Confessing Generational Sin
Another
Look at Identification in Intercession
by James W. Goll
Vision Cast February 2007
1-877-200-1604 | www.jamesgoll.com
As we head into the season of Purim March 2 - 4th, 2007, I felt it would be helpful to take a look once again at the subject of Confessing Generational Sins and to review the principles of Identification in Intercession. In recent years, I have learned to call this gap standing form of prayer - Ambassadorial Intercession.
I. WHAT
IS IDENTIFICATION IN INTERCESSION?
A.
A Lost Art that Needs to be Recovered
This is perhaps one of the highest and most overlooked
aspects of true intercession. It is identifying with the needs of the people to
such an extent that in your heart you seem to “become one with them.” Out of a
heart of compassion, contrition, and desperation, your heart pounds with the
sufferings of others as though it were your own. As you receive the heart of
the Father, by the spirit of revelation, it is your own. You identify with
God’s righteous judgments, His desire for mercy, the peoples’ horrifying
condition, and their sins, which block the way. Then, by choosing to be “one of
them,” and laying aside your own position, your heart is burdened by the Spirit
of God and a cry of confession of sin, disgrace, failure, and humiliation
quietly and sometimes dramatically pours forth from your heart unto the Lord.
You carry away the blockage of sin, so as to open the way that God’s promise
might proceed forth.
B. A Few Essentials are Required
These are a few essential things this type of intercession
requires:
1. People willing to look with eyes open and see the
condition of the people without justifying their
actions.
2. People willing to give up their life.
3. A broken heart.
4. Grace to carry the burdens.
5. Desperate people willing, if necessary, to even be used in
the answer to their prayers.
C. Generational Sins are a Block that Must
be Removed
Remember, we are not dealing with the sin or actions of the individual who is
praying (that should already be taken care of), but the sin or condition of
another or even of an entire nation!
1. Ps. 66:18 - If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord
will not
hear me.
2. Prov. 28:9 - He who turns away his ear from listening to
the law, even his prayer is an abomination.
3. Prov. 15:8 - The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination
to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His
delight.
II. BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF
CONFESSING CORPORATE SIN
A. Daniel’s Example
1. Meditation on the Word. Daniel was pondering on the words
of
Jer. 29:10-14 (this is stated in Dan. 9:2). He apparently
was convicted and enlightened by the Scripture. This
possibly occurred in the 63rd year of their Babylonian
captivity.
2. He did not respond presumptuously, but rather sought for
the Spirit’s remedy so the promise could be fulfilled.
3. As he meditated on God’s prophetic desire, he realized
there were blockades that must be removed before the
promise would be fulfilled.
4. He laid aside self-justification (Lk. 18:12-13; the
Pharisee and Publican syndrome).
5. He set his face to pray with humility (Dan. 9:3).
6. Daniel confessed their sin as his own (Dan. 9:4-17).
7. Then he pleaded with the Lord for mercy for His own name’s
sake (Dan. 9:18-19).
B. Nehemiah’s Example
1. A
report was brought to Nehemiah that saddened his heart. And they said
to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived
the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and
the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates
are burned with fire.”(Neh. 1:3).
2. He then wept and mourned for days under this burden (Neh.
1:4).
3. This resulted in petitions beginning with respect and
adoration (Neh. 1:5).
4. He then confessed the sin of the sons of Israel saying, “I
and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very
corruptly against Thee... (Neh. 1:6b-7a).
5. Nehemiah then reminded God of His prophetic promise to
Moses (Neh. 1:8-9).
6. He then made an appeal to God on the basis of His
redemptive work which He has done (Neh. 1:10).
7. He also implored God for favor with the king and asked
for success (Neh. 1:11).
C. Ezra’s Example
1. The
princes approached Ezra with a report concerning the abomination of
the people; the priests and the Levites were
intermarrying with the people of the land (Ezra 9:1-2).
2. Ezra then tore his garment and robe, plucked some of his hair and
beard, and sat down appalled (Ezra 9:3).
3. Those who trembled at the words of God joined Ezra in shock and
humiliation (Ezra 9:4).
4. Ezra then arose from his humiliation (fasting), fell on his knees and
hands, and began to cry out to the Lord (Ezra 9:5).
5. He names the sin as his own, as a priestly spokesman before God and
states “their” iniquities, guilt, shame, and
embarrassment (Ezra 9:6-7). Notice the complete absence
of a self-righteous attitude.
6. He recalls God’s grace, faithfulness, and loving kindness, and amidst all
of the sin, gives them a purpose of revival and
restoration (Ezra 9:8-9).
7. He acknowledges that God has requited them less than their iniquities
deserve (Ezra 9:10-13).
8. He then speaks to the Lord concerning the importance of maintaining the
remnant (Ezra 9:14-15).
9. Ezra then weeps bitterly with repentance before the house of God
(Ezra 10:1).
10. Shecaniah joins in the cry for repentance and says that they will put
aside their wrong doings and make a covenant with
God and follow Ezra in the path of righteousness
and restoration (Ezra 10:2-4).
11. Ezra calls the offenders forward over a three-day period to publicly
repent (Ezra 10:5-8).
12. They are charged then with their sin and personal confession is made
with a vow to do what is right (Ezra 10:9-17).
III. THINGS THAT GIVE DEMONIC SPIRITS
A LEGAL BASIS TO OPERATE
Demonic spirits have no true authority to influence an area without permission or
legal basis first granted. Certain conditions give them authority to set up a
base of operations from whence they exercise their oppression. These are some
the areas where confessing generational sins is a necessity. What are some of
these conditions?
A. Idolatry
1. Ex. 20:1-5
2. Deut. 7:5, 25-26
3. 1 Cor. 10:19-20
B. Temples to Pagan Religions
1.
