this case, by faith.
Was the problem solved? Yes, past, present and future.
Once we know all the ins and outs of a matter/issue/problem, we still have to ask "now what?" Now Jesus and what He accomplished.
That's why even though it is useful to be knowledgeable about generational curses, we cannot stop there. However true it may be, some will accept it, and to a certain extent, submit to it. Some will try and "work" at it, focusing on it, and actually - possibly - giving it more power until it shadows their life and their children's life.
For all the times I was told "You are just like your father", the time came in my life where I could smile and say "Yes, I am". It might no be obvious all the time, my light might not shine high and bright all the the time, but I know I am free to be who and what He meant me to be. That I have, anywhere, any time, in me, because of Him.
Maybe I'm wrong to believe the way I believe, but I have found peace, in Him.