When we are about the habits, practices, and the things of God, we will be more aware of the times when he’s moving in and through us. The problem is that we often find ourselves not in-tune with the Spirit. We are distracted, we are religious, we are complacent. But taking a posture of openness means trust and obedience to a keen awareness that God is always advancing his Kingdom purposes and he’s invited us into the messy, uncomfortable, and beautiful journey with him.

It was upon Peter and John’s release from the authorities that they burst onto the scene with the early Church. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, they moved in power to advance God’s Kingdom and the hope of Jesus. Sometimes we get lost in our struggles, pain, our mis-guided goals, and our past. These things threaten to keep us enslaved to the things which Jesus died to free us from. In Jesus we are released from the power these things have on us and our release should propel us into confident active trust.  

When John and Peter gather with the other Christians the first thing we see them do is pray! Upon their release, they recognize that God has sovereignty over all things and over their lives. Their release was the impetus for acknowledging that God is in control. Often, we want to be released while we still maintain control (control of our relationships, our time, our money and resources). When we turn over and surrender the things we love most for the person we love more (Jesus), that’s when we’re found to be good managers of God’s goodness and power and we’ll see him move powerfully in and through us.  

The second portion of the disciple’s prayer in Acts 4 is to ask God to do God-size things in and through them. After this prayer the place where they were meeting was shaken! Their expectation of the Holy Spirit was so bold and big that He showed up and literally shook them! They’re asking God to move through their city and in the lives of their neighbors and that he’ll empower them to be bold as they actively participate in the movement. We should be asking God to do big things; ground-shaking things! But we’re often weighed down in asking God to do small things, asking him to do things that serve our purposes, first, or we don’t expect him to do much at all.  God invites us to ask and expect big things from him as he advances the message of Jesus and he expects us to respond by moving boldly into uncomfortable places armed with a deeper sense of trust