Well, I've been trying to quit cigarettes for a while now. It's been two days, and I do feel much better.
I've tried everything, e-cigarettes, patches, spray, gums, CBT, pure will power.
Of all of them, actually pure will power worked the best. But alas, I failed every single time, again and again. I'd eventually find an out. One small reason that would continue into a chain of logic and eventually I'd run down to the store and get a pack of cigarettes.
And I did try to quit with the help of prayer, in the sense I kept a sheet of prayer around everytime I would get a craving to pray. Never worked mind you. I would also carry my bible around as some kind of like, spiritual shield against mental attacks? God only know where I was going with that one ahaha.
Anyways. I had a little bit of a revelation with Christ. Basically the first one was that even though I was seeking his help in quitting, I was still trying to do it on my own will.
So I submitted my will to his. In the process I actually brought down my proud barriers against God, by trying to do it in my own strength rather than seeking his. I came to him in my absolute weakness and asked him to help me.
Secondly, I still get cravings. I can't distinguish if they are purely psychological or physical, I think that debate with nicotine ever rages on. But whatever, it doesnt matter, what I can say is there is a desire there to have a cigarette.
Partially, that desire comes from seeking release, seeking a coping mechanism in an incredibly stressful life. There's been very few times I've smoked purely because I enjoy it. Usually it accompanies some stressful event. It never really occured to me that this is what I was doing, however, my eyes are open now.
Unfortunately that desire has become entrenched in my life with cigarettes. I'm being patient with myself firstly, because it's difficult to find other coping mechanisms, and other ways of dealing with stress.
However, the one key distinction was that I used prayer. A lot. I try to pray out aloud when I can, but typically when I get the craving, I shut my eyes for a couple of seconds, and focus on prayer to God.
I usually try to "will" Christ next to me. It's not so much "willing" him in, as much as putting all my faith into the fact that he's standing in the room with me. That Christ is alive right here and now with us right now. Typically in my mind I get a vision of him, mainly blurry.
I surrender my will to Christ, and ask to give me his will instead, ask him to take away the desire for now, and to put a desire instead to serve him. Usually it relieves the cravings instantaneously.
It really does feel as if he's washing me completely free of it. Like I get this feeling wash through my body and the craving is gone.
The next thing I ask is usually for him to help me physically. Usually this is purely because of withdrawal symptoms lately. After my first night, I was getting pretty bad sweats, weird ass hot flushes and just terrible insomnia. I've had this before when I tried to quit under my will. It's usually been enough to drive me to the neaerest convenience store.
Now without getting too much into the spiritual realm, these are purely physical symptoms. Usually during these times I just ask him to comfort and help heal me during this suffering.
Typically I can feel his hand on my shoulder, or usually on my chest, where it typically hurts the most actually. Sore chest after smoking (flu symptoms and the like), who woulda thunk it?
Another important point is that yesterday when I was getting terribly bad cravings while driving, not only did I surrender to him, I asked forgiveness for being proud. I uttered the sentence "Father, Forgive...." as soon as I asked forgiveness it was granted. I was asking for forgiveness for my vanity, because smoking really takes the years off you and part of the reasons I wanted to quit smoking had nothing to do with health, but everything to do with looking better.
Anyways, after I said forgive, bam that washing sense came back and I didn't feel like a cigarette.
I feel great though, I'm still going through all the physical changes, but I don't even feel mildly bad about them. I actually have a really positive outlook on this. Like I've quit, I feel so much better and it's only going to get better. God it's so terribly cliche, but it's true! It's so strange, because I'm just not this type of person, I've been so cynical, so apathetic and completely closed for such a long time.
Last time I quit I got all stoic and hard about it, tried to make myself be tough, and as usual it never worked out.
To summarise though, (personal testimony can get out of hand sometimes can't it?)
1) First believe in Christ. I know this might sound obvious, but concentrate all your faith into Christ. That he exists, he is there and not only does he want to help you, he wants to forgive you too.
2) Ask Christ to help you quit smoking. For me, Christ wanted me to quit. Even though I wanted to quit, he specifically asked it of me as a gesture of faith. Regardless, he knows you well, he knows you better than anyone on this earth, he has absolute understanding of what you want.
Knows why you think smoking is bad, not bad, good, not good, ambiguous, forced or pressured into it, a bad habit. Whatever the cause and knowledge is, maybe you just want to quit because it's finally time to give up.
Ask him to reveal this to you. Ask him to help quit for the reasons you want, but more importantly because he loves you, and he wants you to be free.
3) Submit your will to him, ask him to make his will be known into you and ask him to break the chains of submission of nicotine and cigarettes. It works, it worked and helped me to break these chains.
I've been smoking for well over 15 years now. It's finally time to break these chains, help christ break those chains and submit to him.
4) Pray out 2 Cor 10:5. "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
This one works for a number of reasons. I prayed this prayer for years, and finally about a month ago, I had a wash of understanding absolutely pour over me about an incredible amount.
This one helps me partially because it broke all the proud strongholds of smoking. Helped me to see the truth of it. It wasn't a social thing, it wasn't just an addiction, it was litterally rebellion against God. Sin.
It's not what we like to hear, but the truth reveals itself in love, even though it can be painful.
5) One other thing I had a good amount of help with is that I made it absolutely no option to have a cigarette. Not a single one. If I put my absolute faith in Christ, then when I wanted to have a cigarette or got a craving or was tempted, then that left only one option didn't it?
Meant I had to pray to Christ then and there. Obviously for most of us, it's difficult to do that audibly. Ask him simply in your mind. Concentrate your prayers in the middle of your head and ask him to help.
Well that came out all disjointed and weird. Anyways, I am praying over all these people in the forums.
