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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
The Bible mentions "generational curses" in several places (Exodus 20:5; 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 5:9). God warns that He is "a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the father...
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Ezekiel Kimosop - Pastor & Bible Scholar
The theology of the breaking of generational curses is a branch of teachings propagated by a section of the charismatic movement who argue that a person is not complete in Christ when they are born again. They teach that one has to deal with generational curses that were passed on through their ancestors or some close relatives. Some base their claim on Ezekiel 18:2 but fail to realize that as we read on trough that passage, God clearly confirms that the soul that sins shall die (Ezek. 18:4). The passage goes on to justify the righteous and condemn the wicked in their individual capacities. The teaching on generational curses is unscriptural for the following reasons. First, Jesus himself taught in John 8:36 that “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” This freedom is of a spiritual nature and completely sets the believer into a new spiritual paradigm so that he is a new creation in Christ. The old spiritual nature is totally replaced by the new nature in Christ (1 Cor. 5:17) and the believer is made a child of God (John 1:12). Scripture further declares in Romans 8:1-2 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” What remains is sanctification process as we look forward to glorification when Christ comes. All we need to do is to remain faithful and steadfast in the Lord and to his Word. We do not need to add any spiritual rituals to what Christ has already accomplished at Calvary. If Jesus did not break the curses through his atoning blood (an impossible supposition) how can a preacher purport to do it? There is no teaching in the Bible that supports this theology and neither do we have any implied or express instructions or commands from Scripture to perform these rituals in the church on believers. The Devil cannot lay claim to the life of a person whom Christ has purchased and restored to God. This believer is totally immune to any demonic habitations because the blood of Jesus has cleansed him. It is therefore meaningless to perform a ritual in the name of deliverance when Jesus has finished it all. There are no magical powers that can undo what God has done or destroy the atoning works that Christ has accomplished at the Cross. Jesus completed all the requirements for our atonement and we have been totally liberated from any bondage whether of curses or of sin. On this basis therefore we need no longer fear about any curse that may come our away because greater is he that is in us than he that is the world (1 John 4:1-6). Paul teaches in Galatians 3:13 that “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” The child of God is can no longer be indebted to anyone for a spiritual redemption or to any ritual that is purported to cleanse a curse or bring deliverance of any sort. The teaching on generational curses is a cleverly designed doctrine that rides on the fear and uncertainty that surrounds many who do not have the truth of Scripture in their hearts. It catches the ignorant and is often used to cause them to pay large sums of money for these unnecessary rituals and to control their lives. I have also often observed that the teaching is mainly carried out by preachers who have little or no theological training and who often mishandle the scripture and interpret it out of context. My advice to those who propagate this teaching is that they need to go back to the proper interpretation of the Word to avoid this unbalanced and unwholesome theology and lead their people into true revelation of God’s word.
Joe Colling
Get born again. There are all kinds of curses in the old covenant. However, in the new covenant, there are.....NONE! lol Colossians 2:14 says, "Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross" We are no longer under the law, which means we are no longer under the curses that CAME with the law. The law is TOTALLY done away with in Yes'Hua the christ. If you are not born again [in your spirit], the you are still under the law. There are no curses in the new covenant. ONLY BLESSINGS! Get born-again! ;^)
Johnnatta Giles
To break a generation curse you must make a choice. It is pretty simple. Follow Christ or continue to live the life you were born into. Curses come from people choosing to sin. Some sinful things can cause us to curse our children. Me for an example. I was born into a sinful family. No one on either side of my family believes or follows God. I am the first to break that curse and my children are the first to be born free of it. Jesus make us new and cleanses us of all unrighteousness. Including the ones that follow us from what we have inherited. In order to take hold of the promises that is given to us by God we have to remain in obedience and truly seek Him. In order to be free of that inherited sin we must choose to submit to Him and allow Him to purge us of that evil through His Spirit. Remember this. God doesn't curse us we curse ourselves and for some our children. We are the ones who choose to allow that evil in our lives and also what comes with it. That is just the nature of sin. But we can choose to change and be rid of it through Jesus. We cant do it alone we have to allow Him to work through us. It takes time. Even though I found out about this years ago this year i just found out some things I didnt know before have happened to me because of my mother choosing to do something sinful and it was passed down to me. It was my choice rather I was going to take authority and say no more and give that to Jesus. And I did. But know you dont have to struggle just because of a choice someone in your family made!
