Personal Destiny vs. Generational Legacy
Written by Jarred Rushing
(5 minutes)
"Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse." (Malachi 4:5-6)
In the wilderness, Abba begins to redefine everything. One of the biggest shifts that He makes in our hearts is taking the value we've always placed on personal destiny and putting that value on what actually captivates His heart, generational legacy. It's taking the focus off of building a life for ourselves and putting it instead on building a life for generations to come.
You can see how important generational legacy is to Yahweh in the last verses of the Old Testament. In Malachi 4:5-6, we're told that the spirit of Elijah will come and what that spirit of Elijah will do is prepare the landscape, or the environment, for the revealing of Yeshua the Christ. This forerunner will actually tear down all the religious construction that's been built and turn our hearts toward what Yahweh is really interested in: fathers with hearts for children, and children with hearts for fathers.
Religion thrives on the message of personal destiny. It thrives on telling you that you COULD be great one day, and here's everything you need to do to get there. This message is based on the lie that you don't have what you need to be who you are. So, in turn, the message of personal destiny inspires you to turn inward, to always be looking at yourself and your own progress (or shortcomings). It's continually pressing you to figure out your own purpose and protect your own well-being. And here's the deadly catch, if you're always looking at yourself and you're only ever concerned about your own purpose, you will miss what Abba is already doing all around you and you'll miss the people that He wants you to be connected to. Here is a question you can bring into your intimacy with Abba concerning Malachi 4:5-6: "Abba, if the hearts of the fathers were not on the children, and the hearts of children were not on the fathers...where were their hearts turned to instead?"
Religion's lie is that you will find your purpose and personal destiny by paying more attention to yourself.
The truth that Yahweh is revealing is that you will be all that He's called you to be and do all that He's called you to do when you get your eyes off of yourself and onto Him, the Father, and onto the Kingdom family that He's planted you in.
This is generational legacy. It doesn't sell nearly as many books as personal destiny does, but it does attract the heart of Yahweh and it does reveal the real Jesus to the world. Generational legacy may mean that your life is simply seed in the ground that lays a firm foundation for the next generation to build upon. This is the same heart that Jesus had as He turned away from the big crowds and constantly invested Himself in a small number of people.
It is still the heart of Yahweh to see fathers turn their hearts to the children, and to see children turn their hearts to the fathers.
This is Abba's perfect plan for the Kingdom family that He's building. His heart fully turned to His sons and daughters. And beloved sons and daughters with hearts turned fully to Him.
In the wilderness, Abba begins to redefine everything. What used to be important to us (personal destiny) isn't important anymore. It is replaced with something far more valuable (generational legacy).
Some questions you can pull into your walk with Abba today:
Abba, what areas of my heart are still focused on my own personal destiny?
Where am I still investing too much time, attention or resources into building for myself and not for the next generation?
Abba, what parts of my life need to be reordered around what's really important to your heart?
Declarations:
Abba, I let go of the lie that finding fulfillment and purpose only comes by paying more attention to myself.
I let go of the lie of religion: that I don't have what I need and that I'm not good enough.
I embrace the truth that everything I need to be who You've called me to be, I ALREADY have inside of me.
And because I already have what I need, I am free to focus on You and the people You have put in my life.
My heart reflects what is important to Yahweh.
I invest time, attention and resources into generational legacy, the ever-expanding Kingdom family that Abba is building.
Walking away from personal destiny is effortless for me, because my heart has found something far more valuable than my own life.
Abba, I will be seed in the ground, planted by Living Water, so the next generation can find rest in my shade and freedom in my branches.
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