In Acts 3:1-10 we see the account of Peter and John encountering a crippled beggar on their way to the temple for prayer.  Having been raised a church-kid and spending plenty of time in Sunday School this is a story I have heard often.  It is funny how we can quickly determine which character in a story we relate to and from then never really consider seeing ourselves in other aspects of the scripture account.  In revisiting it recently I found myself acutely aware of how I had generally reflected on the story from the perspective of being a Christian and helping others – as Peter and John had done so that day – and not really in any other way.  This challenged me to look again without this focus and I became totally caught up in being ministered to by the Word of God in a study session that felt like moments but saw some serious time pass by.

I found myself looking at the beggar in the story and seeing that as Christians we can live as this crippled man; we can focus on what we think we need and ignore the true state we are in.  We can accept being crippled as the position from which to live life.  Accepting this is also accepting it’s limitations.  When we accept limitations we accept wrong-thinking which brings a wrong focus.  We then act from this perspective in determining our ‘need’ instead of being willing to the let the Lord have our whole self.

The Lord sees our entirety and knows what we truly need.  His sight is not limited to our state or perspective.  It is up to us to acknowledge our state, acknowledge that it limits our focus and trust God to show us the way; to stop trusting in ourselves to determine our ‘need’.

Likewise if Peter and John were spiritually crippled and approached the beggar from that position, they could have easily dropped him a coin or two or ignored him and moved on.

They were not however functioning as spiritual cripples, they had allowed full access to God and the leading of the Spirit.

You can see this in that they do not immediately respond to the man, they do not take the default obvious course of action even though to give money would be seemingly a good Christian thing to do.

The scripture says “They looked at him” (Acts 3:4).  The ‘looking’ brings a pause, a moment in which they could be sensitive to the Spirit’s will.  Verse 4 then goes on to say “then Peter said,” here Peter speaks in the flow of the Holy Spirit for that moment in time.

Money given would have helped the crippled man for a moment but, Peter and John flowing in the wisdom and will of God saw the crippled man changed for a lifetime!

When we flow in the Spirit, God’s power makes momentous change.  When we stop limiting opportunities by taking the default response and instead taking a moment to seek the Lord, amazing things will happen!

Peter and John were not spiritually crippled, in contrast they were spiritually surrendered.

They were open to doing whatever the Spirit led regardless of whether it seemed unusual, risky, weird, out-of-the-box; they were no longer leaning on themselves, their perspective, their ideals, but were reliant on the Spirit.

They had faith in God.  They trusted that where God led, His power would be.  You cannot separate God’s Word from His power and His presence so when you move according to His Word, His power will manifest.

Let’s not forget that Peter and John had a focus, they were headed to the temple for prayer.  They were interrupted by the crippled beggar’s call.  Being spiritually surrendered rather than spiritually crippled means being prepared at all times to seek God first.

They didn’t ignore the call and keep going to the temple, they paused and gave God the opportunity to lead them.

They didn’t respond by default – whether it be emotionally, legalistically or morally – and throw in some money, they gave God the right, the room, to lead them.

If God had told them to keep moving on their plan to attend the temple for prayer, they would have.  If God has said to give the man some coins, they would have.  God led them to flow in His healing power and they did.  They were living their faith, not spiritually cripple but spiritually sensitive; they had their plans, feelings and opinions secondary to God.

I am so thankful that God’s Word, His power and His presence are still in effect from that moment to our now; the Word of Acts 3:1-10 reaches to us today and challenges us to not live in limitation but to allow God to bring momentous change, to not be inhibited but to reside in the amazing Spirit led life!