God’s deliverance
God’s deliverance from negative generational issues
(genetics): God’s traditional & his non-traditional ways
This book if it covered on breaking generational curses alone would have been appropriately titled Breaking generational curses and Breaking generational issues. The title doesn’t sound that fancy yet it’s exactly what we, as Christians, confront in relation to negative generational issues (genetics). Breaking generational curses is for non-believers while breaking generational issues is for believers
As said earlier (see the previous page) God’s deliverance from negative generational issues is by no means deliverance from generational curses. Whatever may appear like generational curses in our Christian lives are merely products of our fallen nature from the Original Sin. These negative inherited matters that are part of the fallen nature are what we seek deliverance for.
We ought not ask God to break generational curses in our lives. We’re already free from being under generational curses or generational punishments. The very day each of us received salvation God worked to free us from the curse of the law. Through our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior we were automatically freed from the curse of the law, which includes generational curses. No other special prayer on breaking generational curses was needed to be freed from generational curses.
It is not a sin to ask God to break generational curses even when they’re already broken. It’s only an expression of ignorance. It’s therefore wasted prayer time. It’s like asking God for salvation even though a person is already saved (born again) and now a child of God.
The people that breaking generational curses applies to is unbelievers. In breaking generational curses among them we do not conduct generational prayers, generational analysis, and other supposed discernment activities. In God’s eyes such activities are meaningless. Remember he’s the one that assigns generational curses. So generational curses can only be broken by meeting his conditions.
We pray for their salvation, so that they may be under the covering of Christ. Being under Christ’s covering meets God’s conditions for breaking generational curses. It is through Christ’s work on the cross that we all obtain God’s mercy. Jesus served as the most suitable sacrifice for all our sins, including the sins of our parents and ancestors. This is has been said already. I’m just repeating it for emphasis’ sake.
For us believers our focus is on negative generational issues or generational characteristics that are part of the fallen nature. We see them in their real sense as matters of the fallen nature, not as generational curses. We see them as generational issues.
In our context as believers we appropriately describe the deliverance from such as breaking generational issues. Breaking generational curses is for non-believers while breaking generational issues is for believers. In both cases it is God who breaks the issues and the curses.
What’s important, for us Christians, is therefore to bring before God genetic attributes that are part of the fallen nature and seeking his deliverance. The best news is that our undesirable genetic characteristics are changeable. For us Christians we have even a bigger advantage with God on our side.
This does not necessarily mean he transforms us to have supermodel looks, have super minds, super personalities, etc. He intervenes where necessary in our lives where circumstantial (nurture) factors and genetic (nature) factors hinder us. It’s all done in line with his sovereign will and prerogative.
This is the case even after we have asked. He usually gives us the grace or comfort to endure the matters he has not worked out the way we wanted him to. It becomes like with Paul over the thorn in the flesh God chose not to remove. Paul writes about God’s response after pleading with him three times:
“He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me,” Corinthians 12:9.
So whichever way God does intervene in our lives when we seek him to act on matters that are undesirable to us. The traditional way or the expected way of his intervention is by changing the undesirable matter to a desirable one. The non-traditional way or the unexpected way of his deliverance is him giving us the grace to endure the undesirable matter.
A modern example we can give of God’s deliverance in an untraditional way is David Ring. David Ring is quite prominent in USA as a person effectively being used by God in spite of his disabilities. Here is a touching Amazon.com editorial review of his book and autobiography, Just As I Am:
“David Ring was born (brain) dead. For eighteen minutes after his delivery, his brain was deprived of oxygen, leaving him with cerebral palsy, a malady that affects his motor skills and speech. He lived the first fourteen years of his life totally dependent on the love and self-sacrifice of his mother. She was his motivation. His cheer-leader. But when she died, he was passed from family member to family member, his confidence shattered and his hopes for the future, dismal.
“That was, until he met Jesus and his life became a dynamic challenge for all who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ. Just As I Am tells the story of this enthusiastic man. He has overcome gigantic obstacles, achieved things no one ever deemed possible - all through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. His life was changed, and yours can be too.
