Dwight Fletcher | Freedom: Permission granted - Part II

Today, we continue to look at freedom. Last week, we learnt that when people sin, they grant permission to Satan to influence and hold them captive to life-controlling habits. That sin is rebellion against God and worship of Satan. The primary keys to being set free is confession and repentance. No matter how influenced we are by Satan, Jesus' death on the cross cancelled sin and all the rights that Satan has to our lives.

Another way we grant permission to Satan is through generational curses. These are curses that follow the family line from generation to generation. They can descend on us through no fault of our own and take root in our lives because a family member may have been involved in the occult, committed a sinful activity, or a curse was spoken over the family. Exodus 20:5 (NIV) tells us about generational curses, "... I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me."

Evidence of generational curse can be seen in many households in Jamaica. 'Womanising,' a man having more than one woman, is one such evidence of a generational curse. Other generational curses include poverty, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, adultery, and divorce. An indication that a curse might be in your family is when you see none of the girls getting married, or every generation in your family has at least one person who is an alcoholic, or a certain health condition occurs from one generation to the next.

Even the medical profession understands the concept of generational curses, calling them "hereditary conditions". The doctor will ask, "Did your father or grandfather have this?" Doctors know that a medical condition can be a trend in a generational line. Look at your own family. Are there any trends that you notice? For example, does one woman in every generation have breast cancer? Do the men have diabetes? When you have finished reading this article, take an inventory of your family's medical and spiritual history. You might be surprised.

As Christians, we may think that this spiritual law does not apply to us because we are under grace. Yes, Jesus does break the curse, but spiritual laws are there to let us know something is wrong. It's the law that made you realise that you were a sinner and pointed you to Christ. You had to go to Jesus to apply His grace so you can be saved. In the same way, this spiritual law allows us to see that we need Christ to break the powers of the generational curses over our lives.

Generational curses exist because the covering received from the previous generation was faulty. Under the 'Principle of Covering', God's intention is for His children to be covered - protected by their parents and brought up in the nurture of the Lord. This covering should be like an umbrella over children. No matter how hard it rains, if the children remain under the cover of the umbrella, they remain dry. But if there is a hole in the umbrella, those under it will get wet in the area where the hole is but will remain dry everywhere else.

If a father or mother wilfully commits a sin, he or she is effectively punching a hole in the covering or the umbrella. Those under the umbrella become exposed in that area. If the father becomes demonised through a particular sin, then the children are made vulnerable to the influence of the same demonic power. As the prophet Jeremiah states: "Our ancestors sinned, but now they are gone, and we are suffering for their sins." Lamentations 5:7 (GNT).

The good news is that the generational curses and demonic influence can be broken. Every generation has a choice and can cover the hole in the umbrella passed to them by the shed blood of Jesus.

How to break the generational curse:

- Repent of any partnership with the sin of the previous generation;

- Renounce the sins of the previous generation;

- Break the power of the generational curses in your life and in the lives of your children;

- Deliverance ministry as required - seek the help of church leaders.

Having accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, breaking generational curses over your life is as simple as praying this prayer:

In the name of Jesus Christ, I confess all the sins of my forefathers, and by the redemptive blood of Jesus, I now break the power of every curse passed down to me through my ancestral line. I confess and repent of each and every sin that I have committed, known or unknown, and accept Christ's forgiveness. He has redeemed me from the curse of the law.

In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, I break the power of every evil curse spoken against me. I cancel the force of every prediction spoken about me, whether intentionally or carelessly, that was not according to God's promised blessings. I bless those who have cursed me. I forgive each person who has ever wronged me or spoken evil of me. I trust in God and His unfailing love.

We continue next week with other ways we grant Satan permission to influence our lives and how we can get free.