Power Place pt 1

Where do you go when you need strength, direction, and breakthrough? The answer is found in the power place—our place of prayer.

In this episode of Woman in the Word, we explore why prayer is not just a spiritual discipline but the very source of power for every believer. When we intentionally plug into the power place, we position ourselves to experience the abundant life God has prepared for us.

Drawing inspiration from Esther, we'll discover how prayer cultivates the courage and strategy needed to walk confidently in God's calling. Through Nehemiah's story, we'll learn how prayer opens the door to forgiveness, favor, and divine opportunities that move God's purposes forward.

No matter what challenges you're facing, prayer connects you to the wisdom, strength, and power of God. Join us as we learn how to make the power place a priority and experience the fullness of life that comes from staying connected to Him.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Woman in the Word, the podcast where we dive into scripture, ask real questions, and walk through the Bible together, one honest conversation at a time. I'm Felicia Parker, I'm your host, and I'm so glad you're here. So whether you're new to the Word or you've been studying for years, there's a seat at the table for all of us. So grab your coffee, open your journal, or put on your walking shoes, and let's get into it. Hey, welcome to the Woman in the Word podcast. Happy Wednesday. I'm so happy that you are joining me today, as always. I'm looking forward to this conversation. I'm excited for this one. It's called the Power Place, and I'm so excited to get into this one. I pray that this changes our heart and our mind and draws us closer to God so that we can experience the power place that God has prepared for us. So in our day and age, everyone has a cell phone, and we know that cell phones need to be charged. And if we don't charge them, although there is a wealth of information and helpful tools and all of our contacts and previous conversations and all these things on this phone, if we don't plug it in and charge it, we won't be able to access all that is available to us. And you guys know where I'm going. Prayer is our power charger. Prayer is what should be plugged into our life on a regular basis, and that is considered our power place, where we draw from God the things that are on his heart, where we sit with God in his presence and we ask him, like Psalm 139, search me, O Lord, and know my anxious thoughts. Reveal to me anything in me that is not pleasing to you. In the place of prayer is where we are able to lean in and hear the voice of God. We're able to get clarity. We're able to get the strength that we need, the courage that we need, the wisdom that we need, the discernment that we need. There are times where we can see ourselves defeated in any of those areas because we have not stepped into the power place. I read this quote by Lester Sumraul, and it says, I've never met a defeated praying man. Let me say that one more time. I've never met a defeated praying man. What he's saying is, when we pray, defeat is no longer the outcome, but victory is. When we pray, discouragement is no longer the outcome, but encouragement is. When we pray, fear is no longer the outcome, but faith is. When we pray, we step into a supernatural strength that can only come from the place of prayer, from our power place. And just like our cell phone, everything on our cell phone is beneficial to us, but if we don't plug that thing in, this phone, you might as well throw it away. It's useless. And y'all, I'm not saying throw away your life. I'm not even saying throw away your phone. I'm saying plug it in and use it. What I'm saying is get your life and plug it into the power place so that you can experience all that God desires for you to experience in your life. There are so many things we're missing because we aren't spending time in prayer. And I don't mean just the fluffy two-second prayer, Lord, bless my food, bless me and my four and no more. God, you know, here's my scripture a day to keep the devil away. No, no, no. I mean giving God our time and our attention and being intentional about our time in prayer, going and doing what God says, giving his word back to him, speaking the word when we pray, declaring the word over our family, over our finances, over our health, over our home, and using God's word to give it back to him. Because in scripture it says God's word will not come back void, meaning it won't come back empty, but it will do what it is sent to do. It will go on the assignment that it's been sent to, it will complete the assignment because God's word has the power to do whatever it says. So if there's a scripture in there that you pull out and it says, By the by Jesus' stripes, I'm healed, that word is now sent on assignment to heal any area in your body that has been sick. If you find a scripture in the word and it says that I am to fear not because the Lord is with me, that word is going on assignment. So wherever you're experiencing fear, the Lord will show up and remind you that He's with you. If ever you find yourself in an overwhelming situation and you begin to pray that the I'm calling on the Lord of heaven's army to fight for me, you better watch out because the Lord is gonna step in and fight whatever battle is overwhelming to you. But if we don't get into our power place, if we don't plug our life into the power place, we will miss all that God desires for us to experience on this side of heaven. We will be defeated Christians if we do not plug our life into the power place, if we do not sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to him, what he desires for us to download in us so that we can pray that over us, so that we can meditate on that word, so that we can get alignment in alignment with his heart. Y'all, we'll miss everything that God desires for us to experience on this side of heaven. And if we're not praying, we'll miss the words that he desires to drop in our heart for other people. So prayer is not just for us. Prayer is for us to commune with God so that we can get the download from heaven on what he desires for us to do in that day. If maybe he wants you to speak a word for someone, maybe he wants you to pray for someone, maybe he wants you to step out and courage and do a thing. We can't do that unless we plug into the power place. Hey, I just wanted to take a quick pause in our conversation and introduce you to the lover of your soul if you have yet to meet him. I would love to lead you in the prayer of salvation. So if you'd repeat after me, that'd be awesome. Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I'm in need of a savior. I confess that Jesus is Lord and I want him to be the Lord of my life. I believe that you raised him from the dead to rule and reign for all of eternity. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with the precious blood of Jesus. I thank you, Lord, for dying on the cross just for me. In Jesus' name. Amen. Hey, if you just prayed that prayer, I want to welcome you to the family of God and just say congratulations. In scripture, we meet a young lady. Her name is Hadassah. She's also known as Esther, and her story is a very interesting story because it starts with Queen Bashti, who is King Xerxes' wife and queen of Susa, and she is called before him to basically show off her beauty to all of the people at this party that he's hosting, and she refuses to come. And because she does that, it angers the king. He gets so upset that he says put her away. And the idea is to bring in other young women and prepare them to have an opportunity with the king to see if they'll be selected and chosen. And so, just to fast forward, Esther, she becomes chosen, and it says in chapter 2, verse 15. I'm gonna read the second half. It said, When it was Esther's turn to go before the king, her moment with the king, she accepted the advice of Haggai, the eunuch in charge of the harem. She asked for nothing except for what he suggested, and she was admired by everyone who saw her. So she was a woman of wisdom. She knew, okay, you know better than me. Although you're serving me in the role that you're in, you have wisdom that I don't in regards to the king in the kingdom. So I'm gonna take your advice. I'm gonna take what only you suggest. I'm gonna dress how you suggest, I'm gonna present myself the way that you recommend, and I'm gonna go before the king. And because she did so, everyone that saw her admired her. And the king took a liking to her and she became the queen. Now, fast forward. Hey, I just wanted to take a quick break in our episode and share with you some really exciting news. This year we are hosting our first ever outreach experience. This is an expansion of the gathering, and it is hosting 12 to 20 year old young men and women. I'm really excited about it. The location will be UNLB Student Union Ballroom. It's gonna be a great time of word, worship, connection, free merch, free food, a great concert, and you don't want to miss it. And it is totally free. So all you have to do is jump on our website, purpose-promise.com. Click on the gathering, drop down, register, and we look forward to hosting you. Alright, let's jump back into the episode. She's called to take a stand for the nation. For all the Jews, there's a plan out to kill them all, to literally wipe out the Jews from a man named Haman who was in fierce opposition to the Jews based on just lineage and the battle between the Agagites and the Israelites. And so he comes up with this plan. Mordecai becomes aware of it and he makes Esther aware of it. In chapter 4, verse 13, it says, Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: Don't think for a moment because you're in the palace, you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place. But you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for such a time as this? I love that because he's calling out to her hey, God didn't put you here for just no reason. He didn't put you here just to be liked by the king, he didn't put you here just for your beauty to be my admired or your humility or your humble spirit to be loved by the people. He put you here maybe for such a time as this to help the Jews. And her response in verse 15, then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die. Y'all, I want you to hear me. When we plug into the power place, it gives us courage to stand in the face of fear. This young lady stood in the face of fear. She stood up in the place of her risking her life. She could have died. But it says in the King James Version, she said, if I perish, I perish. Because what I'm not gonna do is not stand when God has called me to stand. What I'm not gonna do is rise up and be who God called me to be in this palace. I'm not here just to wear the pretty dresses and to enjoy the day spa moments and to have the servants and to have the clout and the title. I'm here so that I can help a people, not be annihilated. And I love how Mordecai reminded her maybe you're here for such a time as this. Don't get comfortable where you are. Continue to plug into the power place and ask God, you've given me this position, but why? You've given me this title, but what do you want me to use it for? You've given me these resources and these connections, but what do I do with it? And the only way we can gain the perspective is to plug into the power place and sit with God. And Esther took it one step further. She said, Not only are we gonna pray, we're gonna fast. We're gonna push away from the table and we're gonna let God know. We're making a declaration that the God of heaven's army, we need you. That the Lord of Lord and the King of Kings, the great I am, we need you to come and give us the courage, give us discernment to know what to do, give us the strategy to go before the king. And literally, she says, God, I'm gonna go and I'm gonna risk my life. And if I have to perish, I have to perish. But God, I pray that in these three days that you