Here are short powerful devotions on generational curses, prosperity gospel and self control for your devotional bible study.
Generational Curses
The Bible mentions "generational curses" in several places - Exodus 20:5; 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 5:9. God warns that He is "a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me."
It sounds unfair for God to punish children for the sins of their fathers. However, there is more to it than that. The effects of sin are naturally passed down from one generation to the next. When a father has a sinful lifestyle, his children are likely to practice the same sinful lifestyle. Implied in the warning of Exodus 20:5 is the fact that the children will choose to repeat the sins of their fathers. A Jewish Targum specifies that this passage refers to "ungodly fathers" and "rebellious children." So, it is not unjust for God to punish sin to the third or fourth generation - those generations are committing the same sins their ancestors did.
There is a trend in the church today to try to blame every sin and problem on some sort of generational curse. This is not biblical. God's warning to visit iniquity in future generations is part of the Old Testament Law. A generational curse was a consequence for a specific nation (Israel) for a specific sin (idolatry). The history books of the Old Testament (especially Judges) contain the record of this divine punishment meted out.
The cure for a generational curse has always been repentance. When Israel turned from idols to serve the living God, the "curse" was broken and God saved them - Judges 3:9, 15 1 Samuel 12:10-11. Yes, God promised to visit Israel's sin upon the third and fourth generations, but in the very next verse, He promised that He would show "love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments" - Exodus 20:6. In other words, God's grace lasts a thousand times longer than His wrath. Weekly Family Bible Study Lessons about Celebrating Birthdays, Who am I in Christ and Godly Sorrow
The teaching on generational curses is unscriptural for the following reasons. First, Jesus himself taught in John 8:36 that “If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” This freedom is of a spiritual nature and completely sets the believer into a new spiritual paradigm so that he is a new creation in Christ. The old spiritual nature is totally replaced by the new nature in Christ - 1 Corinthians 5:17, and the believer is made a child of God - John 1:12. Scripture further declares in Romans 8:1-2 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” What remains is the sanctification process as we look forward to glorification when Christ comes. All we need to do is to remain faithful and steadfast in the Lord and to his Word.
We do not need to add any spiritual rituals to what Christ has already accomplished at Calvary. If Jesus did not break the curses through his atoning blood (an impossible supposition) how can a preacher purport to do it? There is no teaching in the Bible that supports this theology and neither do we have any implied or express instructions or commands from Scripture to perform these rituals in the church on believers. The Devil cannot lay claim to the life of a person whom Christ has purchased and restored to God. This believer is totally immune to any demonic habitations because the blood of Jesus has cleansed him. It is therefore meaningless to perform a ritual in the name of deliverance when Jesus has finished it all. There are no magical powers that can undo what God has done or destroy the atoning works that Christ has accomplished at the Cross.
For the Christian who is worried about a generational curse, the answer is salvation through Jesus Christ. A Christian is a new creation - 2 Corinthians 5:17. How can a child of God still be under God's curse - Romans 8:1? The cure for a "generational curse" is repentance of the sin in question, faith in Christ, and a life consecrated to the Lord - Romans 12:1-2.
Prosperity Gospel
In the prosperity gospel, also known as the "Word of Faith," the believer is told to use God, whereas the truth of biblical Christianity is just the opposite: "God uses the believer. Word of Faith or prosperity theology sees the Holy Spirit as a power to be put to use for whatever the believer wills. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person who enables the believer to do God's will. The prosperity gospel movement closely resembles some of the destructive greed sects that infiltrated the early church. Paul and the other apostles were not accommodating to or conciliatory with the false teachers who propagated such heresy. They identified them as dangerous false teachers and urged Christians to avoid them.
Paul warned Timothy about such men in 1 Timothy 6:5, 9-11. These men of "corrupt minds" supposed godliness was a means of gain and their desire for riches was a trap that brought about them "into ruin and destruction" (v. 9). The pursuit of wealth is a dangerous path for Christians and one which God warns about: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (v. 10). If riches were a reasonable goal for the godly, Jesus would have pursued it. But He did not, preferring instead to have no place to lay His head - Mat. 8:20, and teaching His disciples to do the same. It should also be remembered that the only disciple concerned with wealth was Judas.
