John 14:15–21; Acts 1:8
There are moments in life when effort is no longer enough.
You have planned, you have tried, you have pushed yourself—but something still feels lacking. You are doing all the right things, yet the strength to sustain it is not there. And in a city like Lagos, where the demands never seem to reduce, this feeling is not uncommon.
The thing is this: many people are trying to live a life that requires spiritual power using only human strength.
And that will always lead to exhaustion.
Jesus understood this long before we did. That is why, before He left His disciples, He gave them a promise that would change everything. He told them that they would receive power—not from within themselves, not from their environment, but from the Holy Spirit.
“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Acts 1:8).
Now, consider the situation of those disciples. They had walked with Jesus. They had heard His teachings. They had seen His miracles. Yet, even with all that exposure, Jesus still told them to wait.
Why?
Because knowledge is not enough. Experience is not enough. Even good intentions are not enough.
There must be power.
You see, the Christian life is not designed to be lived by human effort alone. It is not a matter of trying harder, doing better, or pushing further. It is a life that must be empowered from within by the Spirit of God.
And this is where many people struggle.
They believe in God.
They attend church.
They desire to live right.
But they are tired.
Because they are trying to produce spiritual results without spiritual power.
The thing is this: without the Holy Spirit, the Christian life becomes a burden. With the Holy Spirit, it becomes a transformed life.
Jesus said in John 14 that He would not leave His followers as orphans. He would come to them. And that coming is through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Not as a distant influence, but as an indwelling presence.
This changes everything.
Because the Holy Spirit is not just given to comfort us—He is given to empower us.
He empowers us to live differently.
He empowers us to think differently.
He empowers us to respond differently.
In practical terms, this means that what once controlled you no longer have the same power. What once discouraged you are no longer overwhelmed you in the same way. What once seemed impossible begins to shift.
Not because your circumstances have changed, but because something within you has.
And this is important for a city like Lagos.
Because the pressures here are real.
There is pressure to succeed.
Pressure to survive.
Pressure to prove yourself.
And under that kind of pressure, it is easy to become drained. It is easy to lose clarity. It is easy to start well and struggle to continue.
But the promise of the Spirit is not just for a moment—it is for a life.
Now, here is where the challenge comes in.
The presence of the Holy Spirit is not something we control; it is something we yield to.
Paul makes this clear when he speaks about being filled with the Spirit. It is not a one-time event, but a continuous posture of surrender. It is a life that says, “Lord, not my strength, but Yours. Not my will, but Yours.”
And as simple as that sounds, it is not always easy.
Because yielding requires trust.
It requires letting go of control.
It requires dependence.
It requires a willingness to be led.
But it is in that place of surrender that true strength is found.
The disciples themselves are a powerful example of this. Before the coming of the Holy Spirit, they were uncertain, fearful, and inconsistent. But after the Spirit came upon them, something changed.
They became bold.
They became focused.
They became effective.
Not because they suddenly became more capable, but because they were now empowered.
And the same is true for us today.
The life you are trying to live—the discipline you are trying to maintain, the growth you are pursuing, the purpose you are seeking—was never meant to depend on you alone.
There is help.
There is power.
There is a source of strength that does not run dry.
So the question is not whether the Holy Spirit is available.
The question is whether we are willing to depend on Him.
Because when we do, something shifts.
Strength replaces struggle.
Clarity replaces confusion.
Endurance replaces exhaustion.
And what once felt impossible begins to move forward.
In a city that teaches you to rely on yourself, the Spirit quietly teaches you to rely on God.
And that is where true strength begins.
Prayer
Lord, teach me to depend on Your Spirit and not on my own strength. Help me to yield to You daily, so that I may live with power, clarity, and purpose. Amen.
- Adapted from The Spirit-Empowered Life (Volume 3), part of the 12-volume Sermon Notes Series by Rev. Dr. Kayode Ilupeju now on sale. Contact us for copies or visit Amazon.com
