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August, 2003

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BREAKING GENERATIONAL CURSES
BY MARILYN CONRAD

When I first started standing for my marriage, I thought I was just standing for my husband and our relationship. However, I soon saw the effects of divorce on my two sons, their wives and, eventually, my grandchildren; therefore, it did not take long for me to understand that I was standing for my children also.

I have learned that when the devil sees that he cannot get us off our stands, he will attack our children. He knows where we are most vulnerable. There were times when it looked like neither of my boys would answer the call of God on their lives. Murry and his wife Becky were separated and divorced for seven months. (Most of you know that Murry stood and they were remarried!) During this time I kept telling the devil that he was not going to have my family and that we would serve the Lord.

In the midst of spiritual warfare for my sons and their wives, someone called me out at a meeting and gave me Isaiah 8:18: “Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me! We are for signs and wonders….” He said I was a catalyst in my family and that what God was teaching me would overflow onto my family. Thank God for His prophets. This man gave me encouragement to hang in there and not give up on my family.

Today, both my sons and their wives, Craig and Susan and Murry and Becky, are serving the Lord. Our grandchildren, Kyle and Melissa, are both in college and know how to do spiritual warfare. Kyle has interceded for his classmates whose parents are divorced.

We can change future generations. We can repent for this generation and turn things around. We can break curses that have been put on this generation and generations to come—our children and our children’s children.

CHOOSE LIFE

Curses can follow a person, a race or a nation for generations unless they are supernaturally broken. Deuteronomy 30:15 & 19 says, "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendents may live.”

I submit to you that choosing life or death, blessing or curses is our choice, our decision, an act of our wills. Curses are generational, but so are blessings! Choose life—choose the blessings of God instead of opening the door to curses through disobedience.

When our forefathers sinned, their transgressions opened the way for a curse to be placed on our bloodline. It says in Exodus 20:5 that the sins of the fathers will extend to the 3^rd and 4^th generations. Just as we must appropriate the blood of Jesus Christ personally for salvation, we must also appropriate the sacrifice of Christ individually for the breaking of family curses, based on Galatians 3:13: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree.”

FAMILY HISTORY

Even the world recognizes generational curses. Of course they do not call them curses. Did you ever fill out insurance forms or a questionnaire at the doctor’s office? They want to know if there is any history of heart disease, diabetes or cancer in your family. They know that if it is in your family’s background, it can be in you.

Just as sickness and disease can be a curse, adultery can also be a curse. Divorce can be a curse. In Deuteronomy 28, blessings are listed that result from obedience to God. Then the curses are given which result from disobedience. Verse 30 says, “Thou shalt betroth a wife and another shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.” These verses paint a picture of what divorce does to a family.

Verse 32 describes what happens to our children: “Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.”

But according to Galatians 3:13, we have been redeemed from the curse of the law. We do not have to accept divorce and adultery. We have been redeemed from that curse, and we can break these generational curses with the blood of Jesus. Jesus became a curse for us! Hallelujah!

Matthew 12:29 states, “How can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man?” House here means generations. So we need to bind the strongman and then take back the house (that generation) from him. Tell the devil you are not going to have heart disease, diabetes, cancer, divorce and adultery in your bloodline.

THE BLOOD OF JESUS

The enemy will try to come back, so fight until the curse is totally broken. He will also try to go after your children or your grandchildren. Do not allow it. The devil is trying to destroy your nation and he is after our children. The blood of Jesus is the answer to the curse.

Other curses could be poverty and financial lack, death and destruction. Based on Galatians 3:13, pray and break all curses known and unknown off yourself and future generations.

PRAYER

Pray the following prayer: Father, your Word says Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law, having been made a curse for me. Therefore, I break every generational curse of adultery, separation and divorce, sickness and disease (name them), poverty, financial lack, death and destruction off myself, past generations and all future generations, in Jesus’ name. I place the cross between all past generations and myself. Every curse and assignment must stop at the cross, in Jesus’ might name. Amen.

The Lord gave me a scripture for one of our past conferences from Psalm 78:5-8: For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born, who should arise and declare them to their children, then they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.”

PAY A PRICE

I pray we will not be a stubborn and rebellious generation, one which is not faithful to train our children in the ways of God. If so, future generations will suffer and pay a great price for our disobedience.

Verses 9-11 say, “The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law, and forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them.”

Just as the children of Ephraim were armed for battle, today many Christians are armed also. We would not think of starting our day without our armor. We put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, we take the shield of faith which quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked one and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. And we pray in the Holy Ghost. (See Ephesians 6:14-18)

However, dressing for battle is not enough. We have to actually go into battle and fight! The children of Ephraim were armed but turned back in the day of battle. I believe this generation will go down in history as one which turned back when it came to fighting for their families. Many have accepted divorce instead of fighting for their homes and marriages. Divorce recovery, remarriage and blended families are a result of turning back and refusing to fight.

Generations to come will pay a price unless we choose to stop the curse of divorce on our families. Curses are generational, but so are blessings. We must choose life and be willing to lay down our lives for future generations.

Divorce, Be Cast Into The Sea
In 2003!