Acts 5:1-6

This is such a sad occurrence. I am not sure why Ananias did this. Maybe he didn’t want to be outdone by Barnabas, who, prior to this, sold a field and brought all the proceeds to the apostles to distribute among the needy. Maybe he was looking for accolades or recognition. He got it, all right! We all know what he did, for it has been recorded for us all to learn what not to do. Whatever the motivation, it cost him and his wife their lives for lying to the Holy Spirit. So unfortunate, but this budding church was getting a taste of the holiness of God in an Old Testament sort of way.

The Holy Spirit is not to be trifled with. By His very name, He is holy. We must not forget what happened to Uzzah when he touched the Ark of the Covenant, representing the holiness of God.

It seems harsh by today’s standards, but then what does that say about us? In times of great holiness and manifestation of God’s presence, we must be holy in thought and deed, as He is holy. God sees everything, knows everything—even the whispers of our hearts.

I personally experienced two times when the presence of God was so strong that I feared for my soul, as it seemed as if my every thought was laid bare, and I realized how unacceptable I was (without Jesus) before a holy God.

One was at a Sunday night service at Rhema Bible College, where Kenneth Hagin was speaking. I was attending the University of Tulsa at the time and would go to hear him speak from time to time. There were over a thousand people present, and it was as if a heavy weight fell upon the service. Everyone dropped to the floor, confessing anything and everything we could think of. It was like a giant mosh pit of people, with everyone trying to get to the bottom of the pile so we wouldn’t be seen. I will never forget it. As the Scriptures state, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Fear doesn’t even begin to describe what I felt that night.

The other time, I was in my dorm room during a time of worship, and that same weightiness entered my room. There was such a sense of foreboding that I didn’t know whether it was God or the devil who had entered. I was afraid to turn around. God spoke to me in that moment about something I was about to go through (which began that very evening), but He said clearly, “I just want you to remember that I love you.” Those words became my lifeline for the next few days.

Needless to say, by the grace of God, it is recollections like these that keep me on the straight and narrow. We are accountable for what we have seen and know, and God is never to be taken lightly.

Ananias and his wife found that out the hard way.