More Than You Asked For: God's Power Within

May 31, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When You Ask for a Cookie, He Gives the Box

God delights in exceeding our small expectations. Like a child timidly requesting a single treat only to receive an overflowing box, we often approach God with cautious prayers. Yet Scripture reveals a Father who operates beyond our limited imagination, eager to pour out abundance when we surrender to His care. His generosity isn’t earned by perfect faith but flows from His nature as a loving parent. Even when past disappointments make us hesitant, He remains ready to surprise us with grace that overflows. [44:47]

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
(Ephesians 3:20, NLT)

Reflection: Where have you been asking God for “just a cookie” in your life? What would it look like to trust Him with the whole box instead?

Day 2: Imperfect Voices, Perfect Harmony

The church thrives not in flawless performance but in surrendered unity. Like off-key singers blending into something beautiful, believers find strength in shared vulnerability. Our collective worship—messy yet sincere—becomes a testimony of grace. God doesn’t demand polished perfection but invites authentic participation, using every cracked voice to declare His love. [35:35]

“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.”
(Romans 12:4-5, NLT)

Reflection: How can you embrace both your imperfections and others’ as part of God’s design for community?

Day 3: Power Works Best in Weak Hands

Human limitations become divine launchpads. Like a child handing broken toys to a parent for repair, our weaknesses become opportunities for God’s strength. Struggles don’t disqualify us—they position us to rely on resurrection power. When we stop hiding our flaws and start surrendering them, we make room for miracles. [01:02:57]

“Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”
(2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT)

Reflection: What weakness are you trying to manage alone that God wants to transform through His power?

Day 4: Crazy Uncles and Forever Fathers

Spiritual family provides both safety and sanctification. Like the eccentric relatives we learn to love, the church challenges us to practice grace. Yet beneath the chaos lies an unshakable truth: our perfect Father anchors every relationship. His relentless love turns misfits into missionaries and messes into messages. [38:13]

“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!”
(1 John 3:1, NLT)

Reflection: Where has God placed someone in your spiritual family who stretches your capacity to love like Him?

Day 5: Hell-Shaking Surrender Starts Here

Every whispered “yes” to Jesus rattles darkness. Like a single match lit in a cave, surrendered hearts collectively illuminate God’s glory. The church isn’t a social club but a Spirit-empowered army—not perfect, but potent. When we stop bargaining with God and start burning for Him, eternity shifts. [01:07:46]

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
(Matthew 16:18, ESV)

Reflection: What practical step will you take this week to join God’s hell-shaking work through your local church?

Sermon Summary

Ephesians 3:20 stands up and tells the church that God is able to do immeasurably more than all they ask or imagine, and it ties that promise to a location according to his power at work within them. Paul strains language to stretch faith beyond logic, not to hand out a blank check, but to pull adopted sons and daughters into bold confidence. Jesus already said it straight in Mark 10:27. With man, impossible. With God, possible. So the text invites big prayers and surrendered hearts, not small asks and tight fists.

A simple picture helps. A kid asks for a cookie. The box shows up. The Father often gives larger than the church dares to request, yet he does not yield power to spectacle or self-glory. Faith does not manipulate God. Paul’s line guards the direction of the current. The power is at work within. That means the miracle often moves through a yielded person. It also means yesterday’s failure or this morning’s blow-up does not cancel access. Repentance reopens the door. The same Spirit who raised Jesus lives in believers, so ordinary people carry resurrection capacity into traffic, kitchens, and job sites. Struggle remains, but struggle grows disciples. Willpower runs out, but weakness is God’s favorite workspace. Go back to the source, yield again, and watch grace do what grit cannot.

Paul then puts the spotlight where it belongs. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations. The power at work within is not about Ferraris, zapping rude drivers, or even just getting a cookie. The power builds a family that imperfectly sings, forgives, restores, and stands shoulder to shoulder so that hell’s gates shake. Glory shows up as prodigals come home, addicts find freedom, marriages breathe again, and students lead with fresh fire. The invitation is simple and tender. Christ wants a home in human hearts. Come home. Not to a perfect crowd, but to a Father who does not smite his kids. Admit, believe, commit. Then walk it out together, because the text says the power moves in the church, not in isolation. When Christ makes his home in hearts, the church becomes the church that hell cannot stop.

