MONDAY, JANUARY 9
ACTS 5:1-11
MATTHEW 6:19-21

"Be sober, be vigilant…
(of your) adversary the devil…"

SATAN CAUSES MAN TO LIE AGAINST GOD

Satan seduces people to become liars. Peter in Acts 5:3 asked Ananias, "Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?" Satan used covetousness to cause Ananias and Sapphira to lie. What they meant to do was to keep back a part of the price, while pretending to bring the whole of it to the apostles’ feet. Great wicked deeds in the Scriptures are traced back to the influence and temptation of Satan.

Believers are deceived by Satan to lie to God by Satan’s cunning ways, one of which is the glitter of money. Men are easily drawn towards leaving God and falling away from the faith because of earthly treasures. Silver and gold induce man to make alibis for not giving their honest tithes and offerings. Worship and fellowship meetings would then be demoted as secondary while business opportunities are of greater significance.

With full sobriety and watchfulness, believers must be careful of the enemy’s tactics. Lowering our guard will allow the tempter to subdue us. He wants to defame the name of the Lord through the sins and transgressions of Jesus’ disciples. He likes to litigate by presenting before God the wretched works of Christians. He accuses them of breaking the law and does this with all diligence.

Dear Reader, are you captivated by the riches of this world? Are you given to lying because of your love for earthly possessions? Do you not realize that your soul is more precious than the riches of this whole world combined? Let go of your temporal possessions! Seek things that will last for eternity.

THOUGHT: Am I sober and vigilant against the devil?
PRAYER: "Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places. Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword" (Ps 17:12-13).