WHICH COUNTRY DO YOU LIVE IN?
Part 4

“And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD,
and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well”
(Genesis 26:25).

After God leading Isaac on all his journeys, in good times and bad, he now settles in Beer-sheba. What does he do when he makes his home here? The same things we should do as we establish our home and family.

1. HE BUILT AN ALTAR

The first thing Isaac did was to build an altar. The early patriarchs built altars to make a meeting place with God. We don’t build altars of stone or earth today because we have the great privilege of having immediate access into the throne room of God through the precious blood of Jesus which was poured out for us.

However, I believe it is still important to build altars. Instead of a physical altar, we make a time and place where we meet with God each day. This is the foundation of our family life. Do you notice that it was the first thing Isaac did when he came to Beer-Sheba? We don’t establish this principle in our family life when it is convenient or works well in our schedule. No, it is the first thing we do. We make our schedule fit around our family altar.

Our grandson, Arden recently married. What a joy to go to their home for a meal and experience their family altar with them. As we ended the beautiful meal Esther cooked for us Arden brought out the Bible and read to us and then we all prayed together. They are starting on the right foundation.

2. HE CALLED UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD

An altar is a place where we come into God’s presence to listen to Him speak to us through His living Word. But it is also a place where we call upon the name of the Lord. This should be the testimony of all who confess they are believers. Jeremiah 10:25 infers that if we are not families who call upon the name of the Lord, we may as well be heathen! Calling upon the name of the Lord is the mark of those who fear God.

Of course, Satan does not want you to be a family who calls upon the name of the Lord. He will do everything to stop you. He won’t use evil things as he knows they will not tempt you. He uses “good” things to keep you busy and keep you from this most powerful place of prayer. If every believing family made a time each day, with their family, to call upon the name of the Lord, we would see mighty things happen in our nation and in the world.

3. HE DUG ANOTHER WELL

Isaac couldn’t survive without a well, for his family and for his cattle. You couldn’t survive without a well either if you didn’t have city water running into your house. But more importantly, your marriage and family will not survive without a spiritual well. Spiritual wells are for survival, just as physical wells.

Don’t dig a shallow well. They don’t last. When we came to live on our land over 16 years ago, we dug a well. Down, down, down they dug and didn’t find water. We were devastated. What will we do? We asked the well diggers to dig another well. Lots more money. Down they went again and still no water! My father arrived to stay with us from New Zealand. He prayed over our first well and we asked the well-diggers to check it again! A miracle! There was some water this time. We praised the Lord, but it was very sparse and barely enough for us to survive. We lived sparingly on a scanty water situation for some time until some more land became available with a wonderful spring. We now bring our water a mile or so from a spring that comes out of the rock.

The devil will contest your well, which also speaks of your personal and family devotion time with God each day. We read in Genesis 25:21 how Abraham had to reprove Abimelech because his servants had “violently taken away” one of his wells. Watch out! The devil will try to violently take away your well too. He wants to keep you shallow. He is scared of those who live by deep wells. A shallow well often has the scum of the earth on the top. It is usually dirty, sandy, and murky. You can’t get the pure unadulterated truths of God from a shallow well. They are mixed with deception and the lust of the world.

Clean water comes from deep wells where we draw from the pure, refreshing, life-giving water of God’s truth and revelation. This is God’s plan for us. Deuteronomy 8:7 says: “For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and DEPTHS that spring our of valleys and hills.”

Psalm 78:15 says: “He clove the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as out of GREAT DEPTHS.” The CJB says “from BOUNDLESS DEPTHS.”

Jesus Christ is a well of boundless depths. There is more in Him than we can ever comprehend, even throughout all eternity. He wants us to go deep into Him and into His eternal Word, taking time to be with Him, to meditate on Him, and to live in the depths and truths of His powerful, life-giving Word (Psalm 19:9-11).

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

“Dear Father God, thank You so much for showing me Your way. I know I cannot live successfully without building an altar and digging a well. Help me to faithfully establish these powerful principles in our family life. I know that I have the power to make it happen in my home as I determine to schedule everything else around what is most important. Save me from the subtle “good” temptations of the enemy that keep us from Your best in our lives. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

My husband and I are altar builders and well diggers. we have found the godly secrets of survival and success.

For further understanding, check out these links:

ALTAR BUILDERS:
http://aboverubies.org/index.php/2013-11-12-17-55-51/english-language/bible-in-the-home/899-bible-in-the-home-altar-builders

GOD WANTS TO COME TO YOUR HOME:
http://tinyurl.com/ComeToHome

SCRIPTURES FOR ALTAR BUILDING:
http://aboverubies.org/index.php/2013-11-12-17-55-51/english-language/bible-in-the-home/1160-bible-in-the-home-scriptures-for-altar-building

THE MORNING AND EVENING PRINCIPLE
http://aboverubies.org/index.php/2013-11-12-17-55-51/english-language/bible-in-the-home/901-bible-in-the-home-the-morning-and-evening-principle