So…. Last month, in a post called “The Bathroom Mirror”, I made reference to the fact that we had received some disturbing news that an xray showed that Michael (a smoker) had the beginnings of emphysema.  I wanted to give an update to that post.

I posted that news on 7/2/13.  It was about 24 hours later that Michael chose the date of 7/7/13 as the day that he was going to quit smoking.  Now I would like you all to keep in mind that Michael is 56 years old and has been smoking since he was 12.  Do the math, that’s 44 years!  The longest that he has gone without smoking during all those years is approximately 4 days when he was in the hospital.

I knew that Michael has some major concerns about quitting smoking.  He was worried that he was going to go crazy, that he couldn’t do it.  That he would just end up smoking the next day.  Blah, Blah, Blah.

Well I decided on July 5 that Michael needed some supernatural help.  So here we go again with the bathroom mirror!

A prayer to quit smoking

Here are the actual words to that prayer:

Dear Jesus, Your word says that whatever I ask in Your name, it will be done so that it will bring glory to the Father.  Today dear Jesus, I ask you to give me the strength to stop smoking.  I also ask you to stop any physical and emotional side effects that may try to take hold within my body as I lay down these cigarettes finally and never to pick them up again. 

 I ask you also to cleanse, restore and renew my entire body from the years of pollution that I have allowed into this temple of the Holy Spirit.  I also ask You to reveal to me any other areas in my life that are impure that defile this temple of the Holy Spirit and are not in keeping with Your desire for my physical body.  Show me the way to make my life pure and holy in Your sight.  I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus.  Amen.

I printed out quite a few copies and taped them up everywhere and I do mean everywhere. 

Well July 7th came and I am so excited to say that Michael did have his last cigarette that evening.  Sure he had a couple of cranky days.  But we made a promise to each other that no matter who said what…  nothing was going to come between us and we both realized that it was the addiction talking.

So now we fast forward to July 20th “ish”.  It has been a couple of weeks and still no smoking.  And now it’s time to thank God for His supernatural help in getting through this.

Up on the bathroom mirror, comes our prayer of thanksgiving!

Here are the words to our Thanksgiving Prayer:

Dear Jesus, Thank you Lord for the strength that You have supernaturally provided me over these last days to be able to put down the cigarettes.  When I have felt weak or tempted, I have reached out for Your strength and You have been there to help me to overcome.

 Lord, as the next weeks and months come along, allow my body to crave the cigarettes less and less until every urge to smoke again is gone; remove every temptation that I have to start smoking again.  To anyone around me, to any naysayer, any negative voice that would speak out against what I am accomplishing with Your help… Lord I ask You to shut their mouth and not allow words of defeat and death anywhere near me.

 Lord, thank you for continuing to heal, renew and restore my body, this temple of the Holy Spirit, completely from the years of abuse.  Thank you for continuing to cleanse my lungs, removing all harm I have caused to them.  Thank you Lord for being ever faithful to hear and answer my prayers.  Amen.

It has now been over 4 weeks and Michael is still smoke-free.  There have been some crazy drama moments when he would normally have pulled out a cigarette, but he didn’t.  He just pulls that scruched up, well-worn piece of paper that he carries with him and prays for God’s help.

We don’t know what the lung doctor is going to say about the beginnings of the emphysema,  we won’t know that until the end of August.  But that’s ok.  It is what it is.  If his lungs have been cleansed and restored, then Praise the Lord…  and if the haven’t been cleansed and restored, then Praise the Lord.