Inherited Weaknesses

Call To Prayer

Title:  Inherited Weaknesses 

By: Njuacha Hubert

Date: 01.02.2025

18 For you know that you were not redeemed from your useless [spiritually unproductive] way of life inherited [by tradition] from your forefathers with perishable things like silver and gold,   ( 1 Peter 1:18  Amplified Bible)

Sometimes families, tribes, or even countries are known for certain behaviors or traits because it prevalent among that group. These traits could be negative like pride, arrogance, laziness, stinginess, sexual immorality, anger, etc. Such traits are perhaps learnt by association but some studies show it is perhaps also inherited biologically.

Talking about inheriting bad traits, let us consider Moses’s anger issues. For instance, he killed an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew (Exodus 2:11-12). Now connect this to his ancestor Levi who together with Simeon also killed men in revenge(Genesis 34, Genesis 49:5-7). Could his anger weakness be an inherited trait? Regardless of your answer, we have seen how people continue to repeat the mistakes of their parents from one generation to another. Contributing factors could be genetic transmission, ignorance, or curses. 

However, we thank God that in Christ we have been set free from all these useless ways of life inherited from our forefathers whatever the method of transmission. Nonetheless, the transformation from the old sinful self to the new creature in Christ is both instant(spirit) and a process(mind). So we obtain Christ’s righteousness at baptism but we must also be transformed mentally to reflect this finished work in our Spirit. (2 Corinthians 5:2, 12 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Corinthians 3:18) 

So, there are inherited weaknesses, and the first step is to recognize them as the Lord exposes them to you either through the word or any other form. We can’t continue to identify with these weaknesses and undermine them because they are still sinful even if you inherited them. 

So what we must do as people who have been born into God’s family, is that we have to die to this old nature and become more like Christ. The transformation comes through the word and prayers. Purge yourself. Renew your mind. Your identity is first and foremost Christ before your family, church, tribe, or nation. A believer in China must reflect the same love as a believer in Lesotho because they are all Christ. 

Prayer Points: 

• Let’s thank God for His word today
• Let’s pray that God should help us recognize any family, tribal, national, or association-related weaknesses that don’t reflect Christ to whom we now belong. 
• Let’s pray that God should help us purge ourselves.