Enacting the Abrahamic Strategy: To Build Altars And Reclaim Our Land

What's In Your Cup?

Enacting the Abrahamic Strategy: To Build Altars And Reclaim Our Land

Today, I want to take you on a journey—a spiritual journey rooted deeply in faith, obedience, and the timeless strategy God revealed to Abraham. This call is more than just a story; it's a mandate for us as kingdom people to rise up, take possession of the land we've been given, and become living altars of God's presence. Together, we'll explore how the principles of altar-building throughout biblical history apply to our lives now, how they affect the spiritual atmosphere around us, and how each of us can participate in pushing back darkness to reclaim our families, communities, and nations.

The Reverence of God and the Power of Faith in Action

First, let’s start with the heart posture we must carry. We honor God not only by our words but by our actions—by doing exactly what He instructs. Praise flows from our lips, yes, but it also flows from our lives when we live in obedience to His commands. The greatest honor we can give our Teacher is to prove success in the things He has trained us to do. Remember what Jesus said: “There’s nothing you can do to please me outside of faith.” So, faith is our foundation, and actions are the evidence.

When we praise God, we praise Him with every breath and every action. We praise Him by living out the commands in red—the words of Jesus—and by manifesting the signs that follow those who believe. This is how we become true kingdom people, kingdom children, walking in the depths of God’s kingdom reality.

Understanding the Abrahamic Strategy: Walking in Faith and Building Altars

God’s call to Abraham is foundational for us. In Genesis 12:1-7, God said to Abraham, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” Abraham didn’t know where he was headed, but he obeyed in faith. At seventy-five years old, he rose up and journeyed forward, fully trusting God to lead him.

When Abraham arrived in Canaan, he built altars wherever he went. These altars were more than just physical monuments; they were spiritual declarations, gateways of divine presence, and battlegrounds against the darkness ruling the land. God told Abraham, “Lift up your eyes from where you are, northward and southward, eastward and westward, for all the land you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.”

This call wasn’t about settling for a small piece of land. It was about taking full possession of the entire territory God had promised. Abraham's life was a living altar—moving, contending, and calling on the name of the Lord wherever he went. We are called to do the same.

What Is an Altar, and Why Does It Matter?

An altar is a sacred place of encounter with God. It is where we bring our sacrifices—our lives, our words, our worship—and where God’s presence dwells. But altars are also spiritual gateways, access points between heaven and earth. The one who oversees the active altar has control over the land. This is why Abraham raised altars throughout the land, consecrating each place to God and pushing back the darkness.

But beware, for altars can also be used for unholy purposes. Just as holy altars draw the presence of God and break the powers of darkness, unholy altars draw demonic powers and counter the influence of the church. We live in a spiritual battlefield, and every altar is either an access point for light or darkness.

Recognizing Spiritual Gateways in Our Homes and Communities

Let me be clear: the battle for territory is not just a distant biblical story but a present reality in our homes, neighborhoods, and cities. The spiritual atmosphere of a place is influenced by the altars established there—both holy and unholy.

Think about your own home. Your television, your radios, even your front door are portals—gateways through which spiritual influences flow. What you allow through these portals matters. If your home is filled with unrighteous influences from media, entertainment, or ungodly conversations, you are opening a gateway for darkness to enter.

Conversely, when you establish your home as an altar of prayer, worship, and obedience, you push back the darkness. You become a beacon of light in your community. This spiritual warfare is not theoretical; it’s practical and applicable. The choices we make daily affect the spiritual health of our homes and surroundings.

Fighting the Battle with Spiritual Weapons

We often try to fight spiritual battles in the physical realm—through protests, petitions, or debates—but the real fight is spiritual. The Bible reminds us that our weapons are not carnal but mighty through God for pulling down strongholds.

It’s important to continuously strengthen our altars—to deepen our relationship with God, to saturate ourselves in His presence, and to stand firm in faith. We do not exist in a spiritual vacuum. The prosperity of darkness in our land is the downfall of the church. If light is to thrive, darkness must fall.

