THE ALTAR

I was at a conference with thousands of believers. We entered into the presence of God as His royal priesthood. We praised God without shame and the manifest presence of God honored our praise by coming into our midst to establish His throne in our presence. Psalms 22:3 says, "But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel." This eternal principle operates wherever God's people offer Him the sacrifice of praise. As preist we offered our praise to God and God received our offerings and confirmed His pleasure by coming into our midst to set His throne there and reign in our presence as King of kings.

We had assembled ourselves at the altar of God. Psalms 43:4 "Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy: And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God." We were standing on the holy hill of God and we had entered His tabernacle. It was a glorious place to bask in the glory of God and receive His presence and all that He was pouring out on us.

We remained in the presence of God until the conference host showed us an excerpt of his movie that was coming out soon after the conference. As the trailer of the movie played I sensed a shift in the atmosphere but I wasn't sure why or what had happened and then as understanding came forth. The manifest presence of God had lifted. The throne of God had moved. We were still in the same physical place but we were not in the same spiritual place. I felt sad and then my sadness turned to offense.

I was offended when the conference preacher stood to preach the Word of God and within the first twenty minutes of his mesage people started to get up and walk out. There were walking out on the Man of God as he stood to give us the Word of God. My offense were with the people. I started to call them immature and selfish. I said to myself and I said to a freind a few days later, "This is what is wrong with the church. Leadership is so selfish and undisciplined. If leaders (It was a leadership conference) are so disrespectful to the Word how can we expect any difference from the people."

Days later Holy Spirit brought my offense forward and said to me, It wasn't the people's fault that they walked out. They left because they had no hunger for my word because they changed altars. They were hungry when they were at my altar, they were hungry when they were expereincing my presence but when the conference shifted the altar shifted. My people were directed from My altar to the altar of the golden calf. They left from worshipping me to being entertained. Whenever my people are gathered at the altar of the golden calf they will never have an appetite for my Word."

I was blown away by this revelation. Whenever God's people gather at His altar not only will we experience His manifest presence but our spirits will hunger and thirst for His rightoeusness revealed in His Word. But when God's people worship at the altar of the golden calf we will not have that hunger (Please read Exodus 32 and pray to Holy Spirit to give you understanding). Holy Spirit began to show me how churches all over this world are gatheirng at the altar of  the golden calf to be entertained. Everything in their service is designed to tickle their flesh and make them feel good about themselves. They may talk about God and pray to God and sing songs about God but the purpose is to give the people what they want.

When Aaron created the golden calf in Exodus 32 the Word says in verse six, "Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." Israel's worship of the golden calf appealed to their flesh. It was a worship of entertainment at the altar of the god that had created for themselves.

The altar that you worship at determines your appetite.

I'm going to continue sharing what Holy Sprit has revealed to me concerning worship and altars in the coming weeks. Today ask Holy Spirit to reveal what altar are you worshipping at.