Text: Ezekiel 22:30-31, Leviticus 6:12
There is a reason why so much darkness is coming into our lives and our land. The walls and borders around our lives are broken many ways and a lot has neglected the place of prayer. We need God to show us how to build up the wall again. We must create an atmosphere for Him to dwell. What conditions did God give David? He said, ‘David, go BUILD ME AN ALTAR...(2 Samuel 24:18-25)”
An altar is a platform where the realm of the spirit makes contact with the physical realm on legal grounds. It is what gives life to a covenant. No man ever becomes great in life either in the spiritual or the secular without the backing of an altar.
Building a prayer altar is foundational in our pursuit of God’s Presence. It is the starting place, the consistent place, the fueling place where we meet with God and create an environment for Him to come. This needs to happen personally, FIRST. We then establish similar altars in our home as families and in our churches. It’s from this place of PERSONAL encounter that we have the anointing and authority to counter the darkness in our communities and create a place for God to dwell. Prayer is the true sign of spiritual health, it is the most accurate measure of the health of your spiritual life. It takes genuine sacrifice to build an altar.
WHY DO WE NEED A PRAYER ALTAR?
- Prayer is our lifeline to God. 1John 5:14, Jer. 29:12
- The altar of prayer breeds intimacy. Psalm 145:18
- The altar of prayer registers your voice in divinity. Acts 10:4
- The alter of prayer brings you into the realm of possibilities. 1 John 5:14-16
- There's no dominion without an altar. Luke 5:15-17, Luke 6:12-19.
HOW TO BUILD A PRAYER ALTAR
- Maintain consistency - One of the natural ways of building an altar is consistency of practice within a region. Luke 6:12, Mark 1:35
- Prayer altars consist of reading God’s Word, worship, listening, journaling, waiting, and “soaking” in His Presence. It’s where we practice quieting our hearts and tuning into the voice of the Holy Spirit. It’s where we learn to “be”, long before we “do”. As our personal altars are established, we begin to experience the transformational power of His Presence in our own lives which builds faith and expectation for corporate encounters of His Presence.
It takes discipline. However, when you’ve decided that the call is worth the cost, you are in position to receive greater grace to take you where you’ve never bee. As we learn to wait in His Presence we can expect to experience His tangible presence on a personal level, before we ever experience it corporately.
People who have experienced transforming revival have all established prayer altars as a precursor to a divine visitation. Though these prayer altars were usually established out of desperation, sacrifice and travaill, the power of God's supernatural Presence has been consistent. Even so, we do not have to wait until crisis hits! We can choose to establish prayer altars in our lives out of love and obedience. God has always given us the choice to draw close to Him. We should respond to His invitation before we expect Him to respond to ours.