ACTS of the Apostles

Monday, May 2

ACTS of the Apostles

Learning How to be Daring and Dynamic

Read Acts 5:1-11

Focus Verse: Acts 5:3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?”

“Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all. “(Oliver Wendell Holmes)

What a sobering statement that perfectly describes what was going on in the passage we are looking at today. Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property keeping back some of the proceeds and didn't tell anyone. They were not only lying to the church but also and more importantly, they were lying to the Holy Spirit.

Both of these people were fueled by Satan (Act 5:3). If Satan can’t reach the church from the outside, he will go inside and work on our hearts and minds just as he did with Ananias and his wife. These people were not much different in some respects than us. They were most likely believers and got caught up in the lies they were hearing from Satan. They put on a lovely front in order to conceal the “ugly” that was going on inside. Their sin was motivated by pride and was particularly wicked as it was directed against God’s church. God loves his church and is jealous over it. This story is a great example of God’s personal judgement . If you continue reading this passage, you will see the consequences of this particular sin did not turn out well for this couple.

What about us? It’s easy for us to condemn these two for their dishonesty but do we need to take time to examine our own lives? Are our words that profess our faith matching up with our actions or are we on a slippery slope the could lead to sinning? Today might offer an opportunity to check in with ourselves and see if our heats, minds, and actions are lining up.

The Lord knows our heart (see Jeremiah 17:9). It’s important to be honest with him, no matter the circumstance. Thankfully, he can change our heart (Psalm 51:10)!

Heavenly Father, Thank you for the reminder today of how easy it is to get caught up in lies. Place a hedgerow of protection around us that protects from Satan’s infiltrations. Search us, Oh Lord, and pull out any wrong thoughts or heart corruptions that lurk with in. Replace the lies with truth, and clean the unclean in us. May our hearts and minds be a reflection of living in truth and freedom with your Holy Spirit. Amen