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December 2, 2002 Dear Gabby… I’m an 18-year-old who has been in Pentecost for two years. I’ve been studying, been baptized, and have been seeking the Holy Ghost for some time now. However, I’ve been a smoker for three+ years now, and I’m struggling to rid myself of it. Since I’ve recently reached the age of maturity, it’s harder. Before, whenever I wanted to set my habit down, all I had to do was avoid my smoking friends completely, and thus be removed from the environment. Seeing as I couldn’t buy cigarettes myself, I had no choice. I’d be fine for three months, and when I felt strong enough, I’d go back to hanging out with them. But now, that won’t work. I have my own money and the ‘privileges’ that come with legal age. I’ve talked to people and they all say the same thing: “God will take care of it.” But I want to do it myself. Can you help me? What do I need to do to put my habit away so I can finally be where I need to be to get this last major sin out of my life? - Redeemed and Confused
Dear Mr. Confused, My darling brown-eyed daughter Kristy adored school from the time she was just a little tyke. Each morning, after I’d braided her hair and scrubbed the oatmeal off her face, she’d collect her books and her Barbie lunch pail, and skip down the street to the bus stop in the morning sun. She liked every aspect of school, which is probably why she ended up as a teacher. Of all the subjects she studied, math intrigued her the most. I personally never understood more than the basics, but she was fascinated by it all – even when the equations had numbers and letters in them! The year she was in third grade, my great-niece Sarah stayed with us for a couple of weeks while her college dorm was being repainted. Little Kristy glued herself to Sarah’s elbow each evening, pestering her with questions while the two of them were supposed to be working on their respective homework assignments. Kristy wanted to know about the long equations she saw in Sarah’s math textbook. She wanted to know about the story problems. She wanted to know about the letters mixed in with the numbers. She wanted to know it all! Poor Sarah. It took her much longer than usual to get her homework done since she patiently answered Kristy’s questions as best as she could – given Kristy’s limited knowledge of the foundation of mathematics. She said one thing that I think might be of some help to you, Mr. Confused. Sarah had answered as many of Kristy’s questions as she thought Kristy could understand. Finally, she said to her, “Kristy, honey, I think it’s really wonderful that you like math. But math is like a building. You can’t build the top floors until you’ve built the bottom ones. Once you’ve learned the ‘bottom floors’ of your math, you can learn the higher ones. First things first!” So, Mr. Confused, that common sense comment works for your situation, too. It sounds like you want to deal with the sin in your life before you’ve completed the new birth experience. If I were you, I’d be concentrating on receiving the Holy Ghost instead of trying to get rid of bad habits. When you receive the foundation of God’s spirit in your life, you get the “bonus” of God’s power at the same time. That power is what will help you to overcome your habits. You can’t build the top floors until you’ve built the bottom ones. First things first! Sincerely Sincere, Gabby
ninetyandnine.com © 2002, ninetyandnine.com --------- Gabrigail VanBurden has been offering advice for longer than most of you have been alive. Email your practical Apostolic life questions to Gabby@ninetyandnine.com and be prepared for some straight answers! |
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