The Home Altar— A Family Altar Of Prayer Series

Rebuilding the Altar (4)

Dustin Lee Boden / General

Rebuilding the Altar

The Home Altar— A Family Altar of Prayer

Deuteronomy 6:6–9 NLT

6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.

7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.

9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Introduction:

We are in the fourth message of our series “Rebuilding the Altar”. So far we have journeyed through “The Significance of the Altar”, “Restoring Broken Altars”, “The Personal Altar”, and this week we are discussing “The Home Altar— A Family Altar of Prayer”.

The family altar is a place where God’s presence is invited into the heart of our homes, shaping the spiritual life and legacy of each family member.

There is a real application of faith that is taught and caught at home.

• You can never expect your families to give themselves to Christ if all they ever see you giving is leftovers!

• Authentic faith is birthed at home.

I feel very certain that for most, not all, but most, that your faith is something that has been passed down to you from someone in your family.

There are many things in life that can be passed down to us, often without us realizing it, ranging from behaviors and beliefs to spiritual and emotional patterns.

For example...

1. Family Traditions and Habits: Our daily routines… from holiday celebrations to conflict management, often reflect inherited family patterns.

2. Cultural Values and Norms: Your attitudes toward work, education, and social roles are passed down, shaping our worldview without conscious choice.

3. Spiritual Beliefs and Practice: Faith and religious practices are often inherited from family or community.

4. Emotional Responses and Coping Mechanisms: How we handle emotions like stress or anger is often influenced by what we observed in our families.

5. Attitudes Toward Money and Success: Our mindset around money and success—whether scarcity or generosity—can stem from how these topics were handled growing up.

6. Health and Lifestyle Choices: Family influences shape eating habits, exercise routines, and health decisions, often without us realizing it.

7. Unresolved Trauma or Emotional Baggage: Generational trauma can pass down emotional wounds, impacting how we relate to others or process situations.

8. Language and Communication Styles: Our communication style, from tone to humor, is often inherited from family.

9. Views on Authority and Leadership: Attitudes toward authority figures, shaped by family influence, affect how we respond to leadership.

10. Relationship Patterns: How we navigate relationships often mirrors what we observed growing up, such as avoiding or engaging in conflict.

Recognizing these patterns is key to controlling who you become by deciding what to carry forward or change.

This is why a family altar is so important.

It creates a space where intentional spiritual influence takes place, where families can seek God together, and where a legacy of faith is built for future generations.

The theme for our series is… “Whoever Controls the Altar, Controls the Outcome”…and the spiritual climate of the home is directly tied to the altar of prayer.

This is applied to us individually, and to us as a family… if you cannot build this foundation in your own life and in the home you will not be successful in leading your family here!

The altar in this context represents the heart of the home.

If parents allow distractions or secular influences to control the spiritual atmosphere, it can shape the outcome of the family's spiritual future.

But if God controls the altar—through consistent family prayer, Bible teaching, and walking in His ways—the outcome is a family rooted in faith, protected from spiritual dangers, and walking in God's blessings.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 calls us to rebuild spiritual altars in our homes—a place where God's Word is central, prayer is consistent, and intimacy with God is cultivated.

This rebuilding is not just about repairing what's been lost but ensuring that the home is where faith is nurtured and sustained.

Deuteronomy 6 emphasizes the responsibility of God’s people to lead their families spiritually.

We must take responsibility for the family altar, ensuring that it is dedicated to the Lord.

What we need to understand is… whoever controls the Family Altar determines the outcome of the families future.

When God Controls the Home Altar: The family grows in faith, love, and unity.

The outcome is spiritual strength, generational blessings, and an unwavering commitment to follow God.

When the World Controls the Home Altar: The spiritual environment becomes fragmented, with secular values and worldly pressures leading to confusion, weakened faith, and spiritual decline.