FREEDOM

I knew that some day God would take smoking from me. I longed to be free from smoking, but I dreaded it none the less. I knew it would be so hard and I loathe disappointing my God.

A week ago today, I remember whining, “I don’t know if I can do this! Cigarettes calm me down! How will I cope?" Thus saith the Lord: I am here...

What a revelation! Duh! I sometimes feel like such a idiot. I was such a SLAVE to nicotine addiction. I was oblivious to the obvious. Not only would He help me quit, He would see me through ALL of it. The withdrawals, the urges, the weak moments, etc. We are told this in Philippians 4:6-7 (The Message):

" ^6-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

Since this is one of my memory verses, I felt especially stupid for asking God "How will I cope?". If you are part of the few special chosen ones on earth that have never battled addiction, you may be little lost right now. For the rest of us that have spent most of our lives depending on other things in this world, other than Christ, to cope with life's struggle, this is the definition of FREEDOM!