Patricia King is a respected apostolic minister of the gospel, successful business owner, and an inventive entrepreneur. She is an accomplished itinerant speaker, author, television host, media producer, and ministry network overseer who has given her life fully to Jesus Christ and to His Kingdom’s advancement in the earth. She is the founder of XP Ministries and co-founder of XPmedia.com. In this month’s devotional Patricia shares how now is the time to repair the altar – to restore that sacred time and sacred place of unhindered fellowship with God.
Prophetic Word
The Lord says, “This is the time to repair the altar that has been torn down. There are many things that have brought distraction … things that have stolen affection from the hearts of My people … affection that belongs to Me. I am pouring out tender grace by My Spirit to empower My people to once again align with Me from the heart. I am fully devoted to you. Are you fully devoted to Me? Allow Me to draw you close to My heart. Receive My love … My grace will enable you to once again focus on the things that are important and eternal.
The world is in crisis, but I am not. Draw near to Me. I am the answer for mankind. I am the solution. As Elijah repaired the altar that was torn down (1 Kings 18:30b), so also there will be those I will raise up in this hour to repair the altar of devotion, the altar of intercession, the altar of consecration and, most importantly, the family altar. My church will be strong again, for I will empower those who consecrate their time and passion … at My altar.”
Devotional Teaching
God is calling His people to live with no compromise, to be wholly separated and devoted unto Him. To keep ourselves pure, to stand for what is right and true, to stand for the Word of God and make no room for mixture in our hearts. This is the time to repair the altar – to restore that sacred time and sacred place of unhindered fellowship with God.
he altar represents your devotion … it represents your love for God and His love for you. It represents your life laid out as a sacrifice on that altar, saying, “Lord, I fully belong to you.” It represents your worship, the time spent with Him, and your love for Him as first in your life.
In 1 Kings 18, we learn about Ahab who became a wicked king, turning away from God. He led the people of God astray through compromise and they followed him into the worship of idols. They worshipped Baal and the true and living God. They hesitated between two opinions. They then became supporters and spokesmen for evil in the midst of the congregation.
This is happening today as well. For God’s people there should be no compromise. Our worship and love for God and His Word should be without wavering.
In the day of Ahab there was a voice … a bold, courageous voice was raised up … and it was Elijah. He would not bow the knee to Baal. There were also 7,000 other prophets who would not bow their knee, but kept themselves pure and without compromise.
Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him (1 Kings 18:21). He challenged them to a contest on Mt. Carmel, where a sacrifice was prepared and the prophets of Baal called on their god … but no fire fell.
When it was Elijah’s turn, he did not initially call on God for power. He did something else first. He said to all the people, “Come near to me,” and he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down in the land (1 Kings 18:30).
He could have done the same thing as the prophets of Baal, and asked God to come and answer by fire. But Elijah knew that there was something more important than simply seeing the manifestation of power – the repairing of the altar of the Lord – because it had been torn down.
In the Bible you see the altar of incense in the temple where the sacrifice was made … sweet worship and intercession went up before the Lord, and the Lord loved it. He has always wanted relationship with His people, and it is the same today.
As believers, we must make sure our place of devotion to God is never compromised. Our devotion to Him is what connects us with His strength, His being, and His blessings.
If we are in love with God, the first thing on our mind in the morning is Him. He has the number one place in our lives because we are fully devoted. Before we answer emails, go on Facebook, or answer texts, before setting our eyes or heart on anything else when the day begins … we take time to worship Him and have koinonia [1] … that sweet fellowship in His Presence. Let God speak to you and release your heart back to Him. This is devotion, this is our strength … this is the altar.
The bible is a history book of Israel. It is their history with God. How will your history with God be written? The choice is yours. Will you live with no compromise when others around you may compromise? In a time where people are turning away from truth, will you be a voice? Will you choose to stand for the Word of God without apology no matter the cost? It is a call to worship God and God alone. Will you restore that sacred time and that sacred place of devotion to God? The decision is yours and now is the time. [1] Koinonia – Greek , means fellowship
Scriptures to meditate on:
1 John 2:5 1 Kings 18:21 1 Kings 18:30 Psalm 51:10 Psalm 119:11
Prayer Directives
- Pray for the Body of Christ to stand unapologetically for the Word of God.
- Pray for God’s people to choose Him over all other things and place Him as number one.
- Pray for those in authority in all spheres of influence in our nation to choose God and His ways.
- Pray for the repairing of the altar … the restoration of that sacred time and that sacred place of fellowship with the Lord for all believers.
- Pray for the people of God to answer the call and live a life of no compromise, separated unto God.
