Pam Padgett was speaking of the man she had been engaged to and she said, "It was the mercy of God that I didn't marry him." Pam went on to say, "I wouldn't have been able to do all this work on these books if I had married Chuck."
I saw something immediately, it was not the mercy of God but the purpose of God.
God had singled Pam out for a specific purpose ... God worked out her life to get the computer skills and experience which would enable her to put these writings in the form required by Amazon for publishing in ebook and paperback.
Pam also set up the blog: Jesus Ministries Exhortations (and she keeps it going daily with the publishing of exhortations for the church daily)
God would not allow that into Pam's life which conflicted with HIS purpose for her on this earth.
God's will, will be done.
Isaiah 55:8-11 ... For MY thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways MY ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are MY ways higher than your ways, and MY thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall MY word be that goeth forth out of MY mouth: it shall not return unto ME void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
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For as long as I can recall, I wanted to marry. That is a very normal desire for women and most women do marry. I remember, as a very young girl, asking my dad what my name would be when I married. Of course, he told me he didn't know.
At one point, a man I was dating said to me, "Joan, don't stop praying about our marrying."
Then it was as if this man was supernaturally translated out of my life. He just vanished. Later I did see him again but not to date.
Another man showed much interest in me but at one point he said to me, "I don't know how I know this but if we do this, it will destroy you."
He left, and I never saw him again.
Another man I dated was coming to my shop to pick me up and as Bob approached the door of the shop I saw him and I heard the following from the Spirit of God. "You can have all the money you want but you're not going to have this."
I thought God was saying I would not be marrying Bob. But now I believe God was saying I would not be marrying.
Even when I was in my 60's, I was engaged to be married for a very few months. This man said he was a Christian, but when I spoke a truth, he wanted no more to do with me. He delivered some books I had given him to my mail box and left them there. He didn't want to face me to tell me. I called him and he said, "This is not going to work."
These non-events went on from my late teens through the time I was 68-years-old.
During this time, I would see extremely fat women with their husbands and marvel. I was no where near that fat and yet they were adored by those husbands. It was bewildering to me.
Finally, when I was about 70-years-old, I accepted my fate! and I said, "It's okay ... Thy will be done."
There was no further problem.
Nothing was going to interfere with the purpose God had set for me.
So it was not the "mercy" of God to remove these men from me but it was the "purpose" of God, though I'm glad I did not marry any of these men looking back.
My first love, Buddy, whom I met my first year in college at a Church of Christ college, was by far the most challenging one to get over. We were attending that college my freshman year. Then Buddy transferred to Texas Tech in Lubbock, 180 miles from the other college. (This was in 1955.)
Later (2002) I moved to Lubbock and when I would drive past Tech it was very painful to me, even though I was by that time in my late 60's.
Of course this daydream was ridiculous. Buddy's father was an elder in Church of Christ. I would expect Buddy to be a leader in Church of Christ. There is no way I could have done the work I do and be married to Buddy.
I have some very serious work to do for the church, purposed by God, helping the church to prepare for the return of Jesus.
After I was born again, I was taken into heaven twice in the night as I slept. Both times I was merged into the body of Jesus with God and Holy Spirit witnessing. This means something very strong over my life ... made "one" with THE WORD OF GOD.
It was to set me up for the purpose of God ordained for my life.
That purpose: to announce to the church the fact that antichrist is operating in the church in the form of their pastors... it is the end time apostasy.
II Thess. 2 ... NASB ... Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the LORD) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?
And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed
The restraint was the scripture. When portions of scripture were removed from the church, lawlessness moved into the churches ... thus the apostasy in the churches.
Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?
And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed
The restraint was the scripture. When portions of scripture were removed from the church, lawlessness moved into the churches ... thus the apostasy in the churches.
*****
The poison gas dream:
In 1979, God gave me the following terrifying dream:
Destruction was everywhere.
I went into a meeting room where a meeting was going on.
A second man rushed in and said: "Stop ... Wait ... Can't you see ... It's too late ... It's already begun."
The first man resumed speaking.
I looked out the window to see what had "already begun."
There was a tall pole with a yellow civil defense speaker at top of the pole. A gas was coming out of the speaker. I knew it was poisonous and would kill the people. It was coming directly toward us!
The shocking thing was the speaker that was set there for the purpose of warning us was being used as the instrument which dispersed the gas that was poison and would kill us!
I looked at the man seated next to me. He had a big grin on his face and was looking directly at the man who was speaking to the group. But then I saw this man was a corpse, though he looked alive. He was already dead!
I looked about the room at the other people and realized they were all dead.
As I sat back in my chair and listened to the man speaking I began to feel sleepy and I knew as I sat there among them this was killing me too.
God was showing me the anarchy in the church groups, at the time of the dream, 1979. The destruction in the churches was everywhere, even at that time. And it is much worse today.
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I am truly delighted to be able to speak this end time message to the church today.
For it was such a grief to me when I witnessed at church services the pastors twisting scripture, explaining scripture away, and omitting scripture for these past 40 years as I was trying to find a church to attend.
Now I know it fits with scripture, for Jesus could not return until the falling away from scripture / the apostasy happened in the churches. That is what I've been seeing.
I was bewildered and grieved. But now that I know it is ordained to happen, according to II Thess. 2, I am comforted.
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When God has a purpose for our lives, it is going to happen regardless of humans or things that would interfere.
You can be assured, God will accomplish HIS purpose.
Nothing, including us, will stop GOD'S purpose. HE will just work us around like HE did with Jonah until we agree. We might have to go through more torment this way but like Jonah we will end up doing what God purposes for us to do.
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Purpose:
- the reason something is done or created or exists
- a fixed design or outcome
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As you read the Bible, you will likely notice a number of times the word "purpose" appears in connection with God.