How to stop lying to oneself?

Sam91 · Jul 19, 2016

I'm pretty ok at not making promises I won't keep. I monitor my mouth carefully then. But how about to myself. I don't know whether my 100's of attempts at quitting smoking in the past has affect this but my word to myself is worthless. Surely thats's a sin. I feel really down about it.

I caved in with smoking this morning and only went a few hrs without one before going to the shops just now. It was all so easy last week. I didn't even have withdrawals tonight, I just caved in even thiugh I was in turmoil all the way to the shop thinking of buying something other than cigarettes. I just don't see it as the big sin I did before seeing as the Spirit has been with me so much even on days that I smoked.

I suppose this is something the Heavenly Father can help me with best but I would appreciate any tips with How to stop decieving yourself. If I trusted my word I might follow my resolutions. Why can I not do this? It spills into other areas of my life too. Like housework, good intentions etc

Sam91 · Jul 19, 2016

I suppose its also self sabotage because instead of wallowing in self pity I should be turning to God and the Bible right now.

faroukfarouk · Jul 19, 2016

Sam91 said:
I'm pretty ok at not making promises I won't keep. I monitor my mouth carefully then. But how about to myself. I don't know whether my 100's of attempts at quitting smoking in the past has affect this but my word to myself is worthless. Surely thats's a sin. I feel really down about it.

I caved in with smoking this morning and only went a few hrs without one before going to the shops just now. It was all so easy last week. I didn't even have withdrawals tonight, I just caved in even thiugh I was in turmoil all the way to the shop thinking of buying something other than cigarettes. I just don't see it as the big sin I did before seeing as the Spirit has been with me so much even on days that I smoked.

I suppose this is something the Heavenly Father can help me with best but I would appreciate any tips with How to stop decieving yourself. If I trusted my word I might follow my resolutions. Why can I not do this? It spills into other areas of my life too. Like housework, good intentions etc

Well, obviously your body tells you that you are an experienced smoking woman of many years' standing, and in terms of your body's nicotine expectations, sometimes a gradual reduction - 2 or 3 per week, for example - is a more realistic expectation for some ppl. Sounds like you have a new carton of cigarettes; which in theory could last you some weeks (a carton of 10?). You might want to try vaping again - inhaling very, very gently indeed - as being both less expensive in the long term and a way of reducing your intake gradually.

I think that smoking - done sometimes lightly as a social thing; not all smokers do it heavily - is as much a cultural thing for some people. The Lord knows your aim to quit; and a strategy to reduce your intake gradually might work best for some ppl.

Blessings.

faroukfarouk · Jul 19, 2016

Sam91 said:
I suppose its also self sabotage because instead of wallowing in self pity I should be turning to God and the Bible right now.

Well, what I would say to this is, when you pray and read the Bible, do it mainly because those activities are profitable and absorbing in themselves, rather than continually thinking: "I'm doing this as an anti-smoking therapy!", "I'm doing this as an anti-smoking therapy!"

Sam91 · Jul 19, 2016

I have prayed and got a lot of scripture popping into my head. Things from the last 3 months. Phillipians, Paul in his chains but joyful. Dying to my flesh, taking me out of it. Putting God at the centre. 1 Peter I think. Time to go and lose myself in the Epistles. Wallowing in self obsession is not the way of the Lord. It's not exactly humble.

Thank you Farouk for confirming what I have felt since praying. I will 'take Shelter in the Most High' Psalm 91(one of the very best bits of the Bible in my opinion)for the next 72 hours (then hopefully forever, but especially right now).

faroukfarouk · Jul 19, 2016

Sam91 said:
I have prayed and got a lot of scripture popping into my head. Things from the last 3 months. Phillipians, Paul in his chains but joyful. Dying to my flesh, taking me out of it. Putting God at the centre. 1 Peter I think. Time to go and lose myself in the Epistles. Wallowing in self obsession is not the way of the Lord. It's not exactly humble.

Thank you Farouk for confirming what I have felt since praying. I will 'take Shelter in the Most High' Psalm 91(one of the very best bits of the Bible in my opinion)for the next 72 hours (then hopefully forever, but especially right now).

YW, and you've encouraged me as well, if I may say so.

faroukfarouk · Jul 19, 2016

Yes, I love Psalm 91:

91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

thesunisout · Jul 20, 2016

Sam91 said:
I just don't see it as the big sin I did before seeing as the Spirit has been with me so much even on days that I smoked.

This jumped out at me and this is the scripture that came to mind:

Romans 5:20-21,6:1-4

Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Sam91 · Jul 20, 2016

Thank you Thesunisout.

faroukfarouk · Jul 20, 2016

Sam91 said:
I just don't see it as the big sin I did before seeing as the Spirit has been with me so much even on days that I smoked.

Remember also that some things have their cultural aspect. Take Prohibition, for example; you guys over the Pond never had Prohibition. As a matter of fact I don't drink at all, but this is a preference. While I don't think an occasional glass of wine is necessarily sinful, some Christians because of the cultural history of Prohibition think that even one glass of wine is not only an absolute no-no, it for them also defines fellowship with other Christians.

