Do NOT Tempt the Lord Your God
Quit Now in Jesus Name
The following is an exchange of emails between a struggling saint and myself. It tells a a story that you may need to hear. I pray it witnesses to you in time to avoid regret that may have eternal consequences. Take this before the Lord in prayer.
GOD BLESS YOU
THE LETTERS
I am a Christian and love the Lord with every fiber of my being. In these last days we’re living in, it is critically important to stay in constant prayer and repentance, to be found worthy of Him when He comes. But I have been struggling with the addiction to cigarettes. I pray daily, sometimes several times a day, for the Lords help to stop smoking. I have tried every method that is available with no success and lately I am on my knees, weeping and literally begging for the Lords help. I have given it to the Lord, but then I take it back over and over, not knowing if He would have me continually try to quit. Usually when He speaks to me, it’s a gentle nudge but this thought of quitting is a driving force, always on my mind. Maybe because our time is so very short….I’m just not sure. I’ve always been taught that we must give over our problems to God, and wait for His answer. But with this, I don’t want to wait because I certainly don’t want something like this to get in the way of my salvation. I don’t even know if it will but I don’t want to take that chance! Aside from this, I strive to walk a holy life, always praying and seeking God’s guidance, as well as telling others about Him.
MY RESPONSE
It is with great empathy that I tell you what I am about to tell you. I deeply feel your pain in this struggle.
There is only one thing that I know of that can make a person quit smoking. Fear. Powerful fear. The kind of fear that words cannot describe. The problem we have as “itchy ears” Christians of the 20th and 21st Century is that we were never taught the fundamentals of Christianity. Fire and brimstone teachings were washed away with the “once saved always saved” devils doctrine. When Jesus said “If your eye offends thee pluck it out” … He meant it. Jesus wasn’t kidding.
Matt 18:8-9
8 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.
NKJVLet me tell you I tried every trick in the book to reason with God over smoking. Even though I KNEW my own mother was spoken to “out loud” by God to “put that cigarette down!!!” and that the book I read by Charles and Francis Hunter made it extremely clear the “smoking was sinning”, I kept thinking it would be okay with Jesus. Jesus would cut me a special break on smoking.
This verse has always worried me.
1 Cor 3:17
7 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
KJVBut the FINAL straw was when I prayed in tears and opened up a 400,000 word Thesaurus and it fell open to a page with the word “BACKSLIDDEN”
The Lord knew that I was horrified about missing the rapture of the Bride.
Eph 5:27
(…) that He might present her to Himself a glorious church ["Bride"], not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
NKJVMy Bible studies, which are arguably extremely advanced, have taught me that being a “Wise Virgin” (Matthew 25) and making the rapture includes a “possible” (but not guaranteed) invitation to the Wedding Supper. ALSO there is a book which I agree with entitled The 1,000 Year Millennium of Jesus Christ … Will You Make It?. You see, people don’t realize that they are not only jeopardizing their eligibility for the rapture of the Bride, but they are jeopardizing their “eternal standing” in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ through forfeited “Inheritance”.
Gal 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
NKJVWhen I opened up that Thesaurus (called “casting of lots”) and saw the impossible word from the Lord “backslidden”, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was NOT going to make the rapture for sure and it might be MUCH worse.
I burst into tears and cried my way to Walgreens and bought the 22 mg Nicoderm clear patches. I quit drinking ANY alcohol and I MADE DARN SURE that I was not around ANY temptation.
There is ONE other time I quit smoking in my life prior to this last time. Cancer. I received an intermediate diagnosis of possible throat cancer and it scared me so desperately bad that I cried and cried and cried for hours and hours in my bed to the Lord. I was HORRIFIED. Praise Jesus the final diagnosis was not cancer, but I QUIT SMOKING just the same.
FEAR ….
Do NOT wait until you are being escorted to HELL by a seething demon to have enough FEAR to quit.
