Health

Health – Ingenious Ways to Exercise

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A few years back I knew a family that had decided to get completely off the grid. The couple had several young children so the idea of “no power/electricity” was incomprehensible to them. Included in all of the thoughts that ran through their young minds was, “We won’t have a refrigerator” and “What about television?” These young minds were in total shock. It was a good thing that the father had thought out much of these things ahead of time while preparing their new home for occupancy. One of the things he had rigged up was a bicycle hooked up to the television. Anyone who wanted to watch television would need to pedal the bicycle during the whole time. It worked and the family was in great shape; there were also times, more often than not, that the television and bicycle were empty. This lifestyle gave the children more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors in place of sitting and watching television.

What brought this to my memory was the following article which came out recently that talked about a bicycle washing machine which will clean your laundry while you pedal away calories. Of course, this will even strengthen the heart which will strengthen the whole body to the glory of God. The following are some excerpts for your enjoyment and thought.

“… a team of designers at China’s Dalian Nationalities University has developed a device called the Bike Washing Machine, which does exactly what its name implies—namely, it washes clothes using pedal power alone.

“The bike looks like a hybrid between an exercise bike and a washing machine. It’s a stationary bike with one front ‘wheel,’ which contains an ordinary-looking washing machine drum. When you pedal the bike, the drum turns and washes a load of laundry the same way a typical washing machine does.

“Although it is not clear whether the device will shift automatically from wash to rinse mode, it appears that the designers could make it perform that task fairly easily with some sort of timer and valve system.

“It might seem like a gimmicky invention at first glance, but it does make sense, especially for those who live in small apartments where having an exercise bike and a separate washing machine might pose a problem in terms of space. The bike could also be useful to those living in remote areas where electricity is scarce or unavailable.

“Another interesting feature of the Bike Washing Machine is that it can also be used to generate electricity that can be stored in a battery.

“In addition to saving space, washing your clothes and generating electricity, the bike will also help you burn calories and shed pounds while performing those other useful tasks.

“A prototype is now being built, and the team has submitted its design to the website Tuvie.com.” www.naturalnews.com/049616_pedal_power_bicycle_laundry.html

Exercise is one of the eight health laws, along with nutrition, water, sunshine, temperance, air, rest and trust in God. These new inventions may lead many back to at least one of these health laws—exercise.

Being creative in your own home and lifestyle may preserve your health so you may enjoy the life God has given to you. Think of ways to keep your body moving such as:

  • Stand up and walk while talking on the phone.
  • Move your arms up, down and around and flex your feet while sitting at your desk.
  • Rise up and down on your toes while washing dishes or cooking meals. Don’t just stand there.

Our bodies were made for movement and we need to keep our blood moving. Hook up an exercise bike to the television so you can move while you are watching or, alternately you might think about getting a rebounder to bounce on while you are watching.

Remember that your eyes also need exercise! Begin to get into the habit of moving your eyes back and forth, up and down, and blink, blink, blink for a few minutes. Do this several times each day.

Your brain also needs some good exercise. Think positively! Our thoughts can change our actions and our attitudes and many times improve our health. Positive thinking and positive activity can rewire your brain and strengthen brain areas that stimulate positive feelings. Every time a negative thought creeps in, retrain your brain to think a positive thought. Give your brain some positive activity. Sing scripture songs. Think on all of the positive things that God has provided. Never dwell on the sad, gloomy or frustrating things. We are told: “… be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind …” (Romans 12:2).

Think positively and be creative in the exercising of your whole body, physically, mentally and spiritually.

Health – Sight & Sound

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It is so easy to get into a groove of everyday living that often we do not realize the effect, or impact, that different sights and sounds around us are having on our emotional well-being. I would like to share with you an excerpt from one of Vicki Griffin’s books, Guilt-free Gourmet, pages 377–380 (Remnant Publications, 1999). The main title is Television& Music. The subtitles are real eye-catchers:

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Serenity—Or Insanity?

As we have been studying various Christian lifestyle issues, we begin to see some interesting contrasts. The principles of living that are taught in the Bible tend to promote strength rather than sickness, order rather than chaos, genuine pleasure rather than artificial stimulation, and soundness of mind rather than depression and mood swings.

God’s prescription for leisure time is no different—He offers serenity instead of insanity, joy instead of jitters. “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11).

Biblical counsel on how to live is so critical to health, happiness and salvation that we are admonished: “Receive My instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold” (Proverb 8:10).

Recreation—Or entertainment?

A trip to the park, zoo, or museum—hobbies, crafts, reading, volunteer work, a picnic, building project, even chores—these kinds of recreational activities have a positive impact on the stress system, immune system and mood. They promote a healthy appetite, sound sleep, a sense of well-being and relieve tension.

That’s recreation—but much of today’s entertainment has far different effects. Unfortunately, the above-mentioned activities pale in comparison to America’s major pastime: watching television. Television—is it a harmless outlet for the harried, or an entertainment trap that ensnares and destroys?

TV ADs: The Automatic Income Reducer!

