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By Johanna Zabala, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Ecuador
Do you know what is the first thing that our Heavenly Father formed in us? The heart. Yes, our heart, this being the first purposeful organ that God himself designed in the fertilization process. How wonderful! Let's look at Psalm 139:13-24. From the womb of each mother, He formed us. What a blessing! All details, thoughts, purposes, plans, and tests are and will be in Him and for Him.
Also, in the book of Jeremiah in chapter 1:5-10 (CEV), it says:
““Jeremiah, I am your Creator, and before you were born, I chose you to speak for me to the nations.” I replied, “I'm not a good speaker, Lord, and I'm too young.” “Don't say you're too young,” the Lord answered. “If I tell you to go and speak to someone, then go! And when I tell you what to say, don't leave out a word! 8 I promise to be with you and keep you safe, so don't be afraid.” The Lord reached out his hand, then he touched my mouth and said, “I am giving you the words to say, and I am sending you with authority to speak to the nations for me. You will tell them of doom and destruction, and of rising and rebuilding again.””
Given this text, it is extensively highlighted that we are of God, as His most beautiful creation, so we must continually seek to purify ourselves in His presence. Over time, I have taken a close look at the compelling need In each facet of life… that we should strive that our hearts be in the likeness of God's heart, as expressed in Proverbs 4:23.
I have considered that especially when we are growing up, a large percentage of information that we own automatically is acquired from our environment, from the good and the bad of everything. In that learning, dad and mom will always have a significant role in the individual structure of each person.
Every day we see many marital situations in any family, and some are even narrated in the Bible. When reading the book of Acts, specifically in chapter 5, verses 1 to 11, there is the couple Ananias and Sapphira, a union like any other, with possible spiritual struggles; and they, based on the context, had material possessions and properties. Both belonged to the church that met to serve the Lord. However, their hearts were far from what God wanted for them; dishonoring the Holy Spirit, when He knows everything about us.
Feelings and desires come from the human heart, marriage being one of them. It is a Christian duty to keep the marital union set apart for God inside and outside the church. We are all called to show the identity of Christ. It is not an easy task, but it is necessary with a pure and respectful heart.
From the testimony of Ananias and Sapphira, we must never let go of the relationship with the Heavenly Father from our intimacy; this is essential. We can be tempted to stray from God's blessing to the curse. If we, as women of God, allow marriage not to be an example in everything and not to be a team of faith and trust in God, or we let Satan fill the heart of either one, lying, pretending, and not loving the will of God, we can fall and die irretrievably.
The marriage that God designed for us is a supreme plan of Himself. He wants it to be for a holy purpose. He wants us to be a team, to be one with Him.
All this invites us to be aware of what we are and what we have under the presence of the Creator and His immense love for each one of us. In other words, each relationship requires sincerity, love for one's neighbor, obedience, and intimacy with God in every decision and action. Adding that we have an opportunity for changes for the Heavenly Father, which leads us to constantly heal our hearts. Over time it has been contaminated and, if we don't realize it, it can make us sick both spiritually and physically.
Ananias and Sapphira died both spiritually and physically. They had their attention on having money and not on the truth of the Lord. Free will is true, but lying greedily and without repentance, is something God hates and destroys.
Let us ask the eternal Father in prayer that we don’t fill our hearts with evil but with Him. Likewise, that we may be purified daily and that He keep our marriages in holiness and love, in Christ Jesus. Let us never delight in a lie, however small it may be; for the father of lies is Satan (Jn. 8:44).
Let's analyze this then: who do I serve, the Father of Truth or the father of lies? Am I irreverent in the presence of the Creator? Do I allow the Heavenly Father to search my heart? Do I work in fear and love of God? Am I really going to be the right help for my husband?
#IronRoseSister #HIStorias #lies #truth #holymarriage #pureheart #guestwriter #blog
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Written by Aileen Bonilla, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Ecuador
The story of Sapphira and Ananias is very short but full of a great message for us in these times (Acts 5:1-11). At that time the faithful believers brought their offerings so that the apostles could administer them in the best way. This offering was voluntary and the most beautiful thing of all is that they were conscious offerings. That is, each believer gave of his possessions because he understood that the church had a need, and above all, that it would serve to continue to spread the glorious Gospel of Christ (Acts 4:32-36).
