FIRE on Your Altar
Holy Spirit has compelled me to address altars today, 29 May 2025, at Torch Church, St Augustine, Florida. I know it’s right because of the severity of attack I’ve been under since stating 7 days ago that I would delve into the subject. Altars is an ancient practice with as much relevance today as when Noah built the first altar after the flood. He couldn’t wait to build an altar and worship the God who destroyed every human that had become wicked yet spared him alone and his righteous family. Think about it: are we headed that way again? It sure seems so and should beg the question: Is Jesus truly Lord of your life? Who do you worship? Listen to some of the lyrics to Matt Redman’s song Heart of Worship “When the music fades And all is stripped away And I simply come Longing just to bring Something that’s of worth That will bless Your heart I’ll bring You more than a song For a song in itself Is not what You have required You search much deeper within Through the way things appear You’re looking into my heart I’m coming back to the heart of worship And it’s all about You, it’s all about You, Jesus I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it It’s all about You, Jesus.” This where we need to be.
Let’s look at Hebrews 13:8-15 (TPT makes understanding easier): “Jesus, the Anointed One, is always the same—yesterday, today, and forever. So don’t let anyone lead you astray with all sorts of novel and exotic teachings. It is more beautiful to feast on grace and be inwardly strengthened than to be obsessed with dietary rules which in themselves have no lasting benefit. We feast on a sacrifice at our spiritual altar, but those who serve as priests in the old system of worship have no right to eat of it. For the high priest carries the blood of animals into the holiest chamber as a sacrifice for sin and then burns the bodies of the animals outside the city. And Jesus, our sin-sacrifice, also suffered death outside the city walls to make us holy by his own blood. So, we must arise and join him outside the religious “walls” and bear his disgrace. For we have no city here on earth to be our permanent home, but we seek the city that is destined to come. So, we no longer offer up a steady stream of blood sacrifices, but through Jesus, we will offer up to God a steady stream of praise sacrifices—these are “the lambs” we offer from our lips that celebrate His name!”
We are told in scripture that there is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood. Jesus made the final blood sacrifice, and we now worship at the altar of spirit and truth. We go through the veil of His blood sacrifice into the Holy of Holies. His sacrificial death fulfilled the requirements of the Law in atonement for sin. Glory to God forever.
We were created to worship, so you will worship someone or something. God gave you a choice of who you would worship and a choice of where you will spend eternity. Satan was created by God to lead worship and did an amazing job until he decided he, a created being, should supplant the Uncreated One. We were created in the image of God, hence the big rub and Satan’s all-consuming hatred of man. And above all Satan hates the anointing. The more anointing you acquire the greater his hate and desire to extinguish your life. No worry because God’s Presence and anointing in your life transforms you from glory to glory in the image of Jesus.
When we age in the Lord we begin to mellow and things that were once disrupting become bridges. People that once irritated us become wisdom because of God’s holy sandpaper transforming us into His image. If this isn’t happening in your life, you need to find the altar.
Altars have always been an integral part of my life. As a small child I had one in my bedroom and had services with my stuffed teddy bears – now that’s an attentive congregation. Unlike Rodney Howard Brown, I did not have multiple baptismal services for my bears. Growing up in the liturgical church the altar was the focal point of the Eucharist, and I served as an acolyte at the altar. When I shifted from liturgical to neo-Pentecostal the altar was where people gave their lives to Jesus and received from Holy Spirit.
As I took the Gospel to the Nations, I discovered that Satan has altars too. In fact, my wife Dr Lindy gave her most powerful message ever at 12,000 feet in the Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda along the border of the Congo where most had never seen a white person. She admonished them concerning idols and ancestral altars connected with evil. The Pastor reported that all went home and destroyed the same. One mission to Kenya was proceeded by a supernatural destruction of huge centuries old trees that witch doctors had built altars in and emplaced idols. The most powerful evil in Africa is the result of demons taking women to altars under the sea and marrying them. Setting these women free is a most difficult deliverance challenge as the demons are extremely powerful.
Satan absolutely hates the altar, the anointing, and the fact that we were created in God’s image. We returned home from that 2018 African mission to find witchcraft had taken our youngest son. It was devastating and truly evil beyond any possible understanding thereof but exponentially increased the fire within us to double down in our effort to expose the Prince of Darkness and free souls from his clutches. Here on Florida’s First Coast, where the first prayers were prayed in the new world and a hotbed of witchcraft, I consider it all pleasure to declare Satan’s defeat and the dominion of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ
The altar can be a physical structure or place. It is a connecting point with God, a place of worship, covenant, and offering. The Hebrew word for altar is “mizbeah” meaning a place of sacrifice or slaughter. Life with God revolved and still does around the altar concept. My favorite two are not even considered by some as altars, but I assure you they are. In Genesis 15 we have Abram put in a trance as God personally cuts covenant with him. In the darkness Abram sees a smoking furnace and a burning torch pass through the sacrificed animals. Ancient Biblical covenant was accomplished by the parties walking a figure 8 as they proclaimed the covenant. Eight is such a significant holy number signifying new beginnings, resurrection, and new creation.
My other favorite is the mercy seat of God which received a sprinkling of The Precious Blood of the Ascended Lord Jesus before He sat down at the Fathers right hand to make constant intercession for us.
I appreciate them all but especially love those two. There are excellent books such as the one Phil Ward just wrote “Fundamental Principles of the Altar” that gives a rich look and study of altars, but that is not my purpose in this message. My purpose is to address our personal and intimate mobile altar where Christ in us via Holy Spirit tabernacles. Of course I am referring to the altar of the heart.
And the relevant question – who has the altar of your heart? Jeremiah 17:9 states the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it? We all know that this is truth. Satan also knows that this is truth.
The price of altaring is not cheap. It is sacrificial. You must pour your life out on that altar. “Lord, I come and present myself, this life, to You!” Jesus said In the volume of the book I come to do your will. He is referring to the Old Testament Prophecies He came to fulfill. You truly reap in proportion to what you sow. Jesus gave it all and wants us to reciprocate. It is only possible if the fire on the altar of your heart is hot. Yield to Holy Spirit and ask Him to breathe on the coals of your heart. Because we carry Christ in us the hope of glory, we have the ultimate altar within us and are in receipt of the ultimate promise and provision of His once and for all time propitiation made through His sacrificial offering upon the cross. In Romans 12:1-2 the Apostle Paul puts it this way: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Sacrifice attracts fire and fire burns away the dross refining your heart for the anointing. A refined heart is ready for receipt of all the blessings of God. It awakens His life and priorities in you. Isn’t this what you really desire?
Is there fire on your altar? There can never be enough. Remember, our God is a consuming fire. Your vessel must be ready for receipt and proper use of all the blessings we are about to receive. Let’s get fully prepared tonight. Let’s establish or renew covenant with Jesus right now. You have no idea when you may draw your last breath, but you can assure right now where you will spend eternity. I am convinced that I am speaking to every soul listening to me so repeat after me: “Jesus, I have sinned and come short of your Glory. I repent and accept your sacrifice on my behalf and proclaim you Lord of my life forever” Amen.
