How Does Unworthiness Affect Us Spiritually? The A-B-C Series on Ancestral Influences

Healing Ancestral Wounds

Although I was a Christian, I lived my life feeling unworthy until my early twenties when I encountered a man who spoke to me about the Holy Spirit.

Before My Encounter

I feared God might not forgive me for my failures. Maybe if I worked hard enough to please Him, I could be assured of a place in heaven. I did not understand He was already pleased with me. I had not recognized my worthiness was based on what Christ did at the cross for me, not on my works and performance. I feared I was not good enough to go to heaven.

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When I was at a church service the night before my brother Kerry’s wedding in 1976, Kerry’s friend Mike spoke to me and said the Holy Spirit told him I was concerned about going to heaven. How did Mike know this? I had not shared my fear of being unworthy and not good enough with anyone.

The Holy Spirit was pursuing me and used Mike, a man I had not previously met, to explain God’s plan of salvation that evening. I had been in church my whole life and served as a Sunday school teaching assistant and volunteer on several church committees. Yet, I had not understood that God wanted a relationship with me, and it was not based on my performance or work.

After My Encounter

Did feelings of unworthiness go away completely after this encounter? I wish I could say yes, but that would not be true. I did not realize the spirit of unworthiness had wreaked havoc in my family lineage for generations, and I needed to renounce and evict it. The next time I felt unsuccessful, I again entertained the enemy’s lie I was not good enough

When I learned about inner healing prayer later in my adult years, I understood how to pray against the spirit of unworthiness. I forgave my ancestors who opened the door to the spirit of unworthiness and asked the Lord to forgive me for partnering with this negative ancestral influence. I repented and renounced the spirit of unworthiness in Jesus’s name and declared it could no longer impact me and my future generations. In its place, I asked the Holy Spirit to fill me with the assurance of my position as a loved and worthy child of God.

Walking in Victory Scriptures

The Old and New Testaments speak of our value to God. Psalm 139 talks about God knowing us before we were conceived and then forming us in our mother’s womb. Genesis 1:27 says we were made in the image of God. How can we then be unworthy?

We are told in 1 Peter 2:9 we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Luke 12:7 says, Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Understand Our Worth is Rooted in Our Identity in Christ

Oftentimes, we equate our failings and weaknesses with unworthiness and mistakenly believe we need to be strong in our strength. Paul explains what Jesus told him about weakness in 2 Corinthians 12:9–10:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We can reframe our view on unworthiness by celebrating our inadequacies because they remind us of our total dependence on God.

Rely on the Lord’s Truth that You Are Worthy

W—Wage war against the spirit of unworthiness. Declare you are no longer under its influence.

O—Overcomer is your name. Together with Jesus, you will overcome the tactics of the enemy.

R—Renounce and repent for partnering with the spirit of unworthiness. Ask the Lord for forgiveness and forgive your ancestors who partnered with this negative influence.

T—Take back any territory the enemy has stolen with the spirit of unworthiness in Jesus’s name.

H—Hand over your pain and burdens to Jesus, and trust Him to be your strength when you feel weak.

Y—You are a child of God and worthy because of what Jesus did.

What negative consequences have you observed from the spirit of unworthiness? How will you wage war against this negative influence?

Be sure to share your observations in our Facebook Group Healing Prayer Discussion.

We are all stronger when we learn from each other. Looking forward to your input.

Blessings,
Gena