I was smoking when I come to the point in my life where I wanted to give my life to the Lord. I told God that I would not be baptized until I quit smoking because this body was going to be His Temple, and I didn't want to pollute it with smoke. I tried my best and would get down to the end of the day without a cigarette then celebrate with a cigarette. I would find that my desire for cigarettes was first thing in the morning, after every meal, when I sat down, when I was doing some serious thinking, when I was worried. It is hard to go through a day without a cigarette when you have so many excuses before you to have a cigarette. This battle went on for weeks, the pastor kept asking me when was I going to be baptized. He knew what my battle was and why the delay. He was encouraging but the battle was still on.
One night while I lay sleeping, I dreamed that I was standing before Him. I was so unworthing to be looking at him so I look at His chest, but you know I am so unworthing to be looking at His chest that I looked at His feet. Still too unworthing to even be looking at His feet so I looked at my own. There was a cigarette pack beside my feet, so I kicked at them to make them go away. They came back, I kicked again, and they returned. I got so involved with this kicking and reappearing of the cigarettes, that I almost forgot who I was standing before. Then He spoke. He said "would you like them to go away"... "Yes" I spoke out loud and woke myself up.
The Lord had taken away the cigarettes, and now the battle was really on. Satan put images of cigarettes before my eyes, between my fingers, and had all kinds of offers to have one. And that is beside the cravings like before. But how can I got back to something the Lord has taken away in answer to my prayers. I went through 40 days of absolute hell, which reminded me that if He can be tempted that long so can I. So when the 40th day came and went, the temptation was gone too. The victory was one.
I have been smoke free for 35 years.
