“I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected - even children in the third and fourth generations.”
Exodus 34:7 NLT
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Psalm 139:23 NLT
For quite some time now, I have asked God to teach me how to pray. Yes, Jesus instructs us to pray, “Our Father…” in the sixth chapter of Matthew. On another occasion, Jesus tells the disciples to, “Watch and pray.” He even calls His house (temple), “…a house of prayer.” The Apostle Paul encourages us, as well, to pray without ceasing, and to let our requests be made known to God with thanksgiving. In the book of James, we are instructed,” to pray for one another that you may be healed.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 is a call to prayer from Father God, “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
From cover to cover, the call to prayer trumpets throughout the pages of the Bible. So what could my view of prayer add? If you care to keep reading, step up, no quarter necessary. Maybe, the following words will help you “Turn To Clear Vision” expanding your view in prayer? I submit the following for your discernment.
In asking God to teach me how to pray, I felt He had instructed me to, “Look…”
The thought continued. Look beyond the current situation and delve behind the scenes. What do you see? Hmm… what do I see? Look for what lies out of view. Look beyond the obvious to the generations before me.
Almost daily, I ask the Lord to search me, and know my heart, to see if there is any offensive way within me, and lead me in the way everlasting. The Lord is quite faithful to answer this prayer, freeing me from the things that have offended Him. At times, prayer results are expedient; however, there are times when sin seems to hang on with a great tenacity - a tenacity that is tied to the proceeding generations.
“Look,” declares the Lord.
The very thing, stronghold, with which you are struggling may have begun in prior generations. A few examples would be: alcoholism, adultery, divorce, lying, bitterness, pornography, anger, violence, greed, addiction… the list goes on. Such traits can invade one’s lineage, and become established throughout the generations. For instance, a pattern of lying can be seen passed from Abraham to Isaac. These men both found themselves fearful for their safety in a foreign land, and decided to twist the truth regarding their wives. The deception? They assured the king of the land that these beautiful women were their sisters, all in an effort to side step their own demise. Consider the lies told by Jacob, the son of Isaac. Deception multiplied, working greatly in his life. The thread of deception goes even farther back to Adam and Eve succumbing to the lying serpent. I am not saying, “The devil made me do it.” We are responsible for our own actions and the choices we make; yet, there may be an underlying reason the stronghold of sin may be hard to break. As stated in Exodus 34:7: the entire family is affected. The struggles we face could be anchored in the iniquity of the generations shackling the whole family. Now is not the time to lose hope, but to rise up for freedom sake. In Christ, there is liberty! So, how does one break loose?
Dear God, teach us how to pray.
“Look…”
What do you see? What do you see in your siblings? Parents? Grandparents? What did they struggle with? Is it the same struggle you are facing today? There is hope! Freedom is at hand.
In spending time with the Lord, He will teach us how to pray. He will illuminate our struggle revealing if it ties to the past. Ask Him. Tell Him you are willing to “Look…” Be the forerunner of freedom for your generations as you repent for the sins of your family line - lines that run all the way back to Adam.
I submit the following prayer as an example, regarding divorce in my family lineage.
Father, I repent for my divorce, and take full responsibility for my own actions. I “look” and see the sin of divorce within my heritage. I repent for the sin of divorce in my generations, and break the stronghold of this sin off of my life, the life of my children, and the generations to come - even all the way back to Adam - I declare it broken, in the Name of Jesus. I break any vow I have made to not be like/repeat the sins of my forefathers, and set our bloodline free from the damage of divorce. I choose to forgive my parents for their divorce, the havoc it caused, and the devastating effect it had on my life. Dear Jesus, renew my mind, body and spirit, from any damage divorce caused. I call in the healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ over our generations; replacing the sin of divorce with a covenant keeping conviction.
(Please note: I am not citing a formula, but offering an insight to prayer i.e. a possible path to freedom.)
An insight to prayer:
1. Acknowledge my action as sin.
2. Take responsibility for my choice. (Don’t blame someone else.)
3. Repent on your behalf.
4. Repent on behalf of the generations - generational sin.
5. In the Name of Jesus…
Break the power of such sin off of your life, the life of your children, and generations to come.
Break the power of this established sin off of your bloodline.
Break any vow made to not be like/repeat the sin of your ancestors.
6. Forgive as needed.
7. Replace the stronghold of sin with the presence and character of God, in the Name of Jesus.
Example: Replace lying with truth, hate with love, anger with peace, pornography with purity etc.
Call in the blessings of the Lord!
Step up.
Let God be your viewfinder. Allow Him to search your heart. Seek freedom.
“Look…”
Prayer
Father,
I acknowledge my action of ______________ as sin. You know my struggle.
I take full responsibility for my choice, and no longer blame others for my action.
I repent for the sin of _______________.
I repent on behalf of my generations acknowledging the generational sin of_____________.
In the Name of Jesus, I break the power of _____________ off of my life, the life of my children and the generations to come.
In the Name of Jesus, I break the established generational stronghold of _______________ off of my bloodline once and for all this day all the way back to Adam.
In Christ, I break the power of any vow I made to not be like, or repeat, the actions of my parents or those before them. Freeing my family from any curse of _______________.
I forgive ______________.
In the Name of Jesus, I call in the very presence and character of God to replace the sin of _________________ with Your attribute of ____________________.
I call in the blessings of the Lord!
Thank You, Lord, for helping me to see.
Amen
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