smoke free

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mtb75

Guest
#1
#1
Well i was smoking 2 packs a day or more for more than 30 years. I was getting sicker and sicker by the day. Because i also had acute bronchitis and sinutitis as well. was tired all the time and could not breathe in the morning all conjested. Then I prayed God would take cigarettes away from me. Then it happend no desire to smoke no more and its been a month no patches or gum. No more taste for alcohol either. I desire for peace for everyone. I try and do what i can for people now instead of being selfish and self centered. I just want to live a life for God now all day in every way.

I see all the blessing in my life now that i so often over looked before.Thanks for listening

Mtb75
 
tourist

tourist

Senior Member
#2
Mar 13, 2014
41,323
16,307
113
69
Tennessee
#2
mtb75 said:
Well i was smoking 2 packs a day or more for more than 30 years. I was getting sicker and sicker by the day. Because i also had acute bronchitis and sinutitis as well. was tired all the time and could not breathe in the morning all conjested. Then I prayed God would take cigarettes away from me. Then it happend no desire to smoke no more and its been a month no patches or gum. No more taste for alcohol either. I desire for peace for everyone. I try and do what i can for people now instead of being selfish and self centered. I just want to live a life for God now all day in every way.

I see all the blessing in my life now that i so often over looked before.Thanks for listening

Mtb75
Click to expand...
This is a inspiring post. I am in my own struggle with nicotine at the moment. Like you, I was smoking 2+ packs a day for years. Currently I cut back to 2 cigarettes a day but I know that to be truly free I have to face the pain and take it down to zero smokes a day.
 
K

Keef

Guest
#3
#3
mtb75 said:
Well i was smoking 2 packs a day or more for more than 30 years. I was getting sicker and sicker by the day. Because i also had acute bronchitis and sinutitis as well. was tired all the time and could not breathe in the morning all conjested. Then I prayed God would take cigarettes away from me. Then it happend no desire to smoke no more and its been a month no patches or gum. No more taste for alcohol either. I desire for peace for everyone. I try and do what i can for people now instead of being selfish and self centered. I just want to live a life for God now all day in every way.

I see all the blessing in my life now that i so often over looked before.Thanks for listening

Mtb75
Click to expand...
Matthew 21:22
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]John 16:27[/FONT]
 
Brainfreeze

Brainfreeze

Banned
#4
Sep 30, 2014
2,329
102
0
#4
What a blessing for you to have and us to hear, God is Great!
 
JesusLives

JesusLives

Senior Member
#5
Oct 11, 2013
14,551
2,172
113
#5
A song comes to mind for those wanting to let go of bad habits.

I sing the mighty pow’r of God, that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at His command, and all the stars obey.

God has the power to do mighty things and you just have to rest in His power to help you overcome habits that try to control you. Submitting ourselves to God and resting in Jesus can be a hard thing to do...... to let go and let God help us, but it is so very freeing to finally give all to God and let Him take control of our lives. I am learning this too with a different habit and happy for those becoming smoke free or who have already learned to let go and let God take away these habits.
 
Risetobesetfree

Risetobesetfree

Banned
#6
Aug 11, 2014
27
1
0
#6
Trying to quit as I type this. Coming from 1 pack a day to 1 cigarette a day. I've only smoked for a year though. It's still tough. I pray that god gives me the strength to quit smoking.
 
S

Sirk

Guest
#7
#7
Risetobesetfree said:
Trying to quit as I type this. Coming from 1 pack a day to 1 cigarette a day. I've only smoked for a year though. It's still tough. I pray that god gives me the strength to quit smoking.
Click to expand...
You can do it!!
 
C

ChristIsGod

Guest
#8
#8
GOD BLESS YOU GUYS!!!
sHa_runaround.gif Free at last, free at last!
Thank you for posting your fight and all of these victories men of God!
Even cutting back is a VICTORY and the fight is so worth it all!
God Bless ya's all real good.


 
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oldthennew

Guest
#9
#9
letting go of a destructive habit is something we all struggle with, and with nicotine
there is a double whammy, as it is not only substance addictive but also emotionally
addictive as well.

for my husband and myself, before we knew each other we each were heavy smokers
and came to the conclusion that our heath was more important than our bad-habit.
when I got older and reflected back on the 'why' I became addicted, it became
evident to me that I was 'self-medicating' in order to have some kind of control
in my life, boy, what choices our world puts before our faces?
back then, it was very fashionable to smoke and to be seen smoking!
thankfully our bodies spoke-up and we listened to them instead of the world.

do I think that my bad, nasty, habit was of a demonic nature, YES, indeed I do,
anything that 'sells death' in a package, bottle or pill is not from our Heavenly Father.

now when I see someone smoking and ignoring the 'warnings', my heart breaks and I
grieve for the ones in bondage; I pray for them that they may find liberation through
Christ and self-love.
 
