Smoking From All Sides
The
Armor of God Stop Smoking Method involves the acceptance of certain truths, as
follows:
1.
Smoking IS an addictive habit that relies upon the drug nicotine for effect.
2.
Smoking WILL cause you to experience health disorders at some point in your
life.
3.
Smoking IS expensive.
4.
Smoking HAS, in addition to physiological health disorders, been shown to have
a possible causative relationship to depression.
5.
Smoking HAS a negative effect on the majority of people with whom you interact
on a day-to-day basis, as to their perception of you as a person, in both
business and personal situations.
6. You
CAN quit smoking.
7. You
WILL feel better, physically and mentally, when you quit smoking.
8. You
WILL have a better appreciation of life as a non-smoker.
9. You
WILL probably always have cravings for whatever forms of tobacco you consumed.
10.
You CANNOT and SHOULD NOT fight this addiction by yourself alone.
If you
can accept the above 10 truths, then you have taken the first step toward
becoming a non-smoker. The next step involves the development of your own plan
of action.
There
are times in our lives when we hear that soft, gentle voice in our heart that
tells us to stop and listen closely. We never count the times we hear the sound
of the voice, because more often than not, we don’t care to stop and listen. We
are too busy; there are places to go things to do and the basic needs of our
day-to-day lives to be met. Our lives become matters of convenience; we take
the easy way out and heaven help anyone or anything that becomes an obstacle.
I’ve been there, I’ve done that and I will honestly admit that I can still very
easily slip into a very focused mindset.
I took
the path of least resistance for the 33 plus years I was addicted to the poison
nicotine, by way of smoking cigarettes. There are many people that listen
intently every day of their lives to hear the voice of love, but I wasn’t one
of them. I didn’t have time; I enjoyed the nicotine rush as I sucked the
noxious fumes into my lungs each day. Smoking was more than an addiction, it
was my personality, it was a part of who I was, and it was an unfailing
constant in my life. It comforted me in times of stress, the lazy smoke rings
over coffee added to my times of relaxation. I was a smoker and no one but no
one was going to complicate my life by telling me I should quit. Certainly, it
wasn’t about to be a voice that called my name in the stillness of the night,
with whispered words of direction guided by unconditional love.
As I
approached my 48th birthday, I was enjoying life, working with one
of my best friends in a small office environment, but for a multinational
insurance company. Great benefits and pretty good salary. I had survived a
dreaded consolidation the year before, being one of only a handful of employees
to still have a job in the city I called home. I was in good health and had not
entertained even the thought that I should end my addiction to nicotine. Little
did I know of the plans that had been laid out for me.
At
that point in my life, I had been drifting far off course in my spiritual life.
I was like one of those guys you see in cartoons, who are stranded on a
deserted island in the middle of nowhere. The first time I remember seeing the
Armor Of God verse was on a piece of needlework hanging at my father-in-law’s
house shortly after my wife and I married, and several years prior to my
approaching epiphany. The next time I saw the verse was when my father-in-law
gave my wife another piece of needlework similar to the one hanging at his
house. My wife placed the hanging on the back of the front door, so it was
physically difficult for me to ignore. I saw the words each day, but I did not
take what it was saying to heart.
The
needlework continued to hang on our front door, and everyday, as the family was
beating a path out the door to school and jobs, my wife would ask our then 9
year old son if he had put on his “you-know-what”. Meaning, had he recited and
visualized putting on the Armor Of God. My son, in his childhood eagerness to
one-up an adult, would turn to me and ask the same question. Even in my usual
“Type A – we are going to be late for school and work” attitude, it made me
hesitate ever so slightly, but I was still not hearing the message of the
words.
In
mid-October, 1998, I went on a business trip to Newport, Rhode Island, near
where one of my cousins lives and ministers to a local congregation. My cousin
and I had the opportunity to have lunch, sightsee and visit for part of one
afternoon. With both of us now being in our forties, it had been many years
since we had shared each other’s company. We had a great time talking about
family and politics, but what I truly enjoyed was our discussion of personal
faith. Although I have faith God has always been with me, even when I did not
acknowledge His presence, I had never been very demonstrative in my faith. In
other words, I was a “quiet Christian”, which is nice way of saying a person
only goes to church on holidays and special occasions. However, before leaving
Rhode Island, I asked my cousin to e-mail me some of his sermons.
