And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out. Leviticus 6:12-13 (NKJV).
Consider these questions… Are you still on fire for God like you used to be? Do you have a personal prayer altar? How bright is the fire on your personal prayer altar? How consistently do you fan it to flame?
Is your fire for God contagious? Does your life ignite others to be on fire for God?
An altar denotes and connotes devotion. It is a place of communication between heaven and earth. It is your sacred place of your personal encounter with God, a place of your consecration and devotion unto God, away from the noises in the world.
A personal prayer altar is also a time you decide to set aside consistently to diligently seek the face of God in the word and in prayer; ministering to Him, receiving divine mysteries, instructions and His will for your life. Such altar accommodates and makes room for the manifestation of God in your life and for His glory to rest upon your life.
You see, every believer in Jesus Christ is expected to always be on fire for our Lord Jesus Christ. A believer that is not aflame for Christ is in a dangerous position that attracts the devil’s ministry to steal, kill and destroy. There are many things in our world today that the enemy has strategically put in place to gradually quench our fire for God.
Nonetheless, we know we’re of God, and that the greater one dwells in us. Thus, we know that it is our responsibility in Christ as Priests to keep our fire aflame for Christ and to protect it from being quenched. So that we can steadfastly reign and live in dominion through Jesus Christ over the flesh and the works of the devil.
In the Old Testament, an altar usually signifies a structure on which offerings or sacrifices are burnt in the temples. It serves as a place of worship unto God. But since the ultimate sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, animals are no longer required as sacrifices on altars. Jesus became the sacrifice for us and reconciled us back to God, 1 John4:10, Ephesians 5:2. And now at the new birth, we have become the temple of God, with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; and offering sacrifices to God.
The reminder for us is that the Holy Spirit lives and dwells in us, and we are reminded by Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy1:6 that we are to “fan into flame the gift of God.”
We have been called to be living sacrifices bringing sweet smelling savor unto God, 2 Corinthians 2:15. To the altar we’re to constantly present our body, soul (mind, will, emotion) and spirit. We’re to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1-2). We’re now to constantly sacrifice our time, gifts, bodies, dreams, resources, families, ministry by bringing it all to the altar that burns with the flames of the Holy Spirit, as living sacrifices, for kingdom purposes. This, as Apostle Paul says, is our “spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:2).
More so, our personal prayer altar ought to be a devoted quality time we seek the face of God consistently, not casually or at our extra times. It ought to be a place where distraction is eliminated. In Mark 1:35 and the account of Matthew and Luke, we learnt how our Lord Jesus Christ often leaves to a solitary place to pray. Note that He had a prayer place, which was solitary, away from people and void of distractions.
Keeping your life and personal prayer altar aflame for Christ will bring numerous benefits to every aspect of your life. It purifies you, keeps you from becoming contaminated by the world, helps you live a holy and righteous life before God. It also gives you the kingdom zeal, passion, and an undying love for the things of God.
Brethren, as a priest (Revelations 5:10), you must ensure that you burn wood on your altar daily and that the fire is always burning on it. It is your responsibility to put on and maintain the fire on the altar. You must endeavor to intentionally put every necessary support system in place to keep you devoted to God. Because your fire must never go out!
We can afford to lose a lot of things, but not our fiery passionate fire for God. Therefore, I encourage you to stay on fire for God. I am convinced now more than ever that the world needs believers that are on fire for God, burning and shining as lights in this dark world.
John the Baptist spoke of Jesus ministry, He says in Matthew 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
The bible also says in Leviticus 9:23-24 “And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.”
Finally, Brethren, if you’re going to remain on fire for God and become usable in God’s hands for Kingdom exploits in these last days, then you must keep your fire for God aflame. You must protect it, preserve it, fan it and run away from anything that seeks to quench it in this corrupt world. Leviticus 6:12 says “Meanwhile, the fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must never go out.” NLT.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. Hebrews 4:14.
Take a look at these few key practices to maintaining fire for God:
1. Spend time to Worship God daily.
2. Spend quality time reading, studying and meditating on the Word of God daily.
3. Spend quality time praying in tongues daily.
4. Willingly obey God in all things.
5. Be a witness for Jesus Christ in word and in deed.
6. Keep walking with God dilligently.
7. Guard your heart dilligently.
8. Put your time, gifts, skills and resources into serving God and His purposes.
9. Fellowship with other believers that stir you up in faith. Pray with other likeminded believers who are on fire for God.
10. … your turn. Pls add yours.
Nobody keeps the fire burning by accident or casually. It is work! And you, not God get to decide how far you’re willing to sacrifice to keep His fire burning on your altar. It is time to start burning and shining brighter for Christ! Our fire for God must become hot and contagious everywhere we go!
Think about this… what are the things you need to stop doing, start doing, do less of and do more of to re-ignite your fire for God and to keep it burning. I pray the Lord will open your eyes of understanding and also baptize you afresh with the fire of His Holy-Spirit in Jesus name, Amen.
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Acts 20:32.
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Thank you and God bless you!
Shalom!
