By Brenda Groves
The Post Newspaper Contributing Writer
I know this might sound strange to a lot of people but …
When I decided that I wanted to quit smoking, it really wasn’t my “friend” or “comforter.” Actually, it was a demonic spiritual stronghold over my mind and body that was stealing, killing and trying to destroy my life (John 10:10).
But I looked into the word of God with my heart open, teachable and willing to receive from Him. I took Him at His word, made it personal towards me, and started speaking His promises over myself while I was still smoking.
There were literally ashes and small burn holds in my Bible as I was still smoking but declaring that I was delivered, knowing in my heart that this was the truth. God said so and that was enough for me to believe.
“Forever O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven.” Psalm 119:89
Many people thought I was nuts!!! I heard many negative comments! “Oh, you’re one of THOSE people (Lol!).” Yet something had been happening behind the scenes: I was becoming familiar with my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
And the opinions of others were becoming less important to me. I wanted/needed to be healed. So I pursued it even more.
Mark 10:48 “And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal. Son of David, have mercy on me.”
I want to share a short daily devotional that helped me so much in standing on God’s promises while being faced with so much opposition.
“The devil will always have someone available to tell us why we shouldn’t expect to get results when petitioning God. Most people would rather stay with the crowd and not do anything to draw attention to themselves even if that means not getting their needs met. They will try to make you conform as well. If this man would have listened to the crowd, he would not have received his healing.
“Ye have not, because ye ask not” (Jas. 4:2).
This blind man is a good example of an active kind of faith. He was not passive in his approach toward healing. He boldly cried out to Jesus for mercy. When the crowd ridiculed him and told him to be quiet, he cried out even louder for mercy.
Many people believe that God can perform the miracle they need, but relatively few are willing to actively pursue it until they get results. They are afraid of what others will think of them. This man had his attention focused only on Jesus. Nothing else mattered and that is why he got healed.
An integral part of faith is seeking God only with your whole heart. If we are concerned about what people think so that we can gain their approval, we will never take a stand in faith for anything that we might be criticized for. This one thing has probably stopped as many people from receiving from God as anything else. You cannot be a “man-pleaser” and please God at the same time. Satan uses persecutions to steal away God’s Word and thereby stop our faith. To see faith work, we must say with Paul, “let God be true, but every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4).”
So when satan influenced people to tell me, “Stop with that Bible stuff!” “You’ll never quit. You’ve smoked since I’ve known you.” Or “It’s harder to quit smoking then to break a heroin addiction.” Or “If you quit smoking, be prepared to gain about 25lbs.”
I would not let that judgement pronounced against me go unanswered. I rebuked it, with grace, but still stood on God’s word, not man’s.
“Yes, I will quit smoking! I AM a non-smoker in the name of Jesus, and by His stripes I was healed and there will be NO sorrow attached to it! Old things have passed away, and all things have been made new. ALL things. Not just in my spirit, but in my spirit, soul and body!
“No weapon formed against me shall prosper and I am condemning these judgements spoken against me.”
( 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Cor. 5:17, 7:10; 1 Thes. 5:23, Isaiah 54:17
I got a lot of weird looks. Some people rolled their eyes but I knew they didn’t mean me any harm. They didn’t understand, and in the past I would have been leading the pack.
But with the grace and mercies of God and through the power of the Holy Spirit, I pursued and took hold of my healing, one hand still holding a cigarette (my body) but the other FREE hand (my mind/will/emotions) in the firm grip of Jesus (His written word).
Praise God, His promises are true! Jesus is alive and well and I haven’t smoked or desired to smoke one cigarette since January 11, 2009. And I lost 9 lbs. in the first two weeks.
His mercies are new every day, my lungs and throat were instantly healed, and the daily headaches were gone! (Lam. 3:22-24)
If you need healing/deliverance in any area of your life … “submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee from you!” God cannot lie! He cares about you and has already made provisions for and relief from your problems whether big or small!
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
(Matt: 19:26, James 4:7, Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2, Heb. 6:18)
(Daily devotional borrowed from Andrew Wommack Ministries- www.awmi.net)
Contact Brenda Groves at: bkgroves1996@yahoo.com
