Is Smoking a Sin?
Q: Want to quit Smoking
I have struggled with a nicotine problem for a very long time and wonder if it is a sin. It makes me feel like God won’t listen to my prayers because of sin. I feel embarrassed to talk to him after I kept trying to quit and kept saying I will give it up only to end up falling back into doing it. Advice?
A: I personally cannot fathom any Christian smoking. Esp today with medical knowledge advanced, and us knowing what it does to our body and to others.
Here's very important info on smoking from a biblical perspective.
Keep in mind, Smoking is not only bad for your health and others, it makes your breathe and clothes stench (very badly), but it also damages your witness. It is a waste of money and time(1). It allows something to control you. also it harms *other people*. How can you say you "love others or love one another" when you are regularly harming others without caring? If you cared, you wouldn't do it.
Second hand smoker caused 2.5 million deaths since 1964. All those innocent people died because of others sins. Those non smokers still alive are affected by smokers smoke...it causes coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other diseases, problems with pregnant women, pregnancy, and harms babies, and also overall leads to peoples premature death.(2)
You do not want to be responsible to God for causing others health problems or theur death.
This alone should horrify you and cause you to immediately repent of your smoking and turn from it, and conquer it. Regardless if it is cigarettes, cigars, marijuana or vaping it harms others (2, 3).
Solutions:
1. I’ve heard from at least 2 different people who tried to quit smoking, made a decision and stopped letting that sin control them. Instead of carrying a cigarette pack, they had a pocket Bible. So when they’re tempted to smoke habitually they open their pocket Bible instead. They read couple of verses or wherever Holy Spirit leads them to read, thru it or randomly, in the Bible and fight the temptation and desire to smoke. Putting God first.
According to Ephesians 6 part of wearing the Armor of God includes "God’s Word" being the sword. So keep using that Armor of God imagining yourself putting on each part of the armor of God daily. And not allowing sin to rule over you, but you conquering it out of existence in your life. 😊
2. In addition to the above, seek a biblical counselor. (Ensure they don't smoke). And conquer this sin today.
Also you made a valid point that most people dont even recognize or realize and that is fellowship being broken between you and God. If we have unresolved sin in our life, he won't hear our prayers until we forsake it and confess it to him and the relationship can be restored. If it is unresolved we are blowing in the wind, out there all aline, and if un dealt with God will discipline and even cause you to be ill or end your life and bring you home for living rebelliously constantly disobeduently. He cannot use such a person in this life.
You can conquer this 💪🗡 ✅
God be with you.
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Footnotes:
(1) Cost of loss:
The cost per pack is $8-12
If you add that up....
2 packs a day =$20
30 days = $600 a month!
Annually = $7,200
Over 5 yrs = $36,000
Over 10 yrs = $72,000
Over 20 yrs = $144,000
Over 40 years = $288,000
* not including lighter fees.
What an absolute waste.
? What home, car or other expenses you needed, or what could've used that money for such as the work of God's Kingdom, and retirement preparation.
How much would you have if you invested that $ in stocks and investments for
10 years = $141,635
30 years = $514,566
Look at all that loss 🤷🏻♂️😱.
Is that being a good steward of the money God gave you, to use rightly?
The other smoking items cost much more and have an overall higher loss of money.
(2) The truth about second hand smoke affects in seriously harming others https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/secondhand-smoke/health.html
(3) the smell of marijuana turns people's stomach and they get ill. I am one of those people. I get sick to my stomach for hours when neighbors or downstairs tenants smoke it, or if I pass someone in the mall or outside who had smoked it recently. The stench sticks to you just like with cigarettes.
(4) A good pocket Bible
(5) Counseling helps
