Dear mloaks

Can you ask God's blessing on the cigar you smoke? And can you thank Him for supplying you with it? Can you imagine Jesus Christ with a Cigar in His mouth?

It reminds me of a Zulu story I once heard. For the sake of others I will change it into a Western context.
A man was offered to buy a beautiful house, but in the contract it was clearly stipulated that a wall-mounted hook on an interior wall of the house would remain the property of the previous owner. After much consideration and thought, this man decided to continue with buying this house. Together with his family they moved in. After a while the previous owner came back to hang something on HIS hook. This owner was annoyed, but what could he do? It was in the contract. The family eventually got used to the stranger's belongings on the hook in their house. But then, after some time, this previous owner came with the impossible. He brought along a carcass of a dead animal and hung it on his hook. You can imagine, a few weeks later it was stinking so badly that they had to evacuate their beautiful house. Just because of a single hook that belonged to that previous owner!

If we are not ruthless with sin and the world, it will destroy us. The Bible says: " Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Hebrew 12:1)

In His love,
Gery

yes

_________________
Dominic Shiells

[color=0000FF]Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent[/color]

So in the contex of our conversation here it is actually better to smoke a pack a day knowing it is sin and that there is need of repentance than to try to justify it as OK. Circumsision was commanded by God. Inhaling poison of course is not. Ultimately the high road to take would be to never smoke. I am willing to say that if you make that commitment the Lord will bless you like never before. Step out in faith! The Lord will not leave you wanting. The Spirit of the Lord will be there in times of "craving" or temptation to give you peace. Give all your concerns to Him. He loves you!

_________________
tommy