People often ask if there's a verse in the Bible that can tell us anything about whether or not smoking is bad in God's eyes. You won't find smoking addressed in the Bible because the use of tobacco isn't that old. It's origin doesn't go back that far. Here are a few historical dates concerning the discovery and use of tobacco.

• 1492: Columbus Discovers Smoking.
• 1497: Robert Pane, who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage in 1493, writes the first report of native tobacco use to appear in Europe.
• 1564 or 1565: In England tobacco is introduced by Sir John Hawkins and/or his crew. For the next twenty years in England, tobacco is used chiefly by sailors, including those employed by Sir Francis Drake.
• 1585: In England Sir Francis Drake introduces smoking to Sir Walter Raleigh
• 1586: In England tobacco arrives in English society. In July 1586, some of the Virginia colonists returned to England and disembarked at Plymouth smoking tobacco from pipes, which caused a sensation.
• 1600: In England Sir Walter Raleigh persuades Queen Elizabeth to try smoking.
• 1610: In England Sir Francis Bacon writes that tobacco use is increasing and that it is a custom hard to quit.
• 1612: In Jamestown John Rolfe raises Virginia's first commercial crop of "tall tobacco."
• 1614: First sale of native Virginia tobacco in England; Virginia colony enters world tobacco market, under English protection.

Satan wants to destroy us in any way that he can like through sickness and disease. Another method that Satan will try is to get us addicted to smoking which will slowly kill us over the span of several years, destroying and contaminating numerous parts of the beautiful body that God made for us. It wasn't in God's plan for us to smoke. If you are a smoker remember the first puff you ever took? It wasn't that great and your lungs tried to reject the smoke from the start. You had to develop a liking for cigarettes. I've heard people say that it's like alcohol, partaking in moderation won't hurt you. Don't be fooled my friend. Very few people can smoke in moderation. One cigarette leads to another and to another and before you know it, your half a pack a day habit has gone up to 1 or 2 packs a day.

God may have made the tobacco plant but it is Satan who takes what God made, distorts it and uses it for evil purposes. Some may ask why God put the tobacco plant on earth it wasn't to be smoked. Well there is good things that it can be used for. The most promising field of research for tobacco involves the genetic engineering of tobacco plants to produce various substances such as industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals and consumer product ingredients. Tobacco has been called the "fruit fly of the plant kingdom" because of the ease with which it can be genetically engineered. There are countless possibilities for the use of tobacco, but current efforts are concentrating on engineering tobacco to produce vaccines, human enzymes and plastics.

Satan will try to deceive you and to get you to say that you feel fine and that the lung cancer, lip cancer, tongue cancer, throat cancer or emphezema that everybody else is getting from smoking will never happen to you. If you smoke Satan will try to convince you that you deserve that cigarette as your reward for the hard task that you've just finished. Satan will try to convince you that a cigarette break will help calm your nerves through the bad times. He will try to convince you that a cigarette break will help you think better or will help you to make better decisions. He will try to convince you that a cigarette break will top off your breakfast, lunch, supper or that steaming cup of coffee. He will try to convince you that several cigarettes will help pass the time while driving, waiting, watching tv or even walking. For some a smoke is the first thing a person does in the morning and the last thing they do before going to sleep. Some even wake up in the middle of the night to have a smoke. Before long you have a pack of smokes on your person, in the car, at work, in the garage or your hobby space. You take them to the beach, shopping, to church, etc. You find yourself lighting up just because the sun came up in the morning. This nasty little habit eventually engulfs your whole life . . . and it doesn't take long. You soon find it has become a part of every aspect of your daily life.

Smoking used to be popular and the "cool" thing to do. Today it is more and more frowned upon and "uncool". Smoking only harms yourself if you smoke at a distance from other humans but if near others you are damaging their lives also. Let's face it, every person DOES have a right to breath clean air. That's the way God intended it to be. Second hand smoke will harm non-smokers lungs too and cause breathing problems for children. If a pregnant mother smokes, she is risking her babies health. There is a greater chance that she will lose the baby during pregnancy or that it will be born too soon before the lungs are fully developed. Think of your own health too because statistics show that 1 in 3 smokers die early from smoking. It causes bad breath, brown stained fingers and nails, it ages your skin prematurely and causes cancer and emphezema. Not to mention how bad a smokers house, car and clothes stink like a dirty ashtray. To a smoker it really isn't that noticeable because your sense of smell is dulled. But once you quit smoking, within days your sense of smell and taste elevates dramatically and these odors will bother you also.

The cost of a pack of cigarettes has sky rocketted from $3.00 to $5.00 a pack depending on where you live. If you smoke, look at the chart below and see how much you are spending in a year on cigarettes.

HOW MUCH DOES YOUR SMOKING COST YOU? At an average of $4.00 a pack
Amount You Smoke a Day	Daily Cost	Yearly Cost
1 Cigarette	20 Cents	$73
1/2 a Pack	$2.00	$730
1 Pack	$4	$1,460
2 Packs	$8	$2,920
3 Packs	$12	$4,380

Think of the things that you could be buying with that money if you quit smoking. A fun thing to do after you quit is to take some of that money and spend it on something for yourself that couldn't have bought before because of that nasty expensive habit. I knew a guy who quit and with the extra money bought himself a few DVD's each week as a reward.

