AS the national elections in the Philippines draw near, it is imperative for Filipinos to understand that the need for good governance should stem from our strongest individual desires to break the generational curses on greed that result in corrupt practices.
Wikipedia defines greed as an uncontrollable longing for increase in the acquisition of material gain; a social value such as status or power. While corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted with a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain.
What is a generational curse?
Clarence Haynes Jr., a Bible teacher and co-founder of The Bible Study Club, said: "The answer brings us back to the principle mentioned in Galatians. To the one who repents, God forgives. To the one who refuses, they set in motion the sowing and reaping of sinful behavior. That is what gets passed down from one generation to the next."
"Every human being is born under a generational curse. However, this does not mean that if our ancestors were into shameful acts, that this is what we will become. What this means is that these sinful behaviors of our ancestors will have consequences in our lives. Whether for good or bad, they may shape the way we view life and the decisions and choices that we make," he added.
Haynes also said that it is also important to know and understand that God is not cursing generations. God is allowing the consequence of unrepentant sin to run its course, which you could argue is a curse unto itself. Jeremiah 31:29-30 states: "In those days people will no longer say, 'The parents have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge.' Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes — their own teeth will be set on edge."
While we may have to deal with the consequences of the sinful behavior of our ancestors, we still remain responsible for our own choices and decisions.
So, the big question now is: How will Filipinos break free from greed and corruption that develops into this undeniably retarding progress in our country?
Filipinos need to understand that it will never be the "next president" who can improve the insurmountable degree of poverty in our country. Rather, it is our own individual desire to break from the curse of corrupt practices so we can further ourselves and the nation.
The Philippines proudly boasts to be the only Christian nation in Asia. Ironically, Christianity has not lived in each of our hearts for such a long time already.
And so, I guess, the challenge right now for us Filipinos is how to live our faith. Do we decide to continue to live the curse or break free from the bondage of greed and contribute to our country's progress moving forward?
This season of Lent, it is my prayer that we will all have the courage to break free from the curse and choose to begin a new family heritage of people walking with God. I pray that we all live and claim victory so we can, collectively, change the course of the Philippines' future for the generations to come.
Merilyn Gomez-Cheng, CPA, MBA is the managing owner of Merilyn Gomez-Cheng Accounting Office and a member of Acpapp Negros Occidental Chapter. The views and opinions in this article are hers and do not represent those of Acpapp.
