Generational Curses 09

Realize you are in a long war⁵

Realize the reality of the spiritual battle we are involved in is that this is a long war_6. When Joshua was at the Jordan River just before the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land, God told Joshua that He would give them "every place where you set your foot." This was God's promise, the land was theirs.

Joshua 1:2-3 NIV

"Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. [3] I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses."

After God brought down the walls of Jericho the Israelites had to fight for every square inch of land they were to possess. The enemy was always there to keep the Israelites from what God had promised.

1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. [9] Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

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In Judges 19 and 20 we find the account of an old man and his concubine on a journey from Bethlehem to a remote region of Ephraim who stops for the night in Gibeah, a Benjamite city. Remember Benjamin was the son of Jacob and Rachael. At his birth Rachael died as a result of the curse placed on her by Jacob, Benjamin was born in the fulfillment of the curse.

Judges 19:22 NIV

While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him."

The owner of the house went outside and tried to refuse the men. In the end the men took the travelers concubine and raped her all night. She died on the doorstep by morning. The traveler took her body home, cut her in 12 pieces and sent one to every tribe of Israel. After hearing what had been done the 11 tribes agreed to attack Benjamin. Benjamin gathered 26,700 swordsmen to fight the 400,000 swordsmen from the other 11 tribes. On the first two days of the battle Benjamin won the battle. After the second ay the army of Israel fasted and inquired of the Lord. On the third day, after prayer and fasting Israel defeated the Benjamite army.

Judges 20:26 NIV

Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the LORD. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD.

Judges 20:35 NIV

The LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords.

Judges 21:25 NIV

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

Judges 21:25 NKJV

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Sexual sin one of the of the most difficult sins to overcome in a persons life. In Romans 1, Paul talks about the downward spiral of sin in the hearts of man.

Romans 1:21 NIV

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Romans 1:24-25 NIV

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. [25] They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

There are some sins, some curses that are so powerful they can only be broke by prayer and fasting. Twice in the New Testament Jesus said there are spiritual forces that can only be defeated by prayer and fasting.

Mark 9:28-29 NKJV

And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" [29] So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

Joel 2:15 NIV

Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.

Joel 2:18-19 NIV

Then the LORD was jealous for his land and took pity on his people. [19] The LORD replied to them: "I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.

We must realize we are in a long war. I heard a message from a spiritual warrior recently. She reminded me of several scriptures that apply to the long war. Matthew 12:43-45 describe a spiritual principle of deliverance. If the person does not fill their life with the Spirit of God the unclean spirit will return and the person is worse off than before. As I have said before there are areas of spiritual warfare I do not fully understand. I am not necessarily implying that a person with a generational curse is possessed. But there are forces of darkness that are influencing the person. When I began to break the generational curses in my life I found that simply praying once was not enough. The spiritual forces came back and did not want to give up. I began fasting and praying. But I also found I needed to rid my house, my physical home, of everything that in anyway was related to the spiritual darkness in my life. And I need to continue to be on guard at all times.

Matthew 12:43-45 NIV

"When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. [44] Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. [45] Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."

I need to be reminded of Paul's statement in Romans 6:16-18. I am not a slave to sin I have died to sin and I am now a slave to obedience. I must choose daily on which side of the great spiritual divide I will live - obedience which leads to life or disobedience which leads to death.

Romans 6:16-18 NIV

Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey —whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? [17] But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. [18] You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.