Key Takeaways

1. God does more than imagined [42:08] Paul’s doxology widens the frame of faith. The promise is not limited by human categories, timelines, or creativity. Faith asks boldly as adopted children and then yields the outcome to a wise Father. The measure is immeasurable because the source is God, not effort. [42:08]
2. Prayer asks cookies, God gives boxes [43:40] Desire often shows up small, but generosity does not. The Father delights to exceed timid requests, yet he refuses to fuel ego or spectacle. Ask big, trust bigger, and aim every answer back at his praise rather than personal shine. [43:40]
3. Power works within surrendered people [55:54] The phrase according to his power at work within us locates the miracle. Access is not for the spotless but for the surrendered. Repentance reengages the current, and ordinary saints carry resurrection power into ordinary moments so that real change becomes possible. [55:54]
4. Disappointment deepens dependence, not defeat [49:43] Unanswered prayers cut deep, but the promise was companionship, not insulation from pain. Blame games about small faith miss the heart of grace. Return to the source, let weakness be the doorway, and learn the strength that shows up when the bottom falls out. [49:43]
5. Glory drives the gift of power [01:03:17] God’s aim is God’s glory in the church and in Christ Jesus. Power builds a people, not a platform, across generations. When hearts become Christ’s home, the family becomes a lighthouse that hell’s gates cannot hold back. [63:17]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[35:54] - Imperfect yet perfectly loved
[37:29] - God is boss, love is mission
[40:14] - Week three of More
[42:08] - Ephesians 3:20 recited
[43:40] - Cookie-box prayer image
[45:43] - God can do more than you think
[49:43] - When prayers disappoint
[54:30] - God’s power works in you
[60:40] - Struggle and returning to the source
[63:17] - God does more for his glory
[64:15] - Power through the church family
[68:31] - Come home to Christ
[75:37] - ABCs, prayer, and next steps

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)
"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

Observation Questions

What does Ephesians 3:20 say about how God accomplishes His work in believers’ lives?
In the sermon, the analogy of asking for a cookie but receiving a whole box was used. What does this illustrate about God’s response to our prayers? [43:40]
According to the sermon, what is the relationship between human weakness and God’s power? [55:54]
How does the sermon define the ultimate purpose of God’s power working through believers? [01:03:17]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul emphasize that God’s power is “at work within us” rather than external displays of power (like miracles or answered prayers on demand)? [54:30]
The sermon mentions that unanswered prayers “cut deep” but are not a sign of God’s absence. How does this align with the promise in Ephesians 3:20? [49:43]
How does the idea of “yieldedness” (surrender) connect to the power described in Ephesians 3:20? [57:09]
What does it mean for the church to be a community where “hell’s gates shake” through God’s power? [01:07:46]

Application Questions

What is one area of your life where you’ve been asking God for a “cookie” (small request) that He might want to answer with a “box” (greater provision or purpose)? How could you pray more boldly in this area? [43:40]
Reflect on a recent struggle or failure. How might God be inviting you to depend on His power rather than your own willpower in this situation? [55:54]
The sermon says, “Weakness is God’s favorite workspace.” Where do you feel most inadequate or weak right now? How could you intentionally surrender that area to Him this week?
How can you actively participate in God’s work of “shaking hell’s gates” through practical acts of love, forgiveness, or service in your relationships or community? [01:07:46]
Are there areas where you’ve been trying to “write blank checks” with faith (e.g., demanding specific outcomes) instead of surrendering to God’s wisdom? How can you shift your focus to His glory rather than your desires? [53:52]
The sermon emphasizes that God’s power works through the church community, not isolation. What step could you take this week to deepen your connection with other believers for mutual encouragement and mission? [01:04:15]

Sermon Clips

38s

#GodGivesTheBox

“But, you know, sometimes we'd go to God like we do like the six year old comes to mister Seth. We want just a cookie, just something small to tide us over. Could we just get a snack, Lord? Could you just get me through the week? Could you please just just enough, Lord? Just just a little smidgen, a pinch. And we saw as we read in our key verse, he's able to do more than you ask. He's able to do more than you can possibly think. I'm grateful that sometimes when we got we ask God for a cookie, he hands us the whole box.”