Television and movies seem to be a major pastime of both young and old. It is estimated that 99% of American households own at least one television. The average person spends more than seven hours a day watching TV—2,555 hours per year. Motivational speaker and author Zig Ziglar calls TV “the automatic income reducer” because of the non-productive, wasted time spent there!

The average child watches 31 hours of TV every week, which is 5,000 hours by the time they enter the first grade, and 19,000 hours by the time they finish high school. By the age of 16, a typical young person will have viewed 200,000 acts of violence, and seen 31 incidents of sex, violence and profanity per programming hour. …

TV: Gradual Brain Drain

According to a study conducted at Yale University, children who watch a lot of television are more aggressive than non-viewers, show decreased reading ability, lower levels of imagination, short attention spans and higher levels of restlessness and hyperactivity.

Watching violent television produces biological effects in the body. These effects include cardiovascular stress, suppression of the immune system, and elevated levels of three different stress hormones, especially cortisol. Elevated cortisol levels are associated with neural damage to the hippocampus area of the brain, and are implicated in poor memory, senility and chronic depression.

One study of 1,100 television-viewing children showed that watching “reality-based” programs for as little as two hours a day increased the incidence of aggression, stealing, bullying, temper tantrums, and impulsiveness. These characteristics increased over time.

Now For the Real News

An interesting study from London, England, showed that watching just 14 minutes of negative news significantly impacted anxiety and sadness levels in viewers. In addition, they were more likely to evaluate their own life problems in a catastrophic or disproportionately negative way, compared with non-viewers. Reading printed newspaper accounts, however, did not produce the same effect.

Music, Mind and Mood

Certain types of music also seem to reduce stress and enhance brain function. A study conducted by the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at the University of California has confirmed that soothing Mozart sonatas and similar complex, highly structured music seem to stimulate cognitive and neural pathways, resulting in IQ scores as much as 10 points higher in test subjects.

Conversely, the harsh rhythms of rock and jazz interfere with abstract reasoning and can actually destroy delicate brain nerves. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University reported that students who listen to the most rock have the highest levels of anxiety, depression, and “sensation-seeking.”

Heavy metal and rap music is associated with increased incidence of behavior problems, drug and alcohol use, sexual activity, low grades and criminal arrests. When young David played his harp for the moody King Saul, he was “refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.” I Samuel 16:23.

Rhythm and Reason

The Bible says: “The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them.” Proverbs 20:12. We are accountable to God for the use of our sensory organs as well as our time. And right use brings blessings! God’s television and magazine guide can’t be beat!

You will find it in Psalm 101. It is not only worth reviewing—it’s worth living!

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We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made and we must take care of our mental, physical and spiritual life; otherwise, the devil will walk right in and destroy us mentally, physically and spiritually.

 

Health – Ripe and Unripe Fruits & Grains

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There are some wonderful insights in the book Back to Eden by Jethro Kloss on health issues and every so often I like to review them and share with others these gems. The chapter entitled “Fruits” includes some very interesting thoughts about ripe and unripe fruits and grains which many of us have either forgotten about or never heard.

FRUITS – Chapter XXIII

“God planned in the beginning that fruit should form a large part of our diet, and if we would practice that now, it would mean very much to our health. While it is true that fruit, like other things, has deteriorated very much since creation, yet if we would take care of it and eat it in a proper way, it would prove an untold blessing today.

“In the beginning man was told to dress the trees. This was for a wise purpose. Every tree should be pruned and dressed so that the sun will shine on the fruit at least part of the day, if not all day. If there are too many limbs and leaves, and the fruit grows altogether in the shade, it has much less food value, flavor, and life-giving properties. The seed of fruit and vegetables grown in the shade for two or three years will not germinate. It has to a great extent lost its quality and life-giving properties. Therefore all fruit trees should be pruned so that sun and air have free access. Another thing that should be remembered is that fruit before it is ripe is in the starchy state; in this condition it has but little food value, and is hard to digest. But as fruit ripens, it turns into grape sugar, especially when ripened in the air and sun, and requires practically no digestion. Fruit which is grown in the shade or is picked before it is ripe is better cooked than raw. A great deal of the fruit that is shipped is picked before it is ripe. While it does ripen to some extent after it is picked, it is never the same as it is when ripened on the tree.

“If fruit is picked before it is full grown, it is practically worthless as far as real food value is concerned, excepting, perhaps, the banana, which is a very peculiar fruit. It can be picked green and will continue to ripen and develop its sugar. It should never be eaten until every particle of green disappears, and the outer skin begins to turn brown, and the pulp has become mellow. Most bananas are eaten altogether too green, and while still in the starchy state. When the banana is fully ripe, it develops twenty-five percent of grape sugar, which requires very little or no digestion. Any infant or invalid can eat them when mashed up. … Let me emphasize again, never eat a banana until it is thoroughly ripe. [Emphasis author’s.]

“In buying prunes, buy a large size, for the large prunes have practically no larger pit than the small ones. The smaller the prunes, the less meat you have, and the more pits. A large prune when soaked overnight in cold water can be eaten without any cooking, and is very delicious. You can do the same thing with figs, apricots, or peaches when you get a good grade. When you do cook them, a very little cooking is all that is needed. Remember that the fruit before it is ripe is in the starchy state and requires cooking and digestion, and after it is thoroughly ripened it requires no cooking and little digestion. The juice is ready for assimilation.

