Tag Archives: generational blessings

The Gospel According to Forrest

Forrest Gump once said, “stupid is as stupid does.”  Although Tom Hanks played this fictional character, there is a lot of truth to this statement.  Recently, Riley Cooper, a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles went to a Kenny Chesney concert, had a few drinks, got into a heated argument with a black security guard and blabbered out a racial slur directed toward him.  When you do or say something stupid, it doesn’t mean you have to apologize day after day to make the media feel better.  Living about 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia, Riley Cooper is being crucified on the airways every hour, as callers are picking up the first stone like the account in John 8:1-11.  According to the Gospel of Forrest Gump, “stupid is as stupid does.”

From a spiritual perspective, there is a good reason why people say stupid things.  Since the birth of Cain, every child born on earth has been implanted with a virus.  The Bible refers to this birth defect as the sinful nature or carnality in the original King James version, Romans 7:14-18.  As a result of this disease, individuals and their children have never been the same.  Thus, politicians, professional athletes and average citizens daily fulfill the words of Forrest Gump.

Take for example the daughters of Lot, trying to cope with the loss of their mother, death of their future husbands and a father stricken with depression, Genesis 19:30.  Emulating the practices of their uncle Abraham, Lot’s daughters felt more comfortable trusting in their own wisdom rather than wait on God to provide.  Therefore, they each partake in Indecent Proposal IV & V.  Once their dad is drunk as a skunk, with his beer goggles on, Lot thinks the woman in his tent is a mistress or perhaps a dream that he is sleeping with his wife once again.  Instead, Lot’s daughters take the gutter to a new low, sharing their father on consecutive one night stands, Genesis 19:32-35.  “Stupid is as stupid does!”

Similar to the descendants of Ham, these woman gave birth to the Moabites and Ammonites.  Like Abraham and Lot’s daughters, the Moabites trusted in Egypt when times got tough.  In addition, the Moabites called on Balaam to curse Israel, setting in motion their exclusion from the nation of Israel.  Meanwhile, the Ammonites worshiped the idol Milcom, which also led Solomon astray.  By breaking the first and second commandments, Exodus 20:3-4, a generational curse is poured out upon this nation, Exodus 20:5.  This is why Jesus adds Matthew 18:5-7 to the Bible.  He knew how precious and innocent children are.  Therefore, if you still have time to act, live out Matthew 18:8-9, purging sin from your life so that your children and children’s children don’t inherit the sins of their parents.  Check out Restoring The Foundations ministry online if you want to know more about how sin impacts children.

by Jay Mankus

When You’re Hot… Shut Your Mouth!

Whether you speak, tweet or text, I’m sure everyone wishes they could take their words back on occasion.  In the heat of the moment, if the wrong button is pushed, you can snap.  The venom behind these outbursts are often regretful, expressing your true feelings without any restraint.  The best advice when you are hot under the collar is to shut your mouth or trap depending upon the figure of speech you heard as a child.

Mom’s were right to suggest, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it!”  If only Noah could take his words back in Genesis 9:24-25, cursing Ham, one of his 3 sons.  After magnifying an embarrassing situation, Noah flipped out on Ham, possibly still under the influence of alcohol.  As a result of this word curse in Genesis 9:25, the descendants of Ham turn out to be the first inhabitants of Nineveh, Philistine, Sodom and Gomorrah.  What a motley crew as evil begot evil.

However, what if Noah settled down before talking to his son?  Maybe the eternal destinations of these citizens would be different.  Unfortunately, Ham did not receive his father’s blessing like his 2 two brothers.  Becoming the black sheep of the family, this resentment was likely passed on in the form of a generational curse, Exodus 20:5, leading to a root of bitterness.  Gary Smalley and John Trent write about the power of words in their book The Gift of the Blessing.  One the greatest things a father can do in life is passing on to their blessing to each child.  Yet, when anger interferes, one must careful not to allow emotion to impact what you say.  Follow the words of Jesus’ little brother in James 1:26 so that the next time you are hot, you will shut your mouth, avoiding the legacy that Noah left behind for Ham.

by Jay Mankus