Adenrele Oyeyemi
I believe there are two types of generational curses. The second type is my focus here. When Joab killed Abner, David placed a curse on Joab and his generation 2 Samuel 3:28-29. Later, King Solomon added that the curse shall be forever! Also, when Gehazi covetously collected gift from Naaman, Prophet Elisha cursed him and his seed forever. However, I believe that no matter whatever curse that follows a generation, the blood of the Lamb is sufficient to remove it and permanently cancel it. Sometimes, one continues to suffer the consequence of such curses because of ignorance of the existence of such curse. But as soon as one becomes aware of it, one should apply the blood of Jesus particularly if one is born again, operating on the basis of the New Covenant. In Africa especially, our forefathers might in time past entered into certain covenants with evil forces that would bring the generations after them into a curse. When one thus notices certain events or anomalies in the family that are recurring, it is always better to be on the safe side and pray for God's deliverance from every generation or ancestral curse.
Grant Abbott
Dealing with generational curses is similar to dealing with ongoing habitual sins in our lives. The nature of your question suggests you are a Christian. This issue has little relevance to non-Christians since they are usually ignorant of the spiritual impact of curses on their lives. Curses are real in the spiritual and natural world. Curses are the opposite of blessings. Blessings are also real in the natural and spiritual world. The best example of curses and blessings in the bible is found in Deuteronomy 27 & 28. In these chapters God is telling the nation of Israel the blessings they will receive when they obey God’s covenant and the curses that will befall them when they break his covenant. Blessings are declarations by God or other human beings intended to release good spiritual forces to bring about abundantly fulfilling and deeply satisfying events in the lives of the people being blessed. Oppositely, curses by God or humans release evil spiritual forces to wreck havoc in people’s lives, causing untold pain and suffering and possible destruction to those being cursed. This issue demonstrates the power of words to build up or destroy. A curse spoken by humans is simply a type of sin. Jesus’s birth, life, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection paid the penalty for all sin (including curses) and broke the power of sin, by crucifying the sinful nature in every person, the moment they come to faith in him. In the spiritual world the penalty of sin has been paid, and the power of sin has been broken (including curses). But the effects of sin, including curses, are still real in the natural world, even after salvation. Case in point, how many Christians struggle with certain sins, sometimes for years after they are saved. Why, because we don’t exercise our faith. God has spoken truth into our lives that Jesus has set us free, but we don’t believe it. We try to change our behaviour and fail. Why? Because we are trying to change in our own strength, and not trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit to give us victory. I would like to provide an example of a curse and then illustrate an approach for breaking its power. A man or woman growing up, heard the following statement over and over again, from an unloving and abusive parent: “You are worthless and will never amount to anything in life. You will never find love or happiness”. This kind of curse can result in lots of different sinful behaviours. Such as drug addictions to deal with the pain of rejections, or greed and obsession with success to prove the person wrong. So, how do we break this curse. 1) we must become aware that it exists. That means thoughtful reflection on our lives, seeking to understand why certain sinful behaviours are always plaguing us. It can also mean talking about family history with other family members. The ultimate goal is to be able to put words to the curse. 2) we need to hear what God has to say about this curse. That means reading and understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to understand and believe that this curse is just one of many sins that Jesus paid for, and broke the power of, with his death on the cross. 3) we need to talk to God about this curse, in prayer, asking him to give us the faith to believe this curse has been broken and we have been set free. Sometimes God will answer by bringing someone into our lives to pray for us and pronounce, in Jesus name, that the curse is broken. Their words do not actually break the curse, they instill in us the faith to believe, that Jesus death and resurrection has indeed set us free. 4) finally God will ask us to step out in faith, and do something that shows us that the curse has been broken. We find the blessing that God delivers, to reverse the past effects of the curse. In the example above, we accomplish something of value, we find love and happiness. Jesus has won the victory. You can trust him.
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