Scripture Reading: 1 Kings18:38-39

Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD -he is God! The LORD -he is God!”

You Are A Living Altar

One of my favourite Old Testament battle scenes does not actually take place on a battle field but at an altar. It was at a time when the spiritual atmosphere of ancient Israel had grown so dense with apostasy and idolatry that it was necessary for the people to be reminded of who God is. The story unfolds in 1 Kings 18:16-45 as we are told that four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal assembled on Mt. Carmel at Elijah’s summoning. They were told to prepare a sacrifice upon their altar and call upon their god Baal to respond with fire. When Baal failed, Elijah “repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins” and called upon the name of the “LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel” and fire fell from heaven, consuming Elijah’s sacrifice. It was then that the people cried, “The LORD – he is God!”

What if I told you that you the Christ-believer, the prayer-warrior, the worshipper, that you, the called of God, the servant who dwells in the “secret place of the Most High”, are a living, breathing, walking altar? I say that your life is an altar that summons the presence of God wherever the soles of your feet tread.

In ancient times, altars served the purpose of being a place where sacrifice and offerings were offered to a deity. The same is true for today. Due to the intensity of worship that was performed at these structures, they held much significance and even acted as a flag would  today, signifying territory and ownership. In other words, altars spoke to their environment and dictated the lordship of that territory in terms of theocratic domain. For that reason, there was a consistent struggle in the Old Testament as Israel’s polytheistic neighbours sought to replace the altars of Jehovah with the altars of Baal, Ashteroth, Chemosh and many others. It is important to note here that where altars are erected, principalities wage war. For that reason God repeatedly instructs the Israelites to “Ruthlessly demolish all the sacred shrines where the nations that you're driving out worship their gods...Tear apart their altars... Obliterate the names of those god sites.”(Deuteronomy 12:2)

Today it is important for us to realize that when we walk and situate ourselves in purpose and on purpose, we are as altars erected strategically throughout the land, draped and dripping with the efficacious blood of Christ the Lamb. Therefore, the presence of our lives, as altars, tells the enemy that we will not hand the specified territory over without a fight. Yes, we are altars erected in our homes, our marriages, our place of work, our schools, our city, and our nation. We have been appointed to walk purposefully and occupy with authority, to stand against the onslaught of occultism, idolatry, multi-religionism, atheism, and relativism that has been released on this generation. We have been called to tear down their high places and to stand prominently as altars for the Most High God.  

Reflection: You smell like God, you bear his fragrance as He continually consumes the sacrifice of your offerings. Do not take it lightly; your life is an altar that affects the atmosphere around you. So much so that your presence sends a signal to territorial spirits and shouts, “The LORD -He is God.”

Kerri-Ann Haye