I would like to get your thoughts on this. I'll try not to make this too long.

In the last few months, I have had a lot of trouble with anger and depression. I have a difficult time concentrating when I read or pray. I feel resentment and bitterness about hurts in my past and although I have forgiven certain people many times for things that they did - the hurts still come back.  I have difficulty making decisions and then sticking to that decision once it is made. At times, I have felt that I was "losing it" and would try to make light of it by telling friends that I just hope it doesn't happen in the middle of Walmart!  But, it has been no joking matter.  I have been a Christian for many years and spirit filled. But, I feel like I have been in bondage but not sure to what. And with the coming of the Lord so near, it just seem to compound my fears and concerns. What if because of all this, I missed the rapture?

In the past, my mother dabbled in the occult. She had her astrological chart read, attended a seance, did spirit writing and could work a ouiji board all by herself. She belonged to an occultic book club and had many books on all forms of occult. After we talked and after much prayer, she renounced all that and destroyed the books.  I have also dabbled in the occult - ouiji boards, had some one read my tarot cards, investigated the Mormon religion and read and studied Edgar Cayce. That was a long, long time ago and I have also renounced all of that. Much of this was after I had made a decision for the Lord and by God's grace, He sent red flags my way to keep me from continuing.

However, last night, I stumbled onto something unexpected. I listened to a teaching on Freemasonry.  My grandfather was a 3rd degree Mason and my grandmother and mother were members of the Eastern Star.  I never joined or had anything to do with that as I felt long ago that it was occultic.  However, this teacher who was a former Mormon and pointed out the similarities between the two,  talked about the curses that come down to the descendants of a Freemason up to 3 and 4 generations. I had never thought of that.  I found on the internet a deliverance prayer for those involved in Freemasonry and those descendants. http://www.isaiah54.org/freemasonry.html

It is a very long prayer but I decided to do it. I prayed it outloud. They recommended that I pray with another individual but at 12:30 am, that wasn't feasible.  I was shocked as I prayed this as it mentioned symptoms of the mind and emotions and even physical symptoms that are part of all those curses. It touched on every thing that had been bothering me. I was blown away.

I can't say that I felt a great uplifting feeling afterwards but I reminded myself that I had renounced all that junk and that it was done.  Today, I feel a bit more at peace and believe I had a breakthrough.\

Has anyone here experienced this?  Any thoughts? 

http://carm.org/bible-difficulties/genesis-deuteronomy/do-sons-bear-sins-fathers-or-not

Fair Use For Educational and Discussion Purposes

<h1 class="title">
Do the sons bear the sins of the fathers or not?

Exodus 20:5, Deuteronomy 5:9 and Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:20

1. Yes they do
   1. (Exodus 20:5) - "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,"
   2. (Deuteronomy 5:9) - "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,"
   3. (Exodus 34:6-7) - "Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."
   4. (1 Cor. 15:22) - "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive."
2. No they don't
   1. (Deuteronomy 24:16) - "Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin."
   2. (Ezekiel 18:20) - "The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself."

Exodus 20:5 is, of course, among the ten commandments. The Ten Commandments are arranged in covenant form. The Suzerain-Vassal treaty pattern of the ancient near east is followed in the Ten Commandments. This arrangement included an introduction of who was making the covenant (Exodus 20:2), what the covenant maker had done (20:2), laws (20:3-17), rewards (20:6,12), and punishments (20:5,7).

Covenantally, when a father misleads his family, the effects of that misleading are often felt for generations. This is because the father is being covenantally unfaithful and God has stipulated that there are punishments to breaking the covenant with God. That is the case with these verses that deal with the sins visited upon the children. If a father rejects the covenant of God and takes his family into sin and rejects God, the children will suffer the consequences, often for several generations. Whether or not this is fair is not the issue. Sin is in the world, consequences of sin affected many generations.

On the other hand, Deuteronomy 24:16 is dealing with legal matters as the context 24:6-19 shows. Ezekiel 18:20 is merely recounting the Law of the Pentateuch. Therefore, the context of the second set of verses is dealing with the legality aspect within the Jewish court system. The previous set of verses deal with God visiting upon the descendents of the rebellious the consequences of the rebellious fathers' sins.

As a further note on this issue, there is a concept in the Bible called Federal Headship. This means that the male, the father, represents the family. We see this in the garden of Adam and Eve. She was the first one to eat of the fruit; she was the first one to sin. However, the Bible states that sin entered the world through Adam (Rom. 5), not Eve. This is because Adam was the Federal Head of all mankind. Furthermore we see in the Hebrews 7:7-10 the following:

"But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8And in this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. 9And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, 10for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him."

