Article September 1, 2013

Always a nonsmoker

Originally published in the January 13, 1997 issue of The Christian Science Monitor

 Would you like to quit smoking, but just haven't been able to? If you are struggling with any sort of addiction, take heart. There is a way to be free, and it's a spiritual way. Discovering that you are a child of God is what enables you to conquer addiction and to find the freedom He has given you.

You are not powerless, even in the face of what seems to be unbearable temptation. You can take a stand for your rights—your God-given rights. You can refuse tempting impulses! Because you are God's child, you are spiritual. If God hasn't caused an impulsion, it has no hold on you. You are under the control of God, not in the grip of addiction.

I have considered the words of the Christian Saviour, Jesus. They were sharp and to the point when he struggled with temptation. "Get thee behind me, Satan,"  Luke 4:8  he said. He didn't waste time with something wrong; in fact he had no time for it.

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