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Breaking the Chains
- Susan Bolinger
- May 27
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 7
By Susan Bolinger
A generational curse can be understood as an uncleansed iniquity—something unresolved and unaddressed—that grows in strength from one generation to the next. It doesn’t just affect individuals; it can influence entire families and even those who come into close relationship with them. Many people live with patterns they don’t fully understand, repeating cycles that seem bigger than personal choices alone.
So how do you recognize if something deeper may be at work?
Take an honest look at your life and your family history. Are there patterns of constant failure, where things never seem to work out no matter how hard you try? Does life often feel chaotic or out of control? Have there been repeated instances of untimely deaths, suicides, or premature loss within your family? Do you struggle with intense anger, or come from a lineage marked by unusual or frequent accidents?
Consider also whether your family has experienced cycles of abuse—physical, emotional, or sexual—or long-standing health issues such as chronic illness, heart disease, cancer, or mental illness that seems to intensify over generations. On a personal level, do you recognize behaviors like control, manipulation, addiction, co-dependency, depression, unforgiveness, or social isolation?
If you answered “yes” to even one of these, it may point to a deeper spiritual pattern—something that has traveled through generations. These patterns can feel like invisible chains, influencing thoughts, behaviors, and outcomes. Sometimes the origins are known, but often they are not. There may have been sins, wounds, or agreements made long ago that were never dealt with, never confessed, and never broken.
Even if history forgets, the spiritual realm does not. The enemy of your soul does not overlook opportunities to keep people bound. He works through any available avenue, seeking to trip you up and ultimately destroy your purpose. Many people find themselves fighting daily battles—anger, jealousy, addiction, insecurity, lust, poverty, or destructive habits—without realizing those struggles may be rooted in something older than themselves.
To better understand the contrast between generational curses and generational blessings, consider these two examples:
The Power of Generational Curses
This image highlights the lineage of Max Jukes, a man described as living without God. His family line, traced through hundreds of descendants, shows patterns of poverty, crime, addiction, and brokenness. Generation after generation reflects the consequences of destructive choices and ungodly influence.
The Power of Generational Blessings
In contrast, the second image presents the family of Jonathan Edwards, a devoted Christian. His descendants include leaders, educators, government officials, and individuals who made lasting, positive contributions to society. The pattern in this lineage reflects stability, purpose, and blessing flowing from a foundation rooted in faith.
While these examples illustrate how influence can travel through generations, they also point to a deeper spiritual truth: What is cultivated in one generation has the power to impact the next. Whether through dysfunction or faith, something is always being passed down.
But here is the hope: Through Jesus Christ, generational curses can be broken.
When you renounce these patterns and refuse to come into agreement with them, something powerful happens. You are no longer defined by what flowed through your natural bloodline. Instead, you step into a new identity through the blood of Christ. What once held power over you is rendered powerless when confronted with truth, authority, and faith.
This is not a passive process. You must be intentional. If you are always reacting, always on the defensive, it becomes difficult to walk in strength. Breaking generational patterns requires boldness. It means speaking out loud, declaring that those cycles no longer have authority over your life. There is something significant about verbal declaration—it releases faith and aligns your spirit with God’s truth.
Scripture reminds us in Matthew 6:24 (KJV), “No man can serve two masters… Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” This principle extends beyond money—it reaches into identity and allegiance. You cannot fully walk in the freedom of Christ while remaining spiritually tied to destructive patterns in your lineage. One will dominate. You must choose which inheritance you will walk in.
This does not mean rejecting everything from your family. Every good thing you have received—every strength, every blessing—comes from God. As James 1:17 (KJV) says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” What you are renouncing is not your family but the brokenness that seeks to operate through it.
When you take this step, something shifts—not just in you but in how you stand within your family. You become an ambassador.
Second Corinthians 5:17-20 teaches that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has passed away, and all things have become new. You are no longer bound by what was—you now represent a different Kingdom. An ambassador carries the authority of another kingdom. They bring truth, freedom, and reconciliation from a place outside the broken system they are sent into.
In the same way, when you break agreement with generational curses, you begin to represent the Kingdom of God within your own family. You are no longer subject to the same spiritual patterns. You carry a different authority, a different covering. While others may still struggle, you are positioned as a light—someone who can point the way to freedom.
How can your family look to you for freedom if you are bound by the same chains?
There are things passed down through generations that we may never fully uncover or understand. But one truth remains unshaken: Satan cannot cross the bloodline of Jesus Christ.
When you fully step into that identity—renouncing the old and embracing the new—you are no longer defined by where you came from but by who you belong to.
And in that truth, chains break, minds are renewed, and a new legacy begins.
It didn’t start with you—but by the power of Jesus Christ, it can end with you.
Susan Bolinger is an author of the book Bloom – A Process to Achieve Complete Forgiveness. She has a YouTube Channel where you can follow her video series “Forgiveness in Five.” To order a copy of Susan’s book and to obtain more information on her ministry, check out the links below.
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