We all know God is love and loving. His love for the redeemed is everlasting. Nevertheless, it is also imperative to know that God can be terrible.
God does things that are terrible and awesome. That is why Moses says He is “fearful in praises.” (Exodus 15:11). The writer of Hebrews warns: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31). Paul says: “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” (2 Corinthians 5:11).
Most Christians see God in one-dimension. We see Him as a goody-goody God. But God Himself warns against this. He says:
“It shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.’” (Zechariah 1:12).
It is the same loving God that proclaimed these terrible curses and more in the scriptures on those who failed to obey His commandments:
“The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me. The Lord will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess. The Lord will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish. And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven, it shall come down on you until you are destroyed. (Deuteronomy 28:20-24).
Evil Foundations
Many Christians do not seem to know that the evil in the world is the result of God’s judgment against the sins of the world. This means we often suffer for the sins of others. A drunk driver maims an innocent bystander. An armed robber kills even the righteous.
Moreover, we are afflicted for our own sins. “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7). If we do not repent, we will perish. (Luke 13:1-5).
But equally devastating are the sins we inherit: “Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their iniquities.” (Lamentations 5:7).
This is because God is a jealous God: “Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Him.” (Exodus 20:5).
David asks: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:1). When Jesus inaugurated His ministry, He read from Isaiah. The scripture He read details what the Messiah would do. It then goes on to declare what is expected of the redeemed:
“They shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.” (Isaiah 61:4).
Many are suffering needlessly the evil foundations inherited from their ancestors. When you tell them they have to uproot these foundations, they argue with you. Thus, God warns about generational curses:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” (Hosea 4:6).
God says: “Your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand.” (Isaiah 28:15). Jesus reiterates this: “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.” (Matthew 15:13).
This expedient is the basic assignment of the prophet. God says to Jeremiah: “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:10).
This is the promise of God our Redeemer: “On Mount Zion, there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” (Obadiah 1:17).
“Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.” (Isaiah 58:12).
Confessions
O Lord. rebuke my evil foundations and cast them into the sea of forgetfulness forever in Jesus’ Name. O Lord, deliver me from every evil foundation that my ancestors have created for me in Jesus’ Mighty Name. I break myself loose from every inherited evil curse in the Name of Jesus.
O Lord my God, by the authority you have given me in the Name of Jesus I pull down, demolish, and destroy every evil foundation fighting against me and my family in Jesus’ Name. From today, I declare that I and my family are free from every foundational problem created by my forefathers in Jesus’ victorious Name. Amen and Amen!
Generational Problems
Eliphaz says: “Affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble spring from the ground; yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” (Job 5:6-7).
Men are often born to trouble for generational reasons. There are afflictions that come down from fathers and grandfathers as far as to the fourth generation. This is why David makes the curious observation that: “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.” (Psalm 58:3).
Abraham lied to Abimelech that Sarah, his wife, was his sister. (Genesis 20:2). Abraham’s son, Isaac, also lied to the men of Gerar that Rebekah, his wife, was his sister. (Genesis 25:6-7). Jacob, the son of Isaac, lied to his father that he was Esau. (Genesis 27:19). The sons of Jacob lied to Shechem and Hamor and had them killed. (Genesis 34:13-17).
This pattern of telling lies becomes a cycle of life passed on from generation to generation.
Evil Inheritance
“Then one from the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ But He said to him, ‘Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?’” (Luke 12:13-14).
Just as people inherit lands, houses, money, shares, cars etc., even so they inherit curses, barrenness, poverty, familiar spirits, ill health, and premature death.
Jesus has come to give us a better inheritance: “The Lord said to Aaron: ‘You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.” (Numbers 18:20).
We must acknowledge in the altar of prayer that: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:16-17).
Therefore, Jesus enjoins us: “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9).
Confessions
Every evil family inheritance in my life, let it be flushed out by the blood of Jesus and destroyed in Jesus’ Name. I release myself from every inherited bondage in Jesus’ Name. I uproot every evil plantation in my life in Jesus’ Name.
I break and loose myself from every inherited evil covenant in Jesus’ Name. Let the resurrection power of Christ overshadow me in Jesus’ Name.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; www.femiaribisala.com