Acts 3: 1-11
Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.
Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”
Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.
All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John

This is a pretty familiar story. I’m sure that you have read it hundreds of times before. Here is a new question to ponder:
What if the beggar was too scared to stand up?
He had been lame from birth. He had never walked one single step in his entire life. Even babies have that awkward waddle phase that we watch them go through as they learn to walk. It is usually a process.

How do you think this man felt?
Maybe nervous…
Maybe scared…

What if he had said ‘no thank you’ or argued that he could not get up and walk because he had never done it before and didn’t know how…

This might seem silly to us. Surely this man’s life had not been an easy one. He was at the very doorway of receiving a healing and ending this lifelong struggle….winning his victory…it would be absurd not to walk through, right?

Sometimes we might struggle with some of the same thoughts that this beggar probably had flash through his mind-

What if I’m not ready?
What if I fall again?

Why do we face hardships and face struggles, and then keep ourselves from walking in the victory?

Maybe it has been a struggle for quite some time…
Maybe the battle has become a part of our identity…
Maybe we lack faith…
Maybe we think that we are not ready…
Or Maybe the fear of where God might lead you or what He might ask you to do is scary…

If God has promised you the victory, then walk in it!

Verse 7 tells us that the man’s feet and ankles were instantly strengthened. You might not know how you are going to stand or where you are going to draw that courage and strength from, but if you have faith….God will give you exactly what you need to do whatever He has called you to do. He will provide.

Don’t wallow in your struggle just because that has become your norm. We don’t know what happened to this man after he was healed, besides the fact that he praised God, held on to Peter & John, and went with them to the temple.

What about the next day?

Do you think that maybe he woke up a little unsure of what to do with himself? His entire life, he had sat as a beggar. He had no skills, no job….there must’ve been a certain level of anxiety.

What if the beggar was healed and then the next morning, he woke up…walked to the gate called Beautiful… and sat down to beg?
That would seem crazy to us. He had this whole new life in front of him. Why wouldn’t take this healing- this precious gift he had been given- and live life to the fullest.

Does any of this sound familiar? Maybe you can relate?

We celebrate the victories in the moment, in the emotions, in the prayer times…but then when we get back to day to day life….normal routines….”the real world”….we want to fall back into old habits.

Don’t walk through your life in defeat.
Strengthen that faith.
Claim those promises that we find in God’s word.
Speak life over yourself.
Base your identity on what Christ says about you, not the lies of this world or the attacks of the enemy.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” – John 14:27

“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:37-39

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.” – Lamentations 3:22