I was blessed to have a praying grandmother. She interceded for hours in her basement every morning. When I was a little girl, the sound of her prayers captivated me. I would lift the lid to the laundry chute and lay on the bathroom floor just to listen to her pray. Her intimate relationship with Jesus inspired and marked me. I walk in this generational blessing. Most of us have blessings stored up in our generational line, unfortunately, the practice of passing these on to our children and grandchildren has virtually been lost. The ancient Jewish culture regularly bestowed blessings on their offspring. So, how do we unlock these hidden blessings in our family?
Think of a generational blessing like a spiritual inheritance waiting to be claimed. If you received a call from an attorney telling you that your great aunt died and left you an inheritance, wouldn’t you want to claim that inheritance? Often generational blessings are left unclaimed because we haven’t been taught how to receive them. Arthur Burke describes a generational blessing as a tangible benefit we receive from God because of the righteous acts done by our ancestors.[i]
Here’s another way to think of them—"Generational blessings refer to the divine favor and benefits that are passed down from one generation to another within a family or community. These blessings are often seen as a result of the faithfulness, obedience, and righteousness of ancestors, and they manifest in various forms such as prosperity, health, spiritual insight, and favor with God and man.”[ii]
The Abrahamic covenant set the foundation for generational blessings. Abraham was given a promise by God that his descendants would be abundant and blessed.
Genesis 22:17-18 "I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."
Similar to recessive genes in our DNA, spiritual DNA—metaphorically speaking—may carry recessive generational blessings. It’s possible that for several generations there is godlessness in a family and therefore, the blessings are never received. But generations later, a god-fearing descendent may tap into the blessing that has been stored up in the family line. We see this in the life of King Josiah. His father, Amon, was a wicked king just like his father, Manasseh.
II Kings 21:20-22 “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. He walked in all the ways of his father; he worshiped the idols his father had worshiped, and bowed down to them. He forsook the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord.”
Josiah became king at eight years old. His father was so wicked, Amon was assassinated. Can you imagine the pressure Josiah must have felt at such a young age? However, instead of following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Josiah tapped into the blessing of his ancestor, King David—he became a giant slayer!
II Kings 22:2 “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.”
Train Up a Giant Slayer
The past several years, I have had the privilege of bringing my sons along on ministry trips. I am training them in intercession, discernment, and spiritual mapping. I look forward to the day I can bring my daughter with me after she weens my grandson. When our children were young, they were involved with Tom and I in youth ministry. They came with us on virtually all the youth trips and attended all the weekly youth meetings—we ministered as a family.
Bryson gave his first prophetic word at age three. And Kailey was so sweet and filled with joy, it melted the hearts of the youth. Everyone wanted to be around her. These experiences marked my children and as they became young adults, both of them served in youth ministry.
Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Recently, Bryson and I spent 17 days in Scandinavia. We ministered in Norway, Denmark, and Germany. It was a bucket list trip for him and I’m thrilled we were able to do it together.
In preparation for the trip, the Lord directed Tom and I to give Bryson a blessing as our first-born son. Admittedly, we had never thought about it prior to just a few months ago. While reading Godly Relationships by Fransi Van Wyk, the Lord highlighted the importance of this blessing. Bryson is the infamous middle child—exhibiting the classic trappings that come with that position in the birth order. If we had known how significant blessings were when he was young, it may have helped him avoid the middle child syndrome because he is our first-born son—an important role in the family stemming back to ancient biblical days. Tom and I repented before the Lord and asked Bryson for forgiveness for missing this moment with him when he was young. But thankfully, God is in the business of redemption!
Bryson is a foodie. Knowing this, Tom and I decided to take him to a fancy restaurant known for award-winning food. We spent weeks in preparation—praying, fasting, and writing out the
blessing we were going to bestow on him. We asked our parents to reflect on the godly character traits of their parents and grandparents. Many of these traits we see in Bryson to varying degrees. The godly traits he has been stewarding, even in the slightest way, we crafted into the blessing. We also reached out to godly men in his life who have shaped the man he has become. We asked them to identify three of Bryson’s best qualities so we could include these in the blessing.
Tom and I sensed that the time to release the blessing of the first-born son was before Bryson and I traveled to Scandinavia. It was a special night! As we bestowed the blessing, we shared tears, laughter, and sheer enjoyment as we dined on a 5-star meal. It was a night we will remember for the rest of our lives.
Immediately, we saw fruit! Bryson embraced the new opportunities the Lord provided in Norway and Denmark. He ministered by leading worship, preaching, and prophesying over people. He grew tremendously in his discernment gifts as we engaged in prayer reconnaissance in all three countries (a component of spiritual mapping). And since we returned home, his hunger for the Word of God has increased. He is reading the Word and praying for hours each day—just like his great-grandmother. Hallelujah!
I share this personal story with you so that you can be encouraged to pass on generational blessings in your family. We want our children to walk in the fullness of their God-given design. If at a young age, our children and grandchildren can understand the supernatural aspects of the Bible and recognize that they do not have a junior Holy Spirit, it will empower them to walk in the victory Jesus secured for them at the cross. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, lives inside of our children and grandchildren once they accept the free gift of salvation Jesus offers.
A great resource to start them on this journey is my latest book with co-author and illustrator, Darby Scebold. I am excited to announce—Giant Slayers: The Great War. Available Here. It is the first in an 8-book series. It’s a thrilling adventure for children who want to understand the supernatural battle between good and evil. It takes children back to where it all began—in the heavenly realm—revealing the supernatural beginnings of Eden and the rebellion that quietly grew in the heart of heaven’s first traitor.
