THE PLUGGED IN PRAYER LIFE: Plug In! | Connecting to God's Power

Have you ever panicked when your phone battery reaches that critical red zone? That moment of desperation for a charger perfectly mirrors our spiritual lives. Without connection to God's power, we might look fine on the outside while internally running on empty.

This episode explores the revolutionary concept of prayer as our spiritual "outlet" – the connection point between God's ever-present power and our daily lives. Just as Harvey Hubble's electrical outlet invention in 1904 finally gave ordinary people access to the power grid that was already flowing, prayer gives us personal access to God's divine presence that surrounds us constantly.

At the heart of this message is James 4:8 – "Come near to God and he will come near to you." This Scripture reveals both an invitation and a promise that transforms how we approach prayer. God isn't distant or difficult to reach; He's waiting for us to connect. When we turn toward Him, He immediately turns toward us. Prayer isn't about perfection or performance; it's about plugging into God's presence throughout our day – in traffic, during chores, in moments of worry, or sleepless nights.

The most beautiful part? When we stay connected to God's power, others notice. Like a house illuminated during a blackout, our lives stand out. Though we can't create someone else's connection with God, we can certainly show them where and how to plug in themselves. Your prayer life doesn't just transform you; it becomes a beacon that draws others to the same divine power source.

Ready to move beyond just living near the power to actually connecting with it? Join us as we discover what it means to stay spiritually charged through a lifestyle of prayer. Your soul was never meant to run on empty.

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The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media.

Family Disciple Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Not long ago, I was sitting in a coffee shop when
the person at the table next tome panicked.
They were staring at theirphone like it had betrayed them.
Finally, they leaned over andasked hey, do you have a charger
I could borrow?
I smiled because, honestly,we've all been there.
That person's phone stilllooked fine.

(00:22):
It still had all the apps, theupdates, all the capabilities I
assumed, but without power.
It was about to shut down andwhat that person needed most
wasn't a new phone.
It wasn't a fix.
It wasn't advice about whetherthey should get better internet
service.
What they needed was a way toconnect to the power that was

(00:45):
already there, so that theycould use the resource they
already had.
And friend, spiritually we'rethe same way.
We can stay busy, we can keepgoing through all the motions,
we can even look great and looknormal on the outside, but
without true connection to God,we start running low, we lose

(01:07):
strength, we lose peace, we losejoy, we lose what we need to be
able to live this life.
That's why today's conversationin the Plugged In Prayer Life
is called well Plugin.
It's built around James,chapter 4, verse 8, which says
come near to God and he willcome near to you.

(01:30):
You see, god's power is alreadyflowing.
We talked about that in thelast conversation.
God's power is near to us, but,just like that phone in the
coffee shop, we need a way toconnect.
Over a hundred years ago, thesame thing happened with
electricity.
Even though the power grid wasrunning through the cities, most

(01:54):
homes couldn't tap into ituntil, well, a certain guy named
Harvey Hubble inventedsomething that revolutionized
everything.
When he created the electricaloutlet, it made it possible for
everyday people to finally plugin and experience the
life-changing power that wasalready available, and,

(02:16):
spiritually, that's what prayerdoes for us.
Can we just say, perhaps, thatprayer is the outlet, it's the
connection point between God'spower and our everyday lives.
Hi, my name is Tasha Williams.
I'm the founder and theexecutive director of the Family

(02:36):
Disciple Me ministry, and todaylet's talk about what it means
to live plugged in, to draw nearto God, to stay connected to
Him and live a life powered byHis presence.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Welcome to the Family Disciple Me podcast.
You're in the right place to beequipped, challenged and
blessed in Jesus' name.
The mission of the FamilyDisciple Me ministry is to
inspire devotion-drivendiscipleship, which is something
we believe every Christfollower can do.
Discipleship starts with aconversation, so today, let this

(03:14):
podcast episode encourage youto seek Him, speak Him.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
I'm sure that all of us, at some point or another,
have been in a room or a housewhere the power's out,
everything's quiet, everything'sdark, nothing is working.
And that's actually what lifewas like for most Americans in
the early 1900s.
Power lines existed but, unliketoday, there was no way to

(03:42):
access that power inside thehome.
That was until Harvey Hubblechanged everything in 1904.
His invention the electricoutlet.
It seems so basic to us now.
Electrical outlets areeverywhere we turn, in, every
building, but back then it was arevolutionary invention.

(04:03):
It gave ordinary peoplepersonal access to the power
grid.
Suddenly, the power that wasalways flowing could now reach
into daily life, and spiritually.
Well, that's what prayer doesfor us.
As we talked about in the lastconversation, god's presence and

(04:26):
power is already flowing.
He's near, he's powerful, he isgreat and mighty.
There's no question about hisability.
But unless we choose to connect, we miss out.
Prayer is the outlet.
It's how we plug into what'salready there with him.

(04:49):
That's why James, chapter 4,verse 8, is such a powerful
reminder.
It says come near to God and hewill come near to you.
I love that verse.
It encourages me so much, thatscripture.
It's both an invitation and apromise.
Our God isn't far off.

