Bible Reading: Hosea 5-8; Revelation 1.
Memory Verse: “The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.” Hosea 5:10 (KJV)
Cheating is the art of defrauding by deceitful acts. It is acting dishonestly or unjustly to get personal benefit. It is interesting that such a fraud could be physical such as goods or non-physical such as honour. Cheating covers areas such as marriage, sale of goods and services, stealing and even giving among others. Some people like to get public applause even for what they did not do! Such include people who give a wrong impression that they have donated a large sum of money or goods so that the congregation can applaud them when in fact, they have not given such an amount or goods.
This is the situation of a couple who desired the honour of a generous giver and therefore decided to sell their properties and give it to a church. However, they felt they needed to keep part of the proceeds for themselves and so when they sold the property, they kept half of it and gave the balance to the church but with the impression that it was the full amount! This is what Ananias and Sapphira did.
What is amazing in this is that they could have told the church that they kept fifty percent for themselves and gave the rest to the church and they would still have been applauded as being generous but may be not like those who gave their full property. Unfortunately, they cheated the church because they wanted the great applause and they ended up deceiving the members and they paid with their lives!
Also in 1 Kings 21:1-24; Naboth had an inherited parcel of land which he refused to give to the king of Samaria, Ahab when he requested for it. When the king’s wife, Jezebel knew about the refusal, she organized two men to bear false witness against Naboth that he blasphemed God and made sure he was stoned to death and Ahab, the king acquired his land! But Jezebel paid with her life for this evil act. She was thrown from upstairs to the ground floor and she died with her blood sprinkled on the wall. (2 Kings 9:30-33).
What are you cheating on, it is a matter of time, the truth will be exposed. It is therefore imperative that you run away from all forms of Cheating and live a life of honour as a child of God. God promised to pour his wrath on cheaters. He said in Hosea 5:10 (KJV), “The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.” If you do not want to incur the wrath of God, stay away from cheating.
Prayer: Examine your life, identify areas of cheating and ensure you stop from today while calling on God for mercy.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero