Acts 5:3 (KJV)
But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
Acts 5:4 (KJV)
Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
Acts 5:9 (KJV)
Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
I was taught not to ask my kids why they had done some dumb or disobedient thing, and that made a lot of sense to me. The fact is, most of the time they didn’t know. Okay, to be brutally honest, most of the time I don’t know why I do some of the dumb or disobedient things I do.
I remember my oldest son, when he was young, getting upset and saying, “I hate the devil for making me do that!” I’d usually reply, “Don’t you blame the devil for this. You did this all by yourself.”
According to this passage, I was wrong. And I was taught wrong not to ask why.
Ananias and Sapphira did a dumb and disobedient thing. Peter asked Ananias twice “why” he did it. He asked Sapphira, “How is it?” The first “why” means “what cause.” The second “why” and “how is it” come from the same Greek word, which can mean “who, which, or what.” Peter began his questioning with “Why hath Satan filled thine heart…?” I think the “who, which, or what” points back to Satan as well.
Satan did make them do it! Satan is the “why,” and Satan is the “who.” I would go so far as to say Satan is the “what.”
We ought never to underestimate or ignore the supernatural forces of evil in the world. They surround us and influence us in ways we might not recognize. It is wise to ask why so we can better see when those forces affect our thoughts and actions.
The question “Why hath Satan…?” also tells me that we are not subject to his whim. We who are believers have the power of God within us to resist the devil and submit to the Holy Spirit of God.
I was wrong! We must ask ourselves and others why.
Only when we face up to Satan and consciously resist him may we overcome his attempt to fill our hearts. It is only when we purposefully submit to God and resist the devil that he will flee from us.
#Acts5v3 #SpiritualWarfare #ResistTheDevil #SubmitToGod #DailyVisitWithGod
It’s Wise to Ask Why: Recognizing the Devil’s Influence
The next time you’re tempted to make an excuse, stop and ask yourself, “Why am I so ready to believe this lie?” Take the devil’s influence seriously, take responsibility for your choice, and do the thing you already know God wants you to do. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7, KJV)
Visit marvinmckenzie.org for more Daily Visits with God, and share this one with someone who could use that reminder today.
For this and, more than 7300 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.
If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.
