Generational curses were a hot topic at church when I was a kid. It seemed whenever something bad happened the dreaded generational curse was blamed. If someone could not get ahead financially the infamous generational curse of poverty was named Public Enemy #1. An obese family would simply blame the generational curse of gluttony. Problems with booze? You guessed it, the generational curse of alcoholism was to blame.
Are generational curses legit or counterfeit?
Generational curses are theologically illegitimate. Sins committed during one generation are not magically passed on to the next generation in perpetuity. Bad habits and sinful behaviors can be passed down to the next generation. These are learned behaviors and are often quite difficult to break. These generational strongholds are not curses, however. We are not victims of some ancient curse. God has given us weapons to demolish strongholds.
When a person puts their faith in Christ they become a new creation. The old is gone and the new is here! Ancestral bloodlines are cleansed. What your granddad did back in times past has zero impact on you now.
I read a book recently (it was awful) that claimed that we needed to track down our sinful bloodlines and break the curses one by one. That is unsound theology and bordering on the heretical. The blood of Jesus is sufficient to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
Here’s an article that I wrote about the blood of Jesus.
When we do anything to add to the completed work of Christ we start entering into sketchy territory.
Perhaps you’re wondering about what God told Moses in Exodus 20?
Generational Curses and Exodus 20
It’s far too easy to take Bible verses out of context and shoehorn the text into our narrative. If we’re “cursed” then we have zero control over the situation. We’re free from any personal responsibility. It’s all Great Aunt Helen’s fault because she used Tarot cards back in 1912!
Poppycock!
God presented the Ten Commandments to Moses in the twentieth chapter of Exodus. Verse four falls between the second and third commandments. God told Moses that He is Numero Uno (#1) and that the creation and worship of idols were forbidden (#2). After the second commandment, He provides a minor commentary.
Exodus 20:5 You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, inflicting the punishment of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me.
Fathers and grandfathers who hate God are modeling terrible behavior to their children and grandchildren. Families who make their own personal gods (idols) are displaying contempt for the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
This is a clear warning to the Hebrews. Idolatry is dangerous and a slippery slope for generations to come. He quickly provides the flip side to the issue for those who love Him.
Exodus 20:6 …but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
The choice seems obvious, right?
The Narrow Gate
God judges us all as individuals. The door to judgment is more like a turnstile than a wide gate (John Macarthur).
Our brother Zeke clears things up in the eighteenth chapter of his book.
Ezekiel 18:20 The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.
Generational Strongholds
Bad habits are learned through experience and observation. I learned, as a youngster, that any food could be fried. We would take a nutritious plant, dredge it in flour and fry it. Did it taste good? Sure. It also contributed to several family members dying young.
Everyone in my extended family was broke or living paycheck to paycheck. I learned how to be broke. What do you think I did for the first few years of my life? A self-fulfilling poverty prophecy was put into play.
Neither poverty nor obesity are curses from “the enemy.” I was in full control in both situations. Unlearning bad habits is painful. Learning new ways to do things is challenging. Most don’t want to do the hard work to make the change. It’s easier to blame a “curse” than to change.
We must put an end to the generational curse nonsense and allow God’s grace to flood our lives!
What Is A Stronghold
Strongholds are entrenched patterns of thinking. They aren’t necessarily bad. Zechariah discusses a stronghold of hope. Most strongholds are destructive though.
It’s these damaging strongholds that are often labeled as generational curses.
Demolishing Strongholds
What we continually think about impacts our minds both positively and negatively. Immediately arrest thoughts that lead to poor behaviors.
II Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Discard wicked thoughts.
Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
God has given us divine weapons to demolish strongholds.
II Corinthians 10:4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
Strongholds do not fold like a house of cards. There are many ways to attack these errant thoughts.
We must constantly challenge our thoughts with God’s Word. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Reconcile your thoughts to God’s thoughts.
Constantly renewing our minds through Bible reading, study, and meditation (Psalm 1) is another way to wreak havoc on strongholds.
Deception Is Deceiving
Knowing what the Good Book says is a great start. Obeying it is a horse of a different color.
James 1:22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
The Weapons of Spiritual Warfare
Instead of blaming your mom or dad for handing you lemons start using the weapons provided by God. Forsake wicked thoughts. Take errant thoughts captive. Renew your mind. Obey the Word. Tear up the victim card.
You’re no victim — you are a new creation.
Demolish these strongholds!
Zechariah 4:7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”