Smoking Freedom in 30 Days: Day 27
No matter what we have done today, yesterday or this month; we can still worship God! There is a Bible story about a man who had led such an evil life that he had 2000 demons living in him. But when he saw Jesus he worshipped Him. You may keep dropping the ball time and time again, so you think – Jesus wants nothing to do with me anymore. But you can still worship. I am not telling you that you get an automatic ticket to heaven because you worship God while still sinning all over the place. But I am telling you that you can still worship God, ask for forgiveness (again) and start over again. While you worship God ask Him to help you come up with a plan for change for today, this week and this month. If you develop the habit of worshipping God He will help you with your addiction. God loves to answer this type of prayer. So make a habit of worshipping God and then you can pray about your addiction with complete confidence and faith.
To survive overall in life we need to learn to maximize the good times and minimize the bad times. Why do rock stars and movie stars commit suicide? There are several reasons and we will talk about all of them. The first reason is because they dwell on the bad instead of the good. They have millions of people worshipping them and millions of dollars but, instead of thinking about that – they always think about the bad.
We must learn to think right especially in the bad times – cause if I think right, I will do right (act right). Don’t let the bad eat up the good. The devil loves for you to highlight the thing in your life that is wrong. Don’t give in to fear, defeat, hopelessness, or temptation. Your worst day will become your best day if you focus on Jesus. Philippians 4:8New International Version (NIV) says 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. The 2nd reason rock/movie stars commit suicide is because they don’t know their creator. If
you have everything and you don’t have Jesus – you have nothing. If you have nothing and you have Jesus you have everything. I personally knew 2 people who had nothing (or maybe less than nothing) in life, but they had Jesus. These 2 people always were happy and always had a purpose.
One thing from your past or present can so consume you that is causes you to miss your destiny because you won’t let it go, or you won’t focus on something else. Maybe they did do you wrong, maybe they are now doing you wrong, maybe you are divorced, maybe you were abused, but don’t let the bad eat up the good! Satan will help you focus on the horrible thing that has happened in your life. Let it go and pray to Jesus “help me to let it go” as many times as it takes to break free.
You can break free from your past. The best way to end old relationships is to start new ones. A Relationship with Jesus, with healthy friends, with healthy activities etc.
Back in the 80’s there was a game show. If you got enough points you got to choose one of 3 doors to open. One door often had something like 500 cans of sardines. The next door might have 150 live chickens. The next door would have a $10,000 prize or a new car.
Addiction is a bit like this. We have 3 doors. Behind the first 2 doors are satan’s temptations. Behind the 3rd door are the things which lead to light and joy.
We often have cracked open satan’s door #1 with our past habitual sin. Sin gives satan certain rights to harass us. This 30 day program is all about techniques to start to close that door. But door #2 we have complete control of. But we often crack it open because we want to be in charge and do borderline sinful stuff.
Since we want to be Christians we also open door #3. But if door 1 and 2 are wide open we often don’t feel much when we open door #3. We often see very few answers to prayer if the 1st and 2nd doors are open.
Door 1 is often hard to shut. If you have been drinking or smoking as often as possible for 15 years – it is going to take some work to slam that door shut. But door # 2 is your decision now. You choose whether to watch a show that talks about the point spread when u have a gambling problem, you choose whether you sit around discussing the good old party days when you are trying to dry out, you choose to watch a movie that is only fairly smutty when porn has put up a wall between you and Christ in the past.
Circumstances seem to drive us back to addiction but that is only rarely the case. But circumstances combined with you holding door #2 wide open will certainly make temptation very tough.
Will God really give you joy if you slam door #2 Shut? Ask Him. Discuss it with Him.
You only do what you do because it is “what you do.” Do you exaggerate the pleasure door #2 offers? Do you focus on the joy door # 3 offers you when you slam the other doors shut? Most of you agree by now that doing things God’s way increases your joy.
What habit can you start today that will help you slam door #2 shut and help you do things God’s way habitually?
Pray: Father give me wisdom to know what to say and do so that I can help other people. Pray: Father help people to be delivered from addiction and to be saved today.”
Read John 24, Proverbs 22 and 2nd Corinthians 8