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Acts 5:4

"While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."

"The devil made me do it."
What a way to start a devotional, but how many times do we give credit where credit's not really due.
First off the devil did not make you do it, we know this because the devil is not like God, he is not omnipresent meaning he can't be everywhere at the same time. Don't you think the devil has better people to bother then you?
Second, as a Christian you cannot be possessed by a demon. Sure you can be oppressed or even depressed, but not possessed.
The real answer to what you have done is you!
Those thoughts came into your mind, but it's your choice what you did with it.
If you gave into those thoughts, then you have no one else to blame but yourself.

And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart?

This devotional verse is from the story of Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, who sold some land and lied about how much they sold it for, keeping part of the money back for themselves. Their sin was not that they didn't give it all, but rather they lied and said they were giving all when they were not.
But in their thinking they thought that they would sell it for example $10,000.00 and give $5,000.00 saying that they really sold it for $5,000.00.
What if they did really sell it for $10,000.00 and said they did, but felt that they would only give $5,000.00?

While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control?

I think they would have been ok, but since they wanted to be praised by man and pretending that they were giving their all, they ended up finding out that You have not lied to men but to God.

God did not make them give it all, nor did anyone else. They had no one else to blame other then themselves for their actions.

So what have you done and whom have you been blaming?
Now go look in the mirror and tell God, "This is the guilty one, please forgive me"
He will!

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