Experiencing The Incredible Power of Altar

Experiencing the incredible power of altar is that experience divinely ordered which we have been told to expect and resolutely submit ourselves to it. An altar experience pierces our soul. It cuts deeply into our inner man. It strikes at the thoughts and intents of the heart. It is designed by God to slaughter everything that is of the flesh. This is why it hurts. It can be agonizing. It can be excruciating. Time slows down when you're on the altar. We just want it to be over, but we dare not try to end it too soon. Not until the Lord says, "It is finished".

 

We should note that just because our pathway leads to an altar, this does not necessarily mean we are doing something wrong (though, we may be). But whether we are or are not, we must recognize that an altar is not punishment from God. It is instead one of the key ways that God causes us to grow and brings us closer to Himself. It is one of the ways that He brings us to the end of ourselves and teaches us to depend entirely upon Him. It is one of the ways that He purifies our motives and perfect our character.

 

Altars are therefore extremely important elements in our spiritual growth. Paul wrote of his desire to know the Lord in the "fellowship of His sufferings" Ephesians 3:10. This is what the altar is all about. It is participation in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. We may not always see it that way, but this is how God sees it.

 

Psalm 118:27 says "Bind the sacrifice with cord, even unto the horns of the altar". This is what we need to do to ourselves if we are serious about going on with the Lord. We need to, by our own choice, bind ourselves to our altars. This means that when we get in a situation we don't particularly like, we need not immediately start looking for a way out of it. We need to set our face like a flint and step into it, trusting the Lord to bring us through. We need to persevere. We need to stay focused on Jesus, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross. He didn't try to get out of Calvary. He faced it. He submitted to it. He humbled Himself and became obedient. This is the pathway to resurrection. This is the pathway to spiritual power.