But there was a man named Ananias, who with his wife Sapphira sold some property that belonged to them. But with his wife’s agreement he kept part of the money for himself and turned the rest over to the apostles. Peter said to him, "Ananias, why did you let Satan take control of you and make you lie to the Holy Spirit by keeping part of the money you received for the property? Before you sold the property, it belonged to you; and after you sold it the money was yours. Why, then, did you decide to do such a thing? You have not lied to men – you have lied to God!" As soon as Ananias heard this, he fell down dead; and all who heard about it were terrified. The young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried him out, and buried him.

Acts 5:1-6

Ananias and his wife must have quenched the Holy Spirit by turning a deaf ear to their consciences, believing they had plenty of good reasons for doing what they did. Their action cost them their lives.

The Holy Spirit was not given to annoy us. The Spirit does not sound false alarms. The Spirit activates our conscience by bringing to mind a principle of warning from God’s Word. It is His love and wisdom in action, in our lives. All we have to do is listen, and then act.

To ignore your conscience is to invite trouble.

Our Daily Bread – July 22, 2002