Ephesians 6:10
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
When you say, “I can manage this problem by myself, Lord,” God says, “Okay, you do it then.” But when you say, “Help me, Lord! I need You. I cannot do this on my own,” God says, “Good, I have been waiting for you to say that. You cannot, but I can. Now, watch Me!” That is how God is — He loves it when you depend on Him.
You see, when you think that you are strong and don’t need God, He cannot help you. But when you need Him and look to Him, He will not leave you weak and helpless. He comes and becomes the strength of your life. He becomes the breakthrough that you need.
A church member with a smoking habit came to me one day and said, “Pastor Prince, please pray that God will help me. I want to stop my smoking habit.”
I simply told him, “You cannot, but God can.”
He replied, “Yes, I know that I can’t. But with God’s help, I will discipline myself and try my best to quit the habit.”
I told him, “No, you cannot, but God can.” I repeated this to him a few times until he realised that it was not his self-discipline or willpower that would help him overcome his smoking habit, but the power of God. He finally understood that true deliverance from this destructive habit would not come by his own strength, but by “[being] strong in the Lord and in the power of His might”.
When I saw him again a few weeks later, he said, “Pastor Prince, since that day, I didn’t even try to stop myself from smoking. But each time I lit up, I told God, ‘I cannot, but You can.’ Then one day, the craving was gone! Jesus has completely delivered me from my bondage to nicotine!” This man experienced true deliverance, not just an outward form of discipline and willpower.
So when you say, “I can do something about it,” you are still relying on your human strength. But when you say to God, “I cannot, but You can,” you have just tapped into the real source of your strength — Jesus. And as you rest in His strength, you will see His power manifesting in your life.
(taken from http://www.newcreation.org.sg/resources/dailydevotion/dailydevo.asp)
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2 comments:
I have been casually praying to God to make me stop smoking for many years but it was only after I started getting to know God properly and personally in a church that my prayer of many many years got answered overnight. -pat
God is good. AMEN!
honestly i can't remember how i gave up smoking, well not that i was a hard core smoker to begin with but during that period of time, i remember going to church and hearing testimonies about how God delivered hard core smokers of many years out of their bondages. Smoking or any other bad habits do not make God love us any lesser but it is when we realise how much He truly loves us and by putting our faith in Him, it allows Him to deliver us out of any ill habits. We cannot but God is able! - RaggedyAnn
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