(05:10):
He's not cold or disinterestedor distant.
He's right here.
He's waiting for us to drawnear.
And the incredible partConnecting to him isn't
complicated, it doesn't takefancy words or the perfect
setting.
It starts with a willing heart,a simple desire to seek him.

(05:33):
We talk about that a lot withFamily Disciple Me.
We talk a lot about seek him,speak him and this drawing near
to him, this coming close to him.
Well, this is what is theintrinsic core of what it means
to seek him.
So think about your life for amoment.
When have you experienced God'snearness?

(05:57):
I love what my friend Anne saysabout this.
She's told me about oneparticularly dark, weak,
absolutely debilitating seasonof her life.
She didn't feel strong at all,she felt the weakest of weak.
But she turned to God and sheplugged into him through prayer,

(06:19):
if I can use that analogy, if Ican use that analogy.
And she said, lord, let me feelyour presence.
And she said she heard hisheartbeat.
And that encourages me so muchthat God's power is there, he is
waiting, he is available, hehas all authority over
everything we're walking through, but he invites us to draw so

(06:43):
close to him that we can sensehis heartbeat, we can hear it,
we can feel it.
So the question is why don't wedraw close what sometimes makes
it difficult for us to comeclose to him?
And how does this promise thatwhen we move toward him, he

(07:04):
moves toward us?
How does that promise encourageus in prayer today?
We all know what it's like whenour devices stay unplugged too
long they die, they shut down,they stop working, just like
that person in the coffee shop Iwas talking about.
But spiritually, the same thinghappens when we don't stay

(07:26):
plugged in to God.
We lose strength, we lose focus, we lose clarity, we lose hope,
we lose his steady flow ofpeace and purpose that only he
can provide.
That's why prayer isn't just alifeline.

(07:46):
Prayer is something that mustbe a lifestyle.
Psalm 145, verse 18, says theLord is near to all who call on
him, to all who call on him intruth.
And then Jeremiah, chapter 29,verse 13, promises you will seek

(08:08):
me and find me when you seek mewith all your heart.
These aren't just vague hopes,these aren't just simple ideals
or wishful thinking.
These are guarantees from God'sheart to ours.
So we don't just connect oncein a crisis.
We build a life of connectionwith our Lord, god Almighty.

(08:32):
We stay charged in his presenceevery single day by plugging in
through prayer.
So what does it really look liketo do this?
What does it really look liketo plug into God through prayer?
It's not about complicatedroutines or perfect prayers,

(08:53):
that's for sure.
Plugged in prayer is aboutweaving connection with God into
the rhythm of our days Talkingto God in the small moments,
whispering prayers in the car,thanking him while we're doing
laundry, reaching out whenworries creep in at night.
Staying plugged in meanschoosing connection with him

(09:18):
over and over, again and again,turning our hearts back toward
him, no matter how chaotic lifefeels.
So what's one simple way youcan stay plugged in today?
Maybe it's starting yourmorning with prayer instead of
reaching for your phone.
Maybe it's inviting God intoyour workday, your family time,

(09:39):
your next decision.
I know for me, staying pluggedin through prayer means, when
I'm awake in the middle of thenight, absolutely inundated with
pain or frustration or grief orworry, that I begin reciting
scripture back to him as aprayer.
When I do that, I feel hispeace, I feel his presence, I

(10:04):
feel his power.
The point isn't perfection,it's connection that we keep
plugging back in to the source.
I love Psalm chapter 73, verse28.
It says as for me, it is goodto be near God.
I have made the sovereign Lordmy refuge.

(10:27):
I will tell of all your deeds.
And here's something beautifulwhen we stay plugged into God's
power, other people begin tonotice, just like someone might
say hey, do you have a charger Ican borrow?
The people around us, even, andmaybe especially, those

(10:48):
entrusted to us, are quietlylooking for a connection as well
.
They may not say it out loud,but they're searching, and while
we can't plug them into Godourselves, we can show them
where and how to connect.
We can live in a way thatpoints straight back to the

(11:08):
source, and not only can we thenseek him, we can turn around
and speak him.
When we stay plugged into God,our lives shine like a house lit
up in the darkness.
When we stay plugged into Godand they see that outlet that
we're staying charged by, well,they can be encouraged and

(11:31):
challenged to do the very samething.
So, friend, don't just be awarethat God's power exists.

Speaker 2 (11:42):
Let's connect to it.

Speaker 1 (11:44):
Let's stay plugged in and, what's more, let's invite
others to plug in as well.
Our God is near, his power isflowing and he invites us to
draw near and plug in today.
You were never meant to liveunplugged, so don't just live

(12:06):
near the power, plug in and letGod's power flow in and through
you Until next time.
Be encouraged.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
Thanks for joining us in this podcast episode.
Be sure to check out theCoordinating Conversation Guide.
The heart of the FamilyDisciple Me ministry is to meet
with God in our own lives.
Then make Him known to thosehe's entrusted to us.
You can go tofamilydisciplemeorg for more
information about our ministry.
God bless you, friend.

(12:38):
Now go seek Him, speak Him.