The fact is that it is very hard to quit smoking without the help of Jesus Christ. He has already set you free from all oppression. THAT WHICH JESUS SETS FREE, IS FREE INDEED - John 8:36, Galatians 5:1. God's Word says if we ask anything, believing we will receive from God through Christ Jesus, we can have what we ask for - John 15:16, 14:13-14, 16:23-24. God tells you, IF YOU CAN BELIEVE, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO HIM WHO BELIEVES - Mark 9:23. Remember also that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 6:19. Make a decision today to defeat the lies of Satan and to quit the bad habit of smoking by stopping with the help of Jesus. Honor your body and the long life that God had originally planned for it.

A Testimony Of Success

Below is a testimony from a friend who grabbed hold of those words and put them into action:

"I smoked for many years and like you after failing time and time again to stop smoking by myself, I decided to turn it over to Jesus. Now understand, I was at the point that I wanted absolutely no more of smoking. I came to Christ that night and met Satan boldly head on with all authority that I had in me. I meant business and Satan knew it. You see this is a battle with the devil that you're entering into. You are actually going to war with the devil to save your health and he wants you to fail! This is purely a spiritual battle and no less. Satan is lurking around to see if he "MAY" shorten your life with smoking 1 Peter 5:8. Here it tells us that Satan walks around "LIKE A" roaring lion seeking whom he "MAY" devour. You have to give him permission to devour you. He doesn't have power unless you give it to him! He will try to lie to you and to deceive you as in the lies about smoking but in order for that to work, you have to accept the lies. You know that smoking is bad for you. Stand firm and use the power of Jesus name against him.

I wanted to be free from this bad habit so I first bound Satan in the name of Jesus (Boldly say "I bind you Satan in the name of Jesus"). Then with every bit of my commanding authority, I commanded him to depart from me (literally say, "I command you Satan and this addiction to smoking to depart from my body...I cast you out in the name of Jesus!"). Then I praised Jesus for my deliverance from smoking. You see, Satan is like an intruder in your home. Your body is the temple or home of the Lord. So if you have an intruder in your home (body) you first want to bind him up to stop him from any further damage. Then you want to get rid of him by casting him out of your home (body). Then praise Jesus for your deliverance. Thank him for giving you clean brand new lungs again. You don't have to beg or ask Christ over and over for this. YOU TAKE THE AUTHORITY THAT CHRIST GAVE YOU AND YOU CLEAN YOUR HOUSE! Make a promise to Him like I did that you will never again touch another cigarette to your lips. Instantly all cravings for nicotine left me, I felt like I received a new pair of lungs. Afterwards I actually had nightmares of myself smoking and I was petrified that I would have to stand before the Lord saying that I broke my promise to Him. But now I know that it was just the devil trying to scare me. That was 18 years ago and I have not had a craving for a cigarette since nor gained any weight. Put your faith into action, try Jesus, He works, praise God!

Most people when they try to quit smoking are not at that point where they are 100% ready to quit with all that they have. You have to be at the point where there is nothing else in life that you want more. You have to be totally ready to get rid of that stinking habit. I was at that point and I was angry. I was boiling and ready to go to battle. I commanded Satan to depart with such authority that I had him shaking in his boots and guess what...he took off! I had the victory and was left with no cravings and new lungs. I know that you can do it too. You see Satan doesn't want us to figure all this out. He doesn't want us to know that Jesus gave us authority to fight our own battles with him using the powerful name of "Jesus". Once you find this out, you now have a mighty weapon to use against him. When he sees that you will stand your ground, not back down and have mighty unwavering faith...HE WILL LEAVE!"

Here is a Prayer That You Can Pray To
Ask God To Deliver You From Smoking

Almighty God in the name of Jesus I come to you in prayer. Your Word tells me that I am free from Satan's bondage. For whom Jesus has set free is free indeed. Lord for years I have been in bondage to cigarettes, nicotine, smoking and doing harm to my body which is your temple. I place on your alter this bad habit and addiction. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I bind you up and command you spirit of addiction and smoking to depart from me and enter me no more. I will not take up eating as a substitute and I will not gain weight for I am completely free from this bondage. Praise God! Thank you Lord for my deliverance and I give you glory and honor forevermore. Amen.

An Aid To Help Stand In Faith or Build Your Faith
(Mark 4:14-20):
Pray the prayer above and then print and cut out the two faith statements below. Place them inside the cellophane of your pack of cigarettes one on each side. If you are tempted to reach for a cigarette, read out loud the statement of faith. The reason I want you to read it out loud is so that you can "hear" the words. FAITH COMES BY HEARING AND HEARING BY THE WORD (Romans 10:17). IT IS THROUGH FAITH THAT WE PLEASE GOD (Hebrews 11:6).