QUIT NOW
IN JESUS NAMEPs 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
NKJVMatt 7:14
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
NKJVMatt 4:5
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
NKJV
Your conversion is in line with a challenge I have to addressed now and quit from it before it is too late. I have a problem of LUST which our Lord Jesus Christ spoke against it. Please help me to come out of thing ungodly character. With much humility please help me.
I too am trying to quit smoking. I fear not making the rapture and I am scared to death of Gods wrath! I love God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit with all that God made me. I have prayed and continue to pray for deliverance from this addiction and these cigarettes. I know God hears my prayers but what else do I do? I have no money right now to go buy the patch but I don’t want to miss the rapture at all! Please help me.
Trust me the patch will only work if you have made up your mind to quit…
really made it up..
please help me find the real me i’m here doin gods will but have addictions i battled the evilness of drugs and so far so good ive beatin my demons but i have ciggarette addiction and a gambling addiction and would like you to pray for me that i find the strength to finally break free of all my unholy shackles brother godbless us all
This Is a message from the LORD it’s long but let it bless you and help you all with addictions.
I love you MY children. I love you and as surely as I live, as surely as I the sovereign GOD will always live, the enemy will hate you. MY children do you think he likes you, he does not like you how can he even love you. He cannot tolerate you. If it were not for MY hand of protection over you the enemy would have killed you and had you in the pits where you will understand the hate he has for ME and you. Be not deceived. You think the pleasure you have on the earth is nothing more than pleasure? No, it is sin. The pleasure of flesh is against the spirit. MY children please read this slowly understand it fully. He hates you, (the lord sounds sad) yes I am heartbroken by MY children who have perished. MY heart aches for each of them, each of them MY Spirit. Why do you choose the flesh over ME MY children? I can give you more but you choose him, the enemy I defeated long ago. His defeat was written long ago, before you were born. He hates you and he will do anything. Whatever it takes to have your soul in hell. He will do it. Through your family, through your friends. Your career. Your music. The things you watch. Everything that he can find that will get to you he will use, but he cannot use it unless you give him power. MY children, satan has no power. Do not entertain his evil ways he wants your soul in hell. In hell, do you know what is in hell my children? Do you?
Snakes which make love to you. Smokers, homosexuals, drunkards, their punishment is severe. Even MY children who called themselves MY own, those who chose money over ME, those who were harsh in words, people who love wild parties, there are so many in hell MY children, so many being tortured. Yet some of you seem to think you can handle hell, that hell is a place of fun. You joke about hell being a party, a fun party where you drink and smoke and take part in your pleasure filled sins. Yes it is so, MY children you will party, you will drink, you will smoke you will fornicate for eternity MY children. It will indeed be a hot party, but believe ME you will find no pleasure in any of that. Only demons will find pleasure in hell’s possession of your soul. Drink: you will drink fire, you will drink acid you will drink burning liquid you will drink the most horrid painful things only satans demons find pleasure in. You will smoke things you never thought to smoke, and it will never end my children. You will be pierced with spears all over your bodies. All over your bodies you will be speared, stabbed, bitten, your flesh will be torn. You will cry for death but death will never come. You are made in MY Image, I am an ETERNAL BEING, and you cannot die. Yes fornicators will be pierced in the genitals. In the most painful of areas. Demons with thorns all over their body will make love to you. Worms will suck on your tongues. Ugly, horrific things will happen to you. That is the party you will be in forever. The party, the hot party in hell never ends my children. It never ends. There are no 6 to 6’s in hell. Only eternity, forever, and ever the torment will go on. Is a minute’s pleasure worth eternal torment MY children; really is it worth it MY children? How do you choose that over what I offer you? I offer you peace joy, eternal rest. I offer you life. I offer you the beauties of heaven. The finest GOD can give you. Do you not want to smile for eternity, do you not? What MY children is it not enough? Is to live to sin? How is it that you encourage this term of yours live a little?
What is to live a little? Live on the earth sinfully, die and land up in hell? Is that to live a little? MY children listen to Me, you do not live a little. You will never live a little. You will live forever. When your soul departs from your body that is the beginning of eternity. Where will you spend it? In MY Kingdom, in MY presence, Or in hell? My children stop encouraging each other to sin, it is not right, it is unholy, it is evil, it is detestable.
