Crucified with Christ

I have been a Christian for almost twenty years. I was a smoker for nearly thirty-five years. I don't believe Christians should have addictions and I tried many times to get rid of mine. After so many failed attempts I gave up. My attitude was: "I smoke. Don't hassle me about it. Are you addicted to caffeine? Sugar? Chocolate? Food in general? If so, you have no room to talk." I had no intentions of quitting smoking, though occasionally I was ashamed.

Then one day in October of 2008 Sabe and I were sitting on the porch having a smoke when I suddenly blurted out, "What do you think of quitting smoking?"

Quitting smoking! Where did that come from?

Sabe was as shocked as I was. But she agreed it sounded like a good idea and we planned to start researching the best way to go about it. We read books and articles online. We came up with a plan that involved cutting back to nothing. We worked the plan. I was down to two cigarettes a day when I quit working the plan. I gradually worked myself up to what I was smoking before we started. I had no more plans to quit.

But unbeknown to me, my granddaughters were praying for us to quit smoking.

So in October of 2009, with Sabe and I again sitting on the porch smoking, I blurted out the same question. Again Sabe agreed. We dug up all our information and made a new plan that involved using the patch. We worked the plan. Several times I went up the street to sneak a smoke, but I was still committed to quitting.

The patches helped a lot but I don't expect I would have succeeded had not the Lord reminded me that 'I had been crucified with Christ so that I no longer lived but Christ lived in me.'

I used that scripture many, many times a day. Every time a craving enveloped me I prayed, "For I have been crucified with Christ so that I no longer live but Christ lives in me." I knew Jesus would never have smoked, so as long as I was dead and He lived in me, I wouldn't smoke. I felt God's strong arms around me and I knew He was going to 'quit me smoking.'

He did. In all of this I do not consider myself to have quit--I had no desire to do so and I am not good at denying myself. God did it and it amazes me. I really thought I'd be addicted for the rest of my life. But God obviously wanted to deliver me, so He did. Thank You Lord!

"For I have been crucified with Christ so that I no longer live but Christ lives in me." Galatians 2:20