Paul said covetousness is idolatry - Ephesians 5:5, and instructed the Ephesians to avoid anyone who brought a message of immorality or covetousness - Ephesians 5:6-7, Prosperity teaching prohibits God from working on His own, meaning that God is not Lord of all because He cannot work until we release Him to do so. Faith, according to the Word of Faith doctrine, is not submissive trust in God; faith is a formula by which we manipulate the spiritual laws that prosperity teachers believe govern the universe. As the name "Word of Faith" implies, this movement teaches that faith is a matter of what we say more than who we trust or what truths we embrace and affirm in our hearts. Family Devotional Activities on the Joy of Singing, Count Your Cost and Divination
A favourite term in the Word of Faith movement is "positive confession." This refers to the teaching that words themselves have creative power. What you say, Word of Faith teachers claim determines everything that happens to you. Your confessions, especially the favours you demand of God, must all be stated positively and without wavering. Then God is required to answer (as though man could require anything of God!). Thus, God's ability to bless us supposedly hangs on our faith. - James 4:13-16, clearly contradicts this teaching: "Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." Far from speaking things into existence in the future, we do not even know what tomorrow will bring or even whether we will be alive. The declare-and-grab-it syndrome is overshadowing Christians today. How many woke up in the morning and declare and claim it?
Instead of stressing the importance of wealth, the Bible warns against pursuing it. Believers, especially leaders in the church - 1 Timothy 3:3, are to be free from the love of money or material things - Hebrews 13:5. The love of money leads to all kinds of evil - 1 Timothy 6:10. Jesus warned, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" - Luke 12:15. In sharp contrast to the Word of Faith emphasis on gaining money and possessions in this life, Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal" - Matthew 6:19. The irreconcilable contradictions between prosperity teaching and the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is best summed up in the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:24, "You cannot serve both God and money." Watch your way. The road to heaven is very narrow and few can detect it.
Self Control
The last characteristic listed in Galatians 5:22-23 as a fruit of the Spirit is self-control. The fruit of the Spirit is the change in our character that comes about because of the Holy Spirit's work in us. We do not become a Christians on our own, and we cannot grow on our own. Philippians 2:13 says that "It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." Every good thing we do is the fruit of the Spirit's work in our lives.
Self-control ("temperance" in the KJV) is, of course, the ability to control oneself. It involves moderation, constraint, and the ability to say "no" to our baser desires and fleshly lusts.
One of the proofs of God's working in our lives is the ability to control our own thoughts, words, and actions. It is not that we are naturally weak-willed. But our fallen nature is under the influence of sin. The Bible calls it being a "slave to sin" - Romans 6:6. One definition of sin is "filling a legitimate need through illegitimate means." Without the power of the Holy Spirit, we are incapable of knowing and choosing how best to meet our needs. Even if we knew what would be best, such as not smoking, another need, like comfort, would take precedence and enslave us again.
When we are saved by Christ's sacrifice, we are free - Galatians 5:1. That liberty includes, among other things, freedom from sin. "Our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin" - Romans 6:6. Now, as the Spirit gives us self-control, we can refuse sin. Morning Devotion for Today on the Old Testament and the New Testament
Believers need self-control because the outside world and internal forces still attack - Romans 7:21-25. Like a vulnerable city, we must have defences. A wall around an ancient city was designed to keep out the enemy. Judges at the gates determined who should be allowed in and who should remain outside. Soldiers and gates enforced those decisions. In our lives, these defences might include avoiding close relationships with sinners, meeting with other believers, and meditating on the life-giving Word of God. We do not exhibit self-control if we continue to dally with that which would enslave us.
Self-control naturally leads to perseverance - 2 Peter 1:6, as we value the long-term good instead of the instant gratification of the world. Self-control is a gift that frees us. It frees us to enjoy the benefits of a healthy body. It frees us to rest in the security of good stewardship. It frees us from a guilty conscience. Self-control restricts the indulgence of our foolish desires, and we find the liberty to love and live as we were meant to.
Ask for this fruit of the Spirit and our Lord Jesus Christ will surely give it to you.
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