My children I told you I am going to tell you many things in these words, I tell you the truth and nothing else. Nothing but truth comes out of MY mouth; I have no reason to deceive those I love. No reason to lie. I am not man. I cannot lie. I cannot, it is not in MY being, and MY SPIRIT knows not to lie. I do not lie. My children, suicide, why do you commit suicide? Do not do it, I know MY children it’s hard, some of you your circumstances seem unbearable but just trust and believe that I God will work everything out in your favor. I have forgiven every sin. Even suicide, I have MY blood to cover suicide but I will explain to you why MY children, why suicide’s land up in hell. Suicides land up in hell, MY children because they could not repent. You cannot repent in hell. You cannot repent after the departure from your body. By the time you die there is no time for you to ask for forgiveness you have left the earth. You have been cut off from the earth my children remember this. Repentance is not for the grave, MY children. Repentance is for now. It is now. Do not waste time. Do not deceive yourselves thinking you will run away from your circumstances to a better place, you will find yourselves worse off than you were while on the earth MY children, but I ask you my children to come to me. Run to ME, I will comfort you in your sickness and in your pain. I am here for you. I will never turn my back on you. I will give you back everything that the devil stole from you. I, GOD will give you back your joy. Your peace and you worth., I god will mend you and put you back together for my own glory because I love you and those who belong to me will not be mocked or destroyed by the enemy for I will be your GOD, Your PROTECTOR. I am the Great “I AM.” I can only protect you if you belong to Me. Call on MY name my children. Call on the name of JESUS. I am here.
My children listen to ME. I have a complaint against you. Why do you betray each other MY children? Why do you betray and hurt your friends and your family. Why do you lie to each other? Why do you fight? Make peace today, MY children. Talk, forgive one another, stab crucifying each other and mocking and slandering your names. MY children this is not from ME. I command you to love each other as you love yourselves. Do not believe that you will enter MY kingdom if you hold any grudges, MY children. No no. Stop being hypocrites. Stop it. I do not go to MY Father and bad mouth you, I do not remind MY FATHER of the countless sins you performed. Forgive each other, help each other, respect, and do not break each others trust. Encourage each other in the LORD. In ME, encourage each other do not pull each other away from each other. MY church is to help each other. Stop judging each other, judgment is for God alone not for mere people. Judgment is MINE; MY judgment is fair and just. Do not hurt each other.
MY children I am going to talk about porn again, I need you to understand MY children it is a sin. How dare you put what I made for privacy on display? Porn encourages sex out of marriage. Demons of lust enter into your body then you yield to your flesh and sin against your own body, through masturbation. Why masturbation is wrong you may ask yourself? It is sin MY children, I am not pleased with MY children lusting after each other, I am not pleased with the world telling my children to masturbate because it is natural, sex outside of ME, MY children is dangerous, demons make love to you. Do not do it. Do not watch porn, do not make porn, MY children, this includes your photos. The photos you take the photos you look at. Listen to ME, you are grieving the HOLY SPIRIT, you are. , MY children please, the road to hell is very broad, the road to heaven is very narrow. Few find it. I ask you now, what road are you walking on? Sex is for man and woman in marriage alone. Only in marriage, MY children you ask yourselves why and how you became so sexual, so promiscuous? Sex MY children, sexual demons are in you, ask ME to restore you and purify you MY children that you are found not guilty before a Holy GOD. Only I, GOD can deliver you from such sin. Yes only I, GOD.
I am not done MY children; I have words, listen to ME, and listen to ME carefully. I am coming. I am coming very soon. I am coming so soon. Those who do not believe, those who doubt, your blood is on your own head. I have warned you over and over. Do not expect to see tomorrow, do not plan for next week, do not invest for retirement, do not watch and wait for you youth to end, do not stall, do not wait to turn to ME. I will come soon. I am coming now, I am on MY way. I am here. I am ready to leave with MY bride. I have sent the words out: Soon MY children. You will be shocked at the events’ that are about to take place before MY coming and after MY coming. Woe to you MY children who are left behind to face the antichrist. Woe to you. The time is now. Do not wait. Repentance is not for the grave. It is not. I am coming with the voice of an arch angel and the sound of a trumpet. “I AM” is here!!!!!!!!! I love you all.”
