Good judgement wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction. Proverbs 13:15
Growing up in the church, from a young age to even now, I’ve had many conversations with other believers who gave the appearance that everything was great or put together on the outside while internally life was eating away at them morally, relationally, spiritually, emotionally, etc. I’ve done it myself. Especially with men, we too often go through life with this underlying and untreated spiritual fracture between us and the Holy Spirit. We are constantly trying to advance forward but we just lack the inner strength and spiritual power to do it. It typically is because we do not know the “how to” so ignorance stops us in our tracks.
One of, if not the most definitive way our relationship with the Holy Spirit is fractured, is through lies and self-deception. We put on this mask of faith in order to deliver pleasure, satisfaction, or approval to our flesh and every time we do so it is a lie to the Holy Spirit. The Character of God will not allow deception of any kind. If you recall Acts 5, the story of Ananias and Saphira, they were members of the church in Jerusalem who were wealthy landowners. They sold property but withheld part of the profits as they gave the rest to the church. (Don’t worry, I’m not saying you should tithe more.) Peter’s interaction with Ananias is extremely intense: “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” Acts 5:3-4
Now the story doesn't end there. Ananias doesn't just get confronted and move on with life. There’s not a church gathering with discipline to follow. Scripture goes on to tell us: “When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died”
Deception is very serious business! Could Ananias have died from natural causes? Very unlikely, because when Peter questions Saphira, who doesn’t know her husband is already dead, she lies as well and Peter announces her death before it happens. The truth is, deception always starts in the heart and moves from self-deception to outward lies. Will God strike you dead if you lie? Probably not (Thanks to the mercy and grace of God). But if not on the spot, lies will kill us slowly.
Many believers don’t know how to move out of deception because we seldom know what spiritual fractures look like when it comes to our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Satan is subtle and crafty. I encourage us to always examine our motives. Here is the great news. No matter how severe the fracture may be, it can be realigned like a broken bone in the body. The Holy Spirit dwells within our physical body, still being held together by the structure of faith. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that there is potential for powerful healing and to make us spiritually stronger than we were yesterday. Christ longs for you to be filled with the Holy Spirit. How? Simply ask Him to do it and surrender.
Written By: Jordan Hampton
