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If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 WEB.

I took one last draw and put the cigarette out. That was over twenty-five years ago and the last time I smoked. I grew up on a farm in the South and worked in tobacco. Everyone I knew smoked. Well, except for one pretty weird guy, and no one wanted to be like him. By the age of ten, I was smoking regularly, just like the rest of my family.

Years later, when I was smoking about three packs a day, the Lord suddenly took the desire to smoke away from me and gave me the desire to quit. It's not that smoking was a sin, but I was certainly in bondage to it, and I wanted to be free. Yet, I just couldn't seem to break its power until He helped me by changing my desire for it. Until then, I always went back.

The Lord delivered me from smoking, and I have never wanted another cigarette. They make me nauseous when I am around them and tend to give me a headache. He reversed my thought pattern and changed my desires. Something I had once thought great was now sickening to me. The Lord set me free.

So don't get too stressed out when you fail while trying to quit something. Instead of struggling with it in your own strength, pray for the Lord to remove your desire for it. Ask Him to set you free. Pray something like:

"Lord, I want to stop this. Please take this desire away from me, in the of Jesus Christ, I pray."

Then give it time. The Lord can set you free from any bondage if you are serious about it, and when He sets you free, you are free indeed.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray that You deliver me from the things that bind and control me. Please break the shackles off of me and sever the ropes that hold me captive. I want to be completely free of the bad things in my life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Ladies, today is Thankful Thursday at the "Ladies in Distress" group (our RHM women's group)! You are welcome to join in our weekly sharing of thankfulness for the Lord's presence and any blessings you may have experienced, big or small! "Ladies in Distress" is a private group, so if you have any problems joining, just post anywhere and we will help you :). Here is the link: Ladies in Distress

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