ALTAR FIRST

• DAY 192
• FEAR FILES: ISRAEL
• SCRIPTURES: EZRA 3:1-3

And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening burnt offerings.

After 70 years of being in exile to Babylon, the children of Isreal could finally return to their home and country. God stirred up the heart of Cyrus, the reigning emperor at the time to bring this to pass. This return had been prophesied and prayed about by people like Jeremiah, Daniel, etc. Although the opportunity was given to all exiles to return, not all did. Some had gotten comfortable and settled in; but the ones who did had an assignment. God’s promise to restore them would require that they rebuild all that was destroyed when they were captured. But they had to first start with the temple.

I find it amazing that when God is set to bring restoration it always begins with a temple. He restores the place of worship in your life. He brings you back to fellowship with Him before anything else can be built. because if He lets you build first you cannot sustain it. Your heart will be enticed by the world and you will lose that which He gave you. Why? because the only suitable and sustainable foundation to build on is Him.

Not Empty

However, the people who came back faced a difficulty to conquer, FEAR. They didn’t come back to an empty land. People from Babylon were now living in their country and they lost courage when they saw their enemies. This is when I remind you that nothing stays unoccupied for long. No area or land remains empty. If you abandon it, something else will occupy it. The same applies to your life. Any aspect that you don’t continuously develop will be left uncultivated. If you neglect your prayer life or Bible study, strange thoughts and perspectives will take their place. So, fill every space with God.

In Israel, just like in any colonized nation, the nation that was conquered has inhabitants from the conquering nation. Why? It is to make sure that the conquered land resembles the motherland. God had sent them to build, but he did not remove those already occupying the land. Therefore, they had to rebuild amidst the unspoken threat that the situation posed. However, this fear was not enough to hinder them. They felt fear but went ahead to do the work.

Start With An Altar

First, they built an altar, a place where they could go to make sacrifices to atone, to reconcile their relationship with God. Their altar was where every offering was made to God. They needed that place to be set because to enter the temple, you must have gone through the altar. We see men of faith through the bible build altars. Just like Abraham, everywhere where he went, he built an altar. It was his reference point, a place of communion, a place of honor, a reminder of an encounter, a meeting place between man and God. Today, we don’t have the traditional altars they did, now we build one with our lives. We honor God by putting Him first in our lives, we fellowship with Him as we pray, our meeting place is our prayer place, and our testimonies, journals and ultimately the holy spirit are our reminders.

Beloved, when you are faced with fear, build an altar. Especially if it is on a new assignment from God. An altar is a good place to start. Pray regularly, and fellowship with God. Build the habit of devotion and seeking God early. If you set up an altar, confidence, and courage will come from it. Because all the courage you need is found at the altar.

Get On With It

Secondly, the Israelites did what they were supposed to do regardless of the fear they felt. Sometimes you just have to ignore your fears and move in faith to do what God wants you to do. And say like Esther “if I perish, I perish.” Yet, know that you will not perish. When you don’t give in to fear, your faith becomes stronger and God’s power is revealed. Whether you are entering the ministry, starting a new business, getting married, or having a child and you’re afraid, remember that this is what God wants you to do. The fear you feel is a lie from the devil, trying to distract you from your purpose. You need to ignore it, resist it, and by doing so, you will be stepping out in faith.

Beloved, sometimes our fears don’t disappear even after we take the first step. So, we’re going to have to take the first step and keep going while trusting that God is going to eliminate that fear from our hearts. So I hope that today you would ask the Lord for wisdom on how to step in the first place. 

I pray today that your altar will be reignited and that you would have the confidence and courage to step out in the fullness of what God has called you to do, regardless of how it is that you feel. In Jesus name.

Shalom.