DRAWING NEAR – PART 4

GENERATIONAL CURSES AND FAMILIAR SPIRITS

  We have heard about generational curses throughout our lives and many of us have actually witnessed and most likely even experienced this evil power and influence. We know that all humans are born in sin and have a depraved nature that is contrary and opposed to God and if anyone continues to live without the intervention of Jesus, this default nature will bring the consequence of spending an eternity apart from God’s presence. However, there is also a generational blessing that works the same way and it has to do with saturating the next generation with God’s Word and fervent prayer. When we think about generational curses the first thing that comes to mind is a negative attitude and dark behavior that is passed down from our parents. Some believe that certain abnormalities within the chromosomes causes a distorted DNA sequence (similar to how diseases are transferred) that is duplicated in the offspring which creates a powerful influence in the child. In this light, the next generation face a very strong pull to follow the footsteps of their parents and are faced to fight this drawing power in order to stop themselves from duplicating the past generations conduct. Whatever the physical and mental explanation, we must realize that behind all behavior there is SPIRITUAL warfare that is much more at work than a bloodline. God is light and desires to lead all people to His love, but the enemy uses the familiarity of habits and desires and is definitely focused with continuing the destruction. These familiar spirits are demons that have been assigned to follow and influence the offspring and use the same methods of temptation as a “cycle” of agony and defeat.

Allow me to say before we go any further, I do NOT believe that any individual’s will is controlled by a generational curse. We all have a free-will to make choices and decisions. I also want to clarify that a generational curse does not mean a person is necessarily demon possessed. The world is filled with OPPRESSION and many of us who are trying to serve the Lord face this on a regular basis. There have been wonderful people that have lived holy and dedicated to the Lord that has come from terribly dysfunctional homes. It is because they heard God’s Word and responded and made the CHOICE to follow His voice. They did not give in to the excuses of the flesh and the idea that darkness is their destiny. When we take a closer look at Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 6, we can see that God’s Word is an extremely powerful influence that is the responsibility of the parent to the child. When a parent teaches God’s Word and plants the seed of holy truth within the heart of a little one, this becomes a generation blessing that can enhance the life and save the soul of that generation. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when they are old, they will NOT depart from it.” This is why we teach the accountability to raise up children in the Lord’s presence because it is a serious sin to lead any young one into the devils way of thinking and living. Yes, it is true that many parents that have struggled with alcohol, drugs, lust, crime, violence and laziness have produced children that followed the exact same behaviors. In all of these cases we know that demons are a strong persuasion and in some cases actually possess the individual, however not all demon possessed people act the way we might think. Most of us associate demonic possession with the stories of the New Testament where we see people being violent, wild and out of their mind as it was very obvious these individuals were being controlled by an evil entity. But there are levels of spiritual darkness as there are levels of Godliness and this is where much deception has blanketed the minds of the masses. For example, there are church members that do not have a clue what it means to be in God’s presence or to say more than a casual prayer if they pray at all. It is also very common for some to have never studied the Bible in their life or led another person to Christ. We can safely say that on a level of spiritual advancement that this particular type of person is still sucking the bottle and is not mature enough to be used by God. There are also many that “play” with sin and ride the middle of the spiritual fence with one day going to church and the next day watching pornography or whatever. The enemy is not ignorant but rather is very crafty as the goal is to find an “open door” in a person’s life in order to establish a deeper stronghold within the conscience. This is a warning to all of us; we are constantly coming in contact with those who have been deceived and do not know it. For example, those who claim to see the dead are being deceived by familiar spirit demons in order to manipulate and build a close relationship with that person. Be careful who you touch and remember to pray the blood of Jesus over your life when you are ministering to others. I cannot stress enough how important it is to NOT open any doors or flirt with demonic temptations. The only way we can recognize these spirits is to be so close to God and walking in His presence that our sensitivity and discernment is operating on a high level. Be aware of the tricks and snares of the enemy to get you involved with seemingly “helping” someone when outside forces are luring you to be entangled in chaos. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and He will instruct and lead you in your labors. If He says to dust off your feet and keep going, realize He is protecting you from danger. There are many women that are controlled by these demons that are used to tempt men by distracting and implanting evil thoughts into the minds of those who are weak. The television is filled with demonic activity and is the source of much sin and filth that many are absorbing into their conscience. Matthew chapter 6 and verse 22 and 23 says, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single [clear] thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [terrible] is that darkness.” What is this saying? It is saying that it is VERY important to watch over and guard what we look at. Where do you think all of the images and messages we watch end up? They stay in our heart and need to be purified with His refining fire. Do we really believe that we can fill our conscience with darkness constantly and walk in the holiness and awareness of God?

Being spiritually deceived by a familiar spirit is a very serious problem that I personally believe has become a plague. When we consider that many religious people have never actually been born-again we must face the fact they are open game for demonic activity. As the individual continues to have a relationship with whatever it is they have given their heart to, they become a victim to a process of losing the mental capacity to reason and eventually the power of their will. When a person’s thoughts center on their perverted desires, this new master controls their actions and words as their personality dissolved and another consciousness begins to emerge. Slowly but surely the person allows this new presence to make decisions and lead them without them hardly realizing what is happening. Spirit guides have been acknowledged by the New Age movement and this is exactly what every demon has been assigned to accomplish in the world’s population. The leaders of this age are all controlled by demons and receive their instructions from Satan and the lies of hell. I counsel individuals on a regular basis and I am beginning to recognize these spirits more all the time. I spoke with a person the other day and they were having major mental and emotional situations but when I tried to mention Jesus they would instantly change the subject. They also would not look me in the eye as a strong resistance began to emerge that was determined to only tell about their evil past. After several times of going round and round I realized they really did not want help or to be delivered from the problem but just wanted my attention and brag about how bad they have been. We can only help those who are willing to help themselves and if someone just wants to play games and waste our time, we should continue to pray but we really need to move on. The alarming danger is these people are everywhere and involved with principalities and powers. There have been times I have walked into churches and felt a very heavy, dark and oppressive spiritual presence and sadly it is coming from those who are in the building. “Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing SPIRITS, and doctrines of DEVILS; speaking LIES in hypocrisy; having their conscience SEARED with a hot iron.” (I Timothy 4:1-2)

Allow me to repeat once again, it is very important to have God’s voice in these circumstances and only progress in dealing with these spirits when God gives the orders. With generational curses we can preach salvation and try to explain God’s Word and even offer recovery programs which in many cases has really helped people see the big picture of what has happened to them. This is usually associated with demonic oppression and prayer can definitely break this power and bring deliverance if the person really desires to be set free. But when it comes to possession, we must realize this is very serious and we must lean on the wisdom and understanding of Jesus to help us know what to do. If He is NOT saying to advance into spiritual warfare – do NOT proceed on your own! This is not a movie or a television show. We are not to fear but God’s Word warns us to approach this in a somber and grave manner. We find in Mark chapter 9 the story of a man who brought his possessed son to the disciples for healing and they could not cast the spirit out of the boy. Later, they asked Jesus privately why they could not do it and He said this type can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. There is another story in Acts chapter 19 about a group of Jewish vagabond witch doctors that tried to cast out some demons by saying we rebuke you by Jesus whom Paul preaches. The evil spirits answered and said Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you? And the possessed man jumped on them and beat them up and stripped them of their clothes as they ran away. Walking in the power of God is not a magic formula but a LIFESTYLE and there is no substitute for prayer! Do you believe the devil and his demons respect your spiritual authority with God? Jesus would love to use us in these last days but only the humble and pure in heart will be able to contain this powerful level of anointing.