Cigarette Addiction: Be Still and the LORD Will Fight for You

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I have heard it said that giving up cigarette smoking is like giving up heroin since both are equally difficult to overcome. Although, I have never done heroin, I do believe that is true. I started smoking at age fifteen, and for over twenty years, tried quitting countless times, but with no success. I felt hopelessly addicted until a Divine intervention happened that put an end to my cigarette smoking for good. This is what happened:

Shortly after coming to faith in the Lord Jesus, I had a strong desire to quit smoking. Looking back, I could see it was the Holy Spirit prompting me that it was time to give it up. However, as mentioned, I had tried quitting countless times, but to no avail; nevertheless, since growing in my faith, and sincerely believing that God wanted me to give it up, I was ready to attempt it again. Over the next few years, I tried everything to give it up: nicotine gum and patch, meditation, cold turkey, weaning myself off, and a combination of the various ways. I finally reached the end of myself and told God, “I know you want me to give this up, but I can’t do it, so I’m not even going to try many more; I’m just going to smoke until I die and that's it,” and then, I cried.

The next morning as I’m getting ready for work, all I could think about was Pharaoh and the Egyptians. They were so impressed on my heart and mind that I could barely think about anything else, and I wondered why I was even thinking about this? I went to my Bible because that was the only place where I knew to find Pharaoh and the Egyptians and started to read. As I read Exodus chapters 1-15 several times over the course of a few months, I began to draw a comparison between my cigarette smoking and Pharaoh. In the same way, cigarettes ruled over me, keep me in bondage, and would not let me go; but, by this time, I started to grow weary and lose interest over the whole matter, and sounded a bit testy when saying, “Okay God, I can see that Pharaoh is the cigarettes in my life, but what do you want me to do? What is my part in this?”

As I carefully reread the chapters trying to pinpoint my part, the only thing that stood out to me was when Pharaoh and the Egyptians were in hot pursuit of the Israelites at the Red Sea to bring them back into bondage, and they cried out to Moses saying, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness” (Exodus 14.11, RSV)? (The Israelites, like me, had reached the end of themselves and felt hopelessly enslaved. The surrounding Red Sea signaled that since there was no place for them to go). Then Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be still” (Exodus 14:13-14). I said, “Okay God, my part is to be still, and You will fight this battle for me, but how do I be still, I asked?”

Well, around the same time, I was learning to bring my thoughts to the truth of God's word and to walk in that truth. So, how I learned to be still was that every time a thought, feeling, urge, craving, whatever it was that had anything to do with cigarettes rose up within me, I would meet it with the truth of God's word that He gave me, "The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be still" (Exodus 14.14). As I practiced it every time a thought came to my mind about smoking, I could feel my mind quieting down and being still in that area. In the meantime, I’m still smoking since it was such a horrendous addiction, and I had failed quitting so many times, I wanted to practice before stepping out in faith. As the saying goes, “Practice! Practice! Practice! To learn is not the main thing, but to practice” (Mishna).

When I felt ready, I said to God, "I'm going to step out in faith today," and I reaffirmed my faith by saying, “Pharaoh is the cigarettes in my life and my part is to be still and You will fight this battle for me. I’m going to walk through the Red Sea on dry land, and the sea is going to overwhelm my enemies, but understand this," I told God, "if I see war (meaning the mental war we go through when trying to give up something), I’m going back to Egypt (Smoking)!" I could handle the physical withdrawal from cigarettes, but I could not handle the mental withdrawal; it was too strong for me. Then, I remembered the scripture that read, 'When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest the people repent when they see war, and return to Egypt”' (Exodus 13:17). The Israelites, like me, were so weaken emotionally, physically, and spiritually from years of cruel bondage that they could not fight back when pursued and confronted by struggle or conflict, they were just willingly going to go back to slavery.

Since, I was ready; I waited for the next thought to occur in my mind that had to do with cigarettes, so I could step out in faith, and, without delay, a thought came that said, “It’s time for a cigarette break!” At that point, I slowly and gently said, in faith, and not practice, “Be still, and the LORD will fight for you. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again,” and by faith I believed all those thoughts about smoking, which were Pharaoh and the Egyptians to me, were drowned in the Red Sea.

I never smoked a cigarette again or had a thought, urge, impulse, or craving to; for a split second, I even looked for one in my mind, but quickly stopped myself for fear they might come back, and just accepted, I was delivered. Also, I didn’t use any of the things mentioned above to aid me such as the nicotine gum or patch. I didn’t gain weight. My face didn’t break out from nerves or overeating. I didn’t have dreams about cigarettes. I didn't get irritable, agitated, or stressed out. It was like I never smoked! Thank you, Jesus!

When I see people smoking, especially older people, I wonder how many times they've tried to quit in their lives. One such person sticks out in my mind. At the store, I noticed an older woman wheeling her cart of groceries towards the exit while balancing a lighter in one hand and a cigarette in the other ready to light-up as soon as the cart hit the pavement. That was how desperate she was for a cigarette. I felt sorry for her because I knew exactly what that was like. 

Upon reflecting, I realized that if God guides us to do something, God will also provide us with the way to do it, and our part in it. That was the wisdom God gave me to overcome the Pharaoh in my life, and if it worked for me, and if it is God's will, it will work for you no matter what form Pharaoh may take in your heart and mind.