“Unripe grains are the opposite of unripe fruits. The grain before ripe is in the milky state, or grape sugar state and could be digested without any cooking. That is the way the grain was eaten in the beginning, and no doubt that is the way the disciples and Jesus ate it. But when it ripens, it turns into starch. We have no fluid to digest raw starch properly, and therefore grains should be thoroughly cooked.”

“All the elements of nutrition are contained in the fruits, vegetables and grains.” The Review and Herald, May 8, 1883.

“However, the juice of oranges, grapes, pineapples, and grapefruit may be taken when pure with no sugar added. These juices can with good results be taken as a drink between meals to quench the thirst.

“There are several reasons why we should not drink with the meals and eat so much soft food. First, we hear so much about alkaline foods and that they are all right to be eaten, but an indisputable fact is that the saliva is highly alkaline and much more so than any of these alkaline foods. And the fact is if we eat our food dry, getting it thoroughly saturated with saliva, it alkalinizes the system more than all the alkaline foods combined that we know. And second, when the food reaches the stomach there comes the digestive juice known as the gastric juice. In order for the gastric juice to properly do its work it needs the saliva and then as the food leaves the stomach there comes the pancreatic juice and the bile. They cannot do their proper work without the saliva and the gastric juice. If many of these little points were observed, you would see a marvelous improvement in your health. And then another point is: When you take so much fluid with your meals and also the soft foods, it dilutes these various digestive fluids so they are too weak and have not the proper power to digest the food as God had planned they should. There is perfect law and order in our system, and when we violate these, we have to suffer the consequences.

“Many years ago when we made tests on these things, we found that half a good-sized lemon would destroy typhoid germs in a glass of water and the healthy gastric juice in the stomach is four times as strong as the lemon juice. …” Back to Eden, Jethro Kloss, 154–157.

This wisdom applies also to our day for many are unaware of health hazards. Praise God for His wisdom and watch care of us.

Health – Remember History and Praise God for His Health Laws

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In the 1800s doctors really believed that if you had a fever, you had too much vitality and so they would then remove some of your blood!

Dr. Kellogg stated in 1876: “Twenty years ago, when a man had a fever, the doctors thought he had too much vitality—too much life—and so they bled him, and purged him, and poisoned him with calomel, and blue mass, and sundry other poisons, for the purpose of taking away from him a part of his vitality—his life—in other words, killing him a little. If a man was extraordinarily tough, he survived in spite of the killative influence of both disease and doctors …”—J.H. Kellogg, M.D., in The Health Reformer, January, 1876. (Battle Creek, Michigan.)

No cooling allowed! No sunshine allowed! No water allowed!

Those were the prescriptions for patients in the 1800s along with mercury, arsenic and other drugs. In the same history, we are told:

“During the mid 19th century, physicians had no knowledge of physics, chemistry, or physiology. A common treatment was to take one half to one liter of blood from the patient (bleeding), and sometimes more than once per day. If someone had a fever they were put in a hot, dark place without fresh air, fluids or water. The physician used a variety of toxic substances such as mercury, arsenic, antimony, nicotine, strychnine, opium, digitalis and others. …

“In 1777, many sailors on a long voyage became ill with typhus. It was customary to put sick sailors in the bottom of the ship and deprive them of water or other fluids. They were given drugs that were not helpful and often worsened the disease. The sick sailors were denied fresh air and body cooling measures were avoided. So many became ill that there was no room for them in the bottom of the ship. Therefore, those who were not expected to live were placed on deck. These sick men were so miserable they asked the crew to pour water over them. Since they were not expected to live, the ship’s doctor granted their requests. Surprisingly, they recovered. This experience was passed on to other ships’ physicians and, when duplicated, the same good result was seen. Due to the prejudice and disbelief of physicians this enlightenment did not prevail and the old methods continued.” Spiritualistic Deceptions in Health and Healing, page 18, by Edwin A. Noyes, M.D., M.P.H. 2007, Homeward Publishing, Monrovia, CA.

Tobacco a remedy for lung issues!

“A Dr. Chapman is quoted as recommending the use of tobacco as a remedy for the infections of the lungs, ‘the vapor to be produced by smoking a cigar,’ and advising ‘that the patient should frequently draw in the breath freely, so that the internal surface of the air vessels may be exposed to the action of the vapor.’ ” The Story of Our Health Message, page 22, D.E. Robinson, Southern Publishing Association, 1965.

Poor little one with the croup!

“Pity the poor youngster who had croup in those days, and whose parents consulted another authority on the subject on home treatment. He would find by sad experience that for this affliction ‘the remedies principally relied on are bleeding, emetics, and calomel.’ … ‘Let the little patient be bled very freely at the commencement of the case. Then give to the child of three years old or upwards a teaspoonful of antimonial wine [made by dissolving a scruple of emetic tartar in a pint of sherry wine], and repeat it, if necessary, in half an hour. If the second dose does not cause vomiting, double its quantity, unless the case be very mild. … The vomiting should be encouraged by warm drinks, and the nausea should be continued for a few hours.’—Dr. J. Boyd, in Family Medical Adviser, p. 118, Philadelphia: 1845.” Ibid., 22, 23.

