When I was trying to give up smoking 11 years ago, I was constantly confronted by barrages of "encouragements" by well meaning brothers and sisters in Christ. Comments like "why do you smoke? You know that it's sinful?" And then there is my all time favorite. "Why do you smoke? You know that we have the Holy Spirit in us! What are you trying to do? Fumigate Him?" By then I was like smoking for almost a decade and a half, averaging around 60 sticks or more per day. I was lied to so often by the devil that I was beginning to buy into lines like. "You must smoke! Smoking makes your voice thicker and more presentable. Listen to that old smoking crooner Frank Sinatra!" and this gem "Give up smoking? Why?! It's not biblical? Nah! Where in the bible does it say that you are not supposed to smoke? And for all you know, how can you be sure that the old patrons like Abraham and Moses did not light up a stick or two? Maybe they were into pipes! That is still considered smoking!" "And face it...you know you enjoy smoking....."
Colorful and amazing lies aren't they? And that was why I took so long to give up this nasty and offensive habit. In the end, God delivered me from this habit. I asked for God's hand to be upon the habit and I implored Him to help me quit . And after years of blessed smokeless existence, I still come off knowing very little why a Christian should not smoke. That is………. until 5years ago.
As a smoker then, I would always light up in the morning, one before and one after breakfast or meal. And subsequently every time the need arises, I would light up with enjoyment. As I looked back, I found out that I will almost always light up if I have too much time on my hands or when I am going through something stressful like during work or even during play. Games like snooker [Billiard] tend to make me light up as I have to work up a plan to beat my opponent. Work time will see me lighting up almost continuously as I worked on my arrangements or when I'm doing a guitar session in the studio.{Ciggies on the ashtray, on the headstock of my guitar , between my lips, sometimes..all at the same time!}
So here is what I have discovered. When I reached out for a smoke, I was going for something which I thought would bring me release and comfort, comfort and release that will last for the duration of the cigarette. And after that, it's back to the grind. If we seek God in our times of stress, I know that the stress will be taken away. Many times, I have pondered over a problem with a lighted cigarette in-between my stained fingers and after finishing the smoke, the problem will still remain! Nothing was really being solved and you'll have to reach out and light up another one!
Nowadays…I depend on God to solve my problems. Time and time again I saw the wonderful hand of God delivering me from the problems that I faced. We are not talking about tiny stuff like 'Hey My cable remote is not working and CSI is coming on soon!" We are talking about financial, marital,parental, health and professional problems. Things that would sometime take a miracle to solve. And my God always delivers! Not temporal but totally. I rather reach out for God than for a pack of stinking smokes anytime of the day!
In the book of Exodus it is written
Ex 20:3 ¶ "You shall have no other gods before Me.
Ex 20:4 ¶ "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
Ex 20:5 "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Yes, these are parts of the Ten Commandants. As we rely and depend on cigarettes when we are stressed or bored, we are actually reaching out to a god that is made of paper, tobacco and filters. A make believe god that we foolishly hope can help us relive our emotional stress and problems. The verses above clearly stated that we must not have any other gods before our Lord God. When we smoke, we are actually worshiping gods that are named Salem, Marlboro and Dunhill amongst others.
Another thing you should note is on verse 20.5. It stated that God being a jealous God will visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children on the 3rd and the 4th generations of those who hate Him. I started smoking because cigarettes were easily available when I was young. Both my parents were smokers. My dad died because of asthma and a weak heart that was further aggravated by his smoking habit. I had often witnessed him wheezing, breaking out in cold sweat and suffering before he passed on. Even then, he was still smoking..oh how he was hooked! If you are or were a smoker, examine your family's ties. Were your grandparents or parents smokers? If so, you will have to break the curse and cut off the ties of your fathers' sin. Repent of your sin and ask God to deliver you of your sin of seeking another god instead of the one true living God. Spare your children and your children's children of this horrible addiction.
And....concerning the lies that I had believed in, it is true that nowhere in the bible does it state that God forbid us to smoke. But again nowhere in the bible does it state that tobacco was allowed or condoned. The only smoking mentioned is the smoke after terrible biblical battles and probably the only smoke that was really apparent was right after God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their hideous sins against Almighty God. [Gen 19. 12-29].
