Do you have a family Altar?

Sometimes back a friend was sharing with me about a pastor who never had breakthrough in his family life and in the mininistry. When the pastor resorted to seeking God about it, God told him it was because he had no family altar, where they could pray, read the Word, share and woship together as a family. When the pastor did what God told him, things changed drastically for the better.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

6. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

8. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

9. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

 

The bible is our reference book as Christians. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 teaches us how we are supposed to handle things in the home as far as things of God are concerned. Not having a family altar is making things complicated for the family and it is like sealing our own fate.

 

Children learn by example faster than by instructions. Praying and reading the bible daily with the children gives them a good foundation and an opportunity to understand the Word of God. The Word of God will always remain in their hearts even when they are old. If at one time they might be rebellious, the Word will always pop up in their minds and hearts as a warning – it will always linger in their lives forever. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

 

Praying and believing God together as a family in unity is powerful and dynamic. It generate spiritual enforcement and anointing that you can never imagine. It changes the spiritual atmosphere in the environs to the kingship of Jesus. As time passes by, even the  neighbours start responding to God’s will and lordship. Things are propelled toward glorious deliverance and power. United family time with God lifts the faith of the family members when they see God has answered a need they prayed for. This is how some big power packed churches started - just by a family altar. This is becasue charity(love) begins at home.

 

If your family is fragmented because of issues here and there, then family altar is the in thing, where you shall invite and allow God to take over and work out the much needed reconciliation. It is the solution for broken families, broken relationships and about to break families because once you invite the Prince of peace, He comes along with His peace. Family altar prayers can bring back home a wayward wife or husband, a lost child and many more.

 

There are things that God can only do at the family altar forum. One of  these things is commanding blessings. When your refer to Psalms 133. 1-3, the bible says that God will command a blessing, even life for evermore to a family that dwells together in unity - this is because unity in faith, in prayer, in worship, in word, in action and in purpose brings such an explosive anointing which runs to generations of that family. That family never again walks under dry heaven, but the dew of heaven satisfies them. If all families would heed to this call, then we would eventually have spiritually strong churches and hence a spiritually strong  nation.

• Do you want a breakthrough in your life? Start a family altar now. It is better late than never.
• Do you want God's presence in your home and it's neighbourhood? Do as the scriptures command, propagate the gospel from the grassroots.
• Do you want peace within family members? Set quiet time with God. 

Ways to do a family altar

• All family members should be taught to respect the family altar time
• You can decide that all members will be leading  the family altar in turns. One member preaches, another one leads the worship, another one reads the Word etc. These helps each member to search the Word of God before hand if he/she will be preaching.
• Agree on days when the family should seek God in prayer and fasting. Although this should be done discretely especially if children are involved and are not yet saved. Always encourage voluntary fasting for the children but don’t impose it on them.
• Make it an established, set apart time with God, where everything and everyone focuses on worshipping God only the Almighty.
• Apart from setting time for family altar, learn to talk and teach about God as you sit, as you walk, as you work, as you rise and as you lie down. Put stickers and posters with the Word of God in your house as a reminder. Unfortunately, most our time is preoccupied with television and other activities that eventually make us spiritually starved and prone to demonic attacks
• If no one will take the initiative to start a family altar, you can start it irrespective of who you are in the family, even if you are alone in this. Once you start, the rest will follow suit.

Testimony 
Seventeen years ago, my baby was very sick and he was supposed to be operated on in a week's time. When we went to the house of the pastor of church we were fellowshipping concerning our predicament, they advised us that we would be taking our son to the hospital on a weekly basis clinic, claiming that their son also have the same problem and that is what they used to do.  As we went home that day, we knew our hope was in God only. 

So, that evening, me and my husband agreed, we tore off the operation appointment letter we were given by the doctor and started praying. Ignoring the crying child who was in great pain, we laboured in prayer declaring good health and burying that disease forever through the blood of Jesus. After a long prayer session, the child was a bit comfortable and so we slept. The boy got healed. He is now eighteen years old, very healthy and there are no cuts on his body because of Jesus. We never took him for those weekly clinics because we trusted God, who sends His Word and heals our diseases.Hallelujah!

I don't mean that you should not go to your pastor if need be, but you should also learn to go before God and beseech Him for your needs as a family. If we had not learnt to have family altar and how to apply the Word of God, we would have been stranded on how to handle the situation considering the advise we got from our pastor. Maybe we would have opted to go ahead with the operation. Always remember that Jesus is always there for you, focus on Him alone and not on any other. HE IS ABLE.