What Elder Loughborough saw when his father died.

“… At the age of eight he peered one day through the thick blankets that curtained and covered the tall posts of the bed on which his father lay dying of typhoid fever. The sufferer had been faithfully and lovingly dosed with drugs, and then had been forbidden by his attending physician the comfort of a drink of cold water or even a refreshing breath of pure air.” Ibid., 23.

George Washington’s Death:

“On Friday 13, December 1799, the sixty-seven-year-old hero of the American Revolution and former President, George Washington, woke up in the night at his home in Mount Vernon, not feeling very well. He had been soaked by rain the day before, and now he felt first chilled to the bone and then feverish, with a painfully constricted sore throat and labored breathing. He decided that a bleeding might give him some relief and alerted his household: they at once sent for a bleeder in the neighborhood who took twelve or fourteen ounces of blood from Washington’s arm. But although the General’s family was extremely anxious, he refused to allow them to trouble his doctor in the middle of the night, and the whole household returned to an uneasy sleep.

“Next morning Washington was no better, and Dr. James Craik, his personal physician, arrived at 11 o’clock. It was the start of a grim medical marathon. Dr. Craik, alarmed by Washington’s condition, promptly sent for two other physicians to join him in consultation. Meanwhile, he ordered two more ‘copious’ bleedings; a blister was applied to Washington’s throat; two doses of mercury were given him; and a cathartic injection was forced up his rectum – all to no avail: Washington’s breathing grew more painful and labored. The consultant physicians arrived in the afternoon, and Dr. Craik suggested yet another bleeding. In this suggestion he was seconded by Dr. Brown, but vigorously opposed by Dr. Elisha Dick, who pointed out that they had already drawn perhaps three pints of blood from a sick and aging man. ‘He needs all his strength,’ he argued, ‘bleeding will diminish it.’ He was overruled … and a fourth bleeding was ordered. This time, no less than thirty-two ounces of blood were drawn off – ‘without the smallest apparent alleviation of the disease’ – the doctors later reported.

“A third huge dose of calomel – ten grains – was now given him, followed by several doses of tartar emetic (antimony); vapours of water and vinegar were blown around his throat; to the fiery blister on his throat was added a bran-and-vinegar poultice, and more blisters were strapped to the soles of his feet. After hours of this torture, and several vain struggles to speak, Washington at last managed to make known to his doctors his desire to be left to die in peace. Late on Saturday night – a bare twenty-four hours after he had woken with a chill and a sore throat – he breathed his last.

“It was calculated that over four pints of blood – about half his total bodily content – were removed from Washington. A blood loss of this order would today be considered a major medical emergency, necessitating immediate blood transfusions and intensive care, to avert the otherwise inevitable death from lowered blood pressure, collapse and acute shock … .” Green Pharmacy, The History and Evolution of Western Herbal Medicine, pages 148, 149, by Barbara Griggs, 1997.

These are just a few of the reasons God shared with us the health message along with its laws: nutrition, exercise, water, sunlight, temperance, air, rest and trust in divine power. These health laws were unknown and because of this, many people suffered and died from something which may have been prevented or they may have been restored to health with their use.

Remember history and praise God for His Health laws!

Health – The Effect of Diet on the Brain

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We have only one brain and it would be well for each of us to keep it in good thinking order. For the brain to function at maximum capacity it must be supplied with good, nourishing food. What you eat affects the mental as well as the physical health. Our brains need to be in good health so that we may glorify God in all that we do and say. Having said that, we need to realize that food taken into the body also affects our brain health. Researchers studied over 950 brains for five years and came up with some very interesting information on how to maintain our brain’s health. With all of the talk about the increase of dementia and Alzheimers it would be beneficial to pay close attention to what this article is suggesting to keep our brains healthy. The following article is called:

Eating green leafy vegetables keeps your brain strong

“Something as simple as eating more leafy veggies could significantly slow down cognitive decline and keep your brain healthier for a longer period of time. A new study found that nutrients and vitamins found in plants such as spinach, kale, collards and mustard greens help keep your mental abilities sharp.

“Researchers studied 950 [people] over five years on average to see why our brains start to lose their potency, and what we could eat to prevent that.

“ ‘Losing one’s memory or cognitive abilities is one of the biggest fears for people as they get older,’ said Martha Clare Morris, Sc.D., assistant provost for community research at Rush University Medical Center and leader of the research team. ‘Since declining cognitive ability is central to Alzheimer’s disease and dementias, increasing consumption of green leafy vegetables could offer a very simple, affordable and non-invasive way of potentially protecting your brain from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.’

“The type of food they found had the most impact was green, leafy vegetables. People who ate 1–2 servings a day had the cognitive abilities of a person 11 years younger. In terms of nutrients, they found that vitamin K, lutein, folate and beta-carotene were likely doing the heavy lifting.

