I'm taking Course 3: Rebuilding Wisdom and my praises are about healing emotionally and physically.
For 46 years I have smoked cigarettes. For 30 of those 46 years, I have cried out to God to help me stop smoking. For 13 of those 30 years, my EH hated my smoking habit.
Over 8 months ago, in one of his emails, he stated that there would only be one thing that he would ever want to change about me...smoking!!
Well...I have to admit that my nose was pretty out of joint at that comment. Seriously??? How dare he mention something like smoking when he was doing X, Y, and Z as well as A, B, and C!!!
Because I believe that I have been led to begin writing a blog about the journey of my life, I needed to go back to the beginning of my RJ journal. It was then that I re-read my EH email. Immediately after rereading it, I became convicted in my spirit. My Precious Beloved Lord revealed to me how I had shown absolute disrespect towards my EH's hatred of cigarettes. I dishonored him and blatantly rebelled, choosing to smoke whenever and wherever I pleased, including our bedroom.
Oh, foolish woman that I was 🙁
Not only that, but the worst was having to come to the realization and admit that I had blatantly dishonored and rebelled against my Lord above all.
So...I made a decision that I would stop smoking. I didn't know how I was going to do it, and I knew that I desperately needed God's help. I have a book about stopping smoking - a cognitive behavioral book that is not biblical. I read a bit about it and decided that the only worthwhile thing I would use would be their charts to record the number of cigarettes that I smoked every day. Then I turned to God.
I began to journal and called this "My Deliverance from Smoking Journey." It took 6 days for my Beloved to help me to reduce my cigarette intake from 25 per day to 3!!! On the 7th day, I stopped smoking completely. My Lord has delivered me. I am free from the bondage and addiction of smoking cigarettes forever. PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME!!! YAY!!!
Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
It was only through Christ my Beloved Savior that I was able to quit smoking.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NKJV)
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Truly in my weakness, He has shown Himself strong. He has won the battle and has given me the victory. Praise His Holy Name!
~ Huldah in South Africa
Do you want to PRAISE Him for how He's shown you how to quit smoking or stop another bad habit? Aren't you thankful that Huldah shared this with you an Encouraging Woman?
Remember, Matthew 7:13-14 tells us to “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.”
And Psalm 100:4 tells us HOW to Enter— “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”
Be sure to submit a Praise Report today and enter through that narrow gate few ever find!