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For many Christians in Africa, the term ‘generational curse’ is quite familiar. We are quick to blame our forebears for our misfortunes and failures, but rarely acknowledge that we also inherited some good.
Human heritages are never all bad, and never all good. Every generation needs to be astute in cultivating the best in the previous generation and burying its worst. This is true for both our biological and spiritual families.
In this article, we will look at how to recover and sustain the heritage of God’s kingdom, left by our fathers, which we have lost.
We must recognise that there are ancient wells of righteousness, power, truth, and kingdom culture that our fathers—those who walked with God in earlier generations—dug through obedience, sacrifice, and faith. Today, many of those wells have been stopped up, polluted, or buried by the Philistines of our time—false ideologies, godlessness, cultural perversions, and demonic systems.
In Genesis 26, Isaac shows us a divine strategy for fighting to take back what we have lost in various aspects of life and as far as kingdom heritage is concerned.
“And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.”
— Genesis 26:18
Note, Isaac didn’t begin by fighting or digging. He began by obeying God, building capacity, and becoming strong. Only after he had grown “very great” (Genesis 26:13) did he return to reclaim what was rightfully his heritage. This is our call—to fight to regain and maintain the heritage of God’s kingdom in our territories.
Let’s look at the Isaac strategy and the practical steps we can take to redig the wells of our fathers today.
Obedience as a precursor to restoration
Amid famine, God told Isaac, “Do not go down to Egypt…dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of” (Genesis 26:2). He could have opted for the convenience and comfort of Egypt, but obedience kept him in Gerar. And it was in that place of divine instruction that God began to prosper him.
Before you start any kingdom assignment—whether it’s restoring righteousness in your family, workplace, city, or nation—you must first hear and obey the voice of God. Obedience activates the covenant. Restoration begins not with battle cries but with yielded hearts. You cannot take on such a fight in the flesh.
Sowing in the land: Capacity building in hostile territory
Genesis 26:12 tells us that Isaac “sowed in that land and received in the same year a hundredfold.” He sowed in a land plagued by famine. He invested where others were retreating. This was more than agricultural wisdom; it was a spiritual posture. He refused to be passive. He built capacity in a hostile environment. He trained his men, gathered wealth, dug wells, and became “very great.”
Many Christians today want to reclaim territories without building capacity. We want revival without prayer, influence without wisdom, and restoration without responsibility. But Isaac teaches us that before you fight for what was stolen, you must first establish divine credibility. Strength precedes stewardship. Spiritual growth, character formation, and strategic influence must precede national transformation.
Digging again the wells: The battle for kingdom heritage
Once Isaac had become strong, he “digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham.” These wells represent spiritual inheritances—truths, values, principles, and mantles passed down from generation to generation. But the Philistines, after Abraham died, had stopped them with earth.
This is a prophetic picture of what has happened in many families, churches, communities, and nations. The enemy has stopped the flow of God’s Spirit, obstructed the truth, buried godly values, and contaminated righteous foundations. But now, a new generation must arise—like Isaac—to reopen these wells.
We must dig again:
The well of holiness, which the world now mocks and dismisses.
The well of truth, which has been buried under relativism and lies.
The well of prayer has now been replaced by entertainment and self-help theology.
The well of kingdom culture, now substituted by worldly compromise.
The well of national transformation, which godless leaders have stopped with corruption and greed.
Isaac did not dig new wells first—he restored the old ones. There is a danger in neglecting the spiritual legacy of the fathers. Revival begins when we honour the ancient paths (Jeremiah 6:16) and restore what the enemy has covered.
Restoration must be confrontational
When Isaac dug the wells, the herdsmen of Gerar contended with him. Restoration is never without resistance. As you fight to reclaim spiritual ground—whether in your home, ministry, or nation—expect opposition. Darkness never surrenders ground without a fight.
But Isaac persisted. He did not retreat. He kept digging until he came to Rehoboth, a place of room and enlargement. This is a prophetic word to those who have been met with resistance—you must not stop at contention. Keep digging, keep praying, keep building, and God will make room for you.
A global call to sons of light
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13,14). That is not just an identity; it is a mandate. Salt preserves and purifies. Light illuminates and exposes. We are not meant to be passive observers in the decay of society. We are agents of restoration.
Christians across nations must now rise as responsible sons of the Kingdom. We are not here merely to survive. We are commissioned to reclaim, restore, and govern spiritually.
We must speak the truth in love. We must challenge wicked policies and expose corruption. We must defend the unborn, protect the oppressed and disciple nations. We must invest in education, technology, governance, and media. We must raise children who carry Kingdom DNA.
We must plant churches, build businesses, and influence laws. We must be salt. We must be light. We must be bold.
The call to dig again the wells of our fathers is not a nostalgic call to the past. It is a prophetic call to recover lost spiritual infrastructure for the future. Isaac obeyed, sowed, became strong, and then fought to reclaim. That is our model. I urge every believer reading this to take up spiritual responsibility. The days of being passive are over. God’s Kingdom must be restored in our homes, in our cities, and in our nations.
Let the Isaacs arise. Let the wells be opened. Let the water flow again. And let God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
. Reverend Austin Ukporhe is the Lead Pastor at Remnant Christian Network, Lagos. Raised in Sokoto, northern Nigeria, he was trained in peculiar firebrand evangelism and was ordained as a pastor in 2001. He has experienced countless and diverse workings of the faithfulness of God over two decades and has developed a passion to see God’s will for Nigeria become a reality. He can be reached at +2348060255604.