About
a week or so after I returned home, my cousin e-mailed a sermon he had given at
a recent baptism service. The scripture he used was the Armor Of God verse from
Ephesians. Besides being a very good sermon, the words of St. Paul seemed to
jump off the page at me. I could not explain what I was feeling, or why I was
reacting to “just another Bible verse”. It caused such pause within me that I
took the sermon home for my wife to read. After reading it, she asked me if I
did not think someone was trying to tell me something. It was at that point
that I felt something within me say, “Yes, you’re right”, but I truly did not
know why I was being called.
Prior
to my Rhode Island trip and over the course of the next couple of weeks after I
returned, it was as if someone or something was telling me that if I did not
quit smoking, it would have a negative effect on my life. More bluntly put, I
felt as though I was being told “either quit or die”, but I had not had any
illnesses or other causes of alarm for my health. I had been a regular
cigarette smoker for well over 33 years. I had tried to quit about three times
over those 33 years, but had not seriously thought about it in at least 10
years. Smoking had become a part of me; it was like it was a part of my
personality. You did not see Jim unless I had a pack of smokes in my pocket. I
remember going through the security checkpoint at the Little Rock airport a
month of so before the Rhode Island trip, and, as the guard ensured that my
laptop computer was not a bomb, she noticed the three days worth of cigarettes
stuffed into my computer case. Her immediate reaction was “Wow, you sure smoke
a lot”. I had not occurred to me how it looked to anyone else to have 6 or 8
packs of smokes nearby and ready should a “Designated Smoking Area” suddenly
appear. The guard’s words made me think, and caused what were probably the
first stirrings within me, about this habit that was so much a part of who I
was. Or, whom I thought I was.
As the
first week of November, 1998 approached, almost subconsciously, I started to
cut back on the amount of cigarettes I smoked. I had no idea why I was cutting
back, it was as if I was being taken down this path, but I was not being
dragged kicking and screaming, I was willingly being lead. Looking back, I
truly believe God was speaking to me, and I just did not recognize His voice.
In this day and time, you do not run across too many burning bushes, although you
could believe that a cigarette is nothing more than a bunch of burning leaves
of the tobacco plant. Okay, that image might be a bit of a stretch on the
burning bush scenario, but my point is, He does speak to us in many ways, the
more often than not, it comes quietly to us, and not from a thundercloud.
Within
a matter of days, I realized that I was reducing the amount of nicotine in my
system. For some reason, which I did not understand at the time, I was mildly
happy that I was reducing my smoking. It was at this point that I consciously
began to limit the amount of cigarettes I smoked. This conscious reduction took
place over a period of approximately 7-10 days. During this period of time, I
began focusing on the Armor Of God verse as my strength against the withdrawal
symptoms I knew should start very soon. Also, I relied upon the story of
“Footsteps In The Sand”, in which the person ask of God at the end of life,
why, at certain times during life, there were only one set of footprints in the
sands of life. To which God replies, “That is when I carried you”. I had
effectively turned my withdrawal symptoms over to Him, and did not worry about
them again.
The
idea of using faith and the Word of God as a part of a smoking cessation
program is not a new idea. Also, there is a definite question as to how to
approach prayer. My wife has told me that if you pray for something, say
“strength”; then God will provide situations, in addition to those for which
you prayed, that will force you to find the strength for which you originally
prayed. The thought is, a person should not so much ask of God, but to thank
Him for the peace He has provided during that day. This latter thought still
helps me deal with occasional cravings, and reaffirms that tomorrow will be even
better.
This
is the background and birth of a witness to God’s love and gifts. Now, please
follow me as we next move to the truths and mechanics of the Armor Of God Stop
Smoking Method.
