WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ANGELS? COOL FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE STORIES PLUS WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT THEM.

Cool real life “angel” experience at 12.56 minutes in.

THIS IS THE HOUR – RIGHT BEFORE THE RETURN OF CHRIST

THIS IS THE HOUR OF THE 10 VIRGINS – RIGHT BEFORE THE RETURN OF CHRIST

THIS IS THE HOUR WHERE YOU MUST HAVE YOUR OWN OIL.

Read again this important parable that the Lord Himself gave to us concerning the days just prior to His return:

Matthew 25:1-13

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,  but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’  But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’  But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

Notice that Jesus said…..”I do not know you.”   These five foolish virgins had a lamp.  They were expecting the coming of the bridegroom.  They were hanging around the wise virgins.  But they did not have something the others did.  You see – NO ONE ELSE CAN GIVE YOU A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS!  They can lead you to it, tell you how to get one, instruct you how to have oil…..  but they can’t give you a relationship with the Master.  You have to get that all by yourself.  It is personal.  DON’T DELAY IN DEVELOPING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS IN PRAYER, TALKING TO HIM, AND STUDYING THE WORD.  MEDITATE ON IT.  PUT IT IN YOU. PRAY IN FAITH BELIEVING THAT HE HEARS YOU AND WILL PREPARE YOU.

For the wise virgins …..strengthen yourselves and realize that you cannot do this for others.  You need to stop enabling those around you by doing the spiritual work for them. Help them by praying for them and pointing them into a relationship development of their own.  If you do not they will drain your lamp of oil and wear you out.  God does not expect or desire you to do that.  Your eyes are to be on the coming bridegroom.  Instruct others – but continue to face the door of the coming of your Savior.

The hour is late.  Strengthen what remains.  Do not enable others to be lazy in their walk with God. You are big hearted people, but some have taken advantage of your love and grace just as they do to God.  Pray always for mercy on those God has placed in our lives,  but cast your care on God.  Pray that God will open their eyes to their own need to seek God with all Their Hearts!!!

Rest in God and stay vigilant in His Word and prayer.  You will need all the oil you’ve gotten, through relationship with Him, knowledge of His Word, and being filled with the Holy Spirt, and obedience…. to walk in these last days, overcome,  and give Him glory.  Remember:   “If God is for us who can be against us….”

It’s not too late to get things right between you and God.  Seek and you shall find.  Seek Him with all your heart, fill your heart and soul,  and let your light shine.

God bless and shalom

Encouragement From Grandmama Jean

Romans 7:24   “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”

Even the great Apostle Paul struggled with his flesh….we have to take up our crosses DAILY  and crucify the flesh and the lies of the enemy that try to defeat us.

God is for us!!  Every day we are in a battle – like lambs to the slaughter….but thank God that we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.  We get up –  ask forgiveness and know that each new day is a gift. You are a child of God and God doesn’t walk out on His children….He keeps helping them grow.  

So when Satan comes with condemnation – even if you blew it in an area.  Repent – and enjoy the forgiveness and fellowship bought and paid for by Christ.  Don’t let the devil steal your joy.  The Bible says:   “ His mercies are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness”   God’s grace and power is there to help you overcome sin and the flesh and the devil.   Don’t give up.  There is a crown awaiting overcomers and we are overcomers as long as we don’t quit.

Remember you were chosen to be alive at this time.  God has a plan to use you for His glory and He can’t wait to reward you.  He is a good Father.   I know we don’t do it for the reward….nevertheless He spoke and wrote it because it was important to Him that we know this.  The Bible teaches we will all throw our crowns at Jesus feet because He is so worthy.  He did for us what we could not ever do for ourselves and freely gave it to us!!  The ability to become the sons and daughters of God and part of His family forever.

If you get time read Romans 8 again.  It is packed with so much!

Love you all!!!  I am cheering you on in Christ and praying for you!!  I can see the beauty in you!! I can see you as the bride of Christ dancing before Him in the beauty of holiness. 

(Don’t cringe at that!  lol  I know you see all the sins you’ve lived in and don’t see how – one day at a time, one battle at a time.  I remember well the battles in the beginning! Keep going!!!!  There is special honor for end time believers that don’t give up and endure till the end!!  You’ll never be perfect….that’s not your goal…..to follow Jesus and His Word as best as you can and stay close to Him.  Never get caught up in the “doing”  ahead of just “being” with Him .  It’s out of relationship that change happens !!)   Many will be purified by these times – so stay close to Him and discover His peace that dwells deep inside of you no matter what happens in the world.  

“Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord.”   Zechariah 4

As we lean on Jesus……

Romans 8:31  If God is for us, Who can be against us.

Much love and prayers

Grandmama Jean

SPIRIT, SOUL, AND BODY

ARE YOU IGNORING YOUR SOUL? WHAT IS YOUR SOUL?