Perhaps this deals not only with the
construction of “high places” of demonic and occult
worship, but more subtle, destructive, forms such as
Masonic Lodges, etc. (See the book entitled Gods of the
New Age by Caryl Matrisciana.) Num. 35:52; 2 Ki. 17:11;
18:4; Ps. 78:58;
Jer. 19:5; 32:35.
2. During President Eisenhower’s time a joint decision was
made to erect a church building in Kabul, Afghanistan,
and a mosque in Washington, DC. The church building was
literally destroyed three years later, but the
mosque still stands today. This was an opening in the
city and the seat of government that allowed (and still
allows) the demonic power of Islam entrance into the
U.S.A.
C. Murder and the Shedding of Innocent Blood
1. Scriptures to consider:
a. Thou shalt not kill. (Ex. 20:13, KJV)
b. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be
shed: for in the image of God made He man.
(Gen. 9:6, KJV)
c. For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given
it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your
souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for
the soul. (Lev. 17:11, KJV)
d. ... for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof:
whosoever eateth it shall be cut off. (Lev. 17:14b,
KJV)
e. So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood
it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed
of the blood that is shed therein, but by the
blood of him that shed it. (Num. 35:33, KJV)
2. Of course, today we deal with both “external wars” with great shedding of blood and the “internal wars” of infants legally killed while hidden in the supposed sanctuary of their mother’s womb.
3. This as well brings us to the historic sins of the holocaust with the shedding of the blood of the Jewish people as the church stood by as though paralyzed in WWII. Father forgive us!
D. Witchcraft
1. At first satan only requires the blood of animals. But the
more control he gains in a society, the more he demands
— thus human sacrifice. See
Lev. 20:6.
2. Great Britain alone has an estimated 40,000 people
actively involved in witchcraft and magic.
E. The
Removal of Prayer and Bible Reading
from our Educational Institutions
1. Scriptures: Ex. 12:26-28, Deut. 4:9, Deut. 6:7
2. Since the moment prayer was considered unlawful in the
U.S. public
education system, our country has had a disintegration of
society.
When God was “kicked out”, the god of secular humanism
filled the
void. When we assume God’s position and take it upon
ourselves to
solve problems which only Deity can handle, we make
ourselves out
to be gods. The worship of self is dangerously evil; if
we continue
in this way, we will destroy ourselves.
F. Adultery, Sodomy, Perversion, and all Sexual Sins
1. Adultery - Lev. 20:10.
2. Sodomy - Lev. 18:22; Rom. 1:24-28; Deut. 23:17; Lev. 20:13.
3. Incest, beastiality - Lev. 18 and 20.
G. Substance Abuse - Alcoholism, Drugs, etc.
1. Much of this is nothing more than witchcraft under a “fun,
deceptive, disguise”.
2. Rev. 17 and 18.
3. Rev. 21:8.
H. Fighting, Anger, Hatred, Cursing, and Unforgiveness.
1. Scriptures:
a. Josh.
6:26; 1 Ki. 16:34|
b. Prov. 17:13
c. Mt. 27:24-26; Jn. 19:15
d. Rom. 12:14; 1 Cor. 4:12; 1 Pet. 3:9
e. Mt. 18:21-35
2. The necessity of clean hearts as we approach the communion table 1 Cor. 11:27-30.
3. Proper relationships with those in authority - Lev. 20:9; 1 Cor. 5:1; Judg. 16:20-31; 2 Cor. 6:14-16; Ex. 20:12.
IV.
UNDERSTANDING FROM PRAYER
LEADERS TODAY
A. Remitting the Sins of Nations by C. Peter Wagner
Taken from the book, Warfare Prayer
We know from the Old Testament that nations can be guilty of corporate sins. This was not only true of Gentile nations, but of Israel as well. Both Nehemiah and Daniel give us examples of godly persons who felt the burden for sins of their nations.
Hearing that Jerusalem’s wall was broken down and its gates con-sumed with fire, Nehemiah wept, fasted, and prayed. He confessed the sins of the children of Israel in general, seeking to remit the sins of the entire nation. He said, ... I and my father’s house have sinned. (Neh. 1:6c) Here is an example of one person, under an anointing of God, meaningfully confessing the sins of an entire nation. This is a component of strategic-level spiritual warfare. His prayers obviously had some effect, and God opened doors that only His power could open for the walls and the city to be rebuilt.
Daniel, through reading scripture, came to realize that Israel’s 70 years of captivity were coming to an end. So he went before the Lord in ... prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes, (Dan. 9:3). He confessed the sins of his people in detail saying, Indeed all Israel has transgressed Thy law and turned aside, not obeying Thy voice... (Dan. 9:11a) Later he said he had confessed ... my sin and the sin of my people... (Dan. 9:20).
It is important to note that both Nehemiah and Daniel, while they were standing before God on behalf of their nation, confessed not only the corporate sins of their people, but also their individual sins. Those who remit the sins of nations must not fail to identify personally with the sins that were or are being committed even though they might not personally be as guilty of them as some other sins.
B. From John Dawson - Ambassador of YWAM
“We must identify with the sins of the city. You may be a righteous person who is not involved in any direct way with the vices present in your city. But we must move beyond that. We can all identify with the roots of any given sin.”
C. Closing Thoughts from James W. Goll
With these teachings in mind, it behooves us in this approaching season of Purim that we search our hearts, look at our spotted and stained church history, and enter into Ambassadorial Intercession confessing the generational sins of the church and of our nations particularly towards the Jewish people.
May the Lord grant the spirit of humility and contrition as we seek in His face in a fresh manner for such a time as this