The Word, Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, brings ideas into our minds to lead us and guide us.
Therefore as we follow The Word given us by God, HE puts us into a position where there is "no want" and HE guides us into HIS Will for us.
Also God puts into our hearts HIS desire. And we follow that desire, and God puts us into the place HE has chosen for us.
Psalm 23
2 HE maketh me to lie down in green pastures: HE leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 HE restoreth my soul: HE leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for HIS name's sake.
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💥 On August 5, 1975, God caused me to be born again and immediately it came into my heart to get out of debt and to stay out of debt. Within about 6 months I had gotten out of debt.
I lived in a small apartment in Dallas, Texas. I did not try to buy a home because it would have put me into debt. People told me it was unwise to pay rent. But I continued to pay rent because I felt God had shown me to get out of debt and stay out of debt.
I owned a small business at that time when I was born again, but very shortly after that, I was shown I was to be a minister.
I continued to operate the business for the next 5 years while God taught me the Bible and taught me how to do the ministry work to which I had been called, "apostle & prophet". (Ephesians 4:8; 11-12)
God showed me to close my business and go into the ministry on July 31, 1979.
I closed my business and waited at my apartment for the next 6 months, not knowing where I would go.
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💥 On January 10, 1980, while I was asleep in the night, a very loud trumpet like voice spoke 3 words into my ear: "Hartford, Seattle, KWJS"
By this God showed me to go on radio and exhort the church. I started on KWJS about 5 days after hearing those 3 words. The radio audience gave money to support the monthly cost of that one radio station which was $800 a month.
Offerings exceeded the cost of the broadcast, so as soon as I could, I added another station in Houston. The Houston radio audience began giving offerings to support the broadcast in Houston. With excess offerings, I added Oklahoma City. In each city people supported the radio broadcasts with offerings.
At one point, God gave me another plan whereby I could add even more radio stations:
I called it, "Purchase a city".
For an offering of $1000, a person could put me on radio in the city of their choice . Several people bought cities and I went on radio immediately upon receiving their initial offering. I knew the people in those cities would quickly begin sending offerings to help with the cost of the broadcast.
Most cities were about $1000 per month but NYC was $2400 per month. Within a month or two, I was on radio in the following cities: Dallas/Fort Worth; Houston; Oklahoma City; Minneapolis/St.Paul; Pittsburgh; Detroit; Philadelphia; Washington DC; NYC area; Denver; Seattle; Eugene Oregon; Bakersfield CA; Los Angeles; Phoenix.
Our radio bills for these cities averaged approximately $16,000 per month. (In each city, radio listeners supported the broadcasts through their offerings.)
The messages God gave me dealt with the subjects of: Taking Thoughts Captive, Dealing with Destructive Thoughts; and Following God by HIS Spirit. (The church people in those cities were very interesting in hearing these broadcasts.)
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In early 1982, God said to me: "The foundation is laid. Now we are really going to move."
(I did not expect that which was to come next!)
In summer, 1982, God said to me: "The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God."
(God began showing me sins that were being committed by several big time radio-television ministers. When I couldn't get the message to these famous preachers, I spoke the message on my radio broadcasts, naming the preacher by name and telling of the sin.)
Hate mail began pouring into our office. Offerings dramatically reduced. Radio bills began to be more difficult to sustain. To reduce expenses, I switched from 5 broadcasts per week to Saturday only broadcasts.
Also I had been going into each radio city where I rented a meeting room and had 2 or 3 day meetings for the radio audience in that city.
During this period of time in 1982, God warned me in a dream. God showed me I was in great danger and HE said to me: "Don't go until you see Exodus 15." Immediately I cancelled all meetings that I had planned for the remainder of 1982 and stayed at home in Dallas at my apartment.
One of my church friends said to me, "Joan ... you have to go out. If you go out they will give money. If you don't go, they will stop giving money."
I replied: "God showed me I'm in great danger and God told me 'Don't go' and I'm not going."
John 16:2 ... (Jesus said) ... yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
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Offerings reduced significantly!
But I had no debt of any kind.
I had all that I needed even with the reduction in offerings.
In 1984, I terminated the radio broadcasts in all remaining cities. Several stations had put me off the air because of the judgment messages.
I continued to exhort the church by sending cassette tapes and writings by US mail to the people who remained on my mailing list from the radio audiences.
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💥 1982: My dad died. I felt my mother would need some help. I was still working by sending cassette tapes and writings to our former radio audience which was scattered all over USA. I could live any where and continue this ministry work. I decided to move to Clovis, New Mexico, USA, where my mother was living.
