How can we pray against generational curses in the family?
A generational curse is a curse that is passed down through a family line from one generation to another. It is usually tied to certain beliefs, sin patterns, attitudes, and actions.
For example, alcoholism, domestic violence, and sexual promiscuity are examples of behaviors that can be difficult to overcome and can be tied to generational curses.
In the book of Exodus, we read that God is merciful and gracious, and we also read that he will
“by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:8, ESV).
This does not mean that you and I will automatically fall into the sins of parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.
However, it is common for multiple generations to struggle with the same negative behavior patterns and sins.
The Apostle Paul offers a description of the greater generational curse that fell upon all of humankind when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden (see Romans 5-7).
When they chose sin instead of choosing God, a curse fell upon all humankind, and we all live under this curse of sin.
Because we all sin, we tend to pass certain sin patterns through our families, and these generational curses can span through many generations.
The Word of God also teaches that those who call upon the name of Jesus Christ for salvation are saved and are no longer condemned (see John 3:17-18).
Nevertheless, because sin still exists in our world, there are times when the sins of others—including our ancestors—impact our lives.
In these situations, we can pray in Jesus’ name and break family curses by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Today, we’ll talk about how to pray powerful prayers to break generational curses in our family lines.
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Breaking Generational Curses Prayers
Are you concerned that you might be living under a generational curse that has been passed down through your family line?
Do you notice patterns of behavior, attitudes, or sins that cause destruction across multiple generations within your family? If so, there might be a generational curse at work in your family.
If you have received Jesus as Lord and Savior, all authority on heaven and earth is yours because you are in Christ Jesus.
You can pray powerful prayers to break generational curses and stand against generational sins, illnesses, and struggles in your family line.
Let’s look at 10 specific prayers for different kinds of generational curses.
If you are new to prayer and not sure exactly how to get started, here are some creative but powerful prayer methods.
Prayer to Break Generational Curses in the Family
“Everlasting God, in the name of Christ Jesus, we ask for your divine intervention in this family.
In Jesus’ mighty name and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we break off any generational curses that have been following this family line.
We declare healing and freedom for all future generations and family members—to the glory of God the Father. Amen.”
This prayer is a good prayer to pray when children are born or adopted into families. It is also a powerful prayer for any time generational curses are suspected.
We cannot see everything that is taking place in the spiritual realm; however, when we pray in Jesus’ mighty name, evil spirits submit to his great name.
Pray this prayer when you suspect a generational curse might be at play but aren’t sure how to specifically address it.
It’s important to note that generational curses aren’t always the direct result of sin. Generational curses can include illnesses, attitudes, and unhealthy patterns in relationships.
Prayer to Break Generational Curses Over Finances
“Dear Lord, in the mighty name of Jesus, we pray against the curse of poverty and any curse of the finances of this family.
We break off this curse of financial poverty in the name of Jesus and denounce the works of the enemy.
We decree abundance, blessing, and favor over this family and ask you to provide the resources to help these family members move into a new position of abundance. Thank you for being our Provider. Amen.”
Like many generational curses, some unfortunate circumstances are passed down family lines because a family does not have the resources or skills to break free from the curse.
This can be true with poverty, substance abuse, pride, marital failure, joblessness, and more.
It’s important to pray for financial favor and ask God to provide the family with the resources and the desires that will enable them to step out from under the curse.
Often, family curses contain both spiritual and temporal elements.
The spiritual element is the demonic force that makes it extremely hard to change, and the temporal element is the lack of skill, incentive, or resources to step into change.
Prayer to Break Generational Curses of Sickness
“Dear Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray that the curse of sickness will flee from this family.
In Jesus’ name, we stand against the power of the enemy and decree health, healing, wholeness, and complete deliverance from illness for this entire family.
Thank you, Lord, that you desire healing and well-being for all of your children. We receive these gifts as we stand on your Word today. Amen.”
God is a Good Father, and he wants his children to be healthy and well.
If your family has suffered from generations of sickness in any form, pray this prayer to break off any generational curse related to this illness.
Just pray for God’s healing power!
This is a good prayer to pray if generations of your family line have suffered from the same forms of cancer or genetic diseases.
By the power of Jesus, these generational illnesses can be cut off in Jesus’ name.
Prayer to Break Generational Curses Over Marital Failure
“Heavenly Father, thank you for designing marriage for our good and your glory.
In the powerful name of Jesus Christ, we pray against the generational spirit of marital failure. We pray for your healing as we uplift the marriages in our family.
We also pray that you will lead us to the right resources and give us the motivation to move away from divorce, strife, and marital failure as we aim to glorify you and thrive in our marriages. Amen.”
The generational curse of marital failure is easily passed down when children don’t learn the skills for thriving in healthy marriages.
In this way, the curse is strengthened by the lack of practical skills for maintaining healthy relationships.
As you pray against the curse over the marriages in your family, ask the Lord to stir the hearts of your family members so that they will seek help, wise counsel, and other resources as they learn the skills to help their marriages thrive.
Prayer to Break Generational Curses of Mental Illness
“O Lord, you see the ways mental illness has affected this family.
In the name of Jesus, we pray against the curse of mental illness and ask you to restore mental health to the members of this family.
Jesus, this seems impossible to us, but we know that you hold the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and nothing is too hard for you.
Please break this cycle and lead this family to the resources needed to help them move toward mental healing. Amen.”
Mental illness takes on many forms and has many causes. At times, generational curses play a role in strengthening mental illnesses within families.
It is important to note that breaking the curse of mental illness is a powerful starting point, but this stronghold often requires the help of trained professionals.
