Generational Curses Series

Well, worry is the sin of not trusting in the Lord, and it can become a generational sin, or learned behavior passed through the generations. I have heard that some mental illnesses are linked with fear, and fear can become a generational or learned sin as well. If you see a string or pattern of one of these things that I just mentioned running down through your family tree, then that’s a good indication of a generational sin or generational curse.

Recognizing Generational Curses

Generational sin will continue to plague our own lives and even trickle down to our great grandchildren if we don’t stop it right now. When we hear of the generational curse we might feel kind of helpless, but we are not! We are only helpless when we are ignorant of what is taking place in our lives, but with this morning’s message comes an awareness of our need to reflect upon our lives and our family history, and see what mistakes and sins continue to be repeated over and over. And when we identify them, we then have an opportunity to confess them and break the curse. In an article I found on generational sin and curses it says, “The truth is, now that you have owned the sins of your ancestors, in Jesus Christ you have the power to break the cycles so that they do not have to be passed on to your children. Now that these sins are exposed, you no longer have to live under their influences. You can take your place as a child of God in your lineage and make a difference for generations to come.” Now, isn’t that good news!

Nehemiah’s Confession of Generational Sins

Breaking a generational curse comes through confession and repentance, as we just read about in 1 John 1:9. We have to confess “our” wrongs, and also the sins of our ancestors. We must then repent of those crimes. An excellent example of confessing and repenting of generational sin is found in Nehemiah 1:5-7. In verse 5 we read, “I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments’.” Did you catch something familiar that Nehemiah said here? He just restated the first part of our main passage back in Exodus 34:6-7. Nehemiah was basically saying, “Lord, I remember your admonition about generational sin, but I also remember you saying that you are a forgiving God.”

After Nehemiah reminds the Lord that he is forgiving, he continues with his confession and repentance, for he says in verses 6-7, “Please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.” Nehemiah did not just confess his own sins, but we see here that he confessed the sins of all the children of Israel (his relatives’ sin), and he confessed the wrongs of his father’s house (his parent’s sin). What Nehemiah confessed here was the generational sin of his relatives and ancestors, and he did this in order to break the curse of sin both in his own life and in the life of his descendants.