The apostle Paul reveals this to us when he wrote…..1 Thessalonians 5:23     “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1. Man is a spirit  (the part of us that gets born again when we accept Jesus as our Lord, the part of us that connects to God). 
2. We have a soul  ( our mind, our will, and our emotions)

3.  We live in a body  ( the apostle Peter called his body his “tent” that housed his spirit and soul  2 Peter 1:13-15)

Our spirit can be born again when we believe – but our soul – mind, will and emotions – can still be ALL MESSED UP.  Honestly that is most of our situations.  Many people give up on a life with Christ because they don’t understand this simple truth.  Our spirits are instantly changed when we repent for our sins and accept Jesus as our Savior – but our souls may be very damaged from things we have been through.  God understands this and has great compassion on us.  He will never leave your or walk away from you as you are in your growing process.  It takes a long time to grow, heal and change our souls.  God is patient and He will help and heal us.  (but we must humble ourselves, admit the hurt/problem and ask for help)  

Our souls can be sick and hurt just as bad as our bodies.  And this is something we must work through with God and His word.  But the FREEDOM that comes from our souls being set free in each area is awesome and worth every minute we spend on it.

The scriptures have all the answers we need as it is a living book given to us by our Creator.  Who knows you better than the One who designed you and created you?  But why am I so messed up and wounded inside?  John 10:10 tells us that  “Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy.” And he is ruthless.  But God comes to give us life and that in abundance.  (love, joy, peace, goodness, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control, faithfulness).   

So the question that God is asking you – “Will you come with Me on a journey of honesty and truth and let Me set you free?”   Sometimes we get daggers in our souls that only God can heal.  Sometimes freedom comes by acknowledging to God that what happened really hurt us and asking God to help us to forgive someone that did the hurting. (not condoning what they did – just releasing it to God and getting free from it’s damage)

Freedom awaits you – if you will look inside – honestly – and go on this “journey to the center of your soul”  with the One who loves you and wants to see you free and lift the burdens from you.

John 8:36

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Believe and Receive.  Jesus calls you friend.  John 15:13

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

My prayer is that you will let Him be your friend and do for you what no one else (or yourself) can do for you.  You are loved.

DON’T LET PERFECTIONISM RUIN YOUR HOLIDAY (OR ANYDAY)

With the holidays almost here, just a little encouragement to keep you from the trappings of perfectionism.  The definition of perfectionism is ‘refusal to accept any standard short of perfection”.   It can drive you mad!!  It is actually your own perception that drives how you view perfect.  It may come from upbringing, teaching, or your own ideas.  If we look at it, what drives it is ,I believe,  from the root of pride.  Or wanting to please or be perceived as perfect. Sometimes we don’t even see it at work in our lives and inner thoughts.  It can simply be ingrained in us by the world. 

It is a sad way to live because it is often in imperfections that something is made unique and beautiful.  We were never made to be cookie cutter humans.  Just look at our finger prints.  God gave us each one that is like no other.  Or like snowflakes or the grain of wood.  You get all that, so I will make another point.

Personally, it was my upbringing that imprinted this deep into my psyche .  It was sad as I watched my mother try to live up to her own self imposed image.  Perhaps it came from her upbringing too.  At any rate I promised myself I would try to live an authentic life and I am probably more vulnerable and open than most.  But I still have those lingering subconscious pressures I have to fight against.  

I have to work at it.  Catch myself tensing up and even more if  someone begins pointing things out.  I have to look within and regain my peace and commitment to be kind to myself and realistic about my limitations  Personally my health doesn’t permit me to do “all things”, maybe for you it is your job, energy level, finances.  These things are real and I think God wants us to have true mercy for ourselves.  A perfectionistic spirit is not realistic. It is subtly tormenting.  We can choose to be realistic and give ourselves a break.   

As a believer and follower of Christ, I also know that the enemy of our souls (the devil)  is an accuser and loves to get us to condemn ourselves.

Fortunately my family is mostly used to my imperfections and limitations.  My family is small though, yours may not be and you may have some pretty big criticizers in your midst this holiday.  I encourage you and remind you that God the Father knew we could not reach perfection or righteousness on our own so He sent His Son who was strong enough to never sin and destroyed sin on the cross for us!!  What a gift.  We are covered as we accept what He did and we try to walk in His ways – imperfectly.

So give yourself a break, determine now to reject any petty criticisms about your home, cooking, anything at all.  Protect your soul.  No criticisms allowed.  And know that you are okay and that this is a day to focus on more cherished things like….love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, patience/long suffering , faithfulness…  let these things be in your mind and heart.

Enjoy the many things about the holidays that are special to you.

You are loved. You are beautiful.  If someone else can’t see that…..it is their issue.  Let it fall off.  Protect your soul and know quietly inside that you are are a blessing.  Period.  

Much love and have a great day!

STUCK

When I was first saved, it was easy to worship God and bask in His forgiveness.  My life was such a contrast before and after being born again.  A transformation took place and I was very aware of my sins.  Then began the difficult but rewarding journey of sanctification as I began to resist and get rid of my sinful and worldly habits.  