Alcohol Addiction: Love is an Action Verb

 Photo submitted by Naomi Green on Flickr.com

In my youth, it did not take me long to become addicted to alcohol and illegal drugs. It was like love at first sight for me. I grew up with family trauma mixed with fighting and struggled with being an introvert (not knowing what that meant back then) along with having fears and anxieties, and by using alcohol and drugs, it helped to mask the stresses from early life.

Overtime, alcohol became my drug of choice mainly due to its cheap-high and accessibility. It got to where I’d drink every day even in the mornings and before and after work when I could hold down a job. At times, I’d call out to God for help, and even though, in my youth, I had moved away from God; nevertheless, God heard and answered my prayer in the form of a co-worker, my sister, a counselor, a recovering addict, and countless others God put in my path along the road to recovery and sobriety. This is what happened:

While working as a waitress in a small restaurant, a cook was sentenced by a judge to thirty days in rehab for a DUI. When he came back to work, he was like a different person. He said that they helped him realize that he had a problem with alcohol and drugs, and he felt great, and wasn’t going to party anymore. I thought, "I want that!" Sometimes, all it takes is one person to make a difficult change and others follow. When I got home, I told my sister about it and said, "I want to go to rehab." At first, I thought she might be mad because I paid half the bills, but she was happily relieved and supportive and took charged of the situation calling different places to find one that would take me without having money to pay for it. My sister is a true friend, I could not have done it in my messed-up condition without her.

She located a state treatment facility free of charge to those who couldn’t afford it, and we went to speak to a counselor about me entering the program, but she informed us of a waiting list to get into the center. I left feeling discouraged and afraid that if I didn’t go soon, I would lose my nerve and not go at all. The miracle happened the next day when the counselor called and said that the person scheduled to be there never showed, and if I wanted the available space, I had to go now. Although scared and having second thoughts, I knew I had to go. I don’t know why the counselor picked me over someone higher up on the waiting list except that God arranged it.

I went to rehab that night. The only advice my family gave me was “Whatever you do, complete the program.” I spent thirty days in rehab, and, for the most part, it was like a vacation to me. We did activities such as hiking, watching movies, group therapy, counseling sessions, and AA meetings. A physician at the facility said that in the short span of my drinking, I had progressed to someone that had drank for many years, and recommended I spend an additional three months at a halfway house. I thought, "Yeah, I'll go," since rehab was like a vacation; I figured, the halfway house would be like that too, right? WRONG!!! To my dismay, it was anything but a vacation. We had to get a job right away and pay rent, there were a lot more rules, and the group therapy was more confrontational. I wanted out almost as soon as I got there, but I kept remembering my family’s advice, “complete the program,” so I unenthusiastically stuck with it. Looking back, I’m glad that I did if anything, it brought about more sobriety time, which is extremely important for those recovering from the devastating effects of alcohol and drug abuse. I don’t believe I would have stayed sober if I had left, and other vital support that was there for me would not have happened. 

After graduating from the program, I got my own apartment; even though, it was frowned upon by the staff at the halfway house to live alone due to accountability issues, but sadly, the woman I was paired to room with relapsed shortly before I graduated, so I had no choice. Nothing against her, but I was glad to be living alone; being an introvert, my mindset back then was that I just wanted to get away from all those b***hes (mainly, meaning the staff) at the halfway house. In spite of that, God had his hand on the situation because at my dive apartment across the hall from me, lived a woman who spent nine months at a different treatment facility for drug abuse, and, although, once again, my introvert personality resisted, but, due to her persistence, we became friends. She was strong in her sobriety and that made me strong. Once I asked her, “If she thought about using again,” and she said, “It scares me to hear you say that because I’m afraid you’ll start using again.” Well, that scared me, and I never said it again!

After being neighbors and friends for a couple of years, she moved back to her home state, but, by then, I was strong enough in my sobriety to be alone. Going through treatment was not a cure all; believe me, I have struggled with an addictive personality most of my adult life, but what it did for me was give me a foothold again to where I could start building a life. It also dried me out and cleared my mind enough to hear a good gospel message of salvation, in which, I responded by repenting of my sins and receiving Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

Not long after that, Jesus started working on delivering me from other addictions, imbalances, and habits. Like many who suffer from an addictive personality, we tend to attach it on to other things; thankfully, God accepts us as we are, but loves us too much to leave us that way.

Looking back on the experience, I learned that love is an action verb; I can see God's love in action in the form of the people God brought into my life to help bring about much needed deliverance and healing.

When entering treatment, the best advice came from my family, as mentioned above, they said, “Whatever you do, complete the program.” That is what I tell others, "Complete the program even if you don’t want to that is the best thing you can do for yourself and loved ones," and, I add, "Hang around people that are strong in their sobriety because that will help make you strong."

I want to end this post with a prayer. This pretty much sums up how God 's love answered my prayer. 

        O, God, I pray for all those suffering from addictions that you would give them the desire and will to be free and the grace to continue in the right way and send all the right people along their paths that would help lead them in a better way, and, in turn, draw them closer to you in Jesus name. Amen.