God's Holy Fire: 'Conspiracy'

Thursday, May 18, 2023

And Peter said [to Sapphira, concerning Ananias and her], "How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too."
— Acts 5:9 NLT

Key Thought

There is no conspiracy theory in the story of Ananias and Sapphira. It IS conspiracy. However, Peter puts their sin of conspiracy and lying into the context of testing the Holy Spirit. They apparently presumed that the Holy Spirit was either not at work in the apostles' ministry or that the Holy Spirit would be unaware of their lie. This story is a powerful and shocking reminder of just how seriously God takes sin. We are called to be holy, genuine, honest, and forthright. I don't know about you, but the Spirit is knocking on the door of my heart about living with complete transparency and authenticity before other people, before my church leaders, and also before God. There are to be no conspiracies, secret sins, or intentional deceptions! The Holy Spirit knows the deepest thoughts of our hearts and minds, so let's intentionally invite the Spirit to purify and transform every part of our inner being — our hearts, souls, and minds!

Today's Prayer

O God, my Father, the God of peace, please sanctify me through and through. May my whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray. Amen.

The prayer is adapted from 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

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Illustration

Illustration of Acts 5:9 NLT — "How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too."

About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

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