She had a house trailer which was sitting on a lot which we owned. The lot was equipped to handle 4 trailers. So I went to look at a trailer house, thinking I might buy one and put it on that lot. But when I viewed the trailers, I did not like the idea of living in a trailer. It just didn't feel "solid" to me.
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
So I prayed, asking God what I should do.
I began to think of building 2 apartments on that trailer lot. I needed an apartment for myself and Jesus Ministry office equipment. And my secretary was moving also with me and she needed a place to live and work. (Mother could live in her trailer on the lot.) I had inherited $50,000 from my dad. It would cost $45,000 to build one apartment. The ministry had $45,000 which I could use to pay for the second apartment. So I would not have to go into debt to do this project. So in 1984, I began building.
I moved to New Mexico (USA), in 1985.
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But almost immediately I was troubled living in the neighborhood because there was so much noise there.
I prayed for wisdom.
After 3 years, I noticed a lot on the local golf course in Clovis. I could purchase the lot for $13,750. I didn't have sufficient money to build a house, but I did have sufficient money to buy that lot. I felt I might be able to build a house in a few more years and if I couldn't, then I was sure the lot would sell in that location at that price. So I bought that lot and paid cash for it.
Two years later, 1990, I decided to build on the golf course lot. It would cost $100,000. I sold one of the apartments for $55,000 and also sold my mother's trailer. I tried to sell the second apartment but when it didn't sell I decided to rent it for approximately $400 per month. I combined my own money with my mother's money and money from the ministry and paid cash for construction of the house on the golf course, and we (my mother and I) moved into this house in 1990 and rented the apartment that was on the trailer house lot. (My secretary had moved back to Texas in approximately 1987.)
I didn't have to spend any of the money from the rental apartment so it just accumulated over a ten-year period of time.
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In approximately 1999, I had a dream that I was building a house. (But I had no plans to build a house and I didn't know what that dream meant.)
During this time, a realtor told me house prices in Clovis had dramatically increased. I thought how I wished I was free to sell the house on the golf course and move back to Texas. But my mother was still living and I didn't want to move her.
2002, my mother died. I put the house and the one apartment up for sale. The house sold in about three weeks for $227,000. Then the apartment sold for $40,000 and I had accumulated another $40,000 from rent over the ten year period that the apartment was rented. Now I had $307,000 cash to use in moving to Lubbock, Texas, where I decided to live.
Remember that dream I had where I was building a house? (One of the things the Holy Spirit does is to show us things to come. John 16:13)
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I began hunting property in Lubbock, Texas in 2002. I met a contractor at that time and I really liked his work and I decided to purchase a lot in Lubbock which cost $30,000 and build on that lot.
I had no idea that later the money accumulated through the real estate projects would support me during the end of my life on this present earth!
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The Internet Years:
2012 God gave me a dream showing me to start a blog on Internet. We were shocked to find it cost us no money through Internet to send exhortations to the churches all over the world, instantly. We were not censored nor restricted in any way! We began the blog on March 27, 2012. (As of today's date, our blog has been viewed over one million times.)
2015 God showed me to begin writing ministry books on Amazon. We do the technical work to publish these books so there is no cost to write ministry books. We even receive a small royalty for each book. And Amazon has a free book program whereby people can receive one ebook per day without cost in USA and small fee in other countries for ebooks. We also publish in paper back.
2020 God showed me through a dream, to begin Podcast recordings exhorting the church on Internet. The cost is $100 per year to be with our podcast host. The Podcast goes all over the world. We have no time limit on the broadcasts as we did on radio. And each broadcast appears on Archive where listener can hear the previous messages even back to the first message. It is like having a radio library of recordings of exhortations! We began publishing the first Podcast in early February, 2020. We have published new podcasts daily since that day and sometimes we publish more than one podcast per day.
I'm lead by these two scriptures:
Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
(So I publish a new exhortation every day for the church.)
Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
As we approach the day of the return of Jesus, sins of this world and sins of the apostate church will increase even more and these godly exhortations will help some people to avoid the pitfalls of the end time.
Hebrews 10:26-31 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know HIM that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto ME, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge HIS people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know HIM that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto ME, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge HIS people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Concerning the podcasts:
As of today, there have been 21,634 downloads of the broadcasts.
We have published 883 exhortations.
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Where we had been paying more than $16,000 per month, our expenses by the year 2020 had changed to $100 per year!
