✝️God IN Us - The Power Jesus Promised

Good morning, my brothers! Today, let’s move from God With Us (Immanuel) and God For Us (Jesus) to the power of God In Us. Note: toward the end of the article, we have a downloadable prayer tool you can use daily to unleash His power and impact the world for His glory! Let’s go!

This week: 4-minute, 19-second read

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God In Us
God in Us - And Our Response (Hint: Surrender)

Christmas Eve. Candlelight service. Ending the service singing Silent Night as we all hold candles.

Has always been my favorite part of Christmas Eve, and still was this past Wednesday night as we attended church.

That silent night when something staggering occurred. As we’ve been discussing in MTM this last week, God stepped into our world.

God with us.

For many men, Christmas brings a brief sense of closeness to God. We feel encouraged. We feel hopeful. We sing familiar songs and read familiar verses. But then the decorations come down, routines return, and life presses in again. The same struggles reappear—the same temptations surface. The same quiet question lingers.

If God is with me, why do I still feel so discouraged? Why am I so anxious?

That question is not a failure of faith. It is an invitation to go deeper, to surrender more completely.

Because God with us was never meant to be the end of the story.

Jesus’ Surprising Promise

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus said something that likely stunned the disciples.

How could losing Jesus be better?

Jesus explained that if He did not go, the Helper, the Holy Spirit, would not come. The Holy Spirit was not an upgrade or a consolation prize. He was the fulfillment of God’s plan all along.

Jesus could be with them. His Spirit would be within them.

This was not about inspiration. It was about transformation.

Why “God With Us” Was Just the Beginning

Jesus walked side by side with the disciples for three years. They saw miracles. They heard truth straight from His mouth. They watched storms calm, and dead men rise.

And yet they still argued about greatness. They still misunderstood His mission. They still panicked under pressure.

Peter is the clearest example. He declared bold loyalty, promised unwavering commitment, cut off a soldier’s ear…and then hours later denied Jesus three times in a single night. This happened while Jesus was physically present in the world.

Thus, physical proximity to Jesus did not automatically produce transformation.

That reality matters for us. Many Christian men stay close to Christian activity. Church. Scripture. Podcasts. Conferences. Community.

All good things. Necessary things.

But closeness alone does not change the heart.

God with us reveals truth.

But God in us supplies strength. Just ask Peter.

From Presence to Power

Everything changed for Peter and all of the disciples, 10 days after the Risen Christ’s ascension, as depicted in Acts 2.

This is the pivot point. The same disciples who had hidden in fear the night He was betrayed were suddenly filled with boldness. Peter, who denied Christ three times to a handful of people just 50 days earlier to protect himself, is now prepared to publicly proclaim Christ to thousands of people at significant personal cost.

What changed?

Acts 1:8 records Jesus’ promise: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”

Power to deepen THE relationship. Power to obey. Power to endure. Power to speak truth without fear. Power to live the life of a Christ-follower fully.

The Power came to live in Christ's followers in the person of the Holy Spirit. And that changes everything.

God In Us Changes Everything

The Holy Spirit does not merely influence behavior. He came to change us. To make us new creations.

That is not poetic language. It is spiritual reality.

God in us means we are not left to reason, react, or resist temptation on our own. The Spirit reshapes us and makes us new. He reframes how we think, what we desire, and how we respond…when we surrender fully.

This matters deeply for men.

When temptation hits, the Spirit gives strength to walk away.

When anxiety rises, the Spirit anchors the heart in peace.

When decisions feel overwhelming, the Spirit provides clarity and conviction.

This is why the Christian life is not about trying harder. It is about surrendering more completely.

Living as If the Spirit Is Optional

Here is the quiet danger many men face.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, but we live as if He is optional.

We default to discipline instead of dependence. We push ourselves through willpower until exhaustion sets in. We strive rather than surrender.

When we fail, we feel discouraged rather than invited to rely more fully on God’s presence and power within us.

Paul warns against this posture. He tells believers not to grieve the Spirit or quench His work. When we ignore the Spirit’s leading, we inevitably return to the flesh.

And the flesh always grows tired, ultimately leading to despair and failure.

Romans 8:6 reminds us that the mind set on the flesh leads to death, but the mind set on the Spirit brings life and peace.

That peace is not passive. It is the settled confidence that we are not fighting alone.

What Spirit-Led Manhood Looks Like

Spirit-led manhood does not remove struggle. It redefines it.

Instead of striving to prove ourselves, we surrender and learn to walk in step with God. Instead of asking for more control, we ask for greater sensitivity to His leading.

Galatians 5:16 offers a simple instruction with profound impact: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Notice the order. We do not defeat the flesh by focusing on the flesh. We defeat it by walking in the Spirit, surrendering to His control..

That changes how we approach every area of life. Work. Marriage. Fatherhood. Integrity. Temptation. Leadership.

God in us means we never have to act alone.

From Christmas Truth to Daily Reality

Immanuel tells us God came near. The Holy Spirit tells us God stayed.

The incarnation shows us God’s heart and His mission of salvation. The Spirit reveals God’s power at work in our daily lives.

This is not about emotional highs or spiritual hype. It is about a daily posture of surrender.

The Christian life is not about becoming a stronger man.

It is about becoming a more surrendered son.

The MTM Prayer of Surrender

Several months ago, I shared a prayer of surrender that I pray almost daily. I attach it again and encourage you to add it to your daily prayer time.

Also, when a specific temptation strikes, pray specifically about a body part that needs to be surrendered to the control of the Holy Spirit.

👉[Download the MTM Prayer of Surrender]

Reflection and Action

Take time to reflect honestly this week.

1) Which area of your life are you trying to manage in your own strength instead of relying on the Spirit?

2) Where do you need to slow down and listen rather than push forward in effort?

3) What habit or distraction may be dulling your sensitivity to God’s leading?

4) Who could walk alongside you in prayer and accountability as you grow in Spirit-led obedience?

5) What would it look like this week to pause, ask the Spirit for guidance, and then obey in one specific moment?

-Will

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