The Legacy of Altars from Abraham to the Present

The practice of building altars didn’t end with Abraham. Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, David, Josiah, Elijah, and others all built altars to claim and purify the land for God. This was a generational strategy to establish God’s kingdom on earth.

Jacob named altars El Eloah Israel and El Bethel—places where God revealed Himself and where the covenant was renewed. These altars were spiritual strongholds, points of contact between heaven and earth, and declarations that the land belonged to Jehovah God.

We are called to continue this legacy. Wherever we go, we can establish altars—living altars—that draw the presence of God, break the powers of darkness, and reclaim territory for the kingdom of God.

Practical Steps to Establish Your Altar
Recognize your territory: Understand the area God has assigned to you—your home, neighborhood, workplace, or city.
Build your altar: This doesn’t mean building a physical structure; your life is the altar. Dedicate your words, actions, and prayers as sacrifices to God.
Call on the name of the Lord: Declare God’s presence and authority over your territory.
Push back darkness: Engage in spiritual warfare through prayer, worship, and faith, breaking strongholds and unholy influences.
Attend your altar regularly: Just like Abraham and Anne Hildebrand, consistently maintain your altar to prevent darkness from reclaiming lost ground.
Living as Kings and Priests: Our Role in the Kingdom

We are called as kings and priests unto the Lord. That means we have authority and responsibility. The role of a priest is to serve and honor the King. When we serve and love others, especially “the least of these,” we are serving Jesus Himself.

Let’s remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46, where He separates the sheep from the goats based on acts of kindness, mercy, and love. Our faith must manifest in tangible actions that honor God and bless others.

Filling Our Cups to Overflow

Trent shared a powerful illustration: you spill out whatever is in your cup when life shakes you. If your cup is filled with joy, peace, and love, that’s what spills out. If it’s filled with anger, bitterness, or victim mentality, then that will spill out instead.

So, what’s in your cup? We must intentionally fill our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, resilience, and kindness. Only then can we overflow with God’s blessings and be effective altars in the world.

Standing Firm in a World of Shifting Truths

We live in a time when many say, “I have my truth,” but truth is not subjective. Truth is absolute. God’s word is our basic instruction before leaving earth—our owner’s manual. We cannot compromise on God's truth, even when pressures come from governments, society, or even within the church.

There are agendas seeking to silence the church, force acceptance of ungodly practices, and diminish the influence of faith in public life. We must be aware and stand firm, refusing to bow to pressures that contradict God’s commands.

We may face opposition, but like Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel, we can choose faithfulness over compromise. Our homes and lives must be altars that do not allow darkness to enter or take root.

The Power of a Network of Altars

Imagine if every believer established and maintained prayer altars wherever they went—at home, at work, in their neighborhoods. Like Abraham, we would form a network of altars pushing back darkness and proclaiming God’s kingdom across the land.

This is not a burden but a calling. It’s about intentionality and faithfulness. We don’t have to do it alone; we can stand in the gap for each other, covering the territory God has assigned to us.

Encouragement to Take Action

God is calling us deeper into His love, into a life of yieldedness and surrender. He wants us to be living altars—sanctified vessels filled with His glory. When we do, His presence flows through us and impacts the world around us.

So, I encourage you today: rise up. Build your altar. Fill your cup. Step out in faith. Claim your land. Push back the darkness. Let your light shine in the midst of the world’s chaos. You have been given authority and purpose. Walk in it boldly.

Closing Prayer and Declaration

Father God, thank You for the deep work You are doing in us. We honor You with our lives and our faith. Fill our cups to overflowing with Your love, joy, and peace, so that when life shakes us, what spills out is Your glory. Help us to build altars wherever we go, to claim the land for Your kingdom, and to push back the darkness with the power of Your presence.

Lord, as You led Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, lead us in this generation. Help us to walk in obedience and faith, to be living sacrifices, and to become the altars that draw Your presence and break the powers of darkness. Bless our families, our communities, and our nations. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Remember, you are the salt and light of this world. Let them bump into you because every bump is an opportunity for what’s inside you to spill out. Be filled, be faithful, and watch God move mightily through you. Bless you.