Prayer to destroy an inheritance of family bondage of sin

Dear Lord,

You say in Proverbs 13:22 that a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children. I pray that the inheritance I leave to my children will be the rewards of a godly life and clean heart before You. To make sure this happens, I ask that wherever there is a sinful trait in me that I have acquired from my family, deliver me from it now in the name of Jesus. I confess my sins to You. I ask for forgiveness and restoration, knowing that Your Word says in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

I know that cleansing from sin through confession lessens the possibility of passing that habit of sin to my child. Jesus said in Luke 10:19, "I give you the authority... over all the powers of the enemy." If there is any work of the enemy in my past that seeks to encroach upon the life of my child(ren), [name child(ren)], I break it now by the power and authority given me in Jesus Christ. I pray specifically about [list any and all sins that you can think of that have been committed by you and your ancestors]. Whatever is not Your will for our lives, I reject as sin.

Thank You, Jesus, that You came to set us free from the past. We refuse to live bound by it. Thank You, Father, that You have "qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light" according to Colossians 1:12. I pray that [name child(ren)] will not inherit any sin trait from their earthly family, but will "inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world" which Your Word says in Matthew 25:34. Thank You, Jesus, that in You the old has passed away and all things are new.

In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen.

(Adapted from The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian)