Which inheritance do you want, Financial, Relationship, or Spiritual? Most everyone knows about financial inheritances, but what about the other two? These two are more important than the first. For those who have these two, the first becomes the icing on the cake.

Out of all three of these, the spiritual inheritance of a person is the greatest or worst thing that can happen to them. I have touched on the different types of gardens we can have in our lives in the posts titled, “Answers,” “Answers - 2,” and “Answers - 3.” Please refer to these for a deeper look at curses and blessings. There are also some good books available to read on this subject. However, for this post, we will concentrate on the inheritance issue from our parents and the generations before to passing on an inheritance from us to our children.

Generational curses are real and do pass on from generation to generation until they are broken and it is the same for blessings. Have you heard the saying that a certain disease is in the family and is passed on to the next generation. Take a look at Deuteronomy chapter 28. Your walk with or without the Lord can affect generations to come. If you were born in a family that served the Lord you were able to start out much further ahead of someone who was raised in a family who didn’t walk with Him. This was very evident in my life. I had many things to overcome once I was born again. I asked the Lord to forgive my ancestors of the sins they had committed. I applied His blood over the generational bloodline and asked for His blessings, however, there were still things I had to overcome and stand against in the power of His Name. These things and entities did not give up and simply walk away. They fought with everything they had.

There were many times I wished that I would have had a father around. He left when I was three and I felt abandoned, lost and alone. I not only wanted a father but a godly father. I didn’t know how to be growing up. I didn’t have a personal example. I so desperately wanted to be a godly man. I searched and prayed and I found the truth and yet I still fell in a lot of pits along the way. I took the truth I found and I applied it to my life and cleared the land so that my children could inherit blessings. How could I help my children and the generations to come? That was the cry of my heart. It is also the cry of Father’s heart. He longs for us to live in His blessings. Make the choice to turn your life around. Forgive those, with His help, who have hurt and abused you. It’s not worth the price you will pay for unforgiveness. Most of those who have wronged you don’t even realize it. Most of all, don’t make your children pay for it.

Next in line is the relationship inheritance and it goes hand in hand with the spiritual. What kind of relationship did you have with your parents? This relationship greatly affects your relationships with other people. Were you hugged a lot? If you were, you are usually closer to other people and feel more loved. If not, you normally stand off from others and feel more alone. I grew up in a family that rarely hugged each other. I found it hard to get close to people and felt alone. After I grew up I forced myself to reach out and get close to others. I hug my children and I am determined to help them have an easier journey. This is not all there is to the relationship inheritance, but it should give you an idea and a starting place. There is also the way our families reacted or responded to other families, governmental authorities, employers, and other groups of people. All these relationships either brought blessings and help us or brought curses and hindered our development.

Last on this list is the financial inheritance. This is perhaps the easiest of the inheritances to obtain, especially when one considers the spiritual and relational aspects. It is relatively easy to obtain money. All it takes is for one certain thing to go right in your life and it can be poured into your hands. There is usually a cost involved and one must consider the cost of financial wealth. While I am suggesting that it can be easy to obtain financial wealth, I am not saying that it is easy to become wealthy. Being wealthy is more than having a lot of money or possessions. The true meaning of wealth includes the blessings of the first two inheritances I mentioned. Without obtaining the blessings of the first two, a financial inheritance can become more of a curse than a blessing. If you don’t believe me, read about some of the wealthiest people in history and then read about their state of mind and follow the lives of their children, blessing or curse.

I hope that this helps you and I hope that it encourages you to get closer to Him. He cares. He cares so much that He was willing to give us the choice. Without choice, love can not exist. You have a choice. I have a choice. I can choose to react to what others have done to me or I can choose to respond to Love. I choose Love. What about you? I pray you make the right decision and give it one more try.

Joseph