How Does the Spirt of Abuse Affect Us Spiritually? The A-B-C Series on Ancestral Influences
By Gena Barnhill @BarnhillGena
Abuse, unfortunately, comes in many forms. The types of abuse revealed in the bloodlines of the people we prayed for included physical, spiritual, sexual, and verbal or emotional abuse.
Open Door for the Enemy
Abuse can open the door to the enemy. Of course, this is not fair! The person who was abused was sinned against by their abuser, and then the enemy uses this situation to gain access. The enemy does not play fair and takes advantage when our guard is down and when we are vulnerable or in a state of weakness. Remember, I Peter 5:8 says, Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. The spirit of fear often works with the spirit of abuse to create problems such as distrust, withdrawal, sexual sin, mental health issues, poor physical health, and problems with intimacy.
Physical Abuse
Many of us have heard the phrase, hurt people hurt people. Several people who we prayed with recalled relatives that were the recipients of physical abuse and relatives that were abusive. Sometimes these were the same person. The spirit of abuse works to keep mistreatment active from generation to generation. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) reports that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner sometime in their lifetime.
Sexual Abuse
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reported 1 in 5 women experienced attempted or completed rape, and nearly 25% of men in the U. S. experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetimes. Sexual abuse can open the door for the spirit of trauma to operate in families. Trauma negatively impacts physical and mental health. Sadly, we have heard people tell us they felt responsible for the abuse they experienced as children. This is a lie from the enemy that locked them in shame.
During prayer, they asked Jesus the truth about their belief and the traumatic event. He showed them they were not responsible for the abuse, and they were not dirty in His eyes. They were God’s beautiful children. Jesus removed the pain from their memory and frequently showed them an aspect of the situation they were unaware of at the time of the event(s). Several times prayer recipients sensed Jesus protected them by preventing further abuse from happening.
False Image of God the Father
Abuse, especially when perpetrated by a father or other authority figure, will frequently distort a person’s view of Father God. They may view God as unsafe, distant, or angry instead of the loving Father that He is. Remember, a primary goal of the enemy is to separate us from God. The spirit of abuse works to distract us and detach us from a needed relationship with Jesus. Spiritual abuse by a spiritual leader is especially impactful on our understanding of God’s love for us and how we can have intimacy with God.
Verbal Abuse
Verbal abuse can be more insidious than physical and sexual abuse because often there is no physical evidence of the trauma, such as bruising or broken bones. However, the long-term consequences can be devasting, leading the recipients of the abuse to believe lies about themselves such as they are stupid, ugly, or unworthy. Verbal abuse also leads to low self-esteem and the belief they do not deserve love and acceptance.
As discussed in our Simple Effective Prayer manual, forgiving our ancestors for their part in abuse is key to healing. Since few people know all their ancestors, forgiving everyone in the bloodline is frequently needed. Also, abusers outside the bloodline need to be forgiven. This may include pastors, teachers, people in authority, and friends. The person receiving prayer needs to forgive everyone so they are free of all negative influences.
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The Blessings
When we renounce and reject the spirit of abuse, we replace it with trust in God. In prayer, the Lord will frequently show how He loves the person, hated the abuse, prevented worse abuse, and wants to heal. The Holy Spirit often leads a person to understand they are a beloved child of God and worthy of His protection. Each Christian is adopted into the family of God as a beloved child. God does not want His children to be abused or fearful. By removing the influences of the spirits of abuse and fear, our future generations do not need to suffer.
Before I share a prayer, I’d like you to have the opportunity to chime in. In what ways have you seen the spirit of abuse working?
Please share your thoughts in our Facebook Group Healing Prayer Discussion.
Take a moment to ask the Lord if there is a spirit of abuse in your family line. If you sense there is, consider praying aloud the bolded words in the prayer below.
God bless you,
Gena
Healing Prayer for Ancestral Influences
- I confess the sins of my ancestors, my parents, and my own sins associated with (the negative ancestral influence), and I forgive each person for how these influences have hurt me (Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, name the people aloud.) I choose to forgive _________, _________, _________, _________, __________.
- Lord, I ask You to forgive me for yielding to these negative influences. I receive Your forgiveness, and I choose to forgive myself for entering into these sins.
- I renounce these negative influences and break their power over my life, my family, and all future family in Jesus’s Holy name.
- I receive God’s blessings and replace (the negative ancestral influence) with _____________, ________________, ____________ (Ask the Holy Spirit what He wants to fill you with to replace what was renounced).
