Stand At Your Altar!
[Revelation 8:3-4] And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
Last night at service the message was about prayer. One of our bishops was teaching and he quoted the verse above, and broke it down beautifully. He was encouraging the saints in our congregation that they must give themselves more to prayer. In the Tabernacle of Moses there was two altars. One altar was outside the Sanctuary, and the other altar was within the Sanctuary. The altar outside of the Sanctuary was for burnt offerings, and the altar within the Sanctuary was for burning incense. We are that Sanctuary, and the altar of incense is within us. The scripture teaches us that our prayers are the true incense.
[Psalms 141:2] Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
So, we have the altar of incense within us, and our prayers are the true incense. The scripture also teaches that incense was to burned on that altar both day and night continually.
[Exodus 30:7-8] And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresses the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.
Our bodies are the temple of God, and God has committed every single believer to burn incense (offer up prayers) upon the golden altar both day and night, both now and forever. We cannot burn incense (offer up prayer) upon this altar once a week. We must not forsake the altar within us. We must not forget to pray every day. We must not be so quick to stop praying.
As our bishop taught from Revelation 8:3-4, if we are struggling in our prayers we need to stand at the altar more often, and the more we stand at the altar much incense will be given unto us. But we must go prepared. When the angel stood before the altar, he came with a golden censer. The golden censer was made to hold incense. We must stand before the altar ready to pray fervently. When we struggle in prayer and stand at the altar ready the Spirit will help us pray. Glory be to God! He will not force us to pray, He will help our weakness.
[Romans 8:26-27] Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
If we stand at the altar that God has put within us ready to pray the Holy Ghost will help our weakness in prayer. But we must stand, not be shaken, not faint, and not be so quick to stop praying when we offer our prayer unto our God. Satan does not want God’s people to pray because when we pray we are a threat to the kingdom of darkness. When we pray, we prosper. We can see this in the prophet Daniel. Daniel was a man of prayer, and the devil knew that, and tried to keep the prophet from praying. It was satan that was working in the mind of the presidents and princes that made King Darius sign the decree against prayer. In the same way there are principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places that do not want us to pray. But we must be like the prophet Daniel and pray in the face of our enemies. Stand at your altar!
