By Gary Mcvay
If you have ever smoked you probably know how very difficult it is to quit. No doubt you
have tried time and time again to quit and may have even had some success but to ultimately
fail. I myself have in the past suffered from an addiction to cigarettes. What am I saying I still
struggle with the desire. Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things a person can ever do. It is
also most likely that even if you are trying to hide the fact that you are smoking, most people
that you come in contact with will know that you are a smoker. We lie to ourselves that we have
gotten rid of the smell or we withdraw from socialization because we do not want our habit to be
found out. This can lead to isolation and a deepening of the habit. When we struggle it is not
easy to be open with others. I know that when I relapse the lie I generally tell myself is that I
must not let anyone know or then it will be an open issue and I won’t quit. It is true in some
aspects that many times if we smokers have relapsed and fallen into that sin and our church
family finds out then we can experience ostracization or disfellowship even censure where we
are not allowed to serve the Lord. So in our mind we struggle in isolation because if we come
out that we are struggling, so that we can get help, our world is turned upside down. People
begin to look at us differently. They stop trusting us. They look at us as less than. This is the
harsh reality we face as sinners who go to church with other sinners.
The environment that the church should be promoting is one of openness where we can
come confess our sins and struggle but we have failed to do this to an extreme degree in fact so
much so that no one can confess their sins openly and still serve. No one in your church is
without sin but they like to pretend that they are. The key to quitting is prayer and accountability
and service but we can never get this if we never confess. We can never confess if we must
keep a front up. I am an Elder and I struggle with smoking.
I have for a long time been on the winning side of this struggle but that is only because I
am completely open with my wife and she holds me accountable through watching my
purchases. I want her to do this because to fail would be disastrous. I call this putting up side
rails. It's like on a gokart track side rails keep you from going off the track. If you want to quit
smoking like I have and continue to remain free of it then you must have someone that can hold
you accountable and someone that prays for you. You must pray. You must serve in your local
congregation. All of these things are necessary. It gives you something to desire more than the
cigarette and to remain free of it you will have to have a desire that is in conflict with it.
It is so easy yet so hard. The Lord wants you to be healthy and you cannot be healthy if
you continue to smoke. You cannot serve the Lord while you are smoking. You cannot be honest
with everyone you are in contact with if you are smoking. There is a conflict that is irreconcilable
between smoking and God. Which do you desire more? When you realize that your desire is to
serve God more than smoking, then you will quit. When you are open and honest about your
struggles and gain accountability as well as prayer from others, then you will remain free. When
you are free you can serve the Lord without a guilty conscience. Do you know what you get
when you serve the Lord? Joy!
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