I remember so distinctly the first time I “messed up”.  I had laid down smoking pot and alcohol, but when I traveled to my hometown and went to see my old friends – straight up – I fell.  I blew my witness and I was so angry at myself.  I knew Satan was laughing and mocking God as well.  

I drove to the parking lot of a church and sat there crying.  Beating myself up.  Others lives were at stake too.  My witness was important to God and the kingdom because many were watching me to see if this was real.  Nevertheless – I blew it.  I knew it.  I could not forgive myself.

It was raining and night time as I sat in the car.  Then I felt like the Lord was upset with me.  I had’t felt it before.  He was actually more upset that I was “flogging” myself than He was of the sin I had committed.  As I looked up through teary eyes – I saw what looked like three crosses.  I don’t know if it was a vision or glare from my tears – but then I heard the voice of the Lord inside my heart (John 10:27) – stern and a bit agitated at me.  He said, as I looked at the crosses, “I did this, so you don’t have to do that.”

I wanted to “beat” myself up for being so stupid and blowing my witness, but God only wanted me to repent, forgive myself and move forward.  I was only damaging myself with my “self hate”.   And He did not want that for me.

I have struggled with that during my life.  I hate to miss the mark or sin against God in disobedience and I KNOW how much I deserve punishment.  I hate the flippant way people just trample on God’s grace and I don’t want to be that kind of a person.  Neither does God want us to be.  But sometimes we just can’t fix things and that is how it is.  I could not go and undo my actions.  All I could do was keep walking with God and pray that my old friends would still see that Jesus was in my life and that He would be glorified.  

It is important that we feel remorse.  If we don’t feel remorse for sin there is something wrong with our relationship with God.  He feels our sin.  It hurts and grieves Him, which is why we need to deal with it.  It is not good to let anything come between you and another person or the relationship can be lost.  Same with God – we can slowly become lukewarm when we blow off feeling bad for sins and repenting.

The easiest way to do so is to remember that God doesn’t want us to be stuck in the “feeling bad” place, though it’s important to make sure we still “feel”!  He wants us to give it to Him, ask Him to help us not do it again, and keep walking with Him.  Sometimes we have to have faith that God will fix what we did too.  I have often missed opportunities to witness to someone and had to ask God to bring another person across their path to take care of what I missed.  

May God help us to stay “sensitized” to His Holy Spirit.  Awake to a vibrant and good relationship with Him.  Knowing that He is “for us and not against us”  (Rom. 8:31)

Our life with God is meant to be rich and fruitful, full of adventure.  I pray we are not robbed of that by getting stuck in one place or another!   God bless you abundantly and have a great day.  

Bible Tidbit – Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

END TIMES BIBLE TIDBIT

Do you know what the four horsemen of the apocalypse are? Hollywood has made them to be many things and actually clouded the true meaning in scripture.

In a nutshell in the Book of Revelation, Jesus begins to open the seven seals of the scroll that only He is worthy to open. The first four are horse and riders released on the earth.

1. White Horse – A conquerer
2. Red Horse – Takes peace from the earth
3. Black Horse – Scarcity, skyrocketing prices
4. Pale Horse – Death of 1/4 of the earth

Further Study From Revelation chapter 6…..

Revelation 6 (Angel to the Apostle John )“Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

WHITE HORSE- A CONQUERER

” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

2. RED HORSE- TAKES PEACE FROM THE EARTH

5 So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”

3. BLACK HORSE-SCARCITY – SKYROCKETING PRICES

8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And [power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

4. PALE HORSE-DEATH OVER 1/4 OF THE EARTH

Now you know – good news is Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. If you do not know Him – call out. He has been waiting for you! We can dwell in the secret place of the most High (Psalm 91) These things come to purify. Jesus comes for a Bride without spot and wrinkle. Like Noah was kept safely in the Ark while judgement fell – we can believe for this too. We are not appointed unto wrath. When this short period of time ends – He returns and sets up His kingdom. No more Satan/ evil, no more tears, no more sorrow or pain, He is bringing His reward with Him as we lean on Him and stay faithful. We will be caught up if we are still here and changed in the twinkling of an eye. Our soul/who we are remains but we get new uncorruptable bodies. The Prince Of Peace will be reigning in His kingdom and we get to be a part of it!

Deep Waters – Poem

DEEP WATERS

Don’t be afraid of deep waters, my love

This journey’s been sent from heaven above

It is at Gethsemane you are purified

In ways you can’t see, so don’t try to hide

Lay it all bare, at the foot of the cross

Let His word cleanse you as you follow it’s path

Clinging to truth, let all else pass away

Let it burn up, it’s not meant to stay

Deep, deep into the waters you go

Let Him enter in to the depths of your soul

Stirring up places where pain still remains

Let Him expose them and pour healing rain

copyright  2017  Jean Chamblee

Sometimes those who have suffered the most, have the most to give.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5    “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.

HOW TO TELL IF YOUR DREAM IS FROM GOD, YOUR OWN SOUL, OR THE DEVIL