However, God shows us that despite the fact that many understood this truth, there were also those who wanted to be seen and applauded by men. The intention of Sapphira and Ananias was not sincere or complete before God. It was not wrong to give only part of the money. What's more, I would say, they didn't even have to do it. But they decided that perhaps this offering would be useful. However, they forgot that everything we do for the Kingdom must be handled with simplicity and in secret, waiting only for God's reward (Mt. 6:3-5).
Sapphira and her husband thought that their hypocrisy would go unnoticed, they thought that they could deceive God. Hypocrisy is not only an evil that affects our interpersonal relationships, but also affects our relationship with God. He hates it when we try to think of Him as an object to be mocked, and even more so if we teach this horrible attitude to others.
Let’s look at this text: “There are six things the LORD hates, no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kills the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family” (Prov. 6:16-19, NLT). In this text there is an incredible order. First, we are shown that God hates arrogant eyes, followed by a lying tongue. For those who suffer from pride, their life will usually be full of lies.
Pride has always been man's worst enemy, since this defect prevents a person from being corrected, instructed, or grateful. Sapphira and Ananias's attitude was pride disguised as generosity. Therefore, God purged His Church in this way, as this brings blessing to all.
Half-truths are also lies. It seems to sound strong because many times we have gone down that path, perhaps to look good or not look so bad in some situation. The fabricated lies are very dangerous and, above all, the Lord greatly hates them.
Arrogance, as the Proverbs text shows us, brings serious consequences to our lives, not just for telling lies. It also brings discord in the family. Since the Church is the family of God, He will not let this evil grow out of proportion. Like Sapphira and Ananias, we can have that attitude.
We can have a false pride in being humble, and this is also very detestable for everyone. It's like a bad perfume that permeates the whole room. Cheap perfume is scandalous, and nauseating. In the same way, pride in our faith and humility becomes like that cheap perfume. Would you rather be a subtle and delicate perfume or a cheap and scandalous one?
Jesus said of Himself: “Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart,” (Mt. 11:29). Sometimes we assume we know everything, perhaps due to the years we have been in the church, but the truth is that our earthly life is a time for continuous learning. That is the true key, to never stop learning.
On the other hand, only Jesus can authoritatively attribute these qualities because He is the source of everything, be it knowledge, wisdom, goodness, love, humility, meekness, among other wonderful characteristics. So, it leads us to reflect that if we don’t spend time with the Teacher, then falling into lies and pride will be much easier.
Let’s not run to do evil, I imagine this couple trying to get where the apostles were to give them this supposed gift. They were eager to be recognized by the people, as were many Pharisees of the time. But, in this new Kingdom it was no longer going to be like that.
God tells us that we are new creatures through Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17), this translates as a reprogramming in our being. That is, if before we loved to brag about our achievements, now this should no longer be valuable in our eyes. Let us enter the Heavenly home not by means of our "good deeds" nor by our "titles," but by faith or trust placed in Christ Jesus.
It is sad to see how many Christians lie about irrelevant things. In the different ministries, many make excuses for not getting involved, as if saying that they really don’t want to or don’t feel prepared for what they see as difficult. Also, I have been able to observe the other extreme, those who do everything with pompoms and tambourines to appear as the most generous or the most concerned about their neighbor. One more reason why God decided to uproot this couple in the early Church.
Finally, Sapphira should have been that wise and prudent woman advising her husband to do the right thing before God. This teaches us how true the advice of Proverbs 14:1 is. As women we must ask God for a lot of wisdom, through the study of the Word, meditation, prayer and fasting. These four components together will help us connect with God in an incredible way.
Join me in praying: Lord, help us to be more like You. Our hearts often think about the evil, but we know that you can change that reality. Cleanse us from evil every day and help us to be able to be more committed to Your work. In Jesus, amen.
#IronRoseSister #HIStories #pride #humility #liesandtruth #guestwriter #blog