Have you ever felt like something from your past was determining your future, even though you had no control over it? Whether it be an inherited illness or a family history of poverty, generational curses can weigh heavily on one’s heart and mind. But did you know that the Bible does actually talk about generational curses? So what do those curses mean and how do they apply to believers and nonbelievers in today’s age? Let’s explore together.
The Nature of Matter
If you know anything about human nature, you understand that sin is in our nature. A quick reading of Romans 7 will reveal the nature of the human heart. Jeremiah penned in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately ill; who can understand it?” Jesus explains that our evil nature originates “from within, from the human heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and folly” (Mark 7:21-22). Because “all these evil things come from within and defile a person,” we cannot attribute our sinful nature to our parents or environment (Mark 7:23). Sin is the violation of God’s law (1 John 3:4). Still, sin also reveals what sin is, as the Apostle Paul writes, “if it were not for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it means to covet if the law had not stated, “You shall not covet” (Rom 7:7), but the problem with our attitude is not the law; it is our sinful nature. Some refer to it as our animal nature. Before being born again, we were like “a man who drinks iniquity like water” (Job 15:16), so you cannot change your attitude until you have placed your faith in Christ and received the Holy Spirit.
An Uphill Struggle
Paul’s honesty regarding his struggle is refreshing. “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I continue to do” (Rom 7:19), and “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I despise” (Psalm 51:5), are both statements he makes publicly available for billions of people to read (Rom 7:15). Some may assert that Paul is losing the war against sin, but this is not the case. Later, he acknowledges his guilt before God and cries, “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Then, he confidently says, ” Thanks to God through our Lord Jesus Christ! Therefore, I serve the law of God with my mind, but the law of sin with my flesh (Rom 7:25). Everyone is in a battle. It is a battle between the flesh and instant gratification versus sanctification and choosing to make God-honoring decisions while leaning on Jesus Christ for strength. Jesus says, “Without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5), and without Christ, we can do less than nothing. However, Paul wrote, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). The truth is that it’s good to be in the fight because any dead fish can float downstream, but only a living fish can swim upstream against the world and the flesh. It is a struggle, but this is a sign of a healthy spiritual life.
A Fresh Heart
I became ill. I required a new heart. Not a physical organ like a physical heart, but a heart with unique desires and passions. A desire to love and serve God, to love and serve others, and to love and serve others. I required heart transplantation. Ezekiel describes a day when God will say, “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will remove your heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh” (Ezk 36:26). Even to God’s own people, He inspired Jeremiah the Prophet to write, “I will give them the heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart” (Jer 24:7). This means that my old heart of stone was too hard to receive the Spirit of God, so God gave those of us who have trusted in Christ a new heart so that we can “know that [He is] the Lord.” We will then be His people, and He will be our God. This should alter one’s perspective. What is this present life compared to the glory of eternity (Rom 8:18)?
Choosing Happiness
Either we can live our entire lives in the tent of discontentment, or we can live in contentment, in which case people will gladly visit us. It is challenging to be around someone who always sees the negative side of things, assumes the worst will occur, and considers the worst in people. Paul writes to Timothy, telling him that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6), which means that gratitude and thankfulness are precious in God’s eyes. This leads to contentment, which brings us peace. Paul may have suffered more than any other Christian or apostle in the first century, but he “learned to be content in whatever circumstances he found himself in” (Phil 4:11). How did Paul learn to be satisfied? While unjustly imprisoned, he was beaten, stoned, flogged, shipwrecked, deprived of food and water, and subjected to freezing temperatures in the winter. During his imprisonment in such deplorable conditions, he penned what is commonly known as the “Joy Epistle” or the Book of Philippians. Paul understood that he must choose contentment. He needed to learn how to select it. No one is naturally content, so if you have a negative attitude, it’s apparent that you’re discontented. And that is undoubtedly not godliness. Choose to be satisfied, and your disposition will change.
Conclusion
Christians recognize that it is in our nature to have a negative disposition. We do not naturally sing like songbirds in the morning, but trusting in Christ is the first step in adjusting your attitude. Second, your heart is made of stone without God’s Spirit, just as mine was. I required human nature, and God provided one. Third, remember that we’re all in the same battle, and it won’t be easy, but being in the struggle means we’re striving to live a God-honoring life, and He has not abandoned us. We have a new heart because in Christ we are a new creation (2nd Cor 5:17). Lastly, contentment is similar to love in that you must choose to be content, just as you must choose to demonstrate love through your actions. Jesus is the ultimate illustration of this (John 3:16). It is not simple but worthwhile. You are not a helpless victim; you can choose to adjust your attitude with the help of the Holy Spirit and the Bible, and everything you do can be for God’s glory.