“People throw away broken things, but God uses them. Don't ask why, ask what can I become. When you ask why, you question God's authority, you become bitter. God loves you, and nothing happens that He does not ordain. At the burning bush God told Moses to put down his stick, but Moses wouldn't put it down. What is your stick?” (Amazon.com editorial review of David Ring’s book and autobiography, Just As I Am (same book title Billy Graham used for his)).
In his sermon “Why Bad Things Happen to God's People” David Ring says his famous words, “I have cerebral palsy. What’s your problem?” He implies that the cerebral palsy that’s undesirable and burdensome could have made him to live an unpleasant, unhappy and unfruitful life. However, it’s not supposed to be so with God’s intervention. There is nothing big enough, other than God himself, to stop a Christian’s life.
He says no Christian has any excuse of not being used by God and living a fruitful life for God’s glory. God will use anyone. Availability, not ability is his benchmark for using us.
So that was an example of God’s deliverance in an untraditional way. But we all primarily desire and expect God’s deliverance in a traditional way where he changes the undesirable matter to desirable ones. The truth is that in the basket of needs we present before God throughout our lives he works some out in a traditional way and others in an untraditional way.
All of us have at least one testimony of God’s intervention or deliverance in a traditional way. In relation to our topic on genetics and heredity (generational characteristics) both my parents had very low cognitive abilities. My mom who has since passed was a devoted Christian. Dad less so than mom yet a Christian in many respects. God answered their prayers.
One of their offspring God has highly lifted in career circles, one has reached Harvard University, and so on, including over their grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. We are just a tiny drop in a vast ocean of many that can share such testimonies. Needless to say that university degrees and any earthly advancements do not have a bearing on one’s walk with God.
Like with God’s deliverance the traditional way, all of us have at least one testimony of God’s deliverance in an untraditional way. If it can happen in other areas of life it is fitting to say that God does the same in some areas concerning undesirable generational characteristics.
For instance, in my extended family there are a lot of us that have stubborn and bull-headed personality features. I’m one of them. This has not disappeared since I became a Christian. However, God has given me the grace to recognize when this personality trait is coming out in a negative way. When it hurts or aggravates people around the stubbornness becomes dysfunctional. Stubbornness is also dysfunctional when holding on to false and harmful beliefs or convictions – like the Pharisees.
Thus stubbornness is not evil in its proper context. For instance it’s wise to be stubborn when being influenced to do evil. Stubborn people have such willpower that they can die to defend their convictions.
Stubbornness is also not the same things as pride. A stubborn person can be as meek (humble) as a dove, like Stephen at his stoning. He forgave his wrongdoers. “‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep,” Acts 7:60.
One of those wrongdoers was Paul. Stephen prayed for him. We know how effectively God ended up using him.
So far the stubbornness is a “work in progress,” for me that constantly has to be managed to ensure it’s not being used in dysfunctional ways. It’s one of my thorns in the flesh if it comes out in dysfunctional ways. With God’s help it’s been better managed as I grow in allowing him to transform me into his vessel (rather than being my own vessel). Another area that’s a “work in progress” is workaholic behavior.
Thus God has so far delivered me in an untraditional way in the area of stubbornness and work addiction. He keeps providing sufficient grace and strength to deal with these generational personality attributes. Some areas he has brought deliverance in a traditional way while in others in an untraditional way.
To each of us God responds in different ways and areas when we seek him to deliver us from the undesirable generational characteristics. These attributes may be physical, mental or social in nature. And sometimes we have to seek his grace and strength before he steps in to deliver us in a traditional way. God’s grace and strength is basically his deliverance in an untraditional way.
We keep seeking for God’s traditional deliverance until he tells us that we’re to endure some undesirable generational characteristics in an untraditional way. For more info on how to hear from God please read my other book titled, Hearing from God: How to Hear God’s Voice in Your Life.