Coming Together When We All Are Apart

copyright (c) 2020 Tabitha  Carin   Snowden 

2020

Coming Together When We All Are Apart

Right now, it seems like a scary time for all of us, we are all quarantined in our homes, trying to keep this disease away. Our hearts are troubled for our loved ones, our friends, and people we know who are sick, all of this is hard on us. It's alright to be scared, it's OK to be worried, it shows that we care, however; we shouldn't be controlled by the fear that is integrating into our world. Nothing like this has ever happened in history, and it's  changing day by day, new laws are being passed, things are definitely crazy right now. We are watching it all unfold before our eyes, it is truly a time that we need to pray and seek God's presence! Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God:I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee;yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

 As I am writing this, also watching the President talk about the present situation.

It's hard to refocus our thoughts especially right now, but spending time in prayer and in God's presence, as our fears will dissipate. Panic has reached all across the world, it seems like we are living in a constant state of worry, it's important to know the dangers and precautions but it is also good to know that we can't lean on despair. We have God who is more powerful than sickness,leaving it in His hands;will bring us comfort and hope throughout all of this. Luke 21:36 " Watch ye therefore,and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." 

It's not easy to give all of our fears and worries away, God wants our fears, He doesn't want us to carry our burdens! Something I have been trying to do is to not undermine the situation, however; I also think it is crucial to spread cheerful moments right now. I tend to post now more than I ever have; blogs, social media etc. I'm not trying to show my life off, instead I want people to laugh with me or see my little moments that may bring encouragement. 

I want to spread laughter right now, it's a time when we all need it. We are stuck at home, and sometimes if we keep looking at the negative that can put us in a state of mind we don't want to be in. I think this is the time to have awareness of what is going on, and pray for those who are sick and critically ill, plus pray for those who are worried. Also by spreading love, kindness, and laughter, it can make our lonely times a little better. Psalms 126:2 "Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them."

                   

We aren't alone, we have the Lord with us and we have each other, even though it seems like we may not. This is a time we can come together not only in America but also the entire world so we can share scriptures, songs, funny stories, all so that we can benefit from. But it takes putting aside our differences and showing each-other the love, and kindness, and encouragement that we all need. Now is the time to come together and pray and love on each other and listen, and believe that God is going to do a work. We have to have joy in the circumstances, find laughter in the little moments, and be present with our families. Joshua 1:5 "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" 

Now is the time for those knock knock jokes, or your dad to practice those infamous dad jokes (as my father loves to do), just something to put a smile on our faces. It's important to have a good attitude throughout everything we face, especially right now. 

Now is the time to listen to what the government is saying and stay home as much as possible, believing God will do works throughout all of this. We are all worried, but if we dwell on the fear, it will only make the situation worse! Take this time to reconnect with your family, your husband, your wife, have game nights, family devotions, and movie nights. Video chat a friend, read a book, play music, do some art, study your school, spend time with the Lord, and just keep busy. Use this time wisely, don't worry about the future, God's got that taken care of, and we just have to trust Him. I am one to say all of this, but I'm usually very fearful and always freaking out, but surprisingly God has given me a peace, and I hope you feel at peace as well. I love you, and God loves you, He will take care of this one day at a time. Bring some joy into this situation, and share that with others, I know it brightens my day to see some of you sharing your memories! Let's keep on coming together while we are apart, and encourage each other,check up on each other. Keep going, because you are doing great, I'm proud of you!   

Why Sex Before Marriage Is Not Good

copyright (c) 2020 Tabitha  Carin   Snowden 

2020

Why Sex Before Marriage Is Not Good

Sex before marriage is tempting, because it is a natural flesh desire God put in our lives, although He did not intend on it being premarital. It’s a hard circumstance a lot of people are dealing with, and have been for a very long time. It’s a very common thing now days, to live together and have premarital sex, without blinking twice about it; we have come so immune to it, so it must be OK right…? Wrong. The bible has never changed, ever, the people reading the bible have, we have changed our thoughts or convictions everything, and we think the bible has changed? No, the bible has not, the commandments God wants us to live by, we are forgetting… It isn’t right to watch porn, it isn’t right to cheat on someone, it isn’t right be mean and critical to people, it’s not right have sex before marriage. 

(Not my image) 

Mark 10:6-9 says; “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’  ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,^[a] 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. ⁹ What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Hold fast, to his wife, it does not say his girlfriend, it does not say his fiancée, but WIFE!