43s

#BoldAdoptedFaith

“You see, Paul wants to stretch your faith beyond your brain. Paul wants to stretch your faith beyond your logic. Now we can get into trouble there and and, like, go do stupid things and then blame God for it. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying we can ask God to do things that don't have to add up. You can ask God anything. And it says actually earlier in this passage, which is a good reason to go back and listen to week one, that we we can come before him with bold confidence because we're not guests showing up in somebody's house. We are adopted children.”

41s

#StrengthInWeakness

“God loves to work through your weakness. Second Corinthians 12 verse nine says that when we're weak, he's strong or actually says his strength is made perfect in weakness. Your weakness is his favorite place to be at work. And so when you get weak, don't give up and get frustrated to the point you quit. Go back to the source. And God's power is at work within you for a greater purpose than to just get what you want from him. We see this in point three. God does more for his glory.”

48s

#BeyondWillpower

“Willpower is finite. You push hard. I'm gonna put these disciplines in my life, and I'm gonna see the power of God at work. Okay. Disciplines are really good. It's really good to be disciplined. And especially spiritually, it's good to pray. It's good to set time. Spiritual discipline. Like, I'm not saying that, like, it's I don't wanna be legalistic, but, like, if you pray more, you'll connect with God more. If you read your bible more, you'll get to know what he says more. So, like, there's some things that we do need discipline for. But when you get to the end of your willpower and you're struggling, that's when you need to go back to the source.”

37s

#SurrenderRestoresPower

“All it takes to restore that power is Jesus. I messed up. I'm gonna surrender. I know I'm back there. I was somebody else's kid. I was, like, yelling and screaming at the dude who left his turn signal on or something. I was somebody else's kid. But now I wanna make sure I live in the reality that I am your kid. I don't wanna I don't wanna be an embarrassment to you, father. Make your home in my heart. And then you go before the father, and you get the same power that the church lady that hasn't sinned since 1950.”

44s

#PowerForGodsGlory

“And so what are what's what's your role? What are you doing? How God's power at work in you being manifest? How is God's power at work in you manifesting his glory in the church? Now this is not a plea for you to volunteer. This is a plea for you to be about more than just Sunday morning actually. Because His power is not to make me great, not to get my Ferrari, not even to get a cookie, but to give glory to God through his family, the church. God's power.”

56s

#PowerAtWorkWithin

“Now after we've talked about you have the power and you obviously have lots of mistakes that are possible in your life, yielding to your flesh instead of to the holy spirit, the power within you, and that power can be reduced by your lack of surrender. He gives you the power to conquer addiction. gives you the power to restore relationships. He didn't give me the power to zap people, but he gives me the power to pray for people. He gives me the power to love difficult people. He gives me the power to be a man or he gives you the power to be a man or woman of God. It takes away a lot of excuses, but that power is at work within You got the power.”

61s

#UnstoppableChurch

“When we see this kind of church, where we may have imperfect people, but his power and glory are manifest. It's a church that hell can't stop. Jesus told Peter that I'm gonna build my church and the gates of hell can't stop it. We just sang a song about hell shaking, the the gates of hell shaking. The gates of hell shake when we when we finally are surrendered to Christ making his home in our hearts because that's the kind of power that sets sinners free, that brings prodigal sons back home, that restores marriages, that brings people far from God into his family. Some of you have been attending church, but you haven't given Christ a home in your heart.”

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More Than You Asked For: God's Power Within

Devotional

Day 1: When You Ask for a Cookie, He Gives the Box

Day 2: Imperfect Voices, Perfect Harmony

Day 3: Power Works Best in Weak Hands

Day 4: Crazy Uncles and Forever Fathers

Day 5: Hell-Shaking Surrender Starts Here

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

More Than You Asked For: God's Power Within

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