A smoking christian, my deliverance from addiction.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

I remember many times deciding that this was the day I would quit. Thirty minutes later the cravings would be so strong, I would always end at the shops buying more saying to myself “at least I tried, I will quit again tomorrow”.

My nicotine addiction lasted almost 20 years, and for many of those I smoked 30 cigarettes a day. Soon it will be 10 years since God delivered me from smoking, so I am sharing my experience with the hope that it will encourage other Christians who have this addiction.

2017 was the year that I came to the end of myself. While on my breaks at work I found myself walking around the block letting God know that I could no longer give up in my own strength. During this time I had memorized Philippians 4:6-7, and regularly recalled this verse while praying and walking.

Cravings and the peace of God.

The main memory I have of Gods deliverance, is from a morning when I was on my way to work. I was sitting on a tram and there was an empty seat in front of me, but that wouldn’t last long. The tram stopped, and a whole bunch of people got on, including a guy who smelt like he just finished his ciggie before he got on. As he sat in front of me, all of my senses were hit, and the cravings started. It was a violent intense feeling.

I found myself pleading with God “Right now, I need your help”, and at the same time the Philippians verse flashed before my mind. In that moment the cravings and the overwhelming feelings instantly vanished. I can’t remember if I moved to a different seat, but one thing i can remember, was the feeling of the peace of God which transcends all understanding that is promised when we come to him with our anxiety.

For the next 6 months I would recall that verse whenever I would experience cravings or feel anxious about smoking, and each time I would experience Gods supernatural help.

Learning who I was as a nonsmoker.

During this time of deliverance, God led me to study the book of Ephesians, which is exactly what I needed, because it says a lot about our identity in Christ. While I had this habit, I was unable to see myself as a nonsmoker, I was always a smoker first, and this part of my identity would always be at war with my born-again identity.

For 6 months I remember slowly reading through Ephesians and taking the time to really meditate on what God was telling me about who I was. He used this time to deliver me from the nicotine addiction and a spiritual attachment that had shaped who i thought i was.

The combination of studying Ephesians and continuing to ask for help whenever I started to have cravings, was an essential part of my life for at least a year, while learning to live as a follower of Christ, free from a cigarette addiction.

Amnesia and the fear of smoking again.

Years later, whenever I reflect on that season of my life, a part of me struggles to remember more about that deliverance experience. I have shared significant memories of that time, but believe God has kept from me some of the memories that could have been traumatic, like he is protecting me. There is no way for me to explain what I mean, but I firmly believe this to be part of his deliverance method and wouldn’t be surprised if others have had similar experiences.

To this day, I have not smoked again, and from time-to-time cravings come, but when they do, I can’t risk giving them too much attention. This is due to having fear of the consequences, which i believe i will experience if I decide to take for granted the gift of freedom that God has given me. I would say I finally understand what it means for a follower of Christ to have the fear of the Lord.

Important insights

I want to share some things I believe are crucial to keep in mind if you are stuck in this addiction, but have come to the end of yourself:

1. Tomorrow never comes. Let’s be honest about when we tell ourselves and others “I will try quitting again tomorrow”. This is just an excuse to keep smoking, and and is often said after we have failed ourselves. Your flesh, and the father of lies don’t want you to be free from smoking, the two will do whatever it takes to make sure you keep stalling. Be honest in the present with yourself and God.
2. Be real with God about it. After all, he knows exactly what’s going on, so it’s important that you do not hold back with him. Let him know how hard it is, how frustrated you are and how you need supernatural help. He can handle whatever you have to say.
3. You are not your addiction. If you identify as a smoker and are a Christian, you are deceiving yourself if you think your born-again identity and the addiction can share the same space in peace. They will always be at war with each other whether you feel it or not, so it’s important at this time to remind yourself of who you are in Christ. A great place to start is the book of Ephesians.
4. Your participation and Gods peace. A time will come where you will need to say no to the addiction, and when you do, God will provide you with everything else that is needed in that moment for you to persevere. No one can tell you when this will happen, but the most important thing for you to know is that God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13.

If you have read this far and would like some prayer support or have any questions, please send me an email through the contact me page and I would be glad to help. If you know anyone who would benefit from this post, please share with them.