Results 1 - 4 of 4
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | A believer who smokes? | Mark 7:18 | Dadda | 124718 | ||
Thank you all for your comments. The Lord will deliver me from this burden as someone has said. Whether I was trying to find an excuse to smoke or not, I really dont think I was. People who do not smoke, are caught in societies view of it being harmful. It was still harmful in the 1940's and no one said anything to a smoker, because most were smokers. I understand the scriptures saying my body is tabernacle. I also understand that in His time God will shape me to what he wants me to be. I do not hide my smoking, nor do I smoke around people who are offended by it. Being a hypocrite is not a concern, because I admit fully that I smoke. Yes I have a family, and yes I do smoke outside, and out of cars that they are in. As someone pointed out, there are larger spiritual issues. If they body were held to be a tabernacle all the time, no one would eat french fries from McDonalds would they. As Hank pointed out, the first person to tell you that smoking is bad, is the person who has to put down the fried chicken they are eating to tell you. EdB, I'm not trying to find answers in the Bible to justify my smoking. I'm trying to find opinions about what smoking is considered in the Believer community. I admire all of your bluntness, and frankness on every issue you all address here. I dont exactly pray for God to remove this burden, more that I pray for God to impose His will on my course of life. Not my will but His be done. Some one said that I was trying to die before my time. I thought only God knew the amount of days there were to a mans life. In that case, smoking would have nothing to do with it would it? Neither would drinking, nor what you ate. Its nice to see that hypocrisy is still not dead, in the world of believers. Please forgive that I posed this question. Thank you for all your feedback. I appreciate every point of guidance all of you here provide. | ||||||
2 | A believer who smokes? | Mark 7:18 | WalkingTalkingBible | 124736 | ||
Hi, Dadda, you have been given some very encouraging and truthful words from those who obviously care enough to share their own testimonies with you. Please listen to them. Maybe, as a new convert, you didn't know smoking was not of God, but now you do. "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17 Yes, God will deliver you from the burden of smoking, only if you are willing to give it up. Psalm 55:22 says, "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." You have to be willing to totally let go, totally give it up. God will not TAKE it from you. You have a choice to make. Dadda, please don't use other people, whether professing Christians or not, as your example to live the holy life God calls for. Jesus is your example and He did not smoke, over eat, curse, fornicate, hate, covet, lie, or any other sin. As a child of God, you should hate what God hates and love what God loves. Right now you know that God doesn't approve smoking or any other act that defiles the body (His temple). Since God loves souls and wants them saved, I would not want to be a stumbling block to others who would be saved. Even some unbelievers feel that smoking is not good. So, what if God led you to witness to an unbeliever? I don't think he would be very accepting of Christ because your smoking will kill your witness (not that you would witness with a cigarette between your fingers, but the smell stays with you). Afterall, if God can't deliver you from something as small as smoking, then how is He going to deliver someone from a life of sin?? "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:" 2 Corinthians 3:2 Your life should reflect God and not fleshy desires and lack of self control! Know that you are not alone in this. As God commands us to bear each other's burdens (Galatians 6:2) and I know this is not easy, I will be praying for you and with you. But you have to acknowledge that this is not of God and want to be freed from the burden of smoking, and He will do it. Then you can be concerned about spiritual things. "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes." Song of Solomon 2:15 WalkingTalkingBible "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." Galatians 5:9 WalkingTalkingBible |
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3 | A believer who smokes? | Mark 7:18 | Hank | 124737 | ||
WalkingTalkingBible: You make an excellent point that there are unbelivers who feel that smoking is not good and that witnessing to them by Christians who smoke could be measurably impaired. I know a number of unbelievers who detest the use of tobacco and will not permit smoking in their homes, cars, or places of business over which they exercise some control. In many sectors of our society today smokers find themselves being treated almost as though they were modern-day lepers. Whether this is fair to the smokers I won't debate here, but suffice it to say that by and large smoking is not the way to win friends and influence people in the American culture today. It's axiomatic that smoking is addictive. How is a parent supposed to talk to his teenager about the drug epidemic when the parent has a cigarette dangling from his mouth? Or to the lost about the new life in Christ? It's sort of like a 300-pound fattie expecting the Slim-Fast Foods Company to hire him as vice-president in charge of public relations! --Hank | ||||||
4 | A believer who smokes? | Mark 7:18 | Dadda | 124745 | ||
Sorry for misquoting you Hank. I did not mean to do that. Nor did I mean to offend or get snippy with anyone here. My problem is with myself, and not with anyone else, especially all of you trying to help me. I am grateful for the advice, and the forgiveness of my attitude problem. I am young both in my saving, and in my life (30), and still maintain alot of false pride, and arrogance. Thank you all again for trying to help me even though I vented on you. I appreciate greatly your caring words. Please pray for me and with me that people like me can get help for what ails them, and holds them back. thank you all very much. |
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