“ ‘Our study identified some very novel associations,’ said Morris, who will present the research at the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) Annual Meeting during Experimental Biology 2015. ‘No other studies have looked at vitamin K in relation to change in cognitive abilities over time, and only a limited number of studies have found some association with lutein.’ Other studies have linked folate and beta-carotene intake with slower cognitive decline.

“Participants were aged 81 on average, and researchers calculated their total nutrient intake; they also accounted and corrected for age, sex, education, smoking, genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease and participation in physical activities when estimating the effects of diet on cognitive decline.

“ ‘With baby boomers approaching old age, there is huge public demand for lifestyle behaviors that can ward off loss of memory and other cognitive abilities with age,’ said Morris. ‘Our study provides evidence that eating green leafy vegetables and other foods rich in vitamin K, lutein and beta-carotene can help to keep the brain healthy to preserve functioning.’

“Aside for these vegetables, other good sources of vitamin K, lutein, folate and beta-carotene include brightly colored fruits and vegetables. Now, the team is trying to figure out what are the mechanisms through which the vitamins keep the brain fit.” www.zmescience.com/medicine/mind-and-brain/leafy-green-brain-06072015/

Let’s keep our minds alive to the glory of God. Let’s return to a simple diet loaded with God’s simple foods with plenty of greens included!

We are truly “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14)!

Experience

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In the winter of 1864, my Willie was suddenly and violently brought down with lung fever*. We had just buried our oldest son with this disease, and were very anxious in regard to Willie, fearing that he, too, might die. We decided that we would not send for a physician, but do the best we could with him ourselves by the use of water, and entreat the Lord in behalf of the child. We called in a few who had faith to unite their prayers with ours. We had a sweet assurance of God’s presence and blessing.

The next day Willie was very sick. He was wandering. He did not seem to see or hear me when I spoke to him. His heart had no regular beat, but was in a constant agitated flutter. We continued to look to God in his behalf, and to use water freely upon his head, and a compress constantly upon his lungs, and soon he seemed rational as ever. He suffered severe pain in his right side, and could not lie upon it for a moment. This pain we subdued with cold water compresses, varying the temperature of the water according to the degree of the fever. We were very careful to keep his hands and feet warm.

We expected the crisis would come the seventh day. We had but little rest during his sickness, and were obliged to give him up into others’ care the fourth and fifth nights. My husband and myself the fifth day felt very anxious. The child raised fresh blood, and coughed considerably. My husband spent much time in prayer. We left our child in careful hands that night. Before retiring my husband prayed long and earnestly. Suddenly his burden of prayer left him, and it seemed as though a voice spoke to him, and said, Go lie down, I will take care of the child. I had retired sick, and could not sleep for anxiety for several hours. I felt pressed for breath. Although sleeping in a large chamber, I arose and opened the door into a large hall, and was at once relieved, and soon slept. I dreamed that an experienced physician was standing by my child, watching every breath, with one hand over his heart, and with the other feeling his pulse. He turned to us and said, “The crisis has passed. He has seen his worst night. He will now come up speedily, for he has not the injurious influence of drugs to recover from. Nature has nobly done her work to rid the system of impurities.” I related to him my worn-out condition, my pressure for breath, and the relief obtained by opening the door. Said he, “That which gave you relief, will also relieve your child. He needs air. You have kept him too warm. The heated air coming from a stove is injurious, and were it not for the air coming in at the crevices of the windows, would be poisonous, and destroy life. Stove heat destroys the vitality of the air, and weakens the lungs. The child’s lungs have been weakened by the room being kept too warm. Sick persons are debilitated by disease, and need all the invigorating air that they can bear to strengthen the vital organs to resist disease. And yet in most cases air and light are excluded from the sick room at the very time when most needed, as though dangerous enemies.”

This dream and my husband’s experience was a consolation to us both. We found in the morning that our boy had passed a restless night. He seemed to be in a high fever until noon. Then the fever left him, and he appeared quite well, except weak. He had eaten but one small cracker through his five-days’ sickness. He came up rapidly, and has had better health than he has had for several years before. This experience is valuable to us.

I have thought for years that I was dependent upon a meat diet for strength. I have eaten three meals a day until within a few months. It has been very difficult for me to go from one meal to another without suffering from faintness at the stomach, and dizziness of the head. Eating would remove these feelings. I seldom allowed myself to eat anything between my regular meals, and have made it a practice to often retire without supper. But I have suffered greatly for want of food from breakfast to dinner, and have frequently fainted. Eating meat removed for the time these faint feelings. I therefore decided that meat was indispensable in my case.

But since the Lord presented before me, in June, 1863, the subject of meat-eating in relation to health, I have left the use of meat. For a while it was rather difficult to bring my appetite to bread, for which, formerly, I have had but little relish. But by persevering, I have been able to do this. I have lived for nearly one year without meat. For about six months most of the bread upon our table has been unleavened cakes, made of unbolted wheat-meal and water, and a very little salt. We use fruits and vegetables liberally. I have lived for eight months upon two meals a day. I have applied myself to writing the most of the time for above a year. For eight months have been confined closely to writing. My brain has been constantly taxed, and I have had but little exercise. Yet my health has never been better than for the past six months. My former faint and dizzy feelings have left me. I have been troubled every spring with loss of appetite. The last spring I had no trouble in this respect. Our plain food, eaten twice a day, is enjoyed with a keen relish. We have no meat, cake, or any rich food upon our table. We use no lard, but in its place, milk, cream, and some butter. We have our food prepared with but little salt, and have dispensed with spices of all kinds. We breakfast at seven, and take our dinner at one. It is seldom I have a faint feeling. My appetite is satisfied. My food is eaten with a greater relish than ever before.

