Anonymous (via GotQuestions)
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Lori Cypher
I am dealing with someone who is repeating a sin his father engaged in, and unfortunately, he is also handling it the same way his father did, by denying what he's doing and refusing to repent, just as his father did. You can't help someone who won't even admit he is sinning!
When the father took away his veil of protection over the family, the spiritual forces were more easily able to attack the rest of the family, and the mother took away her secondary veil of protection by refusing to confront her husband's sin, and therefore enabled it, so the children all suffered as well. Pride, stubbornness, sexual addiction, deceit, all passed on within this family. Such a sad situation. Prayer is the only weapon left at this point.
Thanjan Gnanadurai
Thank you all for your excellent answers to my question. I have copied them all for further study.
To my mind, the word generational refers to:
1) hereditary. We inherit genes that determine our health and behavior from our parents.
2) situational. Our parents nurture our behavior. If they read the Bible and pray regularly with their children, the children will imbibe their behavior. During teenage they begin to question their parents’ teaching. They may decide to commit their lives to Christ come what may, or move away and become nominal Christians.
As nominal Christians, they may take on the behavior of their parents, and not be chanelled by daily Bible devotional study and intimate prayerfull guidance from God. When this happens, their hereditary or generational behavior or sin takes over. Close intimacy with God will help release us from generational sin. In my opinion Bible reading praying Christians will be channelled by God away from harmful generational behavior or sin.