Acts 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
This passage of scripture teaches us beyond the shadow of a doubt that there is a third Person of The God-Head, who is the Holy Spirit, and that He is not a mere influence that pervades the atmosphere, as taught by some religions and espoused by many individuals, but rather a real intelligent Person. When referring to The Holy Spirit Jesus spoke of Him as "He", meaning that the Spirit of truth is not to be understood as being an abstract influence, but rather as the Third Person of The God-Head, who has been involved with all of the operations in heaven and earth since time immemorial.
For instance, the scriptures teach us that all three members of the God-Head were actively involved in the creation of our world, for the book of Genesis mentions all three as being present on the first day of the creation week. God The Father was there with His Son, who is the spoken word of God, and The Holy Spirit was also present to put into literal operation, the Father's thoughts, and the spoken word of The son. It's important that as Christians we harbor correct, scriptural views of the God-Head, lest we beat about on the rocks of infidelity, through the specious cunning of the serpent. Let's read:
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Job 33:4 The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Thus, when in our first passage in Acts, Ananias and Sapphira practiced fraud and deception in lying to the Holy Ghost, he took their lives right there and then, for it is only God who is authorized to take life, and here we see plainly that the Third Person of The God-Head exercised His rightful authority in this capacity. The Holy Spirit is also the one who translates our feeble, and sometimes misguided prayers, and puts them into a format that God The Father could both hear and answer according to His perfect will. It's only an Intelligent Person can do this, and the Holy Spirit does it for us every time we pray. As a matter of fact, there is absolutely no prayer that ascends to The Father without first passing through the Holy Ghost, period. Let's read:
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Let us therefore understand and believe what the scriptures teach on this subject, and let us always be careful to avoid the many warped vagaries which abound in the theological circles of those who may not know God. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which makes plain The Holy Spirit's office and work, and it is the will of God that every person be found cooperating with him in the work of our soul's salvation. Let's read:
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!