The Bible warns us that without taking the time to examine our response, severe problems can arise.

Let’s take a look at the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5.

I think we can all agree that the early church was gifted with radical generosity. Believers were selling their possessions and giving the proceeds to the church. Ananias and his wife decided to sell a piece of their property and keep a portion of the money for their own needs, which was totally within their right.

The problem didn’t happen because they chose to keep some of the money. The problem was the split-second decision they made to present a part of the money as if it were the total sum.

They wanted people to admire their generosity more than they wanted to honor God with their sacrifice. They put their “I” disease before their integrity.

Peter confronted them with this question, “Why did you let satan convince you to lie?” (Acts 5:3)

Their brief, unchecked decision to present part of the money as the whole truth brought a sobering consequence. Both Ananias and Sapphira died that day. Their story reminds us that what might seem to us a small decision in a brief moment can have consequences far beyond what we anticipate. 

A brief decision to hedge on the truth or make ourselves look more spiritually “together” than we really are can kill our inner peace. Faith is being replaced with performance.

So, before making your next quick decision, pause and ask yourself: “Am I trying to honor God, or is this all about me, my reputation?”

Real peace is found when what we’re trying to say matches what we truly believe.

I am joining a great group of Christian writers at 5-Minute Friday. We write for 5 minutes each Friday (sometimes longer). You can read the other writers posts and share your own here: https://fiveminutefriday.com