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| Ancestral
Strongholds |
Intro
The Believer's
Authority Over Satan
How Satan Attacks
Strongholds
Breaking Strongholds
Ancestral Strongholds
Take the First Step |
Strongholds could have been set up when we lived independently of
God, if ground was given to Satan before we were saved. Or, they can be
set up by our ancestors even centuries before we were born. When the head
of a family gives ground to Satan and that family member dies, the evil
spirit does not die, but seeks to move on in the family line.
That was Sharon’s problem. Sharon cried to the Lord continually
to deliver her from alcohol. “Why was I born in a home of alcoholics?”
she often cried. “My mother drinks, my father drinks, all my
grandparents drink. Heavenly Father please take alcohol out of my life,”
Sharon was not personally guilty of her ancestors’ sins, but at
some point she had accepted Satan’s temptation. How could Sharon be
liberated from alcohol?
The Israelites were aware of generational sins. When the disciples
saw a blind man one day they asked Jesus, “Who sinned, the blind man or
his fathers, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered that neither had
sinned but that his blindness was for the glory of God. They were aware of
ancestors’ sins coming down to the children to the third and fourth
generation of those that did not obey God and gave place to Satan. The
Apostle Peter said we received our vain behavior from the tradition of our
forefathers (I Peter 1:18).
God’s Word gives the answer for canceling out generational sins.
In Leviticus 26:40 we read, “If they shall confess their iniquity and
the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithful- ness which they
committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me
...” Then, God promised, He would remember His covenant and heal the
land.
In Nehemiah 9:2, the children of Israel were in Babylon because of
their fathers’ sins. “The descendants of Israel separated themselves
from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities
of their fathers.” Again we see that giving the word of our testimony is
a powerful weapon against the powers of darkness. Satan is the prince of
the power of the air. What we speak in the air is extremely important.
An example of canceling generational sins can be like this: “I
confess the sins and iniquities of my ancestors. (Name any sins you know
that have come down, like alcohol, lusts, suicide, grudges, etc.). I
renounce their sins and break all subjection and relationship from those
sins. I choose not to practice my ancestors’ sins. Heavenly Father, I
pray that You will cancel out all ancestral sins; Iniquities,
transgressions and curses, so that they cannot continue to come to me, my
children, or my grandchildren on to the third and fourth generation.”
When Sharon realized alcohol was a generational curse, she pulled
down the stronghold and was free from alcohol. When the spirit of alcohol
was cast out, the habit was easier to break.
Josh had opened his life to Jesus Christ, trusting Him as his
Savior, but those horrible experiences of seeing apparitions in his room
at night challenged his faith in God. Were not his sins of the past
covered with the blood of Jesus? Even his Christian parents did not
understand why he continued to struggle, since now he was having his daily
devotions and attending church and Sunday School.
In Josh’s early teens, he had experimented with drugs and toyed
with the occult. Sometimes he played Dungeons and Dragons and with the
ouija board. “It’s just a game,” he would say when the youth Pastor
cautioned him about the dangers of playing with the occult games. This
ground had to be reclaimed so that Josh could be free from fear and the
appearances of the spirits.
Josh claimed God’s promises and was liberated by simply
declaring: “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I take back all ground
that I gave to Satan when I played with the ouija board and Dungeons and
Dragons, and when I abused my body with drugs. I give that area of my life
to the Lord Jesus Christ and I command every evil spirit that you must
leave my room. You have no right to stay here. I claim the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ for cleansing and protection. God has not given me the
spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2
Timothy 1:7).
Josh’s sincere declaration after true repentance, and God’s
Word were powerful tools against the strongholds of his past sins. Josh
was now indeed free.
Past involvement in the occult, and supposedly innocent blood pacts
made as a child, must be renounced. Fetishes and books or games that honor
Satan must be destroyed. Illicit sexual involvement, unforgiveness,
prejudices, or bigotry must be dealt with and forgiven for the Christians'
freedom. Any contact objects that have been used in witchcraft or Satanism
must be destroyed. Any objects that represent an idol must be destroyed
(Deuteronomy 7:25,26).
Jesus has conquered our every enemy, but there is something that we
must do. Satan is a trespasser in the life of a struggling Christian. We
have been given the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we cannot make
our own rules. God’s Word is the authority, the blood of Jesus is our
protection as we reconcile the past, align our wills with our Captain’s
will, put on the armor provided, and come against the powers of darkness. |
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© Marie Hearn, 1999
Notice: These materials are not intended to take
the place of professional, mental health services, but rather to provide
Biblical insight and helpful resources regarding various spiritual and emotional
problems. While we are glad to offer these resources for your personal
use, we encourage you to contact our pastor, Nolan
Jackson, Sr., for in-depth, free, Christian Counseling. If you are
interested in setting up an appointment, please call 770-786-8676 or e-mail
(be sure to include contact information).
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