To the SMOKER,
the Potter Loves You
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy
Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies. (NIV)
When
God created man, He breathed into man the breath of life and man became a
living soul. Without the breath from God, man would have been just an empty
vessel. Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the
Almighty gives me life. (NIV) No one can live without having air to
enter the lungs and supply oxygen to the brain. This is how God designed our
bodies to work. Whenever we die, that same breath goes back to God and in
return, our mortal bodies go back to the ground from whence we were created. Job
33:6 I am the same as you in God’s sight; I too am a piece of clay. (NIV)
Despite God having given us His breath for us to function, the devil, as
always, has a counter attack to disrupt and corrupt mankind. One of the ways he
does this is through addiction to nicotine.
For
years, the Surgeon General has warned of the side effects of nicotine smoke. It
has been contributed to various types of cancer. Lung cancer is one of the most
recognized diseases that is attributed to cigarette smoke. Not only is nicotine
harmful to the person who does the smoking, but it has damaging effects on
those who inhale it by second-hand means and its effects can be detrimental to
the development of unborn babies. There are no positives to cigarette smoking and
its negative effects can play a role in shortening a person’s lifespan. Of
course, this brings joy to the enemy when he can shorten someone’s life
expectancy, so that they will not be able to live life to the fullest, for which
God had originally intended. Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the
path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal
pleasures at your right hand. (NIV) Nevertheless, there is freedom from
any type of addiction at the Potter’s House.
People
smoke for various reasons, but those reasons are all attributed to the devil’s
goal of destroying God’s creation. The enemy knows that when he seduces you
into harming your body, you are not able to operate in the Kingdom of God as
effectively as you could if you were not held captive to an addiction. 1
Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to
mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you
can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you
can endure it. (NIV) Smoking is indeed an addiction that the Potter
wants to free you from if you will allow Him have complete reign over your
life. Anything that holds you captive is an addiction and has become your idol.
To willfully harm our bodies is to prevent the Holy Spirit from being able to
operate in and through us. The smoke that is filling the lungs is not only
damaging to the body, but it is smoking out the presence of the Holy Spirit
where He wishes to permanently dwell. 1 Corinthians 3:17 If anyone destroys
God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you
together are that temple. (NIV)
When
we come to the knowledge of who the Potter is and His desire for our lives, we
can take comfort in knowing that He will help us to defeat the enemy. The enemy
comes in many forms. Anything that destroys our bodies is an enemy of God.
However, God has given us power to defeat the enemy. We are unable to do so on
our own, but through the blood that Jesus shed for us on the cross, we can be
victorious in Him. Allow the Potter to restore you back to Himself where in Him,
nothing will destroy your temple, but only the uplifting of praises unto Him. Psalm
150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
(NIV)
No comments:
Post a Comment