By Request - Strength to Overcome

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1 KJV

In my younger days, I could pretty much do anything I made up my mind to do. However, forty years ago when I wanted to quit smoking, I couldn't do it on my own. I smoked three packs a day - smoked them, not watched them burn. I tried to quit so many unsuccessful times. Until I submitted that addiction to the Lord, I didn't stand a chance of stopping. Even then, this is how it went.

I literally would watch the clock and say to myself, “You’ve been without a cigarette for 3 hours and 7 minutes. If you pick up a cigarette now, you’ve put yourself through 3 hours and 7 minutes of agony for nothing.”
"God, I can't do this."
“God, please get me through the next 60 seconds. I can only do this if You help me.” Literally, the next 60 seconds...

And that was the Truth, I COULD NOT, but by HIS grace and HIS mercy and HIS strength and based on HIS WORDS, I was victorious. 1st Corinthians 10:13b, And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

And He did.

Do I think cigarettes will keep someone out of Heaven? I’m not God. Scripture tells us to work out our own salvation, and I believe that means God will work on us as individuals regarding the things that He wants out of our lives and what He wants in our lives and what He wants done in our relationship with Him…because He loves us.

That’s what we have to recognize. ALL that He does, ALL that He speaks to our hearts, ALL - Everything - is because He loves us.

I had prayed and prayed for God to just supernaturally deliver me from the nicotine addiction – to take away the desire because I’d heard so many testimonies of how He had done that for others. After all, He’s no respecter of persons, right (according to Acts 10:34)? So why didn’t He just do that for me?!? However, that’s not the way He chose to deliver me from it. Why? Well, I think it's because I'm rather headstrong and stubborn-willed, and He wanted me to realize that I could not do it on my own. I learned a very valuable lesson about relying on God because I could NOT do it in my own strength.

Hebrews 12:10b-11 NLT, reassures us; God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

Be encouraged today. No matter WHAT it is you're going through or trying to get through - He will see you through it. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Do it in HIS strength. That's REAL strength.

Prayer:

Father,
Thank You for the reminder that You are always there for us - to cause us to be victorious. Your Word encourages us to confess our struggles so that we may be healed. Hasten to perform Your Word in our lives, O Lord our God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.