Toure Roberts - Revisiting Altars

So let’s talk about altars and why they’re important. What is an altar? What are altars? Of course, as they relate to the Bible, the biblical altar had to do with you building something, erecting something that involves stone, wood, fire, and sacrifice. However, the significance and symbolism of an altar are much deeper. Here are a few things I want you to consider as they relate to altars. The first thing is that an altar is the memorializing of a unique moment between you and God. This means you and God have a moment—God comes to you, or there’s some connection or encounter with God, and you’re touched by God in such a special and unique way that you feel you must memorialize the moment. In biblical times, they would literally build something right there that would last forever, serving as a sign of the covenant that God had met them, and they would often return to revisit these altars. It is a place of memorial.

What does this mean for us today? Perhaps a word came to you, or maybe a dream; maybe God engaged you. This has probably happened throughout this conference—words have been spoken to you, ideas have come to you, and you know that it’s not just an ordinary thought or word. You feel divinity in it, and it resonates deeply within your spirit. You might write it down, so your journal could be your container of altars. If it isn’t, it should be because there will be several moments throughout this conference where God engages you, touches you, speaks to you, and makes promises. It is crucial to memorialize those moments because you will need to revisit them in the future.

This leads me to the second thought about what an altar is. As we continue discussing altars, we note that altars are beautiful for the moment. It’s wonderful when God engages you, providing a unique experience filled with excitement, encouragement, and edification. You might feel like you could change the world! Do you recall a time when you received a word so on-point, so specific to where you are in life, that you felt you didn’t need any other word? It is beautiful in the moment, but I believe the greatest application of altar moments is in future moments. The reality is that there will be times when you lose sight of what God said. Anytime you lose sight of what God says, it begins to affect your momentum, which is everything. We will discuss this further.

These altar moments are beautiful for the present, but their greatest application lies in the future. When you have an altar moment and revisit it (yes, I will tell you how to do this—it’s going to be awesome!), what happens is that your future stares back at you when you look at it. There is a connection between memorializing the moments that are unique between you and God and your future because you cannot reach your future unless you go back and revisit those moments. When you do, it’s as if you’re looking into a mirror of your future that reflects back to you the things God has said, the things He has done, the promises He has made, and it sets you up for everything God has planned for you. Are you following me? I’m going to teach today, so if you’re with me, put it in the comments: «I’m tracking with you, PT! I’m tracking!»

When we talk about what altars are, we focus on how they are the place where you memorialize those unique moments between you and God, with their greatest application beyond that moment, but for future moments when you revisit them. So, what do altars do? Let’s discuss that. Altar moments sustain and regain the momentum needed to walk into your future. Momentum is everything! I love, love, love words about momentum! I’ve learned that momentum is crucial—certain breakthroughs cannot be experienced without the right momentum. Momentum involves managing moments effectively, and the necessary, required momentum to step into your destiny depends on how well you manage those moments. Altar moments allow you to sustain momentum. Have you ever walked away from a conference, a service, a meeting, or a seminar and then stepped out?