It is important to remember the scriptures and to not forget what they say, they tell us everything we need to know, nowhere in the bible says that it is alright to have sex before marriage. So how do we twist it around to make it OK? Where do we find the guidance to make those decisions? We choose to ignore the scriptures that are actually teaching us, or preaching to us, because who likes to feel convicted!?! The truth is; God didn’t give us the Word to make us feel all comfortable and perfect, He gave it to us to feel constantly uncomfortable, to feel constantly convicted. To be in a constant place of growing and breaking and remolding, because we will never reach perfection, we shouldn’t want to, because there is always something to be learned from the Word of God.

(Not my image)

1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable.” Avoid sexual immorality; which means to avoid temptations that end in bad results, such as sin, and that is a challenge, but it is a challenge we must take on. Also take control of your own body, yes it is possible to take control of ourselves, we can do such things, it is important to realize that if we don’t take control we will make life long mistakes, and God doesn’t want to see us making mistakes. What father likes to see his children mess up? No father likes to see that, God doesn’t want to see us hurt, and sin often leads to hurt.

AG.org says in one of their articles and premarital sex; “In terms of marital satisfaction, one of the most widespread modern myths is that couples need to live together before they get married to see if they are sexually compatible and thus to enhance future marital health and satisfaction. In reality, research shows that couples who live together before marriage have higher infidelity rates and lower marital satisfaction rates than those who do not live together before marriage.” It is a myth; you do not need to live together before marriage, it’s unnecessary, God made man and woman to be married to be unified and not to be living in sin. That is why He made marriage in the first place, to come together in our ups and downs, and to learn with each other,  the exciting things of marriage are to learn!! But often we want to figure it all out before we even get to the place of marriage. 

(Not my image) 

This article was well written by Steven Tracy posted on Ag.org says this; “Other New Testament passages affirm the fact that pre-marital sex is forbidden. One of the clearest examples is in 1 Cor 7:1-5, where Paul responds to the Corinthians' suggestion that it is best for a married man to not have sexual relations with his wife. Paul's response is that because of immoralities (porneia), each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and the husband and wife must meet each other's sexual needs so that they do not fall into sexual temptation. There is no moral loophole here for pre-marital sex, for Paul instead argues that marriage is the only God ordained provision for sexual needs. Other passages such as Heb 13:4 link those who practice pre-marital sex with adulterers, indicating that sex before marriage and sex after marriage to someone other than one's spouse are equally condemned ("God will judge"). The marriage bed is cited as the exclusive place for God ordained sexual activity.” 
Paul tells us that it is OK to have sexual relations with our spouses, but it is immoral to have sexual relations outside of marriage. Marriage is holy and God given thing, and God also gave us sex, but we often confuse the two, and we shouldn’t because in the bible it states many times clearly; that it is a sin.

“The reasons for cohabitation's negative effect are not fully understood. One may be that while marriages are held together largely by a strong ethic of commitment, cohabiting relationships by their very nature tend to undercut this ethic. Although cohabiting relationships are like marriages in many ways-shared dwelling, economic union (at least in part), sexual intimacy, often even children-they typically differ in the levels of commitment and autonomy involved.  According to recent studies cohabitants tend not to be as committed as married couples in their dedication to the continuation of the relationship and reluctance to terminate it, and they are more oriented toward their own personal autonomy.⁷ It is reasonable to speculate, based on these studies, that once this low-commitment, high-autonomy pattern of relating is learned, it becomes hard to unlearn.” Once you learn a way of life, it is very hard to unlearn it, realizing that you could get yourself stuck in a position that is not biblical, and it could hurt you and others for the rest of your life!

We live in a society that sees premarital sex as OK, the world doesn’t see the problem, if we get told something or are telling ourselves something even if it’s not true, we start believe it is. That happens when we let our core get corrupted, if we don’t have a strong core in our faith, it’s easier to let the wrong information in, and eventually being weak to sin. It’s not easy all the time, but studying the bible and prayer, and staying in the Lord’s presence, the temptation will fade.  

Focus on the Family wrote an article about how important marriage is in this situation; “In other words, marriage involves a couple’s public commitment to build a strong and lasting relationship.That relationship isn’t only a foundation for the nurturing of their own children; it’s also a building block of social stability and a contribution to the well-being of the broader community.”

Focusing on the stability and love and having a Christ-centered relationship, that is what is truly important, that will help to keep temptation away. Always press in to the Word of God, the scriptures speak for themselves, they don’t need any help, they tell us what is wrong and what is right. It’s clear the Lord just wants what is best for us, so if we follow His words, there won’t be as many consequences such as premarital sex, or other sins.

