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premature heart disease and infant
stillbirth glorifying God?
Make no mistake, smoking vio–
lates
both
of the great command–
ments of God's law as expressed by
Jes-us: that of loving God first
above all things, and second, of lov–
ing your neighbor "as yourself'
(Matt. 22:37-39, NKJV).
And if smoking violates either of
these commandments, smoking is
sin,
because "sin is Jawlessness"
(1
John 3:4, NKJV).
But, sorne may object, this
is
a
prosmoking society. By smoking,
people only follow accepted stan–
dards.
God's answer?
" Do not conform
any longer to the pattern of this
world"
(Rom. 12:2, NIV).
To continue smoking, a person
must blind and deceive himself (or
herself). Physically and spiritually,
there is no tangible benefit from
smoking. The cigarette manufac–
turers think they benefit- to the
tune of
$85 billion
annually. Gov–
ernments pick up extra millions in
tax revenue through various ciga–
rette taxes.
You CAN Overcome
Here are sorne vital means to con–
quering the smoking habit:
•
Clearly define and write down
your objectives for not smoking.
List health, family, financia!, spiri–
tual and other reasons. Keep your
eyes on your objectives; never Jet
your goal disappear or become
hazy. Try to look beyond the ini tial
difficult days of fighting the habit
to the time you will be happily
unshackled from nicotine addic–
tion.
•
Stop al/ smoking complete /y.
Tapering off on the amount you
smoke doesn 't work for most
people. It's not easy to quit "cold
turkey," but it's presently the most
successful way. Find someone to
help you and to be a positíve sup–
port. Commit yourself-throw
away and
destroy
all pipes and
tobacco stock. As the Bible says,
"make no provísion for the flesh , to
gratify its desires" (Rom. 13:14,
Revised Standard Version).
•
Avoid compromising situa–
tions.
Don't let friends, relatives or
stressful situations cause you to
give in. Experience shows that
many former smokers quickly
relapse to their former habits after
"just one little puff."
Avoid situations where you
would previously have lit up, such
as large parties or long trips in a
car. If you must attend social occa–
sions where many smoke, announce
to people that you've quit. Put a
little positive pressure on yourself
to "toe the line" of your commit–
ment.
•
Don't be discouraged or fear–
fu! offailure.
If
you happen to slip,
don't give u p. The actual unpleasant–
ness of nicotine withdrawal usually
subsides within 72 hours of your last
cigarette (depends on the person),
but tbe psychological temptations
remain much longer. You may ini–
tially experience tension, hunger,
sorne constipation and symptoms of
ROUS TO YOUR...
APPEARANCE
TASTE
restlessness, but, be assured-they
will
subside shortly.
•
Seek additional help from
health agencies andjor clinics.
Detailed plans to help you stop
smoking are available in virtually
every country, many of them fre.e.
•
Utilize the power available to
you from God!
God promises to
help those who humble themselves
and seek him in prayer (Ps. 103:11-
14; Isa. 55:7-8).
If you'd like to know how to ful–
ly utilize this awesome source of
real power, write for our free
reprint articles "How to Be an
Overcomer," and "How You Can
Be l mbued with the Power of
God." (Se e inside cover for
addresses.)
If
you're a smoker, a life free
from the taste of tar residue, a life
of reduced cancer and coronary risk
and improved physical ':itaJity can
líe before you. There's a price to
pay but it's worth it.
To the nonsmoker, or newly ini–
tiated smoker, do yourself a favor
and practice sorne
real
independent
thinking for a change: don 't
smoke.
And if you're interested in seeing
in greater depth what the Bible has
to say about principies not revealed
by science, write for your free copy
of
The lncredible Human Potential.
This free book will help you see why
it is such a tragedy when people
degenerate to smoking. Humanity's
purpose is far above inhaling the
vapor of ebarred tobacco. You can
know why, too. o
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