Pray that God will lead your family members to godly doctors and therapists who can help them move toward mental wholeness and break this curse.
Prayer to Break Generational Curses of Sexual Sins
“Dear God, our family has dealt with generations of sexual sin, and we thank you that you want to see this curse broken.
In the name of Jesus, we break off the generational curse of sexual sin, promiscuous behavior, sexual addiction, pornography, adultery, and all forms of sexual sin.
We thank you that every person who has received Jesus as Lord and Savior is a new creation in Christ.
Please help this family move beyond this curse of sexual sin as each member learns to live under his or her true identity as your beloved child. Amen.”
The generational curse of sexual sin is a common curse because it is so alluring and takes on many different forms.
This is a powerful prayer to pray if someone in your family has been sexually abused, if infidelity has been a family problem, or if sexual sin of any kind is rampant in your family.
Pray that God will change the hearts of these family members and help this family break free from the grip of sexual sin, once and for all.
Prayer to Break Generational Curses of Addiction
“Lord Jesus, when you died on the cross, you set us free from the curse of the law by becoming the curse for us.
We stand on the Word of God as we pray against the sinful patterns that have gripped this family for generations.
In your powerful name, Jesus, we break off the generational curses of addiction in this family.
We stand against the power of the enemy and declare that you, Jesus, are greater. In your power, deliver this family from the grip of addiction. Amen.”
Addictions take on many forms and are often passed from one generation to the next. Sometimes, the form of the addiction changes, but the addictive mentality remains.
For example, one generation might deal with addiction to alcohol, and the next generation might struggle with drugs, deception, workaholism, eating disorders, self-injury, or a different addictive behavior.
If you see a pattern of addictive behaviors in your family, pray for deliverance from addiction. Jesus is able to free your family from this curse.
Freedom might include professional rehabilitation or medical invention.
Pray for your family members to follow through and do whatever it takes to step out from under this curse.
Prayer to Break Generational Curses of Hypocrisy
“Dear God, we repent of the spirit of hypocrisy in our family.
We confess that we have pretended to be what we are not, and we have put more effort into image management than developing Christlike hearts. In the name of Jesus, we cast down the generational curse of hypocrisy.
We stand together and declare that we will live authentically before God and others. Amen.”
The Gospels share an interesting story about Jesus cursing a fig tree that did not bear fruit. Jesus cursed the tree because it was bearing leaves without bearing figs.
Fig trees typically bear fruit and leaves together, which means that if a fig tree has leaves, it should also have figs.
Like people who pretend to be followers of Christ but don’t bear good fruit in their lives, the fig tree symbolized hypocrisy.
The fig tree is a metaphor for people who pretend to be one thing but are actually something else.
If you see a generational pattern of this kind of hypocritical behavior in your family, pray against this spirit of hypocrisy.
Pray that your family will be free to be authentic and also bear genuine good fruit.
Prayer to Break Generational Curses of Abuse
“Father God, you see every abuse that has taken place in our family line.
In the mighty name of Jesus, we denounce any generational curses of abuse in this family, including sexual abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, and abuse of any kind.
In Jesus’ name, we pray for healing and restoration, and we pray that this abusive pattern will be broken off today. Amen.”
Some families deal with ongoing patterns of abuse. Domestic abuse is a form of abuse that is often learned as children watch parents engage in this behavior.
Sadly, sexual abuse is often passed down, as well. Some children who were sexually abused grow into abusers as adults. However, we don’t have to sit idly by and watch these cycles continue.
Instead, we can pray in the name of Jesus and break off these generational curses of abuse of all kinds.
Also, pray that those who have been involved in the abuse—the abusers and the victims—will find the help they need to move toward healing and recovery.
Prayer to Break Generational Curses of Pride
“Oh Lord, God of my salvation, my family comes before you today in humility.
A spirit of pride has overtaken this family. In the name of Jesus, we pray against this generational curse of pride.
We ask you to humble us, replace our proud hearts with soft and humble hearts, and tear down our walls of ego and defensiveness. Amen.”
A generational curse of pride can feel like poison to a family.
If your family deals with a lack of humility in relational conflicts, the desire to “win” arguments, or a critical spirit, you might be dealing with a generational curse of pride.
Ask God to lift this curse and pray that he will work among your family to humble hearts. This kind of prayer often means that God will use challenges to produce this humility; however, his work will be worth it.
As you read through the above prayers, you might have noticed that we often talked about taking steps to “step out from under” these curses.
Are you looking for some tools and tips to boost your prayer life? If so, be sure to visit our Prayer Resources Library where you’ll find everything you need to become a powerful prayer warrior!
Praying against the spiritual curse is powerful because spirits in the heavenly realms respond when we pray in Jesus’ name.
However, without taking steps to move away from the curse, these spirits can return when family members aren’t committed to transformation and freedom.
For this reason, it’s important to keep praying for your family.
Every day, pray powerful spiritual warfare prayers by praying for your family members to resist the curse and walk in the freedom of Christ.
This walk takes discipline and commitment, but Jesus wants to help your family find freedom.
It’s also essential to point out that without the power of Jesus working in our lives, breaking free from these curses will be very difficult.
For this reason, keep praying for family members who are not followers of Christ. Pray that they will see their need for Jesus’ deliverance and surrender their lives to him.
Most of all, hold onto hope. Jesus finishes the good works he begins in our lives.
Praying against these curses is a first step in the right direction. Keep praying, keep doing the work, and keep hoping. God wants your family to walk in freedom.