(Not my image) 

 1 Corinthians 6:18-20  ^“ Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Flee from sexual immorality, because you not only sinning against God, you are also hurting your own body, because like it says in the scripture our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. Keep your body Holy, like God created, because God didn’t create us to destroy ourselves, but to thrive in His Word and His presence. 

If you are thinking about having premarital sexual relations with someone, maybe it’s someone you love, remember the Word of God, God created marriage and sex, in that order, not the other way around. The first unit He created for male and female was marriage, that is how important it is to Him, we can’t confuse what God already set in place for our lives. If you love someone that much, remember how the more special it will be to share that moment with your spouse, how it will bring you together, and the two shall become one.

(Not my image)

Cites;

https://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/Issues/2011/Summer-2011/SIDEBAR-Marital-Satisfaction-and-Premarital-Sex-and-Cohabitation--Sex-and-the

http://www.preciousheart.net/ti/ISCF/12_%20Sex%20-%20Gift%20of%20God%20-%20Steven%20Tracy.pdf

http://www.smartmarriages.com/cohabit.html

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family-qa/the-bible-on-pre-marital-sex-and-sexual-morality/

https://www.openbible.info/topics/premarital_sex

OK

copyright (c) 2019 Tabitha  Carin   Snowden 

2019

OK

OK! That is something we say often, I was thinking about how many times I say: 'OK' in a day. It is quite interesting actually, what do we mean by that word? I know that sometimes when I'm not doing my best and people ask how I am, on a rare occasion the response might be 'OK'. But how do you use the word? Maybe you use it as a confirmation, an acceptance, or in any way you feel it is appropriate. 

What happens when you say 'OK' to someone who controls the universe? Scary, right? But in all reality it isn't, because God has you in His hands and by saying 'OK' we are saying; "OK, God, I accept what you have in store for me, and I am ready." 
It takes time though, you can't just say it without really letting go, doing that can be an important step. We often hold onto what we really really want or maybe what we  think we need, but letting go is crucial. I felt that as I came to America, as if I was leaving a part of my heart back in Africa, but the truth is, a big part of my heart is where my family is, and where God puts me until He says to go, we will wait on His will.
 I feel like I'm always on the edge of my toes waiting, but I'm learning to be patient in this time. God is only wanting for us to patiently wait, but also during this time He is yearning for His children to seek Him more. And that makes the process so much more bearable.

 I love seeking God and His presence I laugh when I read a scripture and it touches me, because He knew I needed that, and I marvel at His works. He takes me to places I have never been spiritually, during this time of waiting. And it is amazing, when you think that there is nothing you can do anymore that you are exhausted from this time, He renews you in a way only He can. 

I am STUBBORN, ask my family, I really am, but it's funny no matter how stubborn you might be, God breaks you, in the best way possible. He reminds you that you are His, and you are in the place where He wants you to be exactly. And our stubbornness can not get in the way of our Lord, I tried to argue with God, saying many things about what I wanted, but you want to know who won that argument? God, completely, He simply taught me in this time, it isn't a punishment, it is a teaching, and are we learning? I would like to think that at this moment, I am, I am learning more than I ever thought I would, isn't it amazing? God takes us from our stubbornness and puts us in His will, and then all we feel is, peace.

There is a time for everything, but there is always a time for seeking God. Before you start worrying about time or the time of waiting, start remembering God is controlling the time, and at this point all we can do is simply trust and seek Him with all we have. 

Saying 'OK' is something we have to believe and know with our hearts we are accepting God's will in our lives, and not worrying about anything, because if God put you there He will take care of everything. 

A Valentines Day

copyright (c) 2019 Tabitha Carin   Snowden 

2019

A VALENTINES DAY

Valentines Day; a holiday commercialized, and advertised to be completely revolved around love, we often think of it as all about couples. But in fact it can be about any love, between a mother and daughter or sisters or any family, friends etc. Most of all, realizing the main source of love is from Jesus Christ, His love constantly pours out to us, never ceasing, without any hesitation. It is always important to help spread not only our love on this holiday, but most importantly, spreading God's love  everyday. 

(not my image)

I would like to talk a little about dating because why not; it's Valentines Day. On one of my first blogs I ever did was, "Why To Wait." I feel like it set where I stand, and my image pretty well, but I am a little bit older now and have more information in my head. 