will give me the courage to do it no matter what. And y'all, sometime our power place, our place of prayer allows us to go in and say, anything in me, God, that would stop me from stepping forward, let it die. If I have to risk everything, if I have to step forward and my pride has to die, the title that I carry has to die, the resources that I'm connected to, that connection has to die. Whatever it is, God, if it has to perish, it has to perish. But in the power place, in my place of prayer, I want to step into that place and step out with courage. I want to step in that place and step out with boldness to go before whatever is causing me to be afraid, causing me to have overwhelm. I'm gonna step before that thing, knowing that the God of heaven's army is backing me up. And y'all, I want you to understand, not only did she fast for those three days, not only did she go before the king, but God gave her strategy in that place of prayer. When she plugged into the power place, she not only got courage, y'all, she got strategy to walk this thing out and to save the people of Israel, to save the Jews, y'all. She, one woman, was called upon. And because she took the time to plug into the place of power, y'all, she was able to help a people be saved because of the favor God gave her with the king, because of the strategy God gave her. And y'all, I want you to understand God is still doing the same with us. Esther is no exception to the rule. God is still calling us to the place of power so that he can cause us to be powerful in the places that he's calling us to step into that once looked too overwhelming, that once looked too risky, that once looked too fearful to step into. But y'all, he's calling us. And if he's calling us to plug into the power place, he's going to send us out into those places of overwhelm with power, with courage, with faith. Y'all hear this. Esther prayed and fasted before approaching the king because she understood that courage is not the absence of fear, it is the result of trusting God in the midst of fear. In prayer, she received both the strength to stand and the wisdom to act. What is God calling you to in the power place so that you can both get the strength to stand and the wisdom to act? What is that thing today that God is calling you to? Whatever it is, I would say go into that place of prayer, connect yourself to the power place, to the source of power for your life. You can look in the mirror and say, Because I'm plugged into the power place, I've never seen a defeated Roxy. I've never seen a defeated Sarah. I've never seen a defeated Erica or Megan or Emily or Lola or Rachel, whomever your whatever your name is, look in the mirror. And because you plug into the power place, you can say, I've never seen a defeated whatever your name is. Because God desires for us to walk in the place of power because we've been plugged into the power place, because we've sat in the place of prayer, and we sat there long enough to walk away with strength, with courage, with wisdom, with discernment, with insight, with changed perspective. Now we get to walk out with the power because we plugged into the power place. On September 19th, 2026, women will gather at the UNLV Student Union Ballroom for a powerful day of connection, encouragement, and renewal. The gathering, 2026. There's a seat waiting just for you. We see another young man in scripture, and his name is Nehemiah. Nehemiah has been given word by his brother and some of the other children of Israel that there has been a wall that has been destroyed in Jerusalem, which is basically the protection for the city and for the people. And Nehemiah gets word of this, and it says in chapter 1, verse 4, when I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned. I fast and prayed to the God of heaven. Not only did it grieve him, but he did something about it. He took it to the place where God can do something about it. He plugged into the power place. It says that he fasted and he prayed to the God of heaven. He knew exactly where to go because he knew this was bigger than something he could handle, that the people could handle, that he had to go to the God of heaven and pray and fast and seek the Lord. And it says in verse 11 of chapter 1, it says, Oh Lord, please hear my prayer. Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it on his heart to be kind to me. Y'all Nehemiah knew where to go to get the desired outcome that he was requesting. He plugged into the power place. He sought the Lord, God of heaven, and he asked for favor. He asked for favor from his heavenly King of Kings and Lord of Lords to give him favor with the earthly king because he knew if I go to my heavenly king, this earthly king has to bow to any request I make of my heavenly king. And the favor was the thing that he requested. But he knew that was only coming from plugging into the power place. We can't go and say, okay, King, I need you to be favorable to me. And we have yet to talk to our heavenly king. We cannot go before an earthly authority figure before first seeking our heavenly God and authority and king and ruler over all and think we're going to be able to walk out with a favorable outcome. So he says, Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it on his heart to be kind to me, God. I'm asking you to move on his heart for me. So when I go in and I request what is needed to go rebuild this wall, it'll be favorable for me. Chapter 2, verse 4. So Nehemiah goes, even though he's afraid, y'all, it even says in verse 2, it says, You must be deeply troubled. This is what the king is saying to him. And it says, Then I was terrified, but I replied. Nehemiah was afraid, but he replied anyway because he knew the God of heaven that he had prayed to prior to this meeting with the king. He basically said, Lord, when there's an opportunity, give me favor with the king. When there's an opportunity, put on his heart to be kind to me. And then this opportunity arises. The king sees that he's saddened down. Although Nehemiah