This week we have been talking about generational curses in our InVest Groups. Those are the sins of the generations before us that don’t have eternal consequences on us but can, and often times do, affect our quality of life. In my InVest group we talked about a few and I challenged them to list out not only their personal sins but also the sins of their families. Then they were to take them to God and get specific when asking for His forgiveness and help in breaking the consequence cycle. 

It may seem weird to worry about other people’s sins but they can affect you. It is a part of life. For a non-religious example: If the owners of the Architectural firm that I work for decide to sell out to a larger organization and cash out the investments that they have made in the company. Then the new owner wants to bring in their own people to fill my position… get it. 

Okay, well in the spiritual sense the same holds true. There are eternal consequences for our personal actions. Ex: Let’s say I steal something (“Thou shall not steal” – one of those pesky Ten Commandments) and I don’t confess it to God with a remorseful heart. When I die I stand before God with the sin of thievery in me. Since sin and God can not reside together, and I don’t think God is going to leave heaven than I have hell as my destination. 

There are also earthly consequences for our personal actions. This time let’s say I kill somebody and depending on how good my lawyer is and some other factors I could be facing life in prison or even the death penalty. I can remorsefully confess my sin (“Thou shall not kill”) and God will forgive me but that is not a get out of jail card that is a stay out of hell card.  Now to generational curses/sins… Let’s say that I am physically abusive to my wife. (Which I should be given this post) Now I am personally accountable to God and to man for these actions. Here is where the generational stuff comes into play. My son Owen learns how to be a husband by watching me. Now even if he is not physically abusive to his future wife he still carries with him the damaging images of me beating his mom. The choice is his to be the same type of husband I am or break that curse and be everything I wasn’t. By recognizing my sin it enables him to evaluate his own life and break what often times turns into a repeating cycle. Let’s say your parents weren’t good stewards of their families. Maybe they put “stuff” as a priority over you. You have a choice you can continue that poor stewardship of family or you can repeat it.  

Maybe your parents lived in fear. Fear of failure or even fear of success. You find yourself living in the sin of anxiety or fear in lieu of finding hope and peace in God. It is your choice to carry and live the curse or pray and break it. 

Generational curses are not always easy to break because like it or not a large portion of who we are reflects the people who raised us. For some of you that thought is scary and for others that thought is comforting. I challenge you to evaluate not only your personal sins list but take an inventory of the generational sins that may be keeping you from experiencing the life that God has for you.