Not all smoking is sinful. The use of the factory made chemical filled cancer sticks, possibly because they are full of carcinogens and formaldhyde. If you grow your own tobacco and roll your own, then you know exactly what’s in them. As for addictions, keep everything moderate. Tobacco does have some medicinal use as all plants. It is petrochemical pharmaceuticals that one must watch out for because they are synthesized and man-made, not nature made. Jesus can help you battle any addiction, but do not say using a natural thing is a sin. It is what you use it for that counts. Don’t over do it and don’t fill it with chemicals.
It’s your eternity.
That’s good rationalizing, Tabitha. Like when I kept trying to recite “my Spirit is willing, Lord, but my flesh is weak.” I tried that on Him a few times until He led me to 1 Cor 3:17
7 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
KJV
try to rethink it, Babe.
When I read the words, “Usually when He speaks to me, it’s a gentle nudge but this thought of quitting is a driving force, always on my mind,” I knew this testimony was for me. I’ve come across all of the verses pertaining to this you listed and everytime it draws my thoughts back to a powerful drive to quit – not because I want to, really, because I believe Jesus has been trying to tell me He doesn’t grade on a curve, and He demands I not grieve the Holy Temple. Thank you. All of you. I feel strengthened through these comments and testimonies. God Bless.
Praise Jesus
Honestly, I wish I hadn’t gone to this link. My daddy was one of those hell & brimstone preachers. I have felt all my life that the path is so narrow that no one can get into heaven. Just the last few years I’ve felt that God is a loving God, not waiting to drop the hammer. I’ve had a hard time with Grace, but finally accepting it. I love the Lord with all my heart. I feel I do so much right, but now I feel it’s all for nothing if I can’t give up cigarettes, which have been my only vice. I’m so sad.I really thought he would forgive my one weakness, that Grace would cover. Now, I feel I was right before. I strive for perfection in all things, just can’t make it in every area.
Well you can always go to Walgreens and get the Nicoderm Patch and quit like I did. People are tying to purify themselves for the rapture of the Bride. The Bible says “Be Ye Holy for I am Holy” and we are not to defile the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16). I LOVED SMOKING and was DEVASTATED when the Lord told me I was “backslidden” as a smoker. You can either buck-up and do the right thing for yourself and Jesus or you can give up and throw yourself at the mercy of God’s throne. I recommend you do what God’s word says and do everything you can to quit now. Don’t give up. Pray your heart out and seek righteousness like the Bible says. This is about making the rapture. Don’t risk this. The risk is not worth it.
Eph 5:27-28
… that He [Jesus] might present her [the Bride] to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
NKJV
DO NOT GIVE UP
SEEK GOD
PRAY
PRAISE
DO IT
lol Trust me, Gail – I FEEL YOUR PAIN. I’m looking foward to being able to run like the wind again. I haven’t been able to do that for many, many years.
That’s exactly why I’m trying to quit. But, I’m using my reverence for the Lord to help me through it. I’ve backslidden a couple of times, but I’m determined. It’s the only reason, the Rapture, that makes any sense to me. Thanks for your words. I needed to hear them. God Bless.
Thank you, I needed to see these words. Thank you.
I too was once a smoker. I quit over twenty years ago with the Lord’s help.
He spoke to me and told me he would help me to quit smoking through prayer. I must admit it did not happen overnight and it took a few times.
Every time I had the desire to smoke, I would pray that the Lord would take it away. I also would remember how I felt after smoking a cigarette. (If you haven’t smoked as much and then have a cigarette, it makes you light headed and you feel sick). I figured it was not worth it.
I hope this story would help someone else who struggles with this addiction.
