God's Holy Fire: 'Conspiracy'

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

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.

Comments

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Wednesday, May 18, 2022

A Year with Jesus
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
'Wait!'
"Dear Precious Follower, I know that waiting is hard for you. Regardless of your reason for having to wait, I know that waiting is hard. However,..."
Today's Verse
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
Hebrews 6:10
"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'The Transformative Power of an Encourager'
"When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a..."
Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'Christ, Our Yes' (2 Co. 1:12-20)
"Amen! Yes! Abba, Dear Father, Let me find pride in this - that my conscience testifies that I live my life in this world with holiness and godly..."

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.

More God's Holy Fire

Translations