to God be the glory!

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I think I missed an opportunity to witness last night in that I may have not given credit where credit was due.  I didn't take it for myself either but I didn't finish the explanation either, which I intend to correct at the next opportunity.

One of my favorite quotes goes something like "If our lives make sense to unbelievers, something is wrong."  And it's in that spirit that I tell you today (even if I already did before) how I quit smoking.

I like to smoke.  That's not a secret and it's unfortunate that something so good has to be so bad for us and expensive, too.  But as I was smoking the first cigarette in the last pack I bought, this profound sadness came over me.  I couldn't explain what it was, except to describe it as "grieving the Holy Spirit".  The Bible says the Holy Spirit lives within us and that our bodies are temples to Him.  It also says we shouldn't "grieve" Him.  And that's how I decided to quit smoking.  That desire to smoke was overwhelmed by what I can only describe as the Holy Spirit.

To some of you, this sounds like crazy talk and I understand that.  I'm sorry you see it that way, if you do, but it's the best way I can explain why I put the smokes down.  I've wanted to buy cigarettes since then but for some reason I just can't bring myself to do it.  It's that little thing inside, that quiet voice, that gnaws at me when I want to have a smoke that stops me from having a smoke.

And keeps me from doing other things as well, which I find fascinating.

Anyway, thought that would be a good little story to share and a great way for giving praise and glory to our God!  How cool is that, that with everything in the world that's happening, He can find time to help me overcome my struggles with cigarettes.

What's God doing in your life?


Comments

  1. Dale CooperJune 1, 2012 at 9:26 AM

    It's funny what God can do. I wrote this yesterday. Last night at work, the opportunity presented itself and this time, I took it. I'm finding that prefacing some of my stories with the remark about my life making sense to unbelievers seems a good way to break the ice.

    GOD IS GOOD!

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