There are so many great things about being in a relationship, you have someone to talk to who always listens, someone to depend on, a person who you can be with and never get tired of. You can love this person with all your heart, and they love you, and sharing moments with your special someone can be the highlight of your days. There is always to be something thankful for when you may be in a relationship. I love seeing happy loving couples, and sometimes I become the third wheel, but I don't mind because I get to see how their relationship works. I can go on and on about the good things of being in a healthy relationship. 

Do I see myself in a relationship someday? Of course! I would love to have a special someone by my side, one day, who I can share my thoughts with, and share amazing moments. I am very excited for the day that I find the one person God has been preparing for me! But, I am not quite ready yet, God is still working on my heart and molding me into the person He wants me to be. 
One day, one day, but for now, it is important to focus on what is in our lives, that we should be truthfully thinking about. For me, my relationship with Jesus is my main priority, as for this holiday I am reminding myself of His enduring love for me and all of us. 

If you are not in a relationship around this time, don't be sad or depressed, because truly you are surrounded by people and a Savior who truly loves you. 

Yes, it can be difficult for some people to spend this time alone, or single, but think about how you can focus on the things that are important to you.

 "Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony."
Colossians 3:14

(not my image)

There is importance of this beautiful day, between couples sharing their love, but also between people, family, friends, and Jesus! 


The simplicity of love, isn't it precious? This love makes me smile just thinking about it, because it is so pure. In someway, somehow, it is in each of our lives, making us who we are, binding us together. Going back to a scripture that we all probably know; “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

(my image)

The world is practically founded on love, how powerful love is to each of us, and what love can make us do. We live for love, we die for love, and we come together for the love we share. 

I like to think where our love came from: God; He is the prime example of it, by  His continual actions and proof that He is love. He died for us, why? Simple, it was love. And that same love is what empowers us to live, each day serving Him. 

I hope that everyone who reads this realizes how loved you really are, celebrating with the ones you love! Happy Valentines Day! 

Make Joy Come Out Of Every Circumstance

copyright (c) 2018 Tabitha Carin   Snowden 

2018

Make Joy Come Out Of Every Circumstance

Making joy come out of us, throughout the hardest times can be difficult, we may be thinking how could we ever find joy! Under all the stress how could we laugh? I know, because I have been there and still  there almost daily. 

When we are stressed, how could we think of laughing? Maybe crying is more relatable at that moment than laughing, I don't know! On our way here to Mozambique, in the airports we often were well-stressed. But in our stress we found humor (JOY) and that made our environment around us easier, and almost fun! We can make essentially any situation joyful, with God's help. 
  

                             

There's just something about seeing someone so full of Joy, that we soon realize that they are overflowing with God's love and that is incredible.
We have to come to a place of putting our difficulties in God's hands only. Trying to deal with our struggles alone steals our joy.   

Romans 15:13 - "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." 

If we are ready to give all it up to God, then why worry, or struggle? If we hold on to those things that are holding us back, it becomes harder and harder to even simply smile. 
As we look deep within ourselves, reflecting who we want to be; are we letting our worries steal our joy?


I know that I do struggle with it as well, I think we all do! We have those days that it seems like maybe we aren't feeling like being joyful, but we have to help ourselves (and each other) to see the blessings of each day.

Learning Portuguese here in Mozambique is not easy (might have to be another blog in its self)! Watching people have conversations or talking as we sit there, clueless! But, we have to realize that there is joy in that, we can simply laugh about not understanding (which we do often) or we can feel excited and build that momentum to learn, remembering smiling is a good way to start. There's joy even in a large-hurdle such as language barrier. 


When I think of being joyful, I also think of being content. We should never be satisfied with our relationship with God, but content with our willingness of letting God take over.

Psalms 5:11 - "But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee."

Being joyful doesn't only help us, it helps the people around us see and feel God's light, love, and peace. In this, we need to think how are we making ourselves feel; are we feeling the joy from the Lord? We can sincerely feel happier if we are in His word and His presence more. And people start to feel and see the difference including our own lives. I am still working on this as well, because sometimes its hard to be joyful when I feel all alone, stressed, or struggling: realizing I'm not alone. As we realize we are able to give everything to God, we see that it is a complete game changer for all of us.


John 16:22 - "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you."


Let no man take Joy from us, let no man take the peace, we can't let our joy be in the hands of man only because in that it will crumble. But in the hands of God, His joy will be in our hearts forever. 


Zephaniah 3:17 - "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing."

God rejoices over us, because we are His children He has an abundance of love pouring out upon us, if we are doing His will we will feel the joy from His heart. 
Doesn't that make you excited? That if we build a strong relationship with Him, He will pour out His peace, love, and JOY upon us!!! 