I have, since a child, been afflicted with dropsy and heart disease, occasioned by my misfortune when about nine years old. For several years, in the spring, I have had a shock of paralysis which has nearly cost me my life. But, in answer to prayer, I have recovered from its effects. The last spring I had no symptoms of this much-dreaded affliction. I have no trouble with dropsy or heart disease. I have within eight months lost twenty-five pounds of flesh. I am better without it. I have more strength than I have realized for years.

Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4a, 151–153.

*An obsolete term for elevated core temperature resulting from an infection in the respiratory system.

Health – A Little Won’t Hurt

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How often have you heard somebody say, “A little won’t hurt”! Could that be true? I remember a few years ago, a friend wanted to share some beauty cream she had picked up for a good price. She had read that this would help keep her complexion free of wrinkles and looking nice. I looked at the ingredients and the last ingredient on it was arsenic! I told my friend I was in no way going to use that cream, and what do you think she said? “A little won’t hurt”! I did some research and learned that young ladies back in the Middle Ages used arsenic to keep their faces nice and white. What a sad thing.

Let’s look at another occurrence which brings on the same reaction of “Oh, a little won’t hurt.” But, sad to say, a little does hurt—it is just that you cannot see the damage until it is almost too late. Many times, it is too late. That little bit has been ruining the fine machinery which the Lord has given to us.

A Striking Case of Moderate Drinking

“Here is a story that may interest you … . It is not hearsay but an experience in my own (I. S.Ritchie, M.D.) medical practice.

“A prominent young man of this city died recently of ‘moderate’ drinking. He had never been ‘drunk’—only ‘happy’; but after three years of it he paid for it with his life. I was called at the last minute, but nothing could be done. He did not respond to any kind of treatment. I never knew why until I saw his body opened at the autopsy and viewed his organs. His heart was but a mass of degenerative fat instead of muscle. His liver was double enlarged, pitted and hardened and scarred—chronic alcoholic hypertrophic cirrhosis. His lungs appeared sclerotic, as did his kidneys, and were irregular and pale. His stomach and bowels were pale and fatty externally, but congested and reddened and thickened throughout the mucous membrane lining. His spleen and glands were swollen and congested. I had known him for twenty years and never knew that he drank. He was never ill, but told his wife, ‘If I am ever sick, call Dr. Ritchie.’ And so she did, but it was too late. When I arrived I worked with might and main and called another physician, but no therapy or heart stimulation or adrenalin had any effect. I have told you the reason. The last three years they said he had drunk moderately but daily.

“The autopsy surgeon removed a piece of tissue from each of the above-named organs and sent these to the pathologist in charge of the laboratory of an accredited Class A Medical College. A microscopic study of these organs revealed the irreparable damage alcohol had done to the vital units or cells comprising these organs. No other cause for death could be discovered.” (I. S. Ritchie, M.D., …) Abundant Health, Julius Gilbert White, 273, 274, © 1951 by author.

It is often the unseen damage that will kill in the long run. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and these so-called, “little things” do affect our bodies. Whether it be a little kill or a big kill, either way it is still a kill and it is sinning against our Maker who has said, “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).

Another writer, Jethro Kloss, states the following:

“… Alcohol is certainly a snake in the grass, it is stimulating to the senses, makes a person feel happy when he is miserable, makes him feel strong for a while, but weakness follows. Alcohol numbs the nerves to such an extent that a man feels warm when he is cold. It makes him quite active while he is under its hellish influence, but there is great collapse as the effects wear off. It surely mocks a man and makes a fool of him. The wisest man that ever lived said that ‘wine is a mocker’ (Proverbs 20:1).” Back to Eden, 512, by Jethro Kloss, Back to Eden Books, 1982.

The young man mentioned above who died young stated that liquor made him feel happy, but what a dreadful end that may have been prevented.

It may not seem like it while we are indulging ourselves, but “a little bit does hurt.” When you hurt your body, which is the temple of the Lord, you are serving the god of this world who will accept your service at the cost of your health and possibly your life.

“… choose you this day whom ye will serve … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

Health – Magnesium – Why You Need It

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Researchers have found magnesium to be a vital mineral that can lower blood pressure, protects the heart, and prevents stroke.

It has been shown to boost everything from heart health to bone density, and it can lower the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke. It even improves memory, eases anxiety, treats headaches, and targets depression.

Magnesium is an inexpensive, readily available essential nutrient that many health experts are calling a “miracle mineral.”

But chances are that you, like most people, don’t get enough of it. Carolyn Dean, M.D., author of The Magnesium Miracle tells Newsmax that it is the most beneficial health-boosting mineral available. Yet most people have never heard of it … .

