DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONAL: AUGUST 22 DANGER OF KEEPING BACK FROM GOD (3) SCRIPTURE: ACTS 5: 9 – 10

The two devotionals on this topic so far have shown how bad it is to keep back what we have, what gift we are given from God. Ananias birthed the idea to keep back part of the proceeds got from selling his property, with the full knowledge of his wife. His wife followed the lie of the husband and she too died. The two were guilty of same sins. In today’s devotional, we are continuing with the sins which follow keeping back either from God or from the church; that which is meant to make the gospel worthy of embracing. The fourth sin is that, keeping back equals to testing or lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5: 9). Every seed of lie is from Satan, while every seed of truth is from the Holy Spirit. Lying blasphemes the Holy Spirit. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the “The Spirit of truth” (John 14: 17). To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to deny His person, His statute and functions.

The fifth sin in keeping back from God is acting and lying against God Himself. Such action tends to deny or turn down the blessings God has given. When you keep back from what God has given you and lied about it, it shows you lie directly on God. It means He has not blessed you to that extent and such breaks God’s heart.  The Bible says that lying lips is an abomination to God (Prov. 12: 22). Lying tongue makes one stands a hypocrite before God, and therefore, makes Him sad that one is smearing His nature as His Child. When one holds back from that which God has given, it means the liar has accepted Satan as his or her master. Every lying person makes self a child of Satan because he is a father of all lies (John 8: 44). God will never be happy with anyone who remains a liar.

The beloved ones, we must admit that there are many, as said before, Ananiases and Sapphiras in churches today. There are wealthy and very rich individuals in the churches holding back their wealth and riches from helping the less privilege people. Ask them for assistance, they will deny having enough to give out. Those who see projects going on in their churches and refuse to donate meaningfully into it are Ananiases and Sapphiras. Those who refuse bringing out their fairly used clothes to be given to other less privileged in getting wears are guilty of the sins of Ananias and Sapphira. The list will go on and on. We have to know that even though, we are not dropping dead in churches for keeping back today, God is still recording the offenses against us. If it does not reflect in dropping dead, it can reflect in losing what we have to disasters, sicknesses, diseases and other misfortunes. Let us stop practices of keeping back!

PRAYER:

LORD JESUS, I admit my unfaithfulness to God and to You by always keeping back from my resources when it comes to giving for the work of God. Grant me grace to become worthy giver to God in Jesus name.

POSITIVE CONFESSION

I am ready from today to turn my fortunes around for good by giving generously to God’s projects.

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