Numbers 14:18 "The Lord doesn't become angry quickly, but he has great love. He forgives sin and law breaking. But the Lord never forgets to punish guilty people. When parents sin, he will also punish their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, and their great-great-grandchildren."
these are just a couple of those verses in the Bible that confirm that sins of the forefathers are passed on from one generation to the next. have you ever felt you were cursed? i know of a girl who's really attractive but she seems to have no luck on her side when it comes to men. the ones who fall for her are either committed, married or fall out of love after some time. she feels cursed. but has anyone told her that this could be a consequence of her background? a part of her heritage, a legacy left to her by her parents? her parents are separated.
God is very clear in the bible that man and wife should not separate. "So there are not two, but one. God has joined the two together, so no one should separate them." Matthew 19:6 so what happens when couples do separate, they leave a legacy of divorce to their children and their descendants.
the same goes for any other sin. no matter how big. take pregnancy out of wedlock, for example (hehe). i wouldn't be surprised if a single mom has a single mom for a mom.
but see, as much as most don't know that there is such a thing as a generation curse, most are naive to the fact that you CAN break the curse! see, it can work the other way around too. Parents who keep their eyes from evil and their minds from impure thoughts will not only receive blessing in their own lives but also in the lives of their children. Their own past failures are less likely to be repeated in their children's lives.
Family iniquities, or self-will in a particular area of life, can be passed from generation to generation. How do we stop the cycle and find freedom in Christ? Here are four basic action steps...
1. Acknowledge the specific iniquity. For help in how to pray, read Daniel's prayer in Daniel 9:3-19.
2. Ask God to cleanse the iniquity in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Ask God to reclaim any ground given to Satan and tear down every stronghold.
4. Claim Psalm 103:17 that from now on, the righteousness of your family will be your heritage for your children and for future generations. Also, commit this great verse to memory. For the breaking of a curse, here is a suggested prayer you may find helpful:
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I come to you desiring to be free from all curses and their results. I thank you for saving me and cleansing me of my sin. I confess that I belong to you. I now confess and repent of all my sins, known and unknown. I now confess the sins of my forefathers. In the name and through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ I break and renounce the power of every demonic curse that was passed down to me by the sins and actions of others. I now renounce, break, and loose myself and my family from all demonic subjection to any human being who has in the past or is now controlling me or my family in any way contrary to the Word and the will of God. In the name of Jesus Christ, I break the power and hold of every curse that has come to me through disobedience-mine or my forefathers. I claim release and freedom through the blood of Christ. Amen.
-from Reclaiming Surrendered Ground by Jim Logan - Moody Press
"But the Lord's love for those who respect him continues forever and ever, and his goodness continues to their grandchildren" - Psalm 103:17