Satans’ Binding Influence

For too many years we’ve let Satan rob members of our families because we weren’t sure if it was “God’s will” for them to be saved, or because we were taught about their “free will.” Unsaved people do not have a “free will,” but instead they are prisoners of the power of Satan. They are blinded by his deception, and until someone breaks that bondage off of them, they will stay unsaved.

Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, says, “But even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4)

This understanding of Satan’s blinding influence among the unsaved is at the very center of God’s plan for us to see our families saved and delivered. You see, dear saint, there are evil spirits from hell assigned to your family members, and they will rob, kill and destroy your loved ones and keep them out of heaven until you or another believer stops them.

There is a scriptural key to understanding the operation of Satan’s influence in your family. That key can be found in several scriptures:

• “You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Deuteronomy 5:9, 10)

• “The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.” (Numbers 14:18)

• “You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me….” (Exodus 20:5)

• “…keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:7)

• “You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them — the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts.” (Jeremiah 32:18)

Going back to Deuteronomy 5:9-10 we read: “You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” This scripture tells us that there is a “passing on” of sin and iniquity to the third and fourth generation of a family bloodline. Sin is not a biological problem, but instead it is a spiritual one. The way that it is passed down in a family is by family spirits.

As a pastor, I have seen this principle of family spirits manifest in many families.For example, the woman whose grandmother died of cancer, whose mother died of cancer, and who now has been told that she has cancer. How did she get cancer? By the passing down of a family spirit! Or what about the man who is an alcoholic, whose father was an alcoholic, and whose grandfather was an alcoholic? It is a family spirit!

This evil family inheritance can be broken by the Blood of Jesus Christ. You can remove and free your family from family spirits. God wants us to fight for our families in the spirit. Nehemiah echoes this in Nehemiah 4:14: “And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, ‘Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.’” 

Nehemiah told God’s people to “FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILIES.” Paul also tells us to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)