“Magnesium affects every organ, tissue, and cell in the body,” said Dean, a Hawaii-based physician and holistic specialist. “Magnesium deficiency is killing people, and it’s a simple solution to many of our chronic diseases.” Government studies going back more than two decades have found the standard American diet fails to meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recommended daily allowance of magnesium, which is 400–420 mg per day for men, and 310–320 for women. Dean believes health officials and the mainstream medical establishment need to do more to raise the public awareness of magnesium’s many benefits.

“A hundred years ago we were getting 500 mg in our daily diet,” she said. “Today we are fortunate to get 200 mg. Most people think that their doctors would have warned them about this problem. But doctors are as ignorant as the public about magnesium’s health effects.”

Nature’s Disease Fighter

Magnesium is one of the body’s most common essential minerals. It is found in the body’s muscles, bones, blood, and tissues. It is involved in regulating everything from blood pressure to heart activity, energy production, nervous system function, cell growth, bone density, muscle strength, and metabolism.

Magnesium is present in a range of foods, including spinach, wheat germ, bran cereals, brown rice, beans, tofu, soybeans, and nuts. But the problem is that decades of commercial agricultural processes have depleted the levels of magnesium and other nutrients in farm soils. This has resulted in less of the nutrients being in fruits and vegetables.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found the levels of nutrients in American-grown produce were as much as 38 percent higher in 1950 than they are today. A growing body of scientific evidence has shown that magnesium deficiency can raise the risk of a range of diseases.

Blood pressure: Over a four-year period, men with sufficient magnesium had a lower risk of hypertension than men consuming lower levels, according to a study of 30,000 men. A second survey of 8,000 women also found that the risk of hypertension decreased as dietary magnesium intake increased.

Heart disease, stroke: Magnesium helps regulate heart rate, says Chauncey Crandall, M.D., director of preventive medicine at the Palm Beach Cardiovascular Clinic. “The mineral is particularly important for people who have had an irregular heartbeat,” he told Newsmax. “Magnesium helps suppress extra heartbeats.”

A 2011 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a 40 percent greater risk of sudden cardiac death among women with low levels of magnesium.

Several other studies have linked higher blood levels of magnesium to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

Diabetes: Magnesium is a key regulator of carbohydrate metabolism. It influences the release and activity of insulin, the hormone that helps control blood sugar levels. Low blood levels of magnesium are often seen in Type 2 diabetes patients.

Two major research projects, the “Nurses’ Health Study” and the “Health Professionals’ Follow-Up Study,” that followed more than 170,000 people, have found the risk for Type 2 diabetes is greater in people with lower magnesium.

Osteoporosis: Calcium and vitamin D are important for bone health. But studies also show magnesium deficiency is a risk factor for postmenopausal osteoporosis. This is probably because magnesium deficiency alters calcium metabolism and the hormones that regulate calcium absorption. Several studies have found that magnesium supplements and diets that meet the recommended daily allowances for the mineral improve bone mineral density.

In addition, Dean noted dozens of other studies have linked magnesium to a host of mental health benefits – in treating migraines, tension headaches, insomnia, depression, panic attacks, stress, and anxiety.

She said research has also found that adequate intake of magnesium can help in the prevention and treatment of such conditions as pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, premenstrual syndrome, dysmenorrhea, kidney stones, fibromyalgia, blood clots, fibrositis, tooth decay, insomnia, and muscle and nerve problems.

Are You At Risk?

One of the major problems with magnesium is that current diagnostic tests do not provide an accurate indication of whether a patient has a deficiency. “Doctors don’t have the tools to measure magnesium levels properly,” Dean explains. The best way to tell if you’re getting enough is to consider the long list of symptoms deficiency can cause.

Here are the most common: muscle cramps, twitching, heart palpitations, migraines, angina, irregular heartbeat, asthma, anxiety, fatigue, poor concentration, depression, numbness of hands or feet, back pain, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, PMS, and seizures. If you suffer from any of these problems regularly, you may have low levels of magnesium.

Finding the right supplement: However, not all magnesium supplements are the same. The primary side effects of taking the mineral are digestion problems and possible diarrhea. Cheaper supplements have a laxative effect. The solution is to take a quality, time-released supplement that allows your body to absorb the mineral slowly.

Seek out also pesticide free magnesium rich foods in the diet, which include seeds, whole grains, avocados, bananas, dried fruit, figs, artichokes, potatoes and especially leafy green vegetables. Add to these a high quality magnesium supplement, assuring the body of obtaining the level of magnesium it needs for highest function.

The Most Holy Place Message and Health

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“When you sit down to eat with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you; And put a knife to your throat If you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, For they are deceptive food.” Proverbs 23:1–3

“Do not mix with winebibbers, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.” Proverbs 23:20, 21

Is neglect of physical law sin? God answers this question clearly. “The transgression of physical law is transgression of God’s law. Our Creator is Jesus Christ. He is the author of our being. He is the author of the physical law as He is the author of the moral law. And the human being who is careless and reckless of the habits and practises [sic] that concern his physical life and health, sins against God. God is not reverenced, respected, or recognized. This is shown by the injury done to the body in violation of physical law.” Healthful Living, 17.

