7 MORE Good Lessons from 7 MORE Bad Bible Characters (Pt. 6: Ananias)

We’re almost done guys!

Today, we’re kicking off the second-to-last part of “7 MORE Good Lessons from 7 MORE Bad Bible Characters!”

And for Part 6 of this series, we’re now gonna dive into one big, juicy lesson from–

Ananias!

Who Was Ananias?

In Acts 5:1, we read about Ananias and his wife Sapphira. They were both apparently church members of the early Christian church.

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.

(Acts 5:1)

What I found interesting was that the name “Ananias” comes from the Hebrew name Hananiah, which means “God has favored.”

Yet, despite the financial favor God blessed Ananias with, he chose to not “return the favor,” if you will.

And, we will explore that choice in this blog post, and what we can learn from Ananias’ fatal decision.

Kept Back

In Acts 5:2, we read of the fatal choice Ananias made:

And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

(Acts 5:2, emphasis added)

Instead of giving his WHOLE offering to the church, Ananias KEPT BACK a part of it, and gave “a certain part” away.

How does this apply to us?

(Selfishly) Set Apart

The words “kept back” in Acts 5:2 comes from the Greek word nosphizō (νοσφίζω), which means “to set apart or separate for oneself.”

Again, how does this apply to us?

I believe this powerful statement from Ellen White will help illustrate the direct application of this whole lesson from Ananias:

“Jesus demands a whole sacrifice, an entire consecration…………..In a divided, halfhearted life, you will find doubt and darkness. You cannot enjoy the consolations of religion, neither the peace which the world gives. Do not sit down in Satan’s easy chair of do-little, but arise, and aim at the elevated standard which it is your privilege to attain. It is a blessed privilege to give up all for Christ.”

-Testimonies for the church vol. 1 pg. 240 & 241-

Isn’t that a really powerful and convicting statement?

Friends, Jesus wants us to give back EVERY part, EVERY possession of our lives! He doesn’t want us to surrender to Him just this tiny part or that little bit of our lives. Christ desires EVERYTHING!

However, are we–like Ananias–keeping back a certain part of our lives, keeping it totally separate for our own selfish use?

What are you keeping back from Jesus today, dear reader?

Is there anything you haven’t really surrendered fully to Christ?

Maybe it’s a certain sin? A burden? An addiction? A grudge? An idol? A dream? A plan? A person?

What are you holding back from Christ? Is there anything He is asking you to give to Him, so you can fully experience the blessed peace and comfort of Jesus?

A Prayer To Fully Give

Dear reader, if the Holy Spirit has convicted you for acting like Ananias in your Christian life, I wanna appeal to you to just pray:

I’d like to conclude this blog post with a printable containing 10 Surrender Prayer Prompts to help you effectively surrender whatever parts of your life you’re struggling to give away to Jesus!

Amen! Maranatha!