PRAYERS NEEDED FOR ME

Dearest brothers & sisters in Yeshua:

I am in desperate need of prayers! I have been a smoker for over 35 years now (since I was 18!)! The Lord has been giving me signs that He wanted me to quit for the last 2 months now (at least, that's when I first began really noticing it).

For one thing, my hand would begin going numb on me from time to time while I was on the computer. For another, a Messianic Jewish brother in Yeshua (whom I've been corresponding with on matters of Christianity, via email since he first became a Christian 2 years ago) wrote me about a month ago, and was worried SICK about me. He said he'd had a dream the night before that I had come to their home (he and his wife live in a different state) and was in tears because the doctor had told me that I was in my last stages of lung cancer. He asked if I was doing OK, and said he'd been worried sick about me. I told him I was fine, that the Lord has always, since I was tiny, taken care of me above & beyond all expectations. He said OK, that he doesn't usually have dreams of that nature for no reason, and was very concerned.

Then last Tuesday, 5/30/06, I came home from work with 100.8 fever. I went to work the next day anyway, even though my temp was 100.5, because we had a special report due out, I thought that week. By the time I arrived home, it was 101, and I could hardly breathe. We went to the doctor on Friday. It was agony walking there with Richard (and I'm usually a real fast walker, even WITH my long-term smoking habit!)... I had to almost come to a complete halt after about 10 steps to catch my breath! After checking me over, the doctor determined that I had bronchitis (first time ever for me). He gave me some antibiotic samples, as well as samples of allergy spray and pills, etc. I was still smoking as of that time (though, granted, less than normal), and I could walk about a foot, and have to bend over a table or chair to gasp for breath! I didn't think I'd ever get to sleep that night.

Friday, at 2 p.m., I had my last cigarette! I still had 18 packs left, which Richard threw into the fire on our grill yesterday morning during our Sabbath celebration (6/3/06), and prayed for deliverance for me. When we came into the house, he anointed my head with perfume oil, and prayed for me. When he did that, I began weeping! As he says, we grieve over our sins!

Would you PLEASE pray Yahweh's strength on me for this? I need to be strong, and I know after that many years of addiction, and hanging around with Christian GFs & brothers at work who are also smokers, and riding to/from work with a smoker, it's going to be VERY hard on me to resist. But I want Yahweh to be proud of me, and I don't ever want to give into the temptation again! I want the smell of cigarettes and the idea of the taste of them to offend me as much as they must offend Him!

Also, I just spoke with my precious sister in Yeshua, Linda Benson. We have been ultra close friends since we met 12 years ago at the building where we both work (different companies, same building). She is willing to quit smoking with me, and will need Yahweh's strength, too!