The One Sin No One Wants to Admit
Today’s Verse:
But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? ~Acts 5:3
Have you ever been a victim of fraud? Fraud is when you have been intentionally misled about something financially, and as a result you suffer a financial loss. Another way of describing being defrauded is that you were lied to. In Acts 5, the church was in a time of revival. There was a revival of boldness in soulwinning. There was a revival in sacrificial giving for the needs of the church. The spiritual temperature was on fire. Then, a married couple was caught lying about their contribution. Peter confronted them and asked, “Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?”
We see the twisted deceit.
Ananias decided to participate in a special offering by selling a piece of land. They indicated that they were giving the entire proceeds to the church, but instead were withholding a portion of it for themselves. Ananias and Sapphira lied about their offering intention. Lying is when are deceitful, and twist the facts to be portrayed in a different light. Lying is when false figures are given. Lying is when the truth is not being told. Lying is giving a false witness, and breaking the ninth commandment.
We see the truthful discovery.
As soon as this offering was laid at the apostles’ feet, Peter confronted Ananias. In his confrontation, Peter told Ananias that he allowed Satan to fill his heart to lie to the Holy Ghost. Lying always will occur when we allow Satan to fill our hearts with an untruthful motive to cover up our real intent. Lies are said to cover up sin. When we are deceitful about commitments that we said we would make, this is lying to the Holy Spirit. Ananias and his wife were found out. The truth was made known that they withheld a portion of what they said they would give. A lie eventually will be discovered and exposed. When it is, it can lead to a very embarrassing and shameful discovery.
We see the tragic danger.
God calls lying one of seven sins that He hates. Lying is an abomination to the Lord. Ananias did not admit to his sin of lying. However, his discovery by Peter was so revealing that Ananias fell down and died. When you are caught lying, you lose your credibility. When you are caught lying, you face potential setbacks. When you are caught lying, you could face criminal and civil liabilities. Later, his wife was confronted and she, too, fell down and died. Lying has very severe consequences on our future.
We see the tenacious decision.
The Bible says that great fear came upon the church because of what happened to Ananias and Sapphira. I believe that many Christians made a steadfast decision that they would tell the truth in everything. If you have had trouble being truthful, Paul tells us to put away lying. As a Christian, you should hate lying. It hurts to be truthful, but it hurts even more to be a liar. To avoid the possibility of lying, you must decide that you will always tell the truth in everything. Do not allow yourself to fall into the trap of fabricating stories to cover up, exaggerating about your experiences, or saying you did something when you did not. Be truthful and honest. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. Do not lie when doing your taxes. Do not lie in your financial disclosures. Do not lie about other people. Tenaciously hold to the truth at all times.
Lying is the one sin no one likes to admit. Don’t allow yourself to fall into the sin of lying. Begin by being truthful to God in all that you do.
Have a truthful God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Psalm 86-89