Saturday, January 29, 2011

Deception and Trust

Acts 5

There is so much in this chapter; I couldn’t talk about just part of it. Also the story of Ananias and Sapphira is so hard to grasp I felt I needed to focus on it for today.

Spend any time listening to the news and you don’t know what to believe. Who is right in any given skirmish around the world? What is safe to eat or drink and what is sure to give you cancer? That information can change almost daily. It is hard to know what is the truth and what isn’t. As Christians we need to be on our guard always, staying in the Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers receiving sound teaching. It is easy to become deceived without those key elements in our lives. Trust comes by doing these things regularly.

The beginning of this passage seems a little rough. Two Christians who had stood to the public persecution in Jerusalem at this time bowed to deception. Ananias and Sapphiras’ sin was not holding back some of the funds for their own use, the enemy had distorted their thinking to make them believe they needed to “look good” without paying the price and that they would attempt to pridefully deceive everyone. They were doing something more for their own glory rather than God’s glory. As Christians, we always need to be aware of our own weakness. We can overcome our weaknesses through the basics: study the word, prayer, and being in a strong fellowship of accountability with other believers. I am not saying the Lord is going to strike anyone dead like Ananias and Sapphira, but spiritually you could become weaker and fail to accomplish all that God has for you and end up living less than the abundant life God has planned for you.

Many want to become like the apostles of the New Testament, the challenge is that there was no compromise in them. They walked in the presence of the Lord all of the time, desiring to be like Him all of the time. Regardless of what happened to them, they kept their focus on the Lord. Their lives and livelihood had been threatened by the leaders of their day and they were thrown into prison. Bad things will happen just because the world is a fallen place and especially because we desire to follow the Lord. The challenge is how will we respond to the bad things? The apostles trusted, prayed, and believed. The result: the angel of the Lord released them from prison even in front of the guards. They then returned to preaching the Word without compromise. How do you normally respond when trouble comes to you? The miracles come because we have learned to completely trust the Lord. Our lives are more content, despite the circumstances. We are able to overcome worry and anxiety because of our relationship. Our future and today are both in God’s hands allowing us to live in peace, sometimes despite the circumstances.

It is easy to be deceived. There are so many things inputting into our lives, namely all of the junk of the world. It is easy to believe what the world says rather than what God says, that is why being in the Word, praying, and regularly being around people who will encourage, instruct and challenge you in your faith, is so important. Trust can change your life. I have a saying posted on my office wall that says this, “Don’t complain if you haven’t prayed. If you have prayed then trust!” It is something the Lord taught me a long time ago that I am still learning everyday☺

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