To God be the glory!
I had quit smoking for a while, but truth to tell – I don’t want to survive in this world that’s in the making. I’m old and on my way out. I want to go home. My REAL home. If I thought God would judge my love for Jesus on this human fraility alone, then I would be one who just didn’t know God.
I wasn’t smoking when Jesus died on the Cross for me. He went to the Cross for all our past, present and future sins.
1 Cor 3:16-17
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him.
NKJV
I’m like Paul. Although I haven’t been perfected, I still press forward for the prize.
Nothing will work unless you are ready to quit. My problem is that I have lung cancer now. I’m not going to persue any medical methods because frankly, who wants to live in this world that’s fast coming upon us? There isn’t anything left for Christians here. The world has only Satan and the Great Tribulation and we have Jesus and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
I’ll spend my days talking and trying to get people to open their eyes, and to get out of Babylon so-to-speak, but the scarey part is that even Christians don’t seem to see it!
What I won’t do, is try to prolong my stay here. I’m old and frail now. I gave my life to Jesus many years ago. If my cigarettes would come between the love and worship I have for Him to send me to Hell, then salvation was never mine to begin with.
Stop this, stop that. They seem more like legalistic rules made by man, not God.
As long as you are alive, you can repent of your sins. Praise Jesus His grace is so powerful that our Father would forgive us over and over again as we struggle with our fleshy challenges. God Bless You I will see you in HEAVEN!
Amen to that, John.
Here is a response to an email sent to me regarding this subject:
It is not a sin to seek medical treatment and take legally prescribed medications (Ref. Romans 13 – follow the law; and Luke was a medical doctor).
It is not acceptable to the Lord to knowingly and willfully harm the temple body. This is also the same scripture that prevents people from committing suicide etc. (and more too).
1 Cor 3:17
17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
NKJV
Now all I can do is tell you what happened to me. I realize that people can argue until they are blue in their face (which I did for a long time), that smoking does not qualify for 1 Cor. 3:17 etc.
Here is what happened to me.
I was going through a phase where I was worried to death all the time. I was freaking out because I know how horrible the Great Tribulation (“GT”) is going to be for people left behind. I also realized that we only get ONE CHANCE to be the Bride of Jesus Christ and Rule and Reign with Him forever. I also realize that not all Christians who make it to heaven will be the same. There will be a hierarchy of leaders, Kings, and many who are will not be part of the Millennial Kingdom. So I was literally scared so bad that I was having a hard time sleeping and spent hours in tears.
One day I sat in tears praying before the Lord about this smoking thing. I didn’t NOT want to quit. I believed the Lord should cut me a break because I was serving Him in so many other ways. I was wrong. Here is what happened.
We, as followers of God, have the ability to “cast lots” (ref. Proverbs 8:18, Acts 1:26). In this case my “lots” was a Thesaurus with 300,000 words in it. I prayed and asked the Lord very very clearly “Will smoking keep me from being the Bride of Jesus Christ”?
I closed my eyes and let the book fall open on its own.
There before my eyes, the Thesaurus fell upon the word ….
“Backslidden”
I burst into tears crying out loud like a three year old child and drove to Walgreens to get the Nicoderm patch. I quit drinking for like 4 months to make sure that the Beer would not make me fall back into smoking. I was horrified. I never looked back.
PRAISE JESUS I am now fully quit.
That’s my testimony. I hope it helps you.
God Bless You
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This is Tracey’s email response:
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Thank you! Thank you so much!!!
Tonight’s the night I am on my way out to get the patch!!
Praise Jesus
Thank you!!!
I can’t wait to give my testimony for this!! I feel delivered already!!!
Thank You John
Thank you Jesus!!’
I know. I hear “backslidden” in my Spirit all the time. I tried the patch but had terrible nightmares from it, but it’s an ongoing commitment of mine to succeed. Since Jesus has been my Lord and Savior, I’ve managed to leave everything behind but this – and since Jesus died for me, and broke Satan’s dominion over me, I know I’ll succeed.