Our sons and daughters will carry the banner forward in their time. That’s how godly legacies are begun and passed down. Of course, all of this can only be accomplished by God’s grace!

Every father will leave a legacy, whether it be good, bad, or indifferent. If we ask him, God will help us to live a life that honors God, inspires those who follow, and generally elevates the family.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous. Proverbs 13:22 (NASB)

The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children after them. Proverbs 20:7 (NLT)

We may have received a wonderful gift from God-fearing ancestors, or our family may have provided us with much to overcome. In the spirit, every born again person is a brand new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), but when it comes to the soul (the mind, will, and emotions), each of us starts our personal faith journey at a line set by those who came before us. This is one reason it is quite impossible to properly judge a life. We do not always understand a person’s faith journey starting point.

For example, if my family has a history of verbal abuse and alcoholism, I may have developed a very dysfunctional way of coping with life. In contrast, if my family was loving, communicated well, and encouraged me regularly, I have been handed a healthier way of relating to people and have received other tools for success. This does not mean that the child of the alcoholic cannot do wonderfully in life, nor does it imply that the child from a healthier family will not fail. It merely means to one has a head start over the other, if he or she chooses to use it.

Our families’ pasts influences us, but it need not define our lives or legacy.

Regardless of where we begin our life journey, God wants us to live in such a way that those who follow us will have an easier time of it. We can leave a godly and good legacy for our descendants. This is what I call the generational aspect of salvation. Perhaps we can be the generation that enables our families to break free from sin and bondage that has held us captive for generations!

Knowing a little about our family history may help us to better understand how we can move our family forward in God. My own genealogical research has produced some great information. I found godly men and women in my family tree, about whom I knew nothing previously and from whom I am no doubt a benefactor of their passing down spiritual blessings to me and others. Not surprisingly, I also found the opposite, which helps me to know better how to pray and stand by faith.

Alcoholism was prevalent on both sides of my family tree, but my Dad and Mom responded to God’s grace and made decisions that helped to nullify that generational sin’s power to enslave family members. The same can be said for many other families which have their own heroes who stood against longstanding family bondage and sin, making it far easier for those who follow to walk in freedom.

Over my years as a pastor, I worked with many whose family inheritance was atrocious – everything from criminal activity, abandonment, addiction, violence, and abuse of various kinds.

Men who come from these sorts of families have an obvious disadvantage. Those who attempt to be godly husbands and fathers, without ever having experienced or even seen positive examples at home, are heroes in my book.

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