Pam Padgett
Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in
the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give
thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 That the God of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of
his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the
saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
When considering a few of the ways I have seen the exceeding greatness of
the power of God toward me in my life, I was filled with thanksgiving and
gratitude toward God. No one other than God could do these things.
-- One of the first things I realized when I was born again was
that I was changed, and that this change was by the power of God. Although I had
been raised in the Catholic church and participated in the various
rituals as we were taught, this was something totally different. This
was the power of God toward me personally, and I was changed by this
power. Sometime later I saw the following scripture and recognized this
is what happened to me, and that this happens to each person who is
born again ...
2 Corin. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Throughout our lives we find that the power of God continually changes
us, conforming us to HIS image as the Holy Spirit works in us. And by the
power of God we are given strength to do the will of God in our lives.
-- God has given us the Holy Spirit living in us. What an amazing
thing! Teaching us. Guiding us into truth.
Interceding for us. Bringing to us what God speaks to us. Opening our
eyes to things of God. As we read the Bible, drawing our attention to
what we need at that point. Showing us things to come.
-- God hears our prayers. Many times I have needed help and cried out
to God. Often it seems impossible that I could be helped, but God has
always been able to "get through" to me in a way I could understand,
showing me what to do and giving me the strength to do it.
An example ... About a year ago I was completely overwhelmed by electrical problems
at my house resulting from power outages. I was so
overwhelmed that I had crawled back into bed and never wanted to get out
of bed again (the thought of facing these problems was just too much for me).
While laying in bed, I called out to God.
Soon my attention was drawn
to the very strong wind blowing outside with the thought: just as God is so powerful that He directs and controls the winds, He is powerful enough to help me with these problems. . This strengthened me, and I was
able to get out of bed. Then, one thought from the Holy Spirit after
another, I was led in what to do to restore power to my house and to get
damaged items repaired or replaced.
-- God provides everything we need as we live on this earth ... food, clothing, wisdom, help.
It was frightening when I retired a few years ago because my income was
drastically reduced. But there has been no want. I have everything I
need, even abundantly, as I've turned to God with my fears and just tried to go in the way I've been led
by the Holy Spirit. During this time I have had several very large
unexpected expenses, including vet expenses for my older animals. Recently I marveled to realize
that even these expenses have been no problem ... But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19)