Building Altars and Pitching Tents: Choosing What Lasts

Straightway COCWIH founder, Apostle Pauline Johnson. Watch every Saturday at 4 PM ET on Eternal Life TV. Watch and be blessed.

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In a powerful and thought-provoking message, this sermon centers on a simple but life-changing principle: learn the difference between what should be permanent and what should be temporary in your life.

Using the story of Abram in Genesis 12–13, the message highlights how Abram journeyed with God, building altars (symbols of permanent relationship with God) while pitching tents (symbols of temporary living situations). This contrast becomes the foundation of the sermon’s core truth:
Too many people today are pitching their altars and building their tents.

The Problem: Confusing Temporary with Eternal

Like the melting ice palace in 1895 Colorado, many of us build our lives on things that don’t last—relationships, emotions, status, or material success. We make permanent decisions based on temporary feelings.

The result? Instability, frustration, and spiritual drift.

The Journey of Abram

Abram’s life teaches us several key lessons:

1. God Can Use Anyone

Abram was 75 years old and came from a background of idolatry, yet God chose him. Your past does not disqualify you—God can redirect your future.

2. Trust God Without Having All the Answers

God told Abram to go without telling him where. Faith requires movement before clarity. Many people stay stuck waiting for certainty instead of walking in trust.

3. Build the Right Things First

When Abram arrived in new places, the first thing he did was build an altar to God. Before success, status, or settling in—he established his relationship with God.

The Warning: Compromise Leads to Consequences

When famine hit, Abram left the place God sent him and went to Egypt. This decision led to:

Compromise (lying about his wife)
Damaged witness
Long-term consequences (including future family conflict)

The message is clear:
When we step outside of God’s direction, short-term solutions can create long-term problems.

The Turning Point: How to Get Back to God

Even after failure, Abram shows us the path to restoration. The sermon outlines five steps:

Remember – Recall where you were when you were closest to God
Repent – Turn away from wrong choices
Remain – Hold on to what is still right in your life
Return – Go back to authentic worship and relationship
Rejoice – Celebrate God’s grace and restoration

No matter how far you’ve gone, you can always return to the altar.

The Big Lesson: Build Altars, Pitch Tents
Altars (your relationship with God) → should be permanent
Tents (your circumstances, possessions, status) → are temporary

Many people today reverse this:

They treat careers, houses, and relationships as permanent
And treat God as optional or temporary

This leads to spiritual emptiness.

Final Encouragement

You may be in a place between “Bethel” (the house of God) and “Ai” (destruction)—a place of decision. God has given you the opportunity to choose your direction.

No matter your past mistakes, you can rebuild your altar.

Build your life on what lasts.
Stay rooted in God.
And don’t trade the eternal for the temporary.