The Family Disciple Me Podcast // Discipleship Starts With a Conversation

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

• Tosha Williams for FDM • Season 6 • Episode 3

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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

Speaker 1:

Not long ago, I was sitting in a coffee shop when the person at the table next to me panicked. They were staring at their phone like it had betrayed them. Finally, they leaned over and asked hey, do you have a charger I could borrow? I smiled because, honestly, we've all been there. That person's phone still looked fine. It still had all the apps, the updates, all the capabilities I assumed, but without power. It was about to shut down and what that person needed most wasn't a new phone. It wasn't a fix. It wasn't advice about whether they should get better internet service. What they needed was a way to connect to the power that was already there, so that they could use the resource they already had.

Speaker 1:

And friend, spiritually we're the same way. We can stay busy, we can keep going through all the motions, we can even look great and look normal on the outside, but without true connection to God, we start running low, we lose strength, we lose peace, we lose joy, we lose what we need to be able to live this life. That's why today's conversation in 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 will come near to you. You see, god's power is already flowing. We talked about that in the last conversation. God's power is near to us, but, just like that phone in the coffee shop, we need a way to connect.

Speaker 1:

Over a hundred years ago, the same thing happened with electricity. Even though the power grid was running through the cities, most homes couldn't tap into it until, well, a certain guy named Harvey Hubble invented something that revolutionized everything. When he created the electrical outlet, it made it possible for everyday people to finally plug in and experience the life-changing power that was already available, and, spiritually, that's what prayer does for us. Can we just say, perhaps, that prayer is the outlet, it's the connection point between God's power and our everyday lives. Hi, my name is Tasha Williams. I'm the founder and the executive director of the Family Disciple Me ministry, and today let's talk about what it means to live plugged in, to draw near to God, to stay connected to Him and live a life powered by His presence.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Family Disciple Me podcast. You're in the right place to be equipped, challenged and blessed in Jesus' name. The mission of the Family Disciple Me ministry is to inspire devotion-driven discipleship, which is something we believe every Christ follower can do. Discipleship starts with a conversation, so today, let this podcast episode encourage you to seek Him, speak Him.

Speaker 1:

I'm sure that all of us, at some point or another, have been in a room or a house where the power's out, everything's quiet, everything's dark, nothing is working. And that's actually what life was like for most Americans in the early 1900s. Power lines existed but, unlike today, there was no way to access that power inside the home. That was until Harvey Hubble changed everything in 1904. His invention the electric outlet. It seems so basic to us now. Electrical outlets are everywhere we turn, in, every building, but back then it was a revolutionary invention. It gave ordinary people personal access to the power grid. Suddenly, the power that was always flowing could now reach into daily life, and spiritually. Well, that's what prayer does for us.

Speaker 1:

As we talked about in the last conversation, god's presence and power is already flowing. He's near, he's powerful, he is great and mighty. There's no question about his ability. But unless we choose to connect, we miss out. Prayer is the outlet. It's how we plug into what's already there with him.

Speaker 1:

That's why James, chapter 4, verse 8, is such a powerful reminder. It says come near to God and he will come near to you. I love that verse. It encourages me so much, that scripture. It's both an invitation and a promise. Our God isn't far off. He's not cold or disinterested or distant. He's right here. He's waiting for us to draw near. And the incredible part Connecting to him isn't complicated, it doesn't take fancy words or the perfect setting. It starts with a willing heart, a simple desire to seek him. We talk about that a lot with Family 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 the intrinsic core of what it means to seek him. So think about your life for a moment. When have you experienced God's nearness? I love what my friend Anne says about this. She's told me about one particularly dark, weak, absolutely debilitating season of her life. She didn't feel strong at all, she felt the weakest of weak. But she turned to God and she plugged into him through prayer, if I can use that analogy, if I can use that analogy. And she said, lord, let me feel your presence. And she said she heard his heartbeat. And that encourages me so much that God's power is there, he is waiting, he is available, he has all authority over everything we're walking through, but he invites us to draw so close to him that we can sense his heartbeat, we can hear it, we can feel it. So the question is why don't we draw close what sometimes makes it difficult for us to come close to him? And how does this promise that when we move toward him, he moves toward us? How does that promise encourage us in prayer today?

Speaker 1:

We all know what it's like when our devices stay unplugged too long they die, they shut down, they stop working, just like that person in the coffee shop I was talking about. But spiritually, the same thing happens when we don't stay plugged in to God. We lose strength, we lose focus, we lose clarity, we lose hope, we lose his steady flow of peace and purpose that only he can provide. That's why prayer isn't just a lifeline. Prayer is something that must be a lifestyle. Psalm 145, verse 18, says the Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. And then Jeremiah, chapter 29, verse 13, promises you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. These aren't just vague hopes, these aren't just simple ideals or wishful thinking. These are guarantees from God's heart to ours. So we don't just connect once in a crisis. We build a life of connection with our Lord, god Almighty. We stay charged in his presence every single day by plugging in through prayer.

Speaker 1:

So what does it really look like to do this? What does it really look like to plug into God through prayer? It's not about complicated routines or perfect prayers, that's for sure. Plugged in prayer is about weaving connection with God into the rhythm of our days Talking to God in the small moments, whispering prayers in the car, thanking him while we're doing laundry, reaching out when worries creep in at night. Staying plugged in means choosing connection with him over and over, again and again, turning our hearts back toward him, no matter how chaotic life feels. So what's one simple way you can stay plugged in today? Maybe it's starting your morning with prayer instead of reaching for your phone. Maybe it's inviting God into your workday, your family time, your next decision.

Speaker 1:

I know for me, staying plugged in through prayer means, when I'm awake in the middle of the night, absolutely inundated with pain or frustration or grief or worry, that I begin reciting scripture back to him as a prayer. When I do that, I feel his peace, I feel his presence, I 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, verse 28. It says as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the sovereign Lord my refuge. I will tell of all your deeds.

Speaker 1:

And here's something beautiful when we stay plugged into God's power, other people begin to notice, just like someone might say hey, do you have a charger I can borrow? The people around us, even, and maybe especially, those entrusted to us, are quietly looking for a connection as well. They may not say it out loud, but they're searching, and while we can't plug them into God ourselves, we can show them where and how to connect. We can live in a way that points straight back to the source, and not only can we then seek 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 God and they see that outlet that we're staying charged by, well, they can be encouraged and challenged to do the very same thing. So, friend, don't just be aware that God's power exists.

Speaker 2:

Let's connect to it.

Speaker 1:

Let's stay plugged in and, what's more, let's invite others to plug in as well. Our God is near, his power is flowing and he invites us to draw near and plug in today. You were never meant to live unplugged, so don't just live near the power, plug in and let God's power flow in and through you Until next time. Be encouraged.

Speaker 2:

Thanks for joining us in this podcast episode. Be sure to check out the Coordinating Conversation Guide. The heart of the Family Disciple Me ministry is to meet with God in our own lives. Then make Him known to those he's entrusted to us. You can go to familydisciplemeorg for more information about our ministry. God bless you, friend. Now go seek Him, speak Him.