was afraid, and Nehemiah replied, Long live the king. How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried are in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire. Y'all, I love this. Then the king asked, Well, how can I help you? With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied. So again, he's praying again, even in the midst of talking to the king, even in the midst of the king's reply, he prays, Okay, Lord, thank you. I thank you for making him favorable to me. Thank you for allowing him to be kind to me. Then he prays, then he replies, If it would please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried. Then the king, with the queen sitting beside her, asked how long I would be gone, when I would return, and I responded how long that would be. And then the king agreed to my request. Y'all, I need you to hear me. When we go and we plug into the power place and we pray and we sit and we ask of God, we petition God for what we need. God shows up on our behalf, y'all. He prayed to the God of heaven, he cried out to the God of heaven, he asked God, make him favorable to me. But let's let's rewind really quick. Before he asked for that, he repented. It says in verse 5, he says, Oh Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love to those who love and obey his command. Listen to my prayer. Look down and see me praying night and day for your people in Israel. I confess that I have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned. We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, the decrees, the regulations that you've given us through your servant Moses. So first he starts with praise, acknowledgement of how great God is. And then he goes into repentance, Lord, forgive me, I've sinned. And then he says, Remember us. He says, Lord, please hear my prayer. Listen to the prayers of those who delight in honoring you. Basically, he's saying, Lord, please hear us. I've cleansed myself of the unrighteousness that I had on me, the sin that I had on me by confessing it. Now please hear my cry, hear my prayer, and please grant me success today and make me favorable and put it on the heart of the king. So y'all don't miss what he did before he asked for favor. He exalted the Lord and the greatness of his God. And then he asked for forgiveness. He said, Lord, forgive me, I've sinned. And then he goes in and makes his request known and asks for favor. And in doing so, God gave it to him. God showed him. Favor. He made him favorable in the king's sight. And the king said, Hey, how can I help you? And then he says, Hey, whatever you request, I'm gonna grant it. And because of that, Nehemiah was able to go and do the work that God had called him to do and do it in record number. It says he completed this wall with the help of the men that God showed him in a record 56 days, y'all. He did an impossible task in an impossible amount of time because he prayed to the God of heaven. And not only did God show him favor with the king, he showed him favor with the workers that would come along and partner with him. So even when the enemy was trying to get him to come down off the wall, Nehemiah said, Oh no, I'm not coming down because I'm doing a good work. Why would I come down to the foolishness, to the destruction, to the confusion that you're trying to bring when God has called me to this good work? How can he stand and say that? Because he saw God move on the heart of the king, because he knew that God had forgiven him of his sin by not following the commands and the decrees given by Moses. And he said, Oh no, you're not gonna catch me slipping again. I prayed and I repented. I exalted the Lord my God, I asked for favor. I am not going to take the favor extended to me by my heavenly king that was bestowed on me through my earthly king and come down and waste it by getting in foolish, pointless conversation with you. I'm not coming down, I'm gonna finish the good work. What is God asking you to acknowledge, to repent of, and then to have the boldness to ask him for something? What is God asking of you to repent so that you can release it, so that you can ask him for the favor that is needed to complete the assignment that he's calling you to? Because I need you to understand there are things that we are called to that will require the favor of other people for the assignment to be completed. Nehemiah needed the favor of the king so that he can be released from his duties in the kingdom for a period of time so he can go and rebuild the wall. What favor do you need from a boss? What favor do you need from a professor? What favor do you need from an employer or a coworker? What favor do you need that will be required for you to complete the assignment that God is calling you to in this season? I would say, whatever that is, go plug into the power place and begin to exalt the Lord your God. Begin to repent of the things that you know have been holding you back, and then begin to seek him for the favor that can only come from him. The favor doesn't come from man, it comes from God, and we see in scripture God moves on the heart of men to show you the favor that has been given by God and God alone. Go seek God, exalt him, go repent to him, and then go seek him for the favor that is needed for the assignment that he's calling you to. The God-sized assignment requires God-given help. And prayer prepares the way before a single stone can be laid. Prayer prepared the way for Nehemiah to rebuild the wall, to lay the stones brick by brick, one at a time. The prayer paved the way for that to happen. What prayer will pave the way for your assignment to be completed the way God has called you to? Thanks for hanging out with me in the Word. I hope it encouraged your heart and gave you something to carry into the rest of the week. If it spoke to you, share this with someone who might need it too. And hey, don't forget to follow or to subscribe so you don't miss out on what's next. Until then, keep showing up, keep listening, and let his word lead the way.