Improving your selfcontrol

Improving your selfcontrol and quitting smoking, drinking, overeating,homosexuality, drugs Improving your self-control and quitting smoking,, drinking, overeating, homosxuality, drugs

quitting anything you are now doing

Smoking, drinking, eating, homosexuality, drugs ..or other bad habits............

Many have found it " easy " to quit.....I for one have " quit " many times,

only to find the motivation was eventually replaced with failure,

and then, rationalization of why I failed.

By 1990, cigarettes and alchohol hade been part of my life for 30 years. Probably, like you, there were a number of times I had tried to quit, but the short successes were followed by a return to the old me.

One day, I made an agreement with God, that IF he would help me, I WOULD quit..

( This was not a ' joke '..........I was seriously talking to HIM. )

Well HE did ( help )...and I did quit !!

And this time it actually was a LOT easier than any other time...so I knew HE was helping. There were times when the thought of a drink crossed my mind, but each time I thought about the agreement I had made, and peace, not stress from desire, came over me. And quickly, I realized HE was helping me, and I was not about to reject HIM. In fact I felt closer to God because of this.

A year later, I began to think about quitting cigarettes. By now, I knew I would never reject God and break my agreement regarding drinking. One day I made a similar agreement with God regarding smoking, but this time I knew that HE would help...if I would not reject HIM and break this new agreement..

Of course, HE did...and I quit

Quitting cigarettes was more significant, not because the addiction is any different, but because although each day I rode and worked with a smoker. I never felt, from the first day, a desire for a cigarette. Well maybe I had the desire, but before it developed, I was already thinking of, and feeling God's presence. I knew He was helping me...how could I reject HIM !!!

Over the next year, any time cigarettes were a temptation, I could feel God's presence..........

Actually, as I began to think more often of HIM is difficult circumstances He seemed to ALWAYS be there.

Many years have passed, since that first time in 1990...an HE's still there

You can learn, what I have learned,

that an agreement with God can be your biggest motivator

please read on ...... your life may never be the same

Certainly it is not in God's interest that we continue in many of these ways, even if we believe these actions affect no-one else

Smoking, drinking and eating are NOT sin, we say, although we do know that God would desire better of us.

So what motivation is there to provide a STRONG will to quit ????

I say STRONG WILL because we know from experience that the " will to quit " that we have now, is NOT sufficient to sustain our desire to do so....in other words, as much as we are ' wanting ' to , on our own we are unable to. If this were not so...success in quitting would prevail, and it doesn't..we don't quit

Peer groups, like AA and WeightWatchers, etc do offer some ' support ' and understanding of cause and effect.........but the ' motivation ' is not continuous, therefore the programs are not the BEST solution

Just because we know better, just because family, friends or others have encouraged us, harrassed us, or deserted us....

Just because we desire to quit, really desire to quit, even pray to God, we have not had sufficient will , a STRONG WILL, so we have not succeeeded in controlling our actions

A STRONG Will controls THOUGHTS...not Actions

Sin is as much the thought as it is the action.......Mat 5:28 Lust is a desire that began with a a thought ...if the thought was controlled, the sin ( lust) would not have occurred

The Laws of Moses, that is the Ten Commandments,..as well as further commands of God, are well defined by word and example throughout the Bible...They are there to provide an idea of what displeases God *

But now, since the coming of Jesus, we know it's not so much the action of committing the sin that displeases God, but the rejection of Him which is shown by that willful action

Jesus continued teaching this, emphasising " Loving God..and all others " is by command * , that our obedience is expected,

and our committment and response is what pleases Him when they are a result of love, not fear

Jesus simply said, " If you love me, you will obey me "

Therefore , if God sees your obedience, He will feel your love................and rescue you Ps 91:14

" But WHAT does this all have to do with quitting, ? " you say .

Certainly there are many ways to please or displease God, the Bible is full of examples...and it is in this, our intention to please God, that we can find the STRONG WILL to do whatever we believe is right, including increasing our self control over smoking, drinking, and other excesses.

By understanding the Apostle Paul, that we can do all things through Jesus Christ,Phil 4:13 Who strengthens us, and that all things are possible with God, we have the strength for a STRONG WILL and SELF CONTROL,

and rejecting that belief is rejecting God and displeasing to HIM

Therein should be our best motivator ( to quit ) ...pleasing HIM

It is no secret that a focus on Jesus, rather than on the circumstances, will bring peace to anyone...and by practicing that 'focus', peace will eventually become prevalent in one's life. It is through that peace that you are able to gain the increase in self control that is necessary for a STRONG WILL

Paul. in his letter to the Galatians, CH5: 22 said " When the Holy Spirit ( of JESUS ) controls( is prevalent in ) your life , HE will produce this kind of fruit in your life love joy peace patience kindness goodness gentleness faithfulness and self-control

Self Control, a STRONG WILL, results in obedience......

and so first increase your self control by a focus on Jesus

Joshua, John the Baptist, and the Centurion, all had self control and STRONG WILLS...and obeyed, doing whatever was expected of them.......and of course there were others as well

By first developing, and practicing, a focus on Jesus, you also will find that the best motivation to do anything, is deciding to please God, rather than peers, friends, family, or yourself....and He will provide the strength for the duration of your ' focus ' so that He gets the Glory, and YOU get the benefits of the success

He is faithful to provide the Grace, ( the power to do what He wants you to do ) Ps 23:3...

and pleasing Him and giving Him the credit for quitting is exactly what He wants you to do...

( in whatever YOU choose to do )

Your success is guaranteed,

once your decision is made

to control your thoughts

" Well maybe I had the desire, but before it developed, I was already thinking of, and feeling God's presence "" Dave Perry

click HERE to learn how to make a Decision that Lasts

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