The Tangled Web of Deceit in Our Hearts

Proverbs 20: 17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel. (NKJV)

How do we go about our business in our lives? How do we conduct our finances, our dealings, and our behavior? God as always is infinitely concerned about our character. A lot of times we read verses such as Proverbs 20:17 and think that it is only about money. How we handle ourselves in relation to money is infinitely important to God as well but not because of the money itself but because of the state of our heart.

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 1Timothy 6: 10 (NLT)

Note that it is not money itself that is the root of all kinds of evil but rather the love of money. Again, the position of your heart. But Proverbs 20:17 deals with so much more. It deals with deception in our daily lives and walks, not just how we handle finances. If we operate under false pretenses and motives then in the end, we will be chewing on gravel. Such a descriptive way for God to get His point across! The deception may taste sweet at first. But in the end, a mouthful of gravel.

The early church in the Book of Acts gives us some insight into deception in our lives. This is how the early church was described:

All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need. For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means "Son of Encouragement"). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles. Acts 4: 32-37 (NLT)

The Acts Chapter Four church. All believers united in heart and mind. No one in need. Everyone taken care of. No agendas and secret maneuverings. No politics and corruption. Well, at least until Chapter 5:

But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife's consent, he kept the rest. Acts 5: 1-2 (NLT)

Now this may appear to be about money but dig a little deeper it really is not. Ananias and Sapphira were already well off considering they had property to sell at all. The money from the sale of the property was already theirs. Acts Chapter Four does not say that the new church forced anyone to share what they had it was done voluntarily. So Ananias and Sapphira were not obligated to provide the new church with any of the proceeds from the sale of the property.

Yet they still wanted to appear as if they were sharing it all. Why? Perhaps they wanted to be able to brag about the generous donation. Perhaps they wanted to be noticed by Peter and the Apostles. Recognition, power, pride, fame, status these are all things that we may pursue and desire that we can try to get through deceitful means. We are faced every day with taking the easy way out in business decisions, personal relationships, and family conflicts. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to appear more benevolent than they were willing to be! They wanted to appear more righteous than they were willing to live. They wanted to appear more Christ-like than their hearts were willing to be. We all face similar challenges in our walk with God. We want to be more Christ like. We want to be more benevolent and righteous. But often times our heart is not where our desires are. Our heart is still as Jeremiah described it:

"The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Jeremiah 17: 9 (NLT)

But ultimately who was Ananias and Sapphira trying to deceive? They thought they were merely trying to deceive the Apostles! They operated without a fear of God in their transaction. God provide the increase in their lives! God provide the land they owned and the buyer to whom they sold. Yet God was not considered when they tried to deceive their way into a status they did not deserve. The Apostle Peter explains it to him:

Then Peter said, "Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God!" Acts 5: 3-44 (NLT)

This principle can be applied to any area of our life where we might be tempted to act deceitfully. Thinking about taking credit for something that you did not really do? You are only trying to lie to God. Thinking about cutting up someone else so that you can look better to someone? You are only trying to lie to God. Thinking about using underhanded methods to resolve a problem, even a problem you think you might be righteous about? You are only trying to lie to God. That last one is an important distinction to make. You may be in the "right" about a particular situation but that does not mean that we excuse unrighteous means to achieve the righteous end we might seek. Philosopher Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli proffered the notion that the ends justifies the means. That as long as the end result is righteous, it matters not that unrighteous means were used to get there. God disagrees with Machiavelli and as such, so should we. God is infinitely concerned with how you live, not just where you end up. The following verse from Jeremiah above highlights this:

But I, the L ord , search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve." Jeremiah 17:10 (NLT)

We cannot hide anything from God beloved! He will search your heart to find your true motives. Then according to our actions, He will give us what we deserve. Take the rich young ruler. He approached Jesus in a smug attitude asking what he must do to earn eternal life. Jesus instructed him to follow the commandments, to which the rich man said he had since he was a child. Jesus then looked into the man's heart and saw that he loved money more than God and here was Jesus' response:

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Mark 10 21-22 (NKJV)

Where is the deceit you might wonder in this case but realize that when the man approaches Jesus he is trying to justify himself before God. He had adhered to the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law. He had allowed money to be ahead of God in his life. God asked him to lay it down and then follow Him. Just like God asked Abraham to lie down Isaac before Him, God will look into our hearts and ask us to lay down the thing we have placed before Him in our lives too.

The rich ruler approached God with the intention of justifying himself. He would walk away further apart from God. Ananias and Sapphira approached the Holy Spirit within them with utter disdain. They would pay for it with their lives. We can even look to how Jesus Himself was brought up on charges that would lead to His crucifixion and see the role deceit played:

Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. Matthew 26: 3-4 (NKJV)

Even the so-called holy are not exempt from the temptation of deceit. Political maneuvering and backstabbing are not unnoticed by God. Treating the anointed of God with improper respect is equally noticed by a just God.

Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. Matthew 26: 59-60 (NKJV)

We sometimes miss the small details when reading the Bible but these verses actually indicate that the chief religious leaders sought false testimony against Jesus so they could recommend crucifixion! Talk about pretending to represent God on one hand and acting deceitfully on the other!

And that is ultimately the point. We serve the Almighty God. The creator of the heavens and the earth. He spoke everything you see into existence. God does not need to cheat beloved. He does not need to cut corners. He does not exaggerate, pretend, or lie.

True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, "You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court." Romans 3: 3-4 (NLT)

When He gives us His spirit to live within us, He expects that we will pursue to become more like Him, through the sprit of God that now lives inside of us. It is not enough to have religiosity the appearance of a relationship with God. He desires the real thing!

Ananias and Sapphira had religion. They were part of the early church movement. The Apostles knew them by name! The young rich ruler had plenty of religion. He had followed the commandments and felt justified that he had done what was necessary to inherit eternal life. But he hid in his heart something more important to him than God and yet approached God as if he was justified. The Chief Priests, Scribes and Elders were the embodiment of religion during their time on earth. Yet deceit still ruled their hearts.

As we continue to live in the end times, it is ever more important to heed the warnings God has given us in His Word. The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy of just this:

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! 2Timothy 3: 1-5 (NLT)

We continue to live in a society that is increasingly proud and boastful where less and less is considered sacred. The unloving attitude and unforgiveness runs rampant not only through the world but through the church as well. Friends are betrayed through unrighteous means even though righteousness is used as an excuse. The most frightening part of these verses however is the notion that many will act religious yet deny the very power that could make them godly. God does not operate deceitfully beloved and He does not expect us to as well. The bread we seek to gain may taste sweet at first, but in the end it only amounts to a mouthful of gravel. Instead, don't deny the power within you that can make you Godly - taste and see that the Lord is good.

Reverend Anthony Wade April 5, 2011