Is it in You?

“Is it in you?”

It is the crescendo question of the iconic marketing campaign deployed by Gatorade. NBA legend Michael Jordan was the centerpiece of the ads in the 1990s and narrates the more recent iteration of the commercial that depicts several athletic stars of today. The premise of the ads is that everything about sports is changing except for what is inside the winning athlete. The visual elements drive home the point that the moments on the grand stage are actually built on the countless hours of preparation put in behind the scenes and away from the limelight.

The ad is, of course, intended to sell product, but its clinching question is still the correct one for you and me to ask: “Is it in you?”

I was still in my formative years when Michael Jordan exploded onto the athletic and marketing scenes, and so this campaign is seared into my consciousness. There is no doubt that countless athletes—from professional to aspiring youth and including yours truly—consumed Gatorade in an effort to build an inner capacity to produce something external in the moments that would matter most.

While it is more than a little silly to conclude that a sports drink will determine your internal makeup, I am convinced the genius of this campaign is derived—intentionally or not—from an absolute truth found in scripture.

You and I were born on a battlefield, and we each have very real moments ahead of us where we will be called upon to respond and produce in a high-stakes moment. “In this world you will have trouble” (Jn. 16:33).

There is a very real enemy out to harm you. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (Jn. 10:10).

The certainty that these high-stakes confrontations are coming is matched only by the certainty of what will determine the outcome of those confrontations.

“The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4).

The power of your God is so much greater. But is it in you?

“[He] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20).

He is fully capable of deploying His power through you in ways that will astound you. But is it in you?

How do we answer that question? How can we know whether His power resides in us? The answer, while simple, is where our comparison to the marketing ad takes a significant detour.

My friend, you cannot channel God’s tremendous power and love simply by trying harder, working longer, and envisioning success. This is where the mystery of God comes in, because His power at work in you requires less self-dependence rather than more!

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Cor. 12:9).

Your ability to conquer your very real enemy will depend on what is in you, yes. But you cannot simply add more of any particular manmade substance to ensure you are filled up with what will be required in that moment.

To the contrary, you must empty yourself.

You must empty yourself in order to be filled by the mighty power of the One who is greater than both you and the powers of this world who will come against you!

In this sense, the message of the ad rings true. Your fate on that day will be determined by the answer to the question: “Is it in you?”

But it is not a drink, a product, or a self-help plan.

It is the all-powerful God who longs to fill the space created by your human weakness!

Is it in you?

The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.