Similarly I guess with smoking. I quit successfully; but I know that in some countries some strong Christians there do smoke; it's not part of their cultural background for it to be regarded as a sin even if one smokes occasionally. Regarding yourself, if you can quit, more power to you! or if not immediately, then if you can cut down as an interim measure, this may be the way to go; and some ppl do find vaping to help.

Sam91 · Jul 20, 2016

I went without until about half hr ago. I hope I have quit now. I was getting too much rage building up. I should have trusted in God rather than reading about Him, I should have read my bible and spoke to him. The rage could have been changed with the Holy Spirit. God could easily have taken it away. I am a fool. He created the Heavens and the Earth.

This has a lot of lessons in at least.

faroukfarouk · Jul 20, 2016

Sam91 said:
I went without until about half hr ago. I hope I have quit now. I was getting too much rage building up. I should have trusted in God rather than reading about Him, I should have read my bible and spoke to him. The rage could have been changed with the Holy Spirit. God could easily have taken it away. I am a fool. He created the Heavens and the Earth.

This has a lot of lessons in at least.

Interesting observation; some ppl see inhaling to be about relaxing; you seem to identify it more with anger and rage.

So you smoked 1/2 hr ago? maybe you were feeling angry anyway, I don't know.

Sam91 · Jul 20, 2016

faroukfarouk said:
Interesting observation; some ppl see inhaling to be about relaxing; you seem to identify it more with anger and rage.

So you smoked 1/2 hr ago? maybe you were feeling angry anyway, I don't know.

No the withdrawals were causing rage and anger. Well noises were doing it. The nicotine gave me clarity to feel despondant. Won't wallow today. Just going to listen to the lessons and ask forgiveness.

faroukfarouk · Jul 20, 2016

Sam91 said:
No the withdrawals were causing rage and anger. Well noises were doing it. The nicotine gave me clarity to feel despondant. Won't wallow today. Just going to listen to the lessons and ask forgiveness.

Well, okay. Obviously smoking does not define you in a way it maybe once did to a greater extent, but because your body recognizes you to be an established smoking woman it's not something that ordinarily just goes away like turning off a tap. A lot of ppl find a gradualist approach in cutting down to be realistic, rather than an instant, turn-off-the-tap attempt which can lead to a lot of frustration.

Sam91 · Jul 20, 2016

Yeah. I agree with that. I prefer cold turkey. The first day is the worst. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. I will find it easier with less nicotine in my system. Will have only have had 1 and a third of a cigarette the day before (today).

On another not. I'm reading Isaiah 61. Do u know of any online concordance that tells you about the history of a chapter of the bible rather than explaining verses? Like what the israelites had been doing at the time things were written. To put it into context.

Catherineanne · Jul 20, 2016

Sam91 said:
I'm pretty ok at not making promises I won't keep. I monitor my mouth carefully then. But how about to myself. I don't know whether my 100's of attempts at quitting smoking in the past has affect this but my word to myself is worthless. Surely thats's a sin. I feel really down about it.

I caved in with smoking this morning and only went a few hrs without one before going to the shops just now. It was all so easy last week. I didn't even have withdrawals tonight, I just caved in even thiugh I was in turmoil all the way to the shop thinking of buying something other than cigarettes. I just don't see it as the big sin I did before seeing as the Spirit has been with me so much even on days that I smoked.

I suppose this is something the Heavenly Father can help me with best but I would appreciate any tips with How to stop decieving yourself. If I trusted my word I might follow my resolutions. Why can I not do this? It spills into other areas of my life too. Like housework, good intentions etc

This is where we need a minister to help us; confess to him or her and it is far less easy to justify those trips to buy cigarettes.

I wish you well.

faroukfarouk · Jul 20, 2016

Sam91 said:
Yeah. I agree with that. I prefer cold turkey. The first day is the worst. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. I will find it easier with less nicotine in my system. Will have only have had 1 and a third of a cigarette the day before (today).

On another not. I'm reading Isaiah 61. Do u know of any online concordance that tells you about the history of a chapter of the bible rather than explaining verses? Like what the israelites had been doing at the time things were written. To put it into context.

Young's Concordance and the Thompson Chain Reference Bible have a lot of notes and linked references. Strong's is good also.

When reading the Old Testament, it's good I think to remember that it's about Israel, even though there might be vivid applications to the church.

Sam91 · Jul 20, 2016

Yeah, thats why I want the context. Thank you will try those

faroukfarouk · Jul 20, 2016

Sam91 said:
Yeah, thats why I want the context. Thank you will try those

YW. It's good to remember that the church, properly speaking, began at Pentecost in Acts 2.

1 Corinthians 10.32 refers to three groups of people in the world: Jews, Gentiles and the church of God; and if we remember this from an interpretation point of view, we can avoid a lot of blurring of distinctions and inapplicable inferences.

faroukfarouk · Jul 20, 2016

Sam91 said:
I will find it easier with less nicotine in my system. Will have only have had 1 and a third of a cigarette the day before (today).

PS: So you smoked a third of a cigarette and then discarded the rest?

Something tells me that using vaping liquid very sparingly would be more cost effective in the long run for you, while you get used to smaller intakes of nicotine.

How to stop lying to oneself?

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