Christ loves you, you will get there. Keep your head up, and good luck!
I've tried everything, e-cigarettes, patches, spray, gums, CBT, pure will power.
Of all of them, actually pure will power worked the best. But alas, I failed every single time, again and again. I'd eventually find an out. One small reason that would continue into a chain of logic and eventually I'd run down to the store and get a pack of cigarettes.
And I did try to quit with the help of prayer, in the sense I kept a sheet of prayer around everytime I would get a craving to pray. Never worked mind you. I would also carry my bible around as some kind of like, spiritual shield against mental attacks? God only know where I was going with that one ahaha.
Anyways. I had a little bit of a revelation with Christ. Basically the first one was that even though I was seeking his help in quitting, I was still trying to do it on my own will.
So I submitted my will to his. In the process I actually brought down my proud barriers against God, by trying to do it in my own strength rather than seeking his. I came to him in my absolute weakness and asked him to help me.
Secondly, I still get cravings. I can't distinguish if they are purely psychological or physical, I think that debate with nicotine ever rages on. But whatever, it doesnt matter, what I can say is there is a desire there to have a cigarette.
Partially, that desire comes from seeking release, seeking a coping mechanism in an incredibly stressful life. There's been very few times I've smoked purely because I enjoy it. Usually it accompanies some stressful event. It never really occured to me that this is what I was doing, however, my eyes are open now.
Unfortunately that desire has become entrenched in my life with cigarettes. I'm being patient with myself firstly, because it's difficult to find other coping mechanisms, and other ways of dealing with stress.
However, the one key distinction was that I used prayer. A lot. I try to pray out aloud when I can, but typically when I get the craving, I shut my eyes for a couple of seconds, and focus on prayer to God.
I usually try to "will" Christ next to me. It's not so much "willing" him in, as much as putting all my faith into the fact that he's standing in the room with me. That Christ is alive right here and now with us right now. Typically in my mind I get a vision of him, mainly blurry.
I surrender my will to Christ, and ask to give me his will instead, ask him to take away the desire for now, and to put a desire instead to serve him. Usually it relieves the cravings instantaneously.
It really does feel as if he's washing me completely free of it. Like I get this feeling wash through my body and the craving is gone.
The next thing I ask is usually for him to help me physically. Usually this is purely because of withdrawal symptoms lately. After my first night, I was getting pretty bad sweats, weird ass hot flushes and just terrible insomnia. I've had this before when I tried to quit under my will. It's usually been enough to drive me to the neaerest convenience store.
Now without getting too much into the spiritual realm, these are purely physical symptoms. Usually during these times I just ask him to comfort and help heal me during this suffering.
Typically I can feel his hand on my shoulder, or usually on my chest, where it typically hurts the most actually. Sore chest after smoking (flu symptoms and the like), who woulda thunk it?
Another important point is that yesterday when I was getting terribly bad cravings while driving, not only did I surrender to him, I asked forgiveness for being proud. I uttered the sentence "Father, Forgive...." as soon as I asked forgiveness it was granted. I was asking for forgiveness for my vanity, because smoking really takes the years off you and part of the reasons I wanted to quit smoking had nothing to do with health, but everything to do with looking better.
Anyways, after I said forgive, bam that washing sense came back and I didn't feel like a cigarette.
I feel great though, I'm still going through all the physical changes, but I don't even feel mildly bad about them. I actually have a really positive outlook on this. Like I've quit, I feel so much better and it's only going to get better. God it's so terribly cliche, but it's true! It's so strange, because I'm just not this type of person, I've been so cynical, so apathetic and completely closed for such a long time.
Last time I quit I got all stoic and hard about it, tried to make myself be tough, and as usual it never worked out.
To summarise though, (personal testimony can get out of hand sometimes can't it?)
1) First believe in Christ. I know this might sound obvious, but concentrate all your faith into Christ. That he exists, he is there and not only does he want to help you, he wants to forgive you too.
2) Ask Christ to help you quit smoking. For me, Christ wanted me to quit. Even though I wanted to quit, he specifically asked it of me as a gesture of faith. Regardless, he knows you well, he knows you better than anyone on this earth, he has absolute understanding of what you want.
Knows why you think smoking is bad, not bad, good, not good, ambiguous, forced or pressured into it, a bad habit. Whatever the cause and knowledge is, maybe you just want to quit because it's finally time to give up.
Ask him to reveal this to you. Ask him to help quit for the reasons you want, but more importantly because he loves you, and he wants you to be free.
3) Submit your will to him, ask him to make his will be known into you and ask him to break the chains of submission of nicotine and cigarettes. It works, it worked and helped me to break these chains.
I've been smoking for well over 15 years now. It's finally time to break these chains, help christ break those chains and submit to him.
4) Pray out 2 Cor 10:5. "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
This one works for a number of reasons. I prayed this prayer for years, and finally about a month ago, I had a wash of understanding absolutely pour over me about an incredible amount.
This one helps me partially because it broke all the proud strongholds of smoking. Helped me to see the truth of it. It wasn't a social thing, it wasn't just an addiction, it was litterally rebellion against God. Sin.
It's not what we like to hear, but the truth reveals itself in love, even though it can be painful.
5) One other thing I had a good amount of help with is that I made it absolutely no option to have a cigarette. Not a single one. If I put my absolute faith in Christ, then when I wanted to have a cigarette or got a craving or was tempted, then that left only one option didn't it?
Meant I had to pray to Christ then and there. Obviously for most of us, it's difficult to do that audibly. Ask him simply in your mind. Concentrate your prayers in the middle of your head and ask him to help.
Well that came out all disjointed and weird. Anyways, I am praying over all these people in the forums.
Christ loves you, you will get there. Keep your head up, and good luck!
Blessings!
