Normally, when we practice addiction (pleasure idolatry), we have a whole conglomeration of different habits that we use all at once, or switch around with to feel emotionally comforted and in control. Smoking (and chewing tobacco) has been around for quite some time now, and used to be very popular and socially acceptable. But now smoking is looked down upon by almost everyone. Smokers must stand outside in the cold to smoke now like some circus sideshow, shivering as they strain to take another drag off of their cigarette while people walk by and just shake their heads in disgust. The price for a pack of cigarettes has also gone up quite a bit these days, so smoking really takes a lot of money, time, and commitment to practice. You may wonder why smokers even want to smoke those nasty little things anyway; don't they know they're killing themselves? Or how about when your kids or spouse nag you to death to please stop smoking and look at you with those big puppy dog eyes each time they see you blaze up in the back yard. "So why won't everyone just get off my back, it's my body, and my choice. Can't they understand that I live with a lot of stress?" The smoking battle goes on and on, and the places to smoke become fewer and fewer. The walls seem to be closing in on smokers.

Most people start smoking as part of a childhood dare; they cough, hack, turn blue, and swear that they will never to do that again. When you are a teen, you see many of your friends smoking and it looks cool, not to mention all the stress you have to go through at home. It can be nice to kick it with your friends, have a smoke, and feel a sense of control over your life. But then you get hooked and you start going through withdrawals at school, or at home if you aren't allowed to smoke there. You have to start hiding to smoke, or stealing to get them if you don't have enough money, or aren't old enough to buy them. As an adult, we continue smoking and sure people may not like it, but we think "Hey, it's my life, and I should be allowed to do what I want". You at times may try to quit, but then go back to it when the withdrawals or any fresh stress comes along. You find yourself in a trap that you can't get out of; you want to smoke, but you don't want to smoke, and everyone is always nagging and criticizing you over it. It can be maddening for sure.

I used to smoke, and I liked to smoke for the most part. I was smoking when I got saved and I tried very hard to quit. I remember one time when me and my friend were broken down beside the road trying to fix his car, the pastor drove by and saw us puffing away. I sang a lot at that church, so he called us in and told us how we needed to quit. After praying my guts out, and throwing away probably 24 packs of cigarettes, I finally quit, but only physically. Mentally I still held on to the security I felt when I could reach for a cigarette. I married a smoker and started smoking again and we liked to smoke together. I noticed that when I drank, I felt like I had to have a cigarette; I mean it was powerful. I remember crumpling on my brother’s veranda late one night in tears begging God to help me to quit smoking. I hated smoking, but I loved it. I enjoyed the emotional security I felt from having a physical, controllable substance that I could use to guard myself against any emotional pain (past or present). It was my portable crutch in case of injury. Idols are not just some stone image that natives worship, when you put your trust in an object or habit for protection, power, security, or pleasure in place of God, that is an idol in the same way.

Smoking kills your body slowly, it is a form of slow suicide. We are told to take care of our bodies in the bible because we carry God's Spirit inside us. Plus we need healthy bodies to do God's work here on earth. Also, when people see us smoking, they can see that we are trusting in an idol to manage our fear, rather than trusting in God; they will not believe our witness about Jesus because they can see that we don't trust Him. I used to counsel and lead worship at a large recovery ranch in California, and after one Sunday worship meeting where I led worship, I quickly left to go have a cigarette. Everyone else seemed to smoke there, so I didn't think it would be any big deal. I saw a young man slowly walking up to me that had been at the meeting. He had a big smile on his face, but as he got closer, the smile seemed to melt off of his face. He said "Brother Lonnie, you smoke?" I kind of stuttered and yes "uhhh yyyaa", and I really didn't know what to say to him. I knew I wanted to quit, but I also felt that I needed it to feel secure. I also want to say that chewing tobacco is just as bad if not worse than smoking, it is actually more addictive than smoking because it gives you four times the nicotine than cigarettes do. Plus it can give you cancer just the same as smoking can. Using substitutes to quit smoking rarely works.

The Lord began to show me why I was smoking, and why I was so afraid to live without it. Smoking was my emotional security, and a form of physical pleasure to look forward to (actually the pleasure ironically just came from relieving the withdrawal symptoms). When I smoked, I knew that I would always have a physical object I could turn to and be in control of should any fresh stress or pain come along. The idea of not having it made me feel fearful, vulnerable, and unhappy, since I had no pleasure fix to look forward to. This was all a lie of course, but to me it was very real back then, and I needed the Lord to show me the truth before I could let it go without freaking out or running to another addiction to take its place. God showed me this was all about old unfounded fears that I carried inside my heart, and that I used physical idols to protect myself emotionally. When I was a child I went through many traumatic painful events without defense, so I believed a lie that I would never be able to protect myself naturally, and that God would not protect me. So I used idols (false God) to externally give me what I lacked naturally.

These pleasure protection habits cannot really protect you from anything anyway, all they can do is numb your response to it. And even though it may numb your response, your mind and heart will still store the event, and it will all just build up inside you until one day you will hit overload. Smoking takes so much more than it gives, and really doesn't do much to improve your life. It's fun to some extent, but how would you like to die from a smoking related disease, and then have to face God in your judgment knowing that you basically killed your body just to serve an idol because you didn't trust Him? My stepfather was a chain smoker for many years, and he recently died much younger than he should have from a smoking related heart attack. God showed me that the reasons I smoked were all based on fear and lies, and I began to see the immaturity of this, much like a child sees the immaturity of using a pacifier after a certain age. I had to accept the truth that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and that I had to trust God again for my protection and pleasure needs. I had to face life naturally again and trust God to be in control, even when I was freaking out inside because didn't feel in control.

It has been many years now since I last smoked. I remember that after I quit, I think I missed smoking for about a year, then it's almost like I really didn't want to be around smoke at all anymore. When you starve something long enough, it will eventually die. I don't miss smoking or chewing at all now, and I know that to turn back to it would mean possibly being charged with a slow suicide by God, ruining and degrading my health and physical capability, and/or ruining my Christian witness before those that saw me smoking. The cons far outweigh the pros, but when you smoke you don't care about that. Smoking can be a very hard habit to hide, especially these days. So if you smoke, pray about it and ask God to help you with it. He will give you a plan to stop smoking that works. Let God take you back to the original lies that you have believed about Him, the world, and yourself that fuel your fear and need to use idols in your life. God will help you right where you're at, so you need not keep trying in your own strength. You can live free.

Here is a prayer to pray if you need it.

"Dear God, I ask that you would forgive me for making an idol out of smoking, and for harming my body with it. I ask that you would help me this day to stop smoking for good. I ask that you would take me back and heal my heart from all of the emotional pain that I have carried, down to the root level, so that I can let go of smoking in faith and not fear. I ask Lord, that you would help me to understand the truth about smoking and why I have felt that I needed it in my life. Help me to trust you again Lord, for all of the protection and pleasure needs of my life. I thank you for helping me with this problem right now God. In Jesus name I pray, amen".

Some scriptures to help you.