In the verses in Hebrews we see that Levi, who was a descendant of Abraham, paid tithes to Melchizedek while still in the loins, "seed," of his father Abraham, even though Levi was not yet alive. In other words, Abraham, the father, represented his descendants. As Abraham paid tithes, so also did Levi. Therefore, we can see the concept of Federal Headship represented in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. We can conclude that God will visit the iniquities of the fathers upon the descendants because the fathers have failed to be covenantally faithful. Yet, we see in the other verses a declaration of legality in dealing with people. There is no contradiction.

Kasely, thank you for your thoughts.  Yes, I do pray in tongues. In fact, in the last few months, I have been praying in tongues more than I used to.  I have at times doubted what I prayed because I tend to speak the same phrase over and over again. But, there are also times when I can sense I am praying for something specific and can hear my language change.

I smiled when I read your suggestion regarding fasting. I too have felt that this is what I needed to do but I've used every excuse in the book - I'm diabetic, I get stomach pain if I get too hungry. I have to be honest though and say that I can work my medicine around a time of fasting and that the stomach pain will not kill me!  Food is a definite strong man for me and I agree that it needs to be put in its place.

I am going to fast from 11 am to 5 pm for a week beginning tomorrow. That is the time when I tend to want to snack and over eat anyway and having a small breakfast will get my blood sugar stable. And I will spend that time praying and reading the Word.

I have always been fascinated with Spiritual Warfare but have never actively participated in it. It is such a needed and awesome ministry, Kasely and I commend you for doing it. Thanks so much for you input.

Thank you, David R for your verses and response.  Very nicely explained!  As a new creation, I have a new blood line, so to speak and Abba is my Father. It is so freeing to know that what my ancestors did or did not do does not have to affect me. Thank you for pointing that out.

Also thanks, David and Kasely for the encouragement about the rapture.  In the past, althought I looked for the rapture, I also deep inside secretly dreaded it, just in case I was left behind.  Now I can look forward to meeting you all up there!

His New Creation - Thank You for Posting! I will pray for you.

My Grandfather was a Mason and some Big Shot - Not sure of his title but his Headship spanned over the entire Midwest Region. He was head of Engineering of a very well-known University. His part of the organization ran very deep. I don't know all of the details, thankfully.

As a new baby Christian years ago, I battled more than my share of Warfare. I was oppressed, depressed and couldn't seem to live in victory. When I began to look into every aspect of my upbringing, I discovered all of this.  Then I knew how to step-up to the plate. God sent in reinforcements.

Kasely's right, the power of tongues and fasting works. Even if it is something you can deny yourself for God's sake He will answer it. I realize it is difficult with a medical condition. I fast from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm at night during the week. God has even given me a refreshed, strong version of my prayer language for this season.

I come against warefare daily. I just posted about that.

David R has some excellent words for you! Just know you are God's Child!!! You can't be snatched. The enemy is always there with a reminder of the past, just to plant a seed of doubt, to rob us and make our daily lives as unbearable as possible. The enemy is very systematic. 

Jesus is Higher!! I claim victory for You in Jesus Name!!!!

Yes, my Grand father, was in Illinois and transfered to Oaklahoma.  Probably, he did know your Grandfather. So sorry...luckily he got out. Mine I don't believe did.

My understanding was that our remption from generational curses was part of Yeshua's "It's Finished". We are indeed new creations, our spirits taken from death to new life. But I wonder if some old "family retainers" or generational demons might linger around to see if we have the same weaknesses they have exploited in our older family members. It's like we're saved from the genetic sin issue, but not the familial / social temptation issue. I think repenting of familial strongholds and asking for forgiveness and deliverance from any residual influence is a wise thing to do. Giving thanks to God for what He has done is always pleasing to Him and distressing to our adversary. And we can't have too great of an angelic guard or too few temptors around us in this world.

The work on the cross is indeed finished. Most Christians today though do not understand Spiritual Warfare because most today have not experienced it, or have never had to work with people who have been demon possesed. Most churches today do not teach on Spiritual Warfare and how to deal with the demonic realm.

That's why you see a lot of people today, their demons or things they are struggling with seem to go one day, then the next day it's worse again. The strongman needs to be bound, people need to be delivered and set free. The work on the cross is done, but Satan is still trying to get his foot into peoples lives and he does. We have the authority to knock the devil out, but people face different kinds of opression depending on what they may have dabbled in. The occult is a very serious thing and not to be taken lightly. Christians educating themselves on Spiritual Warfare is vital, but sometimes these things are not just about educating one self, it's usually learnt through experience, but most born again believers have never had to cast a demon out of someone, so most are oblivious of anything to do with Spiritual Warfare and the demonic realm. 

