Title Raising An Altar Unto God
Memorize: A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out. Leviticus 6:13 (Nkjv)
Bible Reading: Genesis 28:11-19 (Nkjv)
[11] So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.
[12] Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
[13] And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
[14] Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
[15] Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
[16] Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”
[17] And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
[18] Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.
[19] And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.
Message:
An altar is a meeting place between God and man. Abraham was a man who raised many altars for God (Genesis 13:4 & 18). Little wonder he received transgenerational blessings. In today’s Bible reading, we see how Jacob dreamt that the place he slept at was a meeting point between heaven and earth; he was unaware that he was at an altar.
Dear child, you can turn a small corner of your room into an altar by making a commitment to meet with God there regularly. You must make sure that the place is clean because it is the altar of the Almighty God. The moment you set aside that place as an altar to God, God will be waiting for you anytime you go there.
Over 20 years ago, I raised an altar in a small room inside the first house I lived in at the Redemption Camp (now Redemption City). The house is now called the Open Heavens International Centre. Since that place was marked out as an altar, to this day, people who go there to pray in faith receive mighty miracles from God that even I find amazing.
Key Point:
You can also have encounters by raising an altar to God.
HYMN 22: SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
that calls me from a world of care,
and bids me at my Father’s throne
make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
my soul has often found relief,
and oft escaped the tempter’s snare
by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
the joys I feel, the bliss I share
of those whose anxious spirits burn
with strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
where God my Savior shows his face,
and gladly take my station there,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
thy wings shall my petition bear
to him whose truth and faithfulness
engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since he bids me seek his face,
believe his word, and trust his grace,
I’ll cast on him my every care,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Bible In One Year: Genesis 16:1-18:15, Matthew 6:1-24
AUTHORS: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE
PASTOR MRS FOLU ADEBOYE