Acts 5:3-5(KJV)
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? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
The lifestyle of falsehood is a deadly enemy of destiny. Lies can lead to untimely death. In Acts 5, we learn a painful lesson of how lying caused the untimely death of a couple during the early church. Ananias and Sapphira conspired not to disclose the payment they received for selling their assets but retained a part. They lied to Apostle Peter, but little did they know they were lying to the Holy Spirit. Their lies killed them instantly. First, the husband, Ananias, died(Acts 5:5), and hours later, the wife, Sapphira, came in and lied too. She also died instantly(Acts 5:10). The conspiracy was to get recognition, but it led them to death. Hypocrisy and the desire for the praise of men all played a part in their demise. Ananias and Sapphira respected each other enough to sin together against God, and the consequence was death. They would not have died if they had been honest about how much the land was sold for and how much they kept back. No one forced them to sell; they just wanted to deceive the Holy Spirit and they paid dearly for it. Proverbs 19:9 says, “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.”
Lying is to make false and untrue statements intentionally about someone or something. The Bible makes us understand in Proverbs 6:16-19 that God hates the lying tongue and is an abomination to Him. Anything that is not the truth is a lie, sadly. In Exodus 20:16, the ninth Commandment states, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor”. The bearing of false testimony is strictly prohibited by God, as no good thing can be achieved by untruthful testimony. Telling lies against anyone or the church is an evil deed that can have devastating effects. By all standards, lies are the devil’s greatest weapons with which he enslaves people into falsehood. So, anyone existing in falsification also dwells with the father of lies. And anywhere truth is absent, the Spirit of God is not present because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. The battle for the souls of men is now at its peak, as Satan, the father of all lies, is doing everything possible to keep men bound in darkness and error. There is no generation that surpasses ours in the display of falsehood. We have false apostles, false prophets, false teachers, false brethren, false body parts, false news, false accusations, and false witnesses. In order to avoid the wrong pursuit in life, knowing and doing what matters most in life is crucial. Many have embraced the way of bondage, for liars are natural candidates for captivity. Many are living in a hurry and sowing seeds of lies that will produce a negative harvest. They are sowing seeds that they and their generations will never recover from, seeds that will implicate their children for life. When we lie or bear false witness against our friends, we have sown seeds that will germinate for us in this time and eternity. When we lie to or about our pastors, we have sown seeds that we will surely reap the harvest.
Beloved, lying is more or less to die; falsehood is the enemy of livelihood. In other words, to lie is to die. In the sight of God, there is no small or big lie; a lie is a lie. Make up your mind to always speak the truth. And avoid the way of falsehood. Determine never to be carried away by insincerity. Do not struggle to impress anyone. You have to be genuine in all things. Whatever it will cost you, insist on the truth. Anything honesty and truthfulness cannot give, you don’t need. Any victory or breakthrough truthfulness cannot offer you; there is no need for it. Watch those who go around telling LIES about others. It is easy for the world to believe the lies told by people in your inner circle. But, as a child of God, when you see a believer come under attack, don’t join any accuser to destroy their reputation. If you are not sure of the story, stay away from it because the silence of a good man is more deadly than the voice of a liar. Today, turn your heart toward the truth so that you can pursue an honest relationship with God and others. Confess and repent now of any area you have told a lie either as a joke to gain favor, save yourself or to implicate someone and exonerate yourself. Run away from lies(the devil) and embrace Jesus Christ, the Truth! Desist from grieving the Holy Spirit by all means. Never sleep over a lie because no one knows when Jesus will come. Insist on and live in the truth at all costs. Let the world and the devil know your stand regarding truthfulness. Whenever you are tempted to lie, remember that Ananias and Sapphira died and went to hell in one day on the platform of lie and deceit.
O Lord, I confess and repent of every lie told in time past, consciously or unconsciously. I receive the grace to say and stand for the truth at all times in Jesus’ Name.