C

ChristIsGod

Guest
#10
#10
I've noticed in my life that those that continue to smoke for lots of decades are compensating for a hurt inside - something like love missing from their lives - a love that they miss and don't really feel loved. It's sort of a death-wish of sorts but a type that should bring us a sadness for them and not condemnation - but there's hope. The oldthenew posted sense here but there's the side that people have to come to where they have something to live 'for'.
All the smokers here where I live in this tight knit community lacked love in their lives and I know it. They had lives where they were put down or just knew that those that had a tie on their heart didn't love them --- but some are fortunate enough to find that Love in Him and some others find that love in a spouse that gives them reason to live.
When I think of all the Christians that I know that smoke, they had that one lack in their lives and even have problems believing that even God doesn't love them that much, nonetheless believe that any human could really love them.
They 'have to' believe that they are worth loving and that God loves us, despite ourselves.

What you've said, oldthenew is true. It is a form of self-medication but also the sign that someone is suppressing a hurt inside that comes from not feeling loved enough to live or fight for their own life.
My brother is dying because we lost our Mom when he was just 10 and things were very hard for all 5 of us kids. Two of us were shipped out to other homes. My other brother with the ALS was in 4 and me in 5 and those 3 brothers of ours were left at Dad's and it turned into a nut house with my step-mom.
One got into drugs and alcohol at about the age of 12 [he was about 8 when mom left] because of lack of supervision while Dad was working like a dog to support us all in 3 different homes. That brother died at 34 from his body abuse with substances but the oldest two were the lucky ones in the sense that they went to college and made something of themselves that's historic -- but they never found love in a wife that lasted. One quit smoking the other didn't and is now on Hospice and is not only a great loss to our family but to the protection of this country on a tremendously large scale. But that was not enough to get him to quit -- because he and his wife loved each other but couldn't live together in the same house. But since being diagnosed last February - they've been forced to live together and I've just got to believe it's straightened out both his wife's mind about what matters most and has maybe brought that love home to my brother during this time of horrendous suffering.

Only The Love of God can break this bondage when we have a 'revelation' of how very much God loves us. We can't pump that up - but sometimes He'll send another person to give us that love and sometimes it comes directly through a private and from Him revelation of feeling that love for ourselves that is really His Love for us and not narcissistic. There's a major difference, because His Love causes us to love others AS ourselves -- actually more.

I know your testimony is Good, oldthenew, because instead of getting arrogant about it all, instead your "heart breaks & grieves" and are not judgmental nor cocky about it - as I've also met those types concerning this one weakness in people and the condemnation only makes people smoke more because they already feel condemned/unloved which is the cause of them smoking for a long time in the first place. It's a gap filler and as you've said, for older folks - Every old movie PUSHED smoking on that generation ... as I watch TCM - I see just how much cigarettes are held up in front of the camera in every movie of that generation and even to actors that never smoked except to faked it in the movie. And the psychology behind Every one of them, butting out the thing when it was only 1/10th or so smoked ... as in sending the message .... "Oh yeah, they're cheap enough to just butt them out after just a few puffs - so Go For It!"

You hit the nail on the head, oldthenew and I pray the same with you - "that they may find liberation through Christ and self-love." and the fruit of that will be love and compassion for others as well ... that's Godly self-love and not the world's version. Thank you!!
 
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oldthennew

Guest
#11
#11
Yes, ChristIsGod,

personal pain is the key' that opens the door of destruction
for us all, but then again it becomes the most liberating for us
to find out just who we really are and where we are going...
your words are very humbling and your sadness is understood.

how the lots are cast, we just can't comprehend, but we can see how
they affect us and others, especially our families and friends.

we learn as we grow that with much love, grieving will also follow as a
constant companion and this brings us even closer to our Lord and Saviour,
as He only can comfort us and give us the hope and confidence that will carry us
through any situation.
the highs and lows in our Christian walk are a constant, but oh the joy we
feel as we grow and over-come the many trials and tests.

giving our loved-ones over to the Master does take some maturity and trust -
thus the watching we have to do does become bearable.
it's amazing to me how He always creates a way for us to survive what we think
will destroy us or at least break us - such proof of our Father's Love, it truly is
beyond any explanation that we could come up with.

I know this, my husband and I only want to abide in this astounding Love,
we want to please our Maker and be the family members He desires us to be
in the Holy family He is creating.
it hasn't been an easy road at times, but it has been the most challenging
and beneficial that we could ever have imagined!

thanks so much for your post.
GBY
 
H

honeybee

Guest
#12
#12
My husband's death was smoking related. Norman had cancer of the esophagus and died December 1, 2014.
 
C

ChristIsGod

Guest
#13
#13
So sorry to hear that you just lost your husband last month, honeybee.

How old was he, if I may ask?
Do you have family to hold you up since? I'm so sorry. I pray you're doing alright and if there's anything that you need, I hope you'll feel free to speak up somewhere on here or a pm to anyone on the site. I do pray that you have family, friends, Church family and all else to stand by you and be there if you need anything at all.
Please accept my sincere empathy for the loss of your husband. It all can seem surreal at times but there's stages of grief - but they're not always step 1-5 in that order -- the stages can bounce and for as long as they need to.

We'll be praying for you, Sister and glad you're here!
 
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honeybee

Guest
#14
#14
My husband was 61. We have a daughter 15 and my step son is 27. Norman smoked for 50 years.
 
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