Skip to main content

Repairing Broken Altars 1

So many children of God get so frustrated, angry and disillusioned when they do not get answers to their prayers. Some have left the faith or change churches because they believe God is not answering them any more. It is as if God is not even there any more. They feel they have given and sacrificed so much to the Kingdom that the answers to their prayers must be commensurate to these efforts.

The Bible is very clear both in the Old and New Testaments on why prayers are not answered. It is not because our God is insensitive to our plight nor is He deaf to our cries. Unfortunately, it is our iniquities and the desires of our hearts that puts us at opposite ends with the Father. He told us clearly in Leviticus 26 that He would walk contrary to any person that walks contrary to Him, by Ezekiel 14, He declared that when a man comes to Him with multitude of idols (ungodly desires) in his heart, He would answer such a person according to the multitude of idols in that heart. By the time we got to the New Testament, He declared that the reason we do not get our prayers answered is because of the desires that war in our hearts which are contrary to His desires for us - James 4:1-3.

From the Scriptures, we understand that when our prayers are not answered then there is something very wrong. Please understand that God can answer our prayers in 3 particular ways: yes, wait or no. But a situation when we feel Heaven is closed to us, then there is a problem and it must be quickly dealt with so that we would not fall away from Him. In such a situation, the first place to look at is our meeting point with the Lord. In the Old Testament, the meeting point is the Altar. The Lord specifically gave instructions on how the Altar must be built, what to be sacrificed there and by whom. By the New Testament we saw that the Altar now is our hearts. It is still an Altar - a meeting point between us and Him. No wonder the Lord is very particular about the state of our hearts! During His conversation with the woman by the well in John 4, the Lord pointed out that the Lord had moved from physical altars and was now seeking people that will worship Him in Spirit and Truth. To press home this point, He declared in Matthew 24:1-2, that the physical stones of the Temple complex will be torn down. Before then, in Joshua 1:8, we see a foreshadow of our hearts becoming the meeting point, when He declared to Joshua to 'meditate' day and night upon His instruction, then he would be successful in all he does. Meditation in God's word can only occur in a heart that is unfettered with issues - a heart that ponders, dwells and listens to the voice of his Master.

One thing is for sure, if the altar is corrupted or destroyed there cannot be communication between man and God! Why is the Altar important to God you may ask? It is a place where God disciples, trims, sharpens and trains the man into His desired shape in order to fulfill the task that had been laid out for him. It is at the Altar that plans are made, instructions received, illuminations given etc. This is where God develops a man internally before others begin to feel or encounter him externally.

Throughout Scriptures, it is clear that where there is no Altar, there is no relationship with God. Once a person falls away from his relationship with God, check out the state of his altar. To get back to that point again of communing with God, then the Altar - meeting point must be repaired and functioning again.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Quarry Site Experience

Have you ever visited a quarry site and considered the process the rocks are subjected to before they become dressed stones to be used? If the stones could talk they will have a story to tell about their experiences.  As children of God we go through diverse experiences and we wonder if we will indeed survive them. Sometimes we wonder why our gracious and compassionate Father would allow such to befall us considering who we are in Him and what we are doing in His vineyard.  The Scripture that should readily come to our minds in such circumstances is God’s assurance when He said: “I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire and the flame will not burn you ” (Isaiah 43:2). This Scripture assures us that through the experiences of flames and waters, God is always by our side to see us through.  Thus, it is necessary for us to go through the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Daily Walk With The LORD

       As we await the imminent return of the LORD Jesus Christ, we enter a time of great exposure and blessing. All that had been hidden will be revealed, all that had been a lie will be exposed, and those who can discern these things and make adjustments to their lives will be greatly blessed in this time!        As the Church Age draws to a close, we see and understand the Scriptures more clearly by the Help of the Holy Spirit, as we see Scriptures literary play out before our eyes. These are the times we must strengthen our resolve to serve Him more dearly and follow Him more closely. Failure to do this is to fall into all manner of errors orchestrated by the devil through his agents to derail as many from the path of righteousness and eternal life in Christ Jesus.         Many strange but carefully crafted teachings are flooding the pulpits and airwaves to distract, confuse and steal the hearts of children of God from...
Post a Comment
Read more

But You Did Not Learn Christ In This Way

       I remember meeting a man of God in his office after the Sunday Services in his Church. I, like many others that day needed a few minutes with him. I was there at the instruction of the LORD to deliver a message. As we were talking, one of his Church workers came in and gave him a note. His face lit up, and he was very excited. I saw that there were sets of numbers written. I thought the numbers represented those who gave their lives to Christ, because many came out during the Altar Call to give and rededicate their lives to the LORD Jesus Christ. No! Apparently, they represent the number of people in attendance at each of the three services with the corresponding money collections realised.         They were not concerned about the souls that came out hungry for God! I was saddened by their excitement. They were not excited about the souls that came into the Kingdom of God; rather, they were rejoicing about their egos, ranks and bank a...
1 comment
Read more