You shall not make for yourself a carved image … You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me. Exodus 20:4a-5 ESV

By: Scott Schuler

Digging deep into his closet, my friend pulled out a Ouija board he’d hidden away. We were thirteen and decided the game would be harmless fun. My little posse of friends and I didn’t attend church or youth group. We were completely oblivious to the dark true nature of this “game.”

Yet something inside me knew Ouija was wrong the moment we began to play. Our fingers trembled with excitement and wonder as the little wooden piece moved freakishly around the board. We posed silly questions and believed the game spelled out the answers. Out of boredom, and perhaps a bit of fear, it wasn’t long before we tossed the game back into the closet and walked away.

Harmless, right? Maybe not.

Fast-forward thirty-years later. As a committed follower of Jesus, I was determined to get my heart right with Him. I was engaged in church, immersing myself in God’s Word and participating in a small group. Then one study rocked me—the occult and idols we believe are “harmless.” Our study leader encouraged us to write out all the times we could remember exposure to the carved images defined in Exodus. You guessed it. God brought the Ouija board to my mind all those years later.

That had been years ago. Surely, I didn’t need to confess my actions as a teen?

But the Spirit led me to renounce my sin of omission, not realizing at thirteen I was doing wrong. God is serious about idols. Sensing His firm hand of conviction, I asked God for forgiveness.

But idols are more than carved images.

Repetitious sins with origins deeply rooted in our family can be idols. It is not coincidence that alcoholism, greed, sexual impropriety, and behavioral patterns pass from generation to generation. The children of these families seem doomed to repeat the cycle, because of “inherited” behaviors from their parents, siblings, or extended family.

In Exodus 20:5 we learn generational curses, or iniquities of the father, are consequences God allows to affect children of the third and the fourth generation for the sins of family members who worship idols rather than Jesus.

Repetitious sin in your life may stem from generational curses caused by your ancestors choosing to disregard God’s warning.

God is a jealous God. He wants all of you because He knows your life is much better with Him. And He knows what idols do to you. The Enemy know this, too. Satan wants you to believe you are a hopeless by-product of family history, doomed to repeat the vicious cycle of sin.

Can the cycle end with you? Yes!

Turn to Jesus. He is all-powerful! Ask Him to reveal idols or sin rooted in generational behaviors. Then repent and surrender these struggles so you will not pass them down to your children and grandchildren.

What is God bringing to your attention that is potentially an idol? Don’t try to fix this in your own power. Turn to God, allow His light to bathe you in biblical truth, and let Him make it right in you.

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