From Livestream
by Pastor Nave on February 04, 2018
And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven (Genesis 28:16–17, KJV).
An Experience Like Never Before
Jacob came to a place in Scripture where He experienced God in a way never before. This is something we all need to experience in our walk with God. We must know God will show up when we least expect it, but at a time in our life when we need it most.
Jacob was on the run because he had deceived his brother, and Esau sought his life. He was in the middle of nowhere, and had a dream of a ladder reaching from the heavens to the earth. Angels ascended and descended on the ladder, and he saw the Lord Himself at the top.
Jacob didn’t stop in that place with an expectation of anything changing in his life. His agenda was solely to travel to his uncle’s house and lay low. But, God had another plan. Jacob awoke and knew the Lord was with him. It was in a dusty, barren place Jacob declared it to be the house of God.
God’s house is not just made of brick and mortar. His house is anywhere that He shows up. It then becomes a gateway to a life we can’t find anywhere else.
Baggage is Welcome in God’s House
Jacob was a liar and a deceiver, but he still found himself in God’s house. We cannot be deceived into believing there are no mistakes in God’s house. God Himself is perfect, but human beings are not. The purpose of God’s house is to take mistakes and correct them. We must all come together in God’s house so He can minister to us in the same way.
Pillars are Important in God’s House
Jacob took the stone he had used as a pillow, stood it up, and poured oil atop it. It became a monument unto the Lord and a reference point to Jacob’s life with the Lord. He called the place Bethel and made a vow to the Lord. Pillars are important to both God and to us. When God shows up in our life, we need to make a big deal out of it! Pillars will point us back to what is real; we can’t forget the day the supernatural presence of the Holy Ghost came into our life!
Pillars are Not the End
Twenty years later, Jacob heard the same voice of God. He was told to go back to Bethel; back to the pillar and dwell there. He was instructed to make an altar and change his experience to a conversion (Genesis 35:1). There is a vast difference between a pillar and an altar. Pillars are evidence of an anointing, but an altar is where things die—it’s a place where consecration is made.
Many people have lifetimes full of pillars, but they don’t go back to change them into altars. We must get out of the pillar-making business and get into the altar-making business. Jacob had lived a shallow spiritual life for 20 years. But, he had to get back to the presence of God so He could continue a work in His life and draw Him closer.
God never intended for us to end with a pillar, but to set up a gateway. God wants us to come back to build and altar. He wants to be more than just a segment in our day. He wants to invest in us. All we need to do is come before Him and make a commitment to be consecrated to Him today.
