If you know anything about the book of Acts, when you hear the names Ananias and Sapphira you automatically think about lying and the consequences that it brings.
In Acts chapter 5 the church was just beginning and already sin was creeping in. In case you don't remember, in Exodus 20 God expressed his opinion about lying. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." (v.16) In other words, don't lie!
Lying for some people is not just an occasional sin, it's a way of life. One lie leads to another, which leads to another, until you cannot distinguish between what is true and what you have invented to cover up all of the untruths that you have previously told!
Proverbs 6:17, 19, lists lying as one
of the six things that the Lord hates!
In v. 5 and 11 we see the affect that one lie had upon the other new believers. The Bible says that "great fear" came upon them all. They had lied to God and since the days of Adam and Eve we know that you can't lie to God. Many have tried, but God is omniscient! He knows everything, so while you may be able to pull the wool over the eyes of your fellow man, God is not fooled by your double-tongue.
Okay, okay, so maybe you are not the bold-faced liar that you accuse others of being. That's fine. But let's hold off on the self-righteous patting ourselves on the back for just a moment. What about the inner man? Have I been lying to myself about my walk with the Lord? Have I been feeding myself the age old lie that it doesn't matter what I do if the end result brings happiness? Have I been deceived into believing that I am walking with God when I never read His Word, or meditate on it, and my prayer life can be described as emergency only?
Take a moment to reflect.
In the rest of chapter 5 we see the apostles filled with boldness for Christ. Boldness to return to the temple and continue preaching salvation through Jesus' name. They had the religious leaders scrambling because they feared that this new teaching would conquer the world. The apostles were spending time in prayer, they were sharing what they had learned of Christ, they were obeying God's commands. They "ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."
Does this describe your heart attitude and your life?
When you are spoken of does it reflect Christ in you?
God sees our hearts and men see our actions. So often Christians are accused of being hypocrites because we say one thing and our lives say another. You can lie to man, but you cannot lie to God.
Get honest today!
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