1. Get
a calendar, and select a touchstone date to quit. This date should relate to
some positive event in your life. My own personal date is November 11th,
which is Veterans Day. I have personally been involved in Veterans Day
observances for many years, in particular, activities related to my fellow
Vietnam veterans. To me, this is a very positive and soul-stirring day, and so
should your day have the same meaning to you. However, the date should be in
the near future, not six months from now.
2.
Once you have selected and marked your touchstone date to quit, also mark the
date two (2) weeks before as being the nicotine reduction start date. This is
the date when you will purposely begin to reduce your consumption of nicotine.
You will become aware of just how many cigarettes you are smoking each day. You
will question yourself each time you lift the flame to the tip of the
cigarette, “How bad do I really want this smoke?”. If, with your answer, deep
down inside you do not believe your own logic, please do not berate yourself.
This method is designed to relate to positive aspects of your life, it is not
designed to make you feel guilty. However, it does require that you be
completely honest with yourself, which is not always an easy thing to do. Many
times, it is much easier to convince ourselves of something than it is to
convince others. You must accept that the soothing smoke going down your throat
into your lungs contains highly toxic substances that can kill you. Plain and
simple, you must eliminate those toxic substances from your system. I suggest
the following approach for nicotine reduction:
a. If,
for example, you smoke a pack and a half of cigarettes per day, you need to
reduce your consumption from 30 cigarettes a day to 15 by the end of the first
week. Saying you “only” smoke a pack or a pack and a half a day does not sound
as bad as, “I smoke 20 to 30 cigarettes a day.”. How you split up the daily
reduction of the number of cigarettes is up to you. If you desire to
immediately reduce from 30 to 15, and you are comfortable doing so, then go for
it, but do not try to go too fast too soon. Whatever number you choose, be
consistent and stick with it during the reduction period.
3. Now
that you have selected both your nicotine reduction and quit smoking start
dates, you have one more date to select, your Armor of God date. Your Armor of
God date is the date you begin each day by putting on the full Armor of God,
and should begin at least one (1) week prior to your nicotine reduction start
date. Putting on the full Armor of God involves more than reading Ephesians 6:10-18
on a daily basis, it involves you visualizing yourself actually putting on the
armor described in the verse. I do recommend that you copy the Armor of God
verse on a 3 X 5 card, and carry it with you at all times. One thing to
remember is, St. Paul was well acquainted with soldiers of the Roman army, and
I feel certain that the Roman style is to which he referred. However, please
feel free to go with a medieval motif, if that is what works for you, just
choose a style and stick with it. Also, bear in mind that women have donned
armor more than once during the course of history, so do not get into a gender
identification issue with the use of armor as the key element of this method.
Once you have read the verse several times you will begin to understand, as I
did, that you are being given a way to not only stop smoking, but also to
protect yourself from the day-to-day stressors of life. The more I have
accepted that I must allow Him to carry me in times of trouble, such as in the
“Footsteps In The Sand” story, the more I am overjoyed by the gift of His
armor, which provides that extra protection every moment of my life, whether He
is carrying me or not. I recommend that your visualization, of placing the
Armor upon your body, occur the first thing in the morning. Again, be
consistent, in my case, I have found that my morning shower is the best time
for me. My wife, on the other hand, puts hers on during her morning prayers,
before she ever gets out of bed. I mean, we are talking some serious
visualization, be expressive, lift the helmet to your head, place the
breastplate upon your chest, buckle the belt, fit your feet with His peace,
pick up the shield and the sword. Hold nothing back, you are trying to save
your life, for both yourself and those who love you.
4.
Since you have set aside a time in the morning, or whenever you arise (this is
for all people, no matter what hours they maintain), you must also set aside a
few moments whenever you go to bed to thank the Lord for the gifts He has
provided and the use of His Armor. As I actually write the words on the screen,
the thought occurs to me that I never consciously remove the Armor, and I guess
it is because I believe I need His protection even while I sleep. It is more
like the act of getting out of bed removes the Armor, and you must daily ensure
that you put it back on your body.
Congratulations!
You now have your own plan for using the Armor of God Stop Smoking Method. I
would now like to offer my thoughts in the following section, “The Elements”,
as to the individual elements of the Armor of God, and I would encourage you to
consider your own thoughts as to what each means to you.
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