I was reading a great book today by the mighty man of God, Pastor Harry A.
Ironside (1876-1951), and I found the following information for cigarette
smokers, which I thought might be helpful to a lot of people. Thank God, I
have never smoked a cigarette a day in my life. What a nasty and expensive
bad habit! And worse, tobacco causes cancer! The famous actor, Leonard Nimoy
(aka, “Spock” from Star Trek), died prematurely from complications caused
after years of smoking, even though he had quit quite some time before his
death. The same is true of the famous actor Yul Brynner (who starred as
Pharaoh in the 1956 classic movie, “The Ten Commandments” with Charlton
Heston). Yul Brynner said if he could leave one legacy behind, it would be a
warning to youth that cigarette smoking kills!
I once worked with an African American man who was addicted to cigarettes. I watched him one evening toss his cigarettes into a garbage can, but 45 minutes later he walked right back to that same can and dug out his cigarettes! Clearly, nicotine is a serious addiction from which few people can escape. But for the born-again Christian, all things are possible in Jesus Christ...
THE BIBLE AND THE SMOKER
I knew a man who was converted, and for some time after he was converted he was a heavy smoker. I know I am getting on dangerous ground here, but I am not saying what you should do. I am merely telling you of his experience, and you can draw your own conclusion. He was an earnest Christian but a heavy smoker. One day he was pondering over His Bible. He was reading these words, “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (II Corinthians 7:1).
Now I do not know what you would think of that verse in connection with the use of tobacco, but it just went home to his heart. He said, “Here I have brought with me out of Egypt a filthy habit that I acquired when I was a poor sinner down there in sin and bondage.” He went right to a shelf in his room and took down a box of cigars, a can of tobacco, and an old pipe, and threw them all into the fire. He said, “I am through with these. I want to be clean because I belong to the Lord JESUS CHRIST.” That was what GOD did for that man. It would be pretty hard for some of you women who are listening to me, but the Lord is able to deliver you from the cigarette habit, if you will yield yourself to Him in sincerity.
And so, whatever it is that GOD's Word shows you to be wrong, you judge that thing and confess it before GOD, and as you do you will find deliverance from it.
I do not judge anyone, certainly not. We all have areas of weakness when it comes to sin. Even the great apostle Paul admittedly struggled continually with not doing the things he should do, and doing the things that he ought not do (Romans 7:14-25). This struggle will continue as long as we are in the carnal flesh, which will be for the rest of our earthly life. Thankfully, through Jesus Christ we can crucify the flesh and raise up in newness of life by the power of God, and not remain the servants of sin. We will still struggle, but we don't have to always lose that battle. We will lose a battle here and there, but the war is already won in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
