International School of The Bible

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While some people need basic information on generational curses, we have found that many others may understand them, but cannot understand why they are not yet free from their influence.

The issue here is that yes, we are legally delivered from the curse as we discussed in the first part of this Chapter, but experiencing that freedom may take some overcoming time.  Being under the curse is being under the "power of darkness," as stated in Colossians 1:13, and being free from the curse is being under the "kingdom of the Son of His love."

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13).  One of the greatest tools that the "power of darkness" has is a generational curse.  One of the greatest benefits of the Kingdom of God is to release us from all kinds of curses.  As we studied in the first part of this Chapter, there is often a time element as we overcome our curses.  Often, we must go through the "visiting" of the curse in our lives after we receive the Word of promise that Jesus took the curse for us.

Watchman Nee, in his daily devotion, alludes to this and brings to us the example that Peter proclaimed in 2 Peter chapter 1. 

Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure.  2 Peter 1:10. 

Spiritual wealth comes not from special gifts of grace on special occasions, but from unremitting divine activity in a human life over years of time.  It is a grief to me to find brothers and sisters so dependent on special experiences that, between the periodic help these bring, they lapse into a life indistinguishable from that of the pagans around them.  What a poverty-stricken state this reveals!  They are laying in store no riches.  Between the temporary lift they get from Christian meetings or other means of grace, they live a life of defeat.  The life of the Spirit is not like that.  Its wealth is not gained at the halting-places of life, but through the ceaseless operation of God's grace on the long stretch of the road between.

Many people lack what I consider the two main components to live a godly and overcoming life.  I submit that those are:

1.  Transparency with God.

2.  The discipline to live a life pleasing to God.

I want to show how Peter addresses these two issues as absolutely necessary for moving our lives from the "power of darkness" into the Kingdom of God.  My comments will come after you read the following Scripture.

2 Peter 1:2-11 (Amplified Bible) says,

May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).

By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.

For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence),

And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety),

And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love.

For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [spiritually] shortsighted, seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall.

Thus there will be richly and abundantly provided for you entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Note that Peter describes an important process for us to obtain everything we need for life and godliness.  His process also includes a way for us to escape the power of darkness and instead enjoy the Kingdom of God.

First, he says that everything starts with knowing God, and that through that knowing we will receive His promises.  I believe that knowing God infers intimacy.  We need to create that intimacy by giving God everything in our hearts, everything good and bad, every day.  I believe that when we do this, God can trust us with His intimacy.  I refer to Isaiah chapter 6 and Matthew chapter 13, where God says that He speaks in parables so that only those who have good intentions will He trust with His secrets (my paraphrase to Isaiah 6:9-10 and Matthew 13:15-16).

Then Peter goes on to say, that to the promises gained through intimacy that we need to add some things while on our life's path.  Those things are:

Virtue

Knowledge

Self control

Godliness

Brotherly kindness

Love

Then notice, Peter goes on to say, that as progress in these things that it results in more knowledge of God, or more intimacy.  The next result is deliverance into the Kingdom of God. 

I see this as a continuous cycle in life.  Intimacy, disciplines, more intimacy, deliverance.  I submit that those who neglect these things on a regular basis are candidates for being stuck in their generational curses.

Footnotes:

  Nee, Watchman, A Table in the Wilderness, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois, 1965, Page from September 4th.

Invitation to a feast; of the divine invitation to embrace salvation of God