Step/Week 5, Day 7 – Admit: Truth Testimony
May 6, 2020 882
“How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us, but to God” (Ac. 5:4b, TLB).
Telling lies breeds a dishonesty in the way that we behave and vice versa. A life filled with addictions is a breeding ground for lies. Truth is very generally thin on the ground where addictions are concerned.
The verse for today is a very short extract taken from the story of Ananias and Sapphira. They had sold property and were bringing the money to the apostles, as was the custom. However, they had kept back a sum of that money for themselves. When ask if this was all they received from the sale, they confirmed that it was (Ananias first and then shortly afterwards, Sapphira). They lied not only to the apostles, but more importantly to God. They were both struck down and died on the spot of their admission (see Ac. 5:1-11).
When I was a child, I was a habitual liar. It didn’t matter how hard my dad punished me (sometimes he punished me severely), I would still try and wriggle my way out of a situation by telling lies. It became a vicious circle—very much like the vicious circle that I experienced when I was bound to my addictions and leading a self-destructive life.
It took me a very, very long time to realise that by telling lies, I was going to get found out in the end (God already knew anyway) and the consequences were always going to be worse than if I told the truth at the very beginning.
Fast forward to today, my life has completed changed. God has changed my life. I demand truth from myself 100% of the time, each time. I know that truth is always the best policy. I’m glad for stories in the Bible like Ananias’ and Sapphira’s—it’s a story that I’m sure is there to shock and teach us godly principles in equal measure.
By admitting your sins and confessing them, you’re recognising the truth, and opening yourself up to be available to let God work in your life, as He leads you towards recovery.
– Graham Hood
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank You for the story of Ananias and Sapphira—it teaches me so much. Help me, Lord, to always seek the truth and to never tell a lie. When I get things wrong, may I always seek Your forgiveness and mercy, when I confess my sins to You. Thank You, Jesus, that You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. May I always be mindful of this as I journey down the road to my recovery. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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