THE GENERATIONAL TRANSCENDENCE OF FUTURE DESCENDANTS

Going against the grain of society, what do we have in common regarding the next generation? While abortion rates soar and children are seen as burdens, an obstacle to a fulfilled life, the Bible still declares what God has stated for millennia.

Psalms 127:3-5

Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth.

Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.

While society states that children are an inconvenience, the Bible says they are a blessing.

While society states that children are a burden, the Bible says that they are a privilege.

The Generational Curse

What if I told you that what you do now can affect your children? Or maybe, there children? What if I told you that certain decisions or actions could affect your lineage, or perhaps determine the outcome of the generation that would come from you? What if I told you that your legacy in this lifetime or lack of can transcend generations to come? With that said, how would you live each day if this was true?

In Genesis 20:1-5, Abraham lies to Abimelech about Sarah. He states that she is his sister while she was his wife.

In Genesis 26:6-10, Isaac does the exact same thing. He lied to Abimelech.

In Genesis 27, Jacob deceives his father Isaac to obtain the blessing that was going to Esau.

In Genesis 37:31-33, Josephs brothers deceive their father Jacob about Joseph, claiming he was dead.

As this is tragic, it had all started generations ago with one simple lie.

From there, it escalated over generations, becoming worse in the third and fourth generation.

In Numbers 14:18, it says: 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.’

We cannot deny the fact that what we do and how we live impacts the generations that come from us. Therefore, we need to consider how we live our every day lives for they will continue even after we give up our last breath.

Let’s look at this video below…

Victor Marx became the fastest gun snatcher all because of one sentence his stepfather told him. It’s amazing what one line from our daily dialogues can do. And we say things to our children every single day…

I remember the one sentence my father told me that changed my life. We were sitting at the dining room table, busy with devotion. That night, we were tested with a Bible Quiz, and of course, I won. However, at the end of the devotion, my Dad asked me, “Who was the father of Jesus?”

And naturally, I answered, “Joseph.”

“No,” my Dad replied, “It was John.”

“Oh, okay,” I said with confusion.

Then my Dad said, “No, Kristian, it’s Joseph. No matter what people say, you always believe the Bible. Don’t listen to what other people say.

From that day on, I had a hunger for God’s word. I wanted to know the truth so that deception would never stand a chance. I wanted to be armed with the truth so that the devil could never attack me with lies.

One sentence can affect your child’s life. The question is, what are you saying?

The Generational Mantle

Now, if we look at the same generation, and have a look at their gifts, we will find another perspective.

 In Genesis 15:12, Abraham has a dream

In Genesis 28:10-12, Jacob has a dream

In Genesis 37:5-10, Joseph had a dream

This is known as a generational mantle, gifts that are passed down through generations.

The question is: What happened to Isaac?

When Isaac’s sons were born, God spoke over them in Genesis 25: 23 saying:

The Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
    and the older will serve the younger.”

But Isaac never heed the word of God. Rather he still chose to give his blessing to Esau even when it was destined for Jacob. Disobedience can hamper your generational mantle. Defiance against God’s plan for your life and generation can derail you from your purpose and your gifts.

However, ultimately, God’s word still prevailed in this scenario because Jacob still received the blessing. Also, Isaac repented afterwards and blessed Jacob because he realized that God’s plans and purposes will always endure. Genesis 28:1

The Generational Redemption

In Numbers 14:18, we see that God visits the third and fourth generation for the sins of the father. Now, many will say that this isn’t true anymore because we are not under the law but under the Spirit. 

True.

But are you living according to the Spirit?

I was at the gym a while ago and I noticed a man ridiculing his son in front of everyone. Knowing that I knew the Bible well, the man demanded that I tell his son that he must honour is father because it says so in Ephesians 6.

I replied, “You have quoted Ephesians 6:1-3 eloquently but missed out verse 4.”

“What’s that?” he asked with curiosity.

“I replied, “Fathers do not provoke your children to anger.”

He then went on to deny that the scripture ever written, that he didn’t know any such verse.

Is it strange that some parents cherry pick scriptures, and then expect their children to follow the Bible one day? Billy Graham said that children don’t do as they are told but as we live our lives. If we only obeyed half the Bible, why would they read it at all?

In Genesis 19, we find a man by the name Lot. While Abraham searched for the land that God was giving to him, Lot searched for a place in the carnal sense. Slowly but surely, he led his family closer and closer to Sodom and Gomorrah. Eventually, he was living in the city of sin with his family and soon became an elder at the gate. This meant he had a high position at Sodom and Gomorrah.

We must be careful that we don’t have high positions and statuses in things that don’t matter, that are against God’s purposes, and that aren’t eternal. Lot also chose unfit son-in-laws for his daughters who did not fear God. In fact, when the anngel came to warn them about the coming destruction, they laughed at them. Due to Lot’s immense amount of wealth, he hesitated when the angels told him to leave, so much so that they grabbed hold of them and ran out the city.

Lot’s daughters may gotten out of Sodom and Gomorrah but they didn’t get Sodom and Gomorrah out of them. The influence that father had allowed his daughter to receive had already given them a depraved mind. We need to be careful what influence we bring to our children.

Lot’s daughters were impregnated by their own father and had given birth to two nations, Moab and Ammon. These nations were Israel’s enemies. The generational influence of Lot had caused his legacy to be nations who would go against God’s people. If we aren’t careful how we live our lives, we can have a generation that lives in opposition to God’s will. Moab was a nation that used seduction to cause Israel’s downfall. Which means that the seduction of lot’s daughter had seeped down through generations. It had transcended.

However, there is a certain individual, a Moabitess by the name Ruth who changed the way things were. She believed in Yahweh and married Boaz which led her lineage to Jesus. Even though the Moabite nation was doomed b y prophecy, we see a woman strong in her faith, abandoning her generational gods and practices, choosing to follow the God of Israel. This tells us that there is a generational redemption where when people turn away from their idols and sins and seek God, they can change the outcome of their generation and lead them to Jesus. Some don’t remember who Ruth’s sister was. A woman by the name Orpah. Hardly remembered because her generation was cut off.

2nd Chronicles 7:14-18

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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

17 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’

Do we have a successor in the next generation who will lead others to Jesus?

Are we leading our children to Christ? Are we seeking the face of God for our sons and daughters? Are we making sure that we live in a way that will leave a legacy of love and holiness for the next generation? Will our genealogy spell out the Gospel of Christ? 

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