Will You Pass on Your Inheritance? Part 3

Revelation 21:7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son.

Did you inherit something negative from your family? Is it divorce, drinking, drugs, fornication, the curse of illegitimacy? Is it control? Do all the women rule the families? Are all the fathers violent or passive?

After a while, the issue isn’t what we inherited. What’s important is the question, “Is it going to stop with me?” Or are you going to pass it on? You see, we’re all going to pass on an inheritance of some kind. What kind will it be?

We have to have the vision of being dynasty builders—concerned with much more than just our own lives. Will the mudslide of anger, addiction, hatred, illegitimacy, sloth or any other family weakness get passed down, or will I overcome in the name of Jesus and put an end to it in my life and generation? It’s not what I inherited from my parents that counts—it’s what I am continually inheriting from my heavenly Father!

You could be discouraged about what you have to fight in your life, things you don’t think that others have to fight. But you are living and fighting for your dynasty! Don’t be discouraged. Hang in there for Him and for the kingdom he’s building through you.

How do we overcome? Read the Word with focus–find out what you don’t need to be living under! Let God’s Word tell you who you are. Learn the rules of this kingdom. Dorothy’s amazement at being in Oz should be a pale picture of our amazement of also being in a new kingdom where the rules are different, the enemies more defined, and the rewards far greater than the world we came from.

How do we overcome? Watch and learn from those inheriting the promises. Who is living in peace with an unsaved spouse, or raising good children? Learn from them! Who is happy in their singleness? Learn from them! Who has overcome—their past, their sins, their abuse by others? Learn from them.

How do we overcome? Commit yourself to living for and giving to others. Where is your inheritance going? Is it your children or grandchildren? Then make sure they have everything you have in the Spirit and more. Is it stepchildren? Then claim them for God’s kingdom—love them and believe that God will use you. Even if you’re single and childless, you are part of an extended family that you could affect for generations. Perhaps your spiritual descendants are not related to you at all, but are found in the nursery or junior church, or in your neighborhood. Let’s live and overcome not just for our sake, but also for theirs.

Psalm 25:12-13 says, “Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth.” You are at the head of a dynasty. Know it. Overcome for your spiritual descendants. Continue to receive His inheritance, and continue to pass it on.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for seeing myself so individually. You see me as the head of a dynasty, some of whom I’ll never even know. Teach me to overcome for their sakes, and may I pass on all that I’ve inherited from You.