Take a moment to read Acts 5:1-16 before reading the devotional below.
We live in life-or-death times. Satan’s biggest trick is to get us to believe that nothing is particularly crucial. Prayer, for example, is optional and doesn’t really do a whole lot. Miracles don’t happen anymore. Our lives are just about what we can see around us. There’s no battle behind the scenes, no supernatural world affecting our daily lives. Like that scene in The Wizard of Oz: “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”
But since time has continued to march on since the early believers realized they were in the “last days,” we know we too are in a time that is of tremendous spiritual importance. In Acts 5 we see the sobering reality that spiritual decisions are life-or-death kinds of decisions. The story of Ananias and Sapphira might not seem that bad… I mean, they did lie about their giving, but did they really have to DIE for that?? Notice in verses 3 and 9 that what they did in the spiritual reality was far worse than what it looked like in an earthly sense: they lied to the Holy Spirit. Remember, the Holy Spirit personally dwelling in and among them was a very new concept, so putting that at risk was life or death. And as we continue on and read about Peter’s shadow containing healing power, we see the “life” aspect of this life-or-death reality.
The Holy Spirit brings you incredible spiritual power and protection. That is a life-or-death reality we live in. When we forget the significance of that power, we are more likely to not use it. And opposition to the Spirit will be met with death. Just as healing is a guarantee in the kingdom of God (and sometimes we see immediate healing take place here on earth), so too death is a heartbreaking guarantee if we oppose the Holy Spirit (and sometimes we see instant death such as in the story Ananias and Sapphira). Walk in the power of the Spirit today, knowing that you are in desperate need of supernatural protection in these life and death times.