Rejoice evermore, rejoice; feel the joy in our hearts and give it to others. There is so much sadness and hurt in this world, why don't we change that, by being the first one to smile, or laugh, to just show the joy of the Lord. It starts with us, we have to start asking the Lord to do something in us. By changing our hearts; we can see His smiling face looking at us, and with joy, we can show God's love with simply a smile and kind words.

Psalms 104:34 - "My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD."

In The Midst Of The Crowds

copyright (c) 2018 Tabitha Carin   Snowden 

2018

In The Midst Of The Crowds

In the midst of the crowds, what do you see? Do you see the child on the street crying? Do you see the mother struggling to keep going, because she is so tired? Or do you see the hard working man who needs encouragement? 

(First Mozambique sunset for us)

We have just only arrived in Mozambique for a little while, and you can get very, very busy in this time. Which is normal, and all the stuff we are doing is important. But, in the midst of the craziness, the busyness, and in the midst of the crowds; I am beginning to notice the things I would normally be too distracted to see. As we drive on the streets of Mozambique, I see a child crying, or a woman struggling to keep on to continue each day of her life. I am not saying there is a lot I can personally do for them, because here in Mozambique there are many of those circumstances; yet, I can pray. I can pray for those children I see begging for food, and I can pray for that beautiful family to start following Jesus as their Savior. That is what I CAN do!

In the midst of the crowds I want to see those that are; "forgotten," forgotten by others, but not to God. God calls us OUT of the crowds to see the ones that aren't noticed at all. 

In the midst of the crowds, we could be the hands and feet of Jesus and be able to see those in the trees or hidden in the multitudes. We all can do this by, showing His love, and His actions, wherever we may go.

Allow me to challenge you to be the person who changes their lives, and remember that as you walk down the streets or drive past them, to not just ignore their needs. Pray! Pray for God to open your eyes to see them, and pray for them once you do. 

    

To continually pray for the people around you, makes a difference! So, look around and look for those who are in the midst of the crowds.

COURAGE

copyright (c) 2018 Tabitha Carin   Snowden 

2018

    COURAGE

Courage has been something God has been leading me back to lately, and understanding the true meaning of it. 
       --------

Courage has a few different meanings: 

1: "The ability to do something that frightens one." 
For Me being VERY fearful about a lot of things (ask my family they'll agree); this really steps on my toes, about being fearful and confronting those fears! As I think of the word "courage" what pops in my head is the strong Lion as they face their fears each day. 

"Lions are a most ferocious yet proud species, a pride of lions is a breathtaking site as they work as a team countering each others' weaknesses and supporting their strengths making an almost perfect phalanx as a true unified community."

Facing their fear TOGETHER,  having courage and being proud of their courageous acts. 

2nd meaning of Courage is:  
"Strength in face of pain and grief."

Having strength goes along with having courage you must become strong in the pain in order to have courage, you must have courage in order to be strong. They go together, in everything that we may face we must have strength to go on and our strength cannot come from our flesh it must come from our Heavenly Father; Jesus Christ. 

The Hebrew word for courage is "אֹמֶץ" which means: "Willingness to take action."
Willing to take action even if there are fears, dangers, or pain standing in the way, if God gives us the courage and strength to take action, we must obey. 

     Taking action can be in all sorts of times or places, but how I relate to it is even though there are fears in my way or pain or trials or lack of patience God is giving me courage to go to Africa! And I must be willing to take action on that call!

One of my favorite quotes is from Cinderella; "We must have courage, and be kind." That stuck with me, you must always have courage because without courage there is no strength and without strength we are weak!  God tells us to have courage one of the scriptures that spoke to me about courage is

Psalms 31:24 - "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD." 

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

Being a missionary to Mozambique I have felt my fare share of fear in all of this, but its amazing because I don't feel like that fear is going to hold me back, why? 

Because I know that God has given me the strength, and the confidence, and courage to be able to take a step of faith. He teaches us how to keep that courage in our bones so that we can do the things that God has planned for us. Without courage our fear has more opportunity to take over, the devil uses fear to take us down, some of us can even can be conquered by fear. We should realize that we have the protection from God, because why wouldn't a father protect HIS children. But He gives us courage to still trust Him, even when we can't see the light. I trust He is going to strengthen and give me the courage to do everything He has called me to do.

Having courage for the what the Lord is doing inside you is strengthening, so that you may be able to face the things of the world might throw at you.