BREAKING THE BAD CHAINS OF OUR ANCESTORS

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. 
Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond 
the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.” 
(Joshua 24:14)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever heard the phrase, “That’s just the way our family is”?
Most families have traits passed down from their ancestors.
Some of those traits (and habits) are good, but some are not so good.
The challenge for each individual 
is to determine which ones to keep, and which ones should be discarded.

Some are harmless, some honor the Lord, but some dishonor Him.
If our ancestors have shown an addiction to alcohol, 
then we definitely need to ‘break the chain’ of this habit.
On the other hand, if our ancestors have shown a desire and habit of attending 
church on a regular basis, then obviously that is a habit we should continue.

The scriptures tell us to ‘throw away the gods of our ancestors’.
We may think that our ancestors didn’t have other gods, but what about 
the ‘god of selfishness’, the ‘god of chasing wealth’, the ‘god of anger and 
arrogance’, the ‘god of rebellion (refusing to obey God’s commands), etc.
Anything that replaces God’s Will can be considered an ‘other god’.

One of the ways we can replace ‘other gods’ is to 
follow the scriptural advice to ‘serve the Lord with all faithfulness’.
When we are spending time serving Him, 
we are giving up time dedicated to ‘other gods’.
We are also developing a new mindset (similar to the Lord’s)
and breaking the undesirable chains of our ancestors.

Each Christian can (and has the responsibility to) serve the Lord in some capacity.
We may not be called to be pastors, teachers, or missionaries, 
but we can serve Him in many other ways on a daily basis.
When others see our faith is genuine and committed, 
we are serving the Lord by pointing others to Jesus.
When we encourage and pray for others, we are serving the Lord.

ACTION:
Which habits and traits of your ancestors do you need to ‘throw away’?
How are you ‘serving the Lord with all faithfulness’?
If you are struggling to find how you can serve Him, 
I would like to offer a simple way to ‘jump start’ your efforts.

I believe that the devotionals I create and distribute 
are truly the Lord’s handiwork and not mine.
To be honest, when I see what He has given me to distribute, 
there is a temptation to take credit for what He has done.
In addition, based on the feedback I have received over the years, 
I know that His devotionals are having an impact on the lives of many people.

Think about telling at least one other person about the devotionals 
and share with them any that have had an impact on your own life.
I don’t gain anything based on the number of people who read them, 
other than the blessing of knowing that God’s devotionals are helping others.

To date, the devotionals are being read 
in over 40 states and about 60 foreign countries.
If case you are curious about the topics others are interested in, 
here is a list of the most popular devotionals for 2018 thus far 
(most popular at the top):
1. How well do I compare with others?
2. Responding to disappointments
3. Defending your mind against the attacks from the evil one
4. Godly wisdom and worldly wisdom are not the same
5. How has the Spirit of Christ changed your heart and mind?
6. Salvation includes freedom with boundaries
7. Are you pleased with how God created you?
8. Are you living a dull and boring life, with no real purpose?
9. Some scriptures provide advice specifically for Christians
10. Don't be a 'Lone Ranger' whenever you are burdened
11. The cure for bitterness and its consequences 
12. War has been declared for control of you and your soul!
13. We are all equal in God's eyes
14. As a Christian, why would I have doubts and how do I handle them?
15. God has special benefits for believers that are found in one place
16. Being humble pleases God and benefits us
17. Are you feeling restrained, imprisoned, or oppressed?
18. What does God expect of me after He has given me His salvation?
19. When you come to a fork in the road, which path do you choose?
20. Being in bondage is not enjoyable, but it can be!
21. Why is peace so difficult for me to find and enjoy?
22. Happy and joyful, or full of anger?
23. The battle for your soul is real
24. Gaining courage during difficult times
25. Depression is a destructive threat to our joy and happiness

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, help me to break the chains of anything from my 
ancestors that dishonor You. Help me to embrace the ones that honor 
You. Show me how to serve You with all faithfulness. Remind me 
that as a child of Yours, my life should include pointing others to 
Your Son by the way I live my faith on a daily basis.”

blog: utvolwoody.wordpress.com