Smoking Freedom: Day 26
Paul Hudson wrote a great article about what things people with passion do. I have added 4 of his idea’s which are great for overcoming addiction here:
“Passions give us purpose, but more than that, they make us feel that we have purpose in our lives. Being passionate isn’t just about knowing – it’s also about feeling. That’s what makes passions so important; they make us feel that we’re on the right path in life and give us hope for a happy and exciting future. Passionate people lead significantly different lives from their less-than-enthusiastic counterparts.
1. Always have their passions on their mind.
They’re basically obsessed – hopefully in a healthy manner. Healthy passions are healthy obsessions. You can’t keep your mind from returning to the topic and can’t help but get excited by those thoughts. Passionate people live in a world in which the few things that matter to them in life basically involve the passions they love.
2. Willing to risk more and put more on the line.
If you’re passionate, you have a clear understanding of what your purpose in life is – if only your purpose for that very moment. For this reason, you give much less importance to other things. Therefore you’re willing to risk more for the thing(s) that you find most important, that you are most passionate about. Those that are passionate are much more willing to give up things that don’t fall in their scope of passion.
3. Devote their lives to their dreams.
Life is filled with things worth doing and things not worth doing. That which we are most passionate about is what we believe to be worthwhile, everything else seems to be wasteful and lacking. Passionate individuals gradually gravitate towards their passions and away from the rest that life has to offer. They know what will make them happy and are willing to ignore the rest.
4. Always think positively about the future.
Their minds are always looking ahead, looking at what can be instead of what is. This has its good sides and bad, but nevertheless, they are always thinking about their next move.
The one great outcome is that they always have something to look forward to and are excited to make it happen. As long as they remember to hang around in the present from time to time, they don’t run into too much trouble.”
For More Of His Thoughts And Ramblings, Follow Paul Hudson On Twitter And Facebook.
Wes MCAdams gave a great sermon on passion:
“Romans 12:9-11 says, “Let love be without hypocrisy Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”
That is a passage full of passion and excitement words. Words like abhor, cling, devoted, diligence, and fervent. I see at least four things in this passage about which every one of us should be excited!
- (Abhor) Hate What is Evil. Christians have a hard time using the word hate. Instead we use words like “dislike.” Well that’s not good enough! God expects us to HATE evil! Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate.” It is time that Christians starting hating evil. Of course I’m not saying we should hate evil people! I am saying we should want no part of their evil. We should not welcome it into our homes, our schools, or our minds!
- Cling to What is Good. We usually “like” what is good. But that is not good enough! We must be glued to it. We must be so committed to good that we are inseparable! Paul says we are to, “hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thess. 5:21). Things like moderation, discipline, fellowship, prayer, worship, and service are “good” things; be glued to them!
- Be Devoted to One Another. It is time that Christians learn to be devoted to one another in brotherly love. That doesn’t mean you tolerate each other for a couple of weeks during worship! That means you are family! You are passionate about helping, serving, teaching, and even admonishing one another. When you see a brother in danger of losing his soul you don’t gossip about it; you go and talk to him! Church, be devoted to your family!
- Serving the Lord. Paul said not to be lagging in diligence and to be fervent in our service. The word fervent literally means to be boiling over! Can you really say you are boiling over in your service to God? In 1 Corinthians 15:58 Paul wrote, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” Can you really say you’re “always abounding in the work of the Lord.” When was the last time you truly wore yourself out in service to the king? If you’re not busy, then it’s time to get busy! You are never more useful than when you are selflessly serving the Lord with everything you have to offer!
Let’s commit ourselves to not being lukewarm! Let’s commit ourselves to giving everything we have! Let’s commit ourselves to being passionate in our Christianity!”
Passion is a key to quitting addiction. Have a passion for your work. If you don’t currently have a job it is important to have a passion for helping others or for working for your church or charity. If your job stinks have a passion for working hard and doing your job for the glory of God. Have a passion for your hobbies and activities. Just going through the motions leads to boredom which leads to depression which leads to addiction. I play golf with plastic balls in my backyard. This year I am not improving – that makes it less fun – less of a good distraction from addiction. Today I am going to start improving my passion, watching golf videos, upping my effort. Do I care if I am ever good at golf? I really don’t. I do it for a bit of exercise (having a passion for exercise is vital – it makes you tougher and it makes you feel better). And do it as a distraction from unhealthy things.
Have a passion for reading the Bible. It is a fact that people who read 5 chapters of the Bible every day have a lower chance of going back to their addiction (read as many as you can). It is also likely true that people who have a passion for reading great Christian books have a lower chance as well.
Spend 5 minutes thinking about what you need to have more of a passion for.
Quitting a habit of excess is easier when you understand the pleasure involved. Many lifers have achieved 25 days of success with their addiction. But temptation is still severe. It will stay severe until you learn the habit of focusing on the pleasure you now have. Your health is improving. This brings you long term pleasure. Think about this every day. Your medical bills will be lower giving you long term pleasure. Remind yourself daily. Now you feel better. This is a huge long term pleasure. Every time you are tempted by cigarettes remind yourself twice that you have the tremendous long term pleasure of feeling good. Obviously some days you will be in a bad mood. But with abstinence you will always feel better consistently than you used to feel with a lifestyle of excess.
A cigarette may give you a few minutes of pleasure. Often not quite as much as you think it does. Feeling better because of moderation gives you hours of pleasure every day. Notice it – appreciate it.
Say 5-25 times each day: I highly value the long term pleasure that feeling good from moderation gives me.
Read John 23, Proverbs 21 and 2nd Corinthians 7