So at what stage are you with smoking?

[farouk]

Just now, Renskedejonge said:

No he didn't ask for his money back. He gave me more for the kids. But I mainly stopped because of him. It made him so sad.

I expect you are glad to be smoke-free........

[RdJ]

On 2/5/2024 at 10:17 PM, AngelInTraining93 said:

Nevermind. Relapse. Ugh. 

Treat it as any other sin. You're made holy and set free, so if you sin say sorry and go on in your freedom.

[FJK]

4 minutes ago, Renskedejonge said:

Treat it as any other sin. You're made holy and set free, so if you sin say sorry and go on in your freedom.

I find few people who have succeeded this way, the same with other drug addictions or life integrated sinfulness.

[RdJ]

2 hours ago, FJK said:

I find few people who have succeeded this way, the same with other drug addictions or life integrated sinfulness.

I got help by telephone and free patches with nicotin, to gradually get less and then stop. I just bound that smoke demon myself, but when something happened like my dad had to go to a home, I bought cigarettes, because anger is in that row from Paul and Corrie ten Boom's dad smoked a pipe now and then and he was holy and went to heaven, so that sin is less bad. Then I smoked 3 and threw the rest away and was like oooh it was all for nothing, but that coach said: Come on. You were doing so well. Just go on. And I was like: yes you're right and just asked forgiveness, rebuked that smoke demon and moved on. Normally they say: You are addicted again. Don't be so negative. If you do any other sin you don't think you're now a hopeless sinner again either.

Edited February 15 by Renskedejonge

[farouk]

17 minutes ago, Renskedejonge said:

I got help by telephone and free patches with nicotin, to gradually get less and then stop. I just bound that smoke demon myself, but when something happened like my dad had to go to a home, I bought cigarettes, because anger is in that row from Paul and Corrie ten Boom's dad smoked a pipe now and then and he was holy and went to heaven, so that sin is less bad. Then I smoked 3 and threw the rest away and was like oooh it was all for nothing, but that coach said: Come on. You were doing so well. Just go on. And I was like: yes you're right and just asked forgiveness, rebuked that smoke demon and moved on. Normally they say: You are addicted again. Don't be so negative. If you do any other sin you don't think you're now a hopeless sinner again either.

Hi @Renskedejonge Remember also that in the 19th century before the American Civil War, in parts of the US it was a widespread custom for women to smoke after a church service.

Customs change and develop; and really it's not helpful for ppl in one era to guilt-manipulate ppl because of smoking when in fact it has sometimes been widespread in another era.

But great that you managed to quit!

[FJK]

9 minutes ago, Renskedejonge said:

I got help by telephone and free patches with nicotin, to gradually get less and then stop. I just bound that smoke demon myself, but when something happened like my dad had to go to a home, I bought cigarettes, because anger is in that row from Paul and Corrie ten Boom's dad smoked a pipe now and then and he was holy and went to heaven, so that sin is less bad. Then I smoked 3 and threw the rest away and was like oooh it was all for nothing, but that coach said: Come on. You were doing so well. Just go on. And I was like: yes you're right and just asked forgiveness, rebuked that smoke demon and moved on. Normally they say: You are addicted again. Don't be so negative. If you do any other sin you don't think you're now a hopeless sinner again either.

The problem with quitting smoking and staying quit is not just simple physical addiction, that usually is is only intense for the first three days and complete in about three months, but the total integration of the ritual of smoking into every aspect of your life. 

That process is what changes you from being a smoker that isn't (currently) smoking to a non smoker that just doesn't have smoking as a part of their lives and thoughts anymore.

Every single thing that you have used he activity of smoking to cope with in your daily life has to have that behavior extinguished and replaced by a different (and hopefully beneficial) behavior in its place.

God helps us with this, he gives us the strength and guidance we need to do it, but he doesn't do it for us.  God does his part (when we ask for help is is given to us) but we have to do our part to bring it into fullness.  This is how we apply 'Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open' to our daily lives and the problems we face in them, follow that process and you succeed, ignore it and you are on your own.

This is something I learned 40+ years ago when I decided I was no longer going to be a smoker and quit smoking (cold turkey from 3 1/2 packs a day).

FWIW, smoking is one of the barriers that can stand between ourselves and a closer relationship with God.

[RdJ]

5 minutes ago, farouk said:

Hi @Renskedejonge Remember also that in the 19th century before the American Civil War, in parts of the US it was a widespread custom for women to smoke after a church service.

Customs change and develop; and really it's not helpful for ppl in one era to guilt-manipulate ppl because of smoking when in fact it has sometimes been widespread in another era.

But great that you managed to quit!

There was a preacher once who saod that he just got saved in a church and he was so happy that after the service he took a cigarette and a woman knocked it out of his mouth, saying that's bad and a sin to smoke in front of the church and a preacher saw it and picked the cigarette up and gave it back to him and he said that if he hadn't done that he might have never set a foot in church again.

I went to a group once for Bible study. These people had never smoked themselves and all they could say was oh how bad it is when someone smokes. No really? I hadn't thought about that. Goodness.

[farouk]

4 minutes ago, Renskedejonge said:

There was a preacher once who saod that he just got saved in a church and he was so happy that after the service he took a cigarette and a woman knocked it out of his mouth, saying that's bad and a sin to smoke in front of the church and a preacher saw it and picked the cigarette up and gave it back to him and he said that if he hadn't done that he might have never set a foot in church again.

I went to a group once for Bible study. These people had never smoked themselves and all they could say was oh how bad it is when someone smokes. No really? I hadn't thought about that. Goodness.

@Renskedejonge Interesting stories..!

[farouk]

@Renskedejonge I think traditionally in The Netherlands a lot of ppl in the Reformed churches smoke, don't they? like, in the interval between the Sunday services.

[RdJ]

16 minutes ago, farouk said:

@Renskedejonge I think traditionally in The Netherlands a lot of ppl in the Reformed churches smoke, don't they? like, in the interval between the Sunday services.

I don't know.

It was normal in the 90s to smoke behind your desk at the office, but now it's forbidden everywhere. They may not sell it in supermarkets anymore since January this year.