Christian Living

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Generational curses are a blight on our culture. To begin with, a generational curse must be defined. It is a wrong habit, addiction, destructive pattern of behavior, or incorrect belief or mindset that is passed down from one generation to the next. It is a dysfunctional behavior or lifestyle that has become a norm.

Generational curses are manifested in a variety of ways: anger, depression, drug addiction, sexual fantasies, pornography, smoking, eating disorders, obesity, being on welfare, codependency, and the list could on and on.

Because these kinds of dysfunctional behaviors, habits, addiction, or lifestyles have become normal, a person may not even consider the need for changing. However, they are all things that hold one back from experiencing a healthy, optimum life emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

The good news is that generational curses can be broken with determination and right resources and strategies. The bad news is that since they have become commomplace in the lives of many people, it is easy to make excuses for them, or to justify them. As a result a need for changing is not acknowledged.

Generational curses are a cause of much of our crime, broken homes, health problems, and emotional and relational issues in general.

The Holy Bible talks about curses passed down through generations in several passages: Exodus 20:5 and 34:7, Numbers 14:18, and Deuteronomy 5:9. (There may be other passages as well.) All of these four references say the same thing, that the iniquity of the father (or mother) will be passed down to the third and fourth generations. This includes the negative or destructive consequences that accompany them.

There is no excuse for anyone to allow generational curses to continue. Remember, we have to distinguish between generational curses and genetically caused problems. I am not talking about the latter. The former result from CHOICES people make. It is easy, however, to blame what really is a generational curse on heredity. While some heredity caused problems may be able to be reversed, ALL generational curses as I have defined them can be broken.

Unfortunately, even many Christians and other religious people have generational curses, but God does not want people to live this way. They hold us back from being our best selves. They keep us from experiencing all that God has for us. Our Christian witness can be severely tarnished because of them, not to mention our family life and marriages. Generational curses are a major cause of hyprocrisy in the Church. If generational curses were identified and dealt with at a young age, many of the social problems would be lessened and the testimony of Christians would be enhanced.

By the grace and power of God generational curses can be overcome and reversed. That does not mean that there is no personal effort or determination involved. Take whatever action is necessary to deal wlth them. That might mean anger management, Christian counseling, getting an accountability partner, attending AA, taking depression medication, going to rehab, making restitution, refusing to be on welfare, exercising, not eating junk food, reading books, or whatever is necessary for a person's own particular situation. Make no excuses or justifications! Whatever is in your life that you do not like will continue, if you allow it to.

A generational curse can be broken if just one person decides to do it. A person's present and future family will be better off because of it. If that person is a Christian, his or her life will bring glory to God and will be a testimony to the power and grace of God to the unbelieving world. This is something to which the young adult age should give particular attention. Romans 12:1 informs us to not be conformed to the patterns of the world but to be transformed by the renewing of one's mind. In other words, to change generational curses one must think differently.

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