Also by approximately 1997, I had begun receiving $500 per month from USA Social Security so I quit taking any salary from the ministry and paid for my food and clothing from my monthly Social Security check! (Today's check has risen in Social Security to over $800 per month.)
The only expense for the ministry was the monthly cost of utilities and upkeep for the ministry housing where I lived in Texas.
Although offerings decreased significantly, it didn't matter since we have very little expense per month and we had no debt at all.
"The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want."
(God works it out... where we live and where we work! We might not have more money but we might have less expense. Regardless it doesn't matter for "we shall have no want", everything is provided when we follow the Holy Spirit of God, doing as HE tells us.)
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I lived in Lubbock, Texas, from 2002 through February, 2019. By that time I was approximately 81-years-old.
A few people continued to send offerings but some of them began dying. Finally we had 7 people sending offerings. I had personal income of $800 per month from social security from the government. I took no salary from offerings. I had everything I needed. And I had no debt of any kind and neither did ministry.
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On December 9, 2018, I fell at the house in Texas. I broke a hip and badly dislocated my left wrist. Surgery was required and I could no longer walk. I spent 2 1/2 months after surgery in rehabilitation hospitals in Texas. I had no blood relatives for they had all died by that time.
I knew God would take care of me if HE continued to have me live on this earth.
The night before surgery on December 10, 2018, a nurse came to my hospital room. She said: "You must appoint someone to be in charge of you in case you are unable to answer medical questions for us after surgery."
Without hesitation, I replied: "Pam Padgett is in charge of me."
One of our church members who lived in Texas was standing there when I said this. She was shocked and said: "How can Pam be in charge of you? She doesn't even live here."
I replied: "I don't know how she can be. But she is."
(Pam lived 450 miles away from where I was in Texas. She flew from Denver to Texas several times during the next 2 months to help me with various needs and she kept informed by telephone with the head nurse of my hospital. She helped contractor to get the house in Texas ready for sale. She helped select the items which we would move later to Colorado. She helped find me a second rehabilitation hospital when the first hospital didn't work out for me. She even helped me to get to the follow-up appointment with the surgeon.)
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During those months, God put a plan into my heart and also God put a plan into the heart of Pam Padgett.
"I would sell my house in Texas and move to Pam's house in Colorado Springs, Colorado."
God convinced Pam that this would work! She was a little fearful since she had lived alone for many years.
I knew I could use the money from the sale of the Texas house and move to assisted living in Colorado Springs, if needed. So I had no doubt about the move. Either way, I would be in a city where a member of the body of Christ lived and she could visit me.
I moved to Pam's house on February 24, 2019. Pam flew from Denver to Texas to help me fly back to Colorado.
It was great for me! I was with another member of the body of Christ. Pam had demonstrated many times that she took her troubles to God and settled them with God through prayer and heard from The Spirit of God.
Pam had added a downstairs bedroom/bath which was completed in January 2019, a month before I needed to move. She began this construction project about 6 months before I fell in Texas. I wouldn't have been able to live at Pam's house except for this addition downstairs, because I couldn't walk to the upstairs guest rooms.
(God knows what is coming to us in the future and HE prepares what we will need.)
At the time of this writing, I've lived at Pam's house for 3 1/2 years. We are one Spirit in the Lord. We both have everything we need and neither of us have any personal debt.
Pam took a very big loss in salary when she retired from Fed Ex in 2012. About a month after she retired from Fed Ex, God gave me the dream to start a blog. Pam is a former computer programmer and understood how to set up the blog and do the technical work. She also did the technical work for the Amazon books. Then in 2020, when I had a dream to start Podcast, Pam found the way to set up Podcasts and upload the recordings to our Podcast host. Pam does all the technical work for blog, books, and Podcasts. It is so much easier for us to publish these ministry exhortations living in one house. And by consolidating our housing, each of us had more money. Pam didn't want me to pay for housing, but I give Pam $1,000 per month and when there are extra expenses with property upkeep, I give money to help with these expenses, although Pam fights me a little not wanting me to pay more!)
"There is no want."
God just worked it out for both of us!
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Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to HIS purpose.
Proverbs 3:5-7 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge HIM, and HE shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
In all thy ways acknowledge HIM, and HE shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto HIM that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
The power that works in us is the power of the Holy Spirit of God who lives in us. He teaches us all things, reminds us of all that Jesus has said to us, guides us into all truth, and shows us things to come. (Jn.14:26 & Jn. 16:13)
All we do is follow that which the Holy Spirit brings to our mind.
And God will do for us "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think."
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