About Generations, Heritage, Legacy, Destiny and predisposition
I was doing some research about the upbringing of John Edwards. What I found here, was this: Both parents were known intellectuals and that shaped him from his early childhood days. His father was well respected as both a teacher and preacher. His mother was well educated and had as much of an influence on Jonathan as his father did. He was an intelligent child and used writing as a way to codify his burgeoning philosophies. …
One could say:
Ok, now I understand. He just passed on what he received by his parents. (See here my last Article)
I didn’t have such an upbringing. My background was more like the one from Max Jukes. Therefore, I have no chance to leave such a legacy to my children no matter how hard I try. My life is destined by my ancestors, and probably there are generational curses holding me back too.
In the Bible (Num 14:18) we find some information about generational curses, and how iniquity passes on to the fourth generation. If you are a Christian, believing on what Jesus did for us on the cross, then we can know that Christ was made a curse, so we can be freed from the curses that sin (both our sins and those of our forefathers) has brought on us. Galatians 3:13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree:”
So why are there so many believers who seem to be living under a generational curse? This has puzzled me. About three years ago I studied the book „switch on your brain“ written by Dr. Caroline Leaf. She explains “That the sin of parents create a predisposition, not a destiny. That means, even being free from any generational cures, we can still live in the predisposition of our ancestor.
How is this?
Here is how it works: “Epigenetic changes represent a biological response to an environmental signal. That response can be inherited through the generations via the epigenetic marks. But if you remove the signal, the epigenetic marks will fade. “(S.59)
Basically, in my own words, this means that the predisposition is inside a cocoon. It is there, but not activated. Unless you activate it. How? Through your own words which produce chemical responses and as a result cause the cocoon to activate.. I know a man in his sixties, telling me time after time:
“Switch on your brain”
pages 58-60
I will lose my mind when I get older. My mother did, my grandmother did, the sisters of my grandmother too… so I will as well.
That’s how this man is activating this predisposition, even though he is a Christian and consciously got rid of all the generational curses he lived in before he came to Christ.
We are responsible to be aware of our predispositions, and eliminate them. To achieve this we have to take responsibility for our own choices and apply the work on the cross and confess, repent and eliminate future sinful choices.
In addition, our choices (the epigenetic signals) alter the expression of genes (the epigenetic markers), which can then be passed on to our children and grandchildren, ready to predispose them before they are even conceived. In other words, our bad choices become their bad predisposition.
So no matter where we stand today, we are all living our lives with the same truth available: We are all free to accept the work of Christ on the cross and get free from any generational curses – and even turn them into generational blessings. Even though generational curses are a reality today, we all have the possibility to eliminate them by turning our lives around, no matter where we stand today and what our “fate” is. Because, as a result fate has no power anymore. Your ancestors may have made choices that would leave you with a destiny of a powerless life and of surrender. But you still have the choice to adopt a different reality in your life.
