Iniquity is often time delayed, like a time-released pill would be in the person who takes a medication. The inherited iniquity will often manifest at a time in the individual’s life when it can do the most damage to the person and to those around them.
For example, if a man has sin issues he is not addressing in his marriage, the inherited battles he carries will often lurk under the radar until the time comes to do some serious damage to his wife and children. This is what ends many marriages, ministries and government organizations. The headlines seem to come out of nowhere, but the iniquity existed the entire time. It was never addressed, so it waited to release its venom.
This is why iniquity does not tend to blow up when a child is a toddler. Although many battles manifest in our children, the most dangerous of these occur down the road, when spouses, relatives, children, communities, businesses and churches can suffer the most. If you honestly examine your own family trees, you will notice the same patterns occurring. The rebellion that took place in you or your family is now at work in your children at about the same age you experienced the struggle. Unless addressed and broken, men will inherit their fathers’ anger battles. They hate the anger they experienced but manifest the same anger in the same way, yet worse. The need to be loved and addiction battles are the main ones that seem to chase them down. Children may not have the same drug of choice as a parent, but their addiction roots find another pathway to manifest.
A father’s abandonment is repeated in his son’s life when he becomes a father, often at the same time and in the same way. A mother’s unrelenting struggle with mental illness now takes on on her sons and daughters. Promiscuity and sexual temptations that rise up in our children often seem to shock the parents, yet they never asked God to break their own past sexual battles. This gave room for the children to become vulnerable to the same temptations. The issue was hidden in the closet. They may say, “The past is in the past” until they see it being repeated in the present generation.
In our transformation journey, it is helpful to know that many of our tough sin issues were inherited. Most of the sin issues were hidden, so we fell into shame when those same battles hit our doorstep. It’s clear that other inherited sin battles weren’t conquered in the family tree because we saw them in operation growing up. Recognizing this can relieve us, because some sin battles we face can bring shame as we wonder, “Where did this temptation comes from?” Our ancestors were accustomed to hiding their inward battles, so generations to come are caught in the same torments and struggles.
Generational battles often take some time to overcome. Not always, but often. We should never give up on a battle that could shake our entire family line for the good of the kingdom of God.
Not Condemnation, But Empowerment to Parents
This insight of generational sin should not condemn parents but empower them. Instead of sinking down in shame and guilt over our children’s areas of struggle, why don’t we stand up and take care of our own sins that have been passed down to them? When I am ministering over children, I do not even need to meet the child. I just need to work with the parents, especially the father, because he represents the leadership and priesthood of home. Most often, there are dynamics in the parents or issues in the marriage that are being carried down to the child. As we break the strongholds in the parents, the flow of blessing will at some point hit the children to usher in greater freedom! I have even seen grown children take responsibility for the family’s sin issues, and shortly thereafter, their parents experienced supernatural breakthrough. Amazing upstream blessing!
One of my greatest passions is to minister a spiritual renovation to our homes and families, because the invisible God has chosen to be represented in the visible home. When families break these inherited patterns, revival will chase us down and overtake us. When the spiritual dynamic shifts in our households toward God, we will not have to worry about praying for revival or begging God to move. When these inherited patterns are broken in our families, revival will chase us down and overtake us.
This is a beautiful hope for us all. When I notice my biological children acting out a certain sin issue that I remember struggling with myself, I have a powerful position to see iniquity broken as I kneel down and say, “Son, Daddy struggled with that same issue. Would you like to pray with me so we can see it broken together?” I can kneel down with my daughter and say, “Honey, Daddy knows what that battle is like because I struggled with it, too. Would you like to pray together to see this broken?” I think this is the highest level of generational change. It requires a great deal of humility and pushing down our pride, but this is what God spoke of for the healing of our land.
“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chr. 7:14).
In our marriages, we have to realize that two people come together with their inheritances—some good, some evil. When you’re by yourself, it’s you and your sin. When you get married, it’s your junk combined, raised to the hundredth power. The man carries his issues with women as well as his mother’s and father’s battles. The woman brings her issues with men as well as the generational sins of her parents to the marriage. We hate it, and we try to run the opposite way, but without the work of the Holy Spirit and the power of Jesus Christ, we often repeat it.
I am passionate about helping people break the power of the generational sin that hinders their health, whole relationships and fruitful living. {eoa}
Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series. Click here for part one.
Mark DeJesus has been equipping people in a full-time capacity since 1995, serving in various roles, including, teaching people of all ages, communicating through music, authoring books, leading and mentoring. Mark’s deepest love is his family; his wife Melissa, son Maximus and daughter Abigail. Mark is a teacher, author and mentor who uses many forms of media, including the written word, a weekly radio podcast show and videos. His deepest call involves equipping people to live as overcomers. Through understanding inside out transformation, Mark’s message involves getting to the root of issues that contribute to the breakdown of our relationships, our health and our day-to-day peace. He is passionately reaching his world with a transforming message of love, healing and freedom. Out of their own personal renewal, Mark and Melissa founded Turning Hearts Ministries, a ministry dedicated to inside out transformation. Mark also founded Transformed You, a communication platform for his teachings, writing and broadcasts that are designed to encourage people in their journey of transformation.
For the original article, visit markdejesus.com.
Abby Trivett 
James Lasher 
L.A. Marzulli 