Yes, neglect of physical law is sin. But the issue with appetite goes well beyond the issue of sin.

In looking at the “shadow” or “type” of the earthly sanctuary we learn that on the typical Day of Atonement, God required that people “afflict their souls, and do no work on that same day.” The consequences for disregarding these instructions were clear cut and serious. God said, “For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people” and “that person I will destroy from among his people” (Leviticus 23:27–30). We are living in the antitypical Day of Atonement. The same requirement is in effect for us, only in a much greater degree.

Here we will look at health and its relation to the Most Holy Place message, “keep your garments spotless.” Why is this topic so critically important to the message of the Most Holy Place?

God says, through His servant, “The strength of the temptation to indulge appetite can be measured only by the inexpressible anguish of our Redeemer in that long fast in the wilderness. He knew that the indulgence of perverted appetite would so deaden man’s perceptions that sacred things could not be discerned.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 167.

Friends, are you indulging appetite? If so, what does God say? He says “sacred things could not be understood.” One may wish to quibble over these words. We may question a plain statement from the Lord. Adam and Eve both questioned God and that led to their fall. We must take God at His word. God says, “He knew that the indulgence of perverted appetite would so deaden man’s perceptions that sacred things could not be discerned.”

One may think they understand sacred things, but if appetite is indulged, what does God say? He says, that regardless of what you think or believe, the reality is that those who indulge perverted appetite cannot understand sacred things.

“The controlling power of appetite will prove the ruin of thousands, when, if they had conquered on this point, they would have had moral power to gain the victory over every other temptation of Satan. But those who are slaves to appetite will fail in perfecting Christian character.” Ibid., 163.

We need to state very briefly here that it is not only what we eat, but how much we eat, whether we eat at regular times, and whether we eat between meals, etc., as well. God has warned, “even health reformers can err in the quantity of food. They can eat immoderately of a healthful quality of food.” Ibid., 244.

“It is impossible for those who give the reins to appetite to attain to Christian perfection.” Ibid., 236.

This is why, of all the topics that we need to study in perfecting our characters, this is the one that we are studying. I don’t want to talk about this. God put this burden in my mind, and I cannot refuse, but at the risk of my own soul.

“Those who would have clear minds to discern Satan’s devices must have their physical appetites under the control of reason and conscience. The moral and vigorous action of the higher powers of the mind are essential to the perfection of Christian character. And the strength or the weakness of the mind has very much to do with our usefulness in this world, and with our final salvation. The ignorance that has prevailed in regard to God’s law in our physical nature is deplorable. Intemperance of any kind is a violation of the laws of our being. Imbecility is prevailing to a fearful extent. Sin is made attractive by the covering of light which Satan throws over it, and he is well pleased when he can hold the Christian world in their daily habits under the tyranny of custom, like the heathen, and allow appetite to govern them.” Messages to Young People, 236, 237.

“If men and women of intelligence have their moral powers benumbed through intemperance of any kind, they are, in many of their habits, elevated but little above the heathen. Satan is constantly drawing the people from saving light, to custom and fashion, irrespective of physical, mental, and moral health. The great enemy knows that if appetite and passion predominate, health of body and strength of intellect are sacrificed upon the altar of self-gratification, and man is brought to speedy ruin. If enlightened intellect holds the reins, controlling the animal propensities, keeping them in subjection to the moral powers, Satan well knows that his power to overcome with his temptations is very small. …

“A large share of the Christian world have no right to call themselves Christians. [They are breaking the 3rd commandment. They are taking God’s name in vain.] Their habits, their extravagance, and general treatment of their own bodies, are in violation of physical law, and contrary to the Bible standard. They are working out for themselves, in their course of life, physical suffering, mental and moral feebleness.” The Review and Herald, September 8, 1874.

“God gives no permission to man to violate the laws of his being. But man, through yielding to Satan’s temptations to indulge intemperance, brings the higher faculties in subjection to the animal appetites and passions. When these gain the ascendency, man, who was created a little lower than the angels, with faculties susceptible of the highest cultivation, surrenders to be controlled by Satan. And he gains easy access to those who are in bondage to appetite. Through intemperance, some sacrifice one-half, and others two-thirds, of their physical, mental, and moral powers, and become playthings for the enemy. Those who would have clear minds to discern Satan’s devices, must have their physical appetites under the control of reason and conscience. The moral and vigorous action of the higher powers of the mind are essential to the perfection of Christian character. And the strength or weakness of the mind has very much to do with our usefulness in this world, and with our final salvation. The ignorance that has prevailed in regard to God’s law in our physical nature is deplorable. Intemperance of any kind is a violation of the laws of our being. Imbecility is prevailing to a fearful extent. Sin is made attractive by the covering of light which Satan throws over it, and he is well pleased when he can hold the Christian world in their daily habits under the tyranny of custom, like the heathen, and allow appetite to govern them.” Ibid.

“Why do some of our ministering brethren manifest so little interest in health reform? It is because instruction on temperance in all things is opposed to their practice of self-indulgence. In some places this has been the great stumbling block in the way of our bringing the people to investigate and practice and teach health reform. No man should be set apart as a teacher of