Spiritual Warfare Bootcamp 5

Luke 10:19 “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”

Breaking Generational Sins and Closing Spiritual Portals
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PDF of Confessions for a Family Member: Click Here
Song “This Means War”: Click Here

I couldn’t find a passage of scripture that states ‘if your great grandmother commits adultery, then your grandmother will commit adultery, and your mother, and you, and your children, and your children’s children.’ But if we’re honest in our spiritual assessment of our family’s lineage, just like in the lineage of our some of our biblical brothers and sisters, we can draw a spiritual conclusion. We often struggle with and repeat the same sins generationally. Reflect on the sins of your family, whether it is sexual immorality, acting in anger and having bad tempers, abandonment, lying, bad stewardship, manipulation, deceiving or perfection. There are sins that are also crimes according to the law such as pedophilia, rape, molestation, theft, etc. Unfortunately, these too are sins that we may see repeated in a family line from generation to generation. We have been letting ourselves off easy stating, “Oh I’m dealing with a spiritual curse” or in the natural realm “It’s because of a mental issue” when in actuality, haven’t some of us just been giving in to the desires of our flesh and lust and committing the same sins our family has committed for generations?

What Holy Spirit showed me is this – these sins aren’t necessarily generational “curses” but in some cases, they are generational “sins” that we commit at will. Yes, our sins can affect our bloodline and we can pass things down through our blood in the birth canal such as addictions and diseases. We tend to identify those things passed down through the birth canal as “curses.” We can even have spirits that we are plagued with that open up the door to attack and enter the child in our womb and spirits can be passed down such as sexual immorality – lust, homosexuality, etc. or even rejection. However, in the case of generational sin we are spiritually repeating the same sin that we saw our parents and their parents and their parents’ parents commit.

One biblical example of generational sin – in a simplistic explanation – is in Abraham’s lineage. In Genesis Chapter 20:2, Abraham lied to the king and said that his wife Sarah was his sister. Now even though Abraham later cleaned up his lie by stating that Sarah truly was his “half” sister, he gave that information to the king with the intent to deceive the king in order to save himself. He had a fear of authority. In Genesis 26:6, Isaac, Abraham’s son, lied to the king and said his wife Rebekah was his sister to save himself. We see the generational sin of lying and deception out of fear of authority. Then, Isaac’s son Jacob deceives Isaac by pretending to be the oldest son Esau in order to get his father’s blessing. Jacob’s motive for lying may have been different from Abraham and Isaac but do you see the pattern of the same sin? Are lying and deception issues in your family? Is there a fear of authority that causes you to cower down, stutter, stammer, or even lie and deceive out of fear? No matter how subtle the generational sin may be, spiritually reflect so that we can strategize for closing those portals for the fear of authority.

Now this is important. What we know about sin is that sins of commission and sins of omission open the doors or spiritual portals for evil spirits to enter into us. So when we continue to commit generational sins, we open the door for a strongman or ruling spirits and other demons to enter in. Luke says in Luke 22:3-4, “Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus.” How was Satan able to enter Judas? Because Judas had a sinful heart of greed, the portal was open.

In Acts 5:3, Luke narrated these events, “Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep part of the price of the land?” This couple withheld money from the church and lied about it. Because of the sin of covetousness in their hearts, the strongman of covetousness and other demons such as lying, and greed entered into them and ultimately caused their deaths.

So if we take the sin of “lust” lightly, please understand that the excessive thought of sex with someone or desiring someone’s body or their sex in the “privacy of our own minds” opens the door for the strongman to come into us. According to the research of Frank and Ida Mae Hammond, after the strongman establishes himself as ruler in us, he is integral in the role of other demons coming in.

So now, the sin of lust in the heart and mind have given birth to full-fledge adultery. The strong man of “sexual immorality” has taken residence in the “house” of your husband or wife from a sin that the world “measures” as minor. Can the sins that we commit originate from the prompting of Satan? Of course they can; ask Eve! However, we must let the power of Holy Spirit operate in our lives to help us to take the escape that God has already provided for us when temptation comes. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

God has made a way of escape for us before we partner with Satan to sin. We just have to choose to take the escape. Jesus died so that we would have the power to resist the devil through the Holy Spirit. We can’t dare say that the devil has too much power. Luke narrates what Jesus says in Luke 10:19 “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” We have power to overcome generational sin.

Frank and Ida Mae Hammond’s research also suggests that when we are vulnerable, demons are able to enter in. If we’re fearful of something happening to us such as divorce or our spouse leaving us, that makes us vulnerable and we can open ourselves up to the strongman of worry, nervousness, and even grief. We have to be vigilant and spiritually discerning about what is happening to us and concerning us in the spiritual ream. Then, we can uproot these demons – or even better, cut them off before they take root.

One of the most important spiritual tactics for closing up spiritual portals is to first, repent. You have to want to come out of that sin just as much as or even more than you wanted to commit the sin. Secondly, you have to actually come out of sin. Third, ask for forgiveness and turn in the opposite direction of your sin. Fourth, when you come out, the strongman and demons in you must come out through deliverance. Fifth, when you are delivered from these demons, immediately allow Holy Spirit to rule and take complete control of your life. If you don’t, you are at a serious risk of allowing the strongman to come back with seven other demons worse than him. Then you will be worse off than you were before your deliverance. (See Matthew 12:44-45.) Of course, you will continue with your regular strategic warfare plan (See your first email installment) of worshipping and speaking in tongues, praying and speaking confessions, and studying and meditating on the Word of God.

Supporting Scriptures
Most of the scriptures about curses have to do with God administering punishment for the sin of our forefathers. However, in Ezekiel, God said that He wasn’t going to do that anymore. Each person would die for his own sin. Then, Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law.

Exodus 20:5 “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for 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,”
Numbers 14:18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’
Romans 5:19 ‘For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.’
Ezekiel 18:1-4 “The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘The parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.”
Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

© 2017 Jené Walker International