His new creation:  Your name says it all!  Think about it, if you were not God's child, do you think you would even acknowledge that the areas you talked about were not pleasing to God?  No, you would continue to be spiritualy  blinded and not understand these were evil deceptions from satan.  Your spiritual sight comes from God. 

John 3-16 says: who-so-ever, you are included within who-so-ever, see you in heaven sister!

His New Creation!  The Lord must be really be doing some "housecleaning" on us that's for sure!  I just popped into Ritan this evening to catch up on reading posts and I almost dropped my laptop!  Literally, I posted on this very topic on my Facebook account this morning at 11 am in my time zone!  (I liked your comment too Jennifer.  I, like you, don't post here often either because the "regulars" cover everything so well and usually quite Biblically!)

Anyway, my family is also deeply steeped in Freemasonry.  We used to play with a bunch of items in childhood in my grandmother's attic that I had no idea what they were!  Because those items were kept and passed down, now my brother is a Freemason too.  I just ran across some artifacts yesterday in my home that I had forgotten I had been given by my Grandmother and had a terrible spiritual "gut reaction" to them.  My friend who is also a Christian immediately began helping me pray.  I don't know if its the time we live in or what but evil has a new strength that seems to strain at the bounds put in place by the restrainer! 

Anyway, I would just like to gently remind any Christian here who has not had to deal with spiritual warfare in their lives, that you are very, very blessed.  I would also ask that you please do not look down on those of us who have not been so fortunate.  My faith is not in question and neither is my salvation.  I do believe Jesus Christ's work was finished on the cross as stated in The Bible.  I have, however, also experienced the outcomes of others making poor choices in their lives thereby opening doors and allowing "legal right" to begin in my family.  Remember, "...we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."  Ephesians 6:12

I can't believe you posted the exact same Isaiah 54 website!  I  read through the same website you cited and said the prayers out loud last night in the middle of the night!  (The Lord usually awakens me around 2 or 3 and I spend time praying for whoever is brought to mind until I drift back to sleep).  I spent a full 2 hours going through the process last night.  I feel a MILLION pounds lighter today and Happy!  (Happiness has been an elusive quality in my 41 years.)  I feel free from a bondage I didn't know was there and I'm thanking Jesus tonight for that.

Anyway, I just wanted to share with you that we have been undergoing the same "housecleaning" process it seems.  I also found this you tube video today and it was very uplifting for me.  I hope that it does the same for you.  There have been a few members here who have been a great help to me over the past year of soul searching.  Jan especially.  I wish to pass along the same comfort to you.

http://www.naden.de/blog/bbvideo-bbpress-video-plugin -->

Hopefully, we will all meet each other in the air soon!  Shalom!

Danell, Thank you for posting. We as kids, used to play with my Grandfather's Mason stuff. There were all kinds of jewelry, rings, medals, awards....all of the compasses and engineering stuff. I even inherited some of it but, destroyed it when I became a Christian.

God also gave my Isaiah 54 again this morning because I was deeply troubled by this post and concerned about my level of Warfare compared to others. God has gently reassured me today that I am on HIS path!!! 

The Holy Spirit reminded me that if we are not a threat to the enemy, then we are not bothered by the enemy. Most Christians are of little threat to s....t...n and his minions. I feel like a leper when most Chrisitians ask me about some hidden sin in my life. Okay, I am not perfect, but I have no vices, no habits, no big rebellion against my Father,...but the insinuation is that there is something major...no, there just isn't...

Are Christians that aren't in Warfare truly blessed??? Aren't most Pastors in Warfare??

All of the John Anderson Books are wonderful for those that are experiencing a particular stronghold. He changeds my life with these books 12 years ago.

Hi, Danell.  God certainly is dealing with His children right now, perhaps getting them ready to come home.  I don't remember a lot of jewelry and relics from my granffather except for a masonic pin or such which was given to me awhile after he died and I destroyed it long ago.  I have a couple of boxes of my mother's things that I probably need to go through once again and see if anything is there.  I think that many men join just to part of a group but as they advance in degrees, when you read the vows they must make and the rituals they go through, you wonder why they would stay in something like that. But as with any deception and our human need to "belong", we can make bad choices.

I have to say that since the other night when I prayed the deliverance prayer, I feel better - the strong emotions are almost non existant and when they try to come, the Holy Spirit gently nudges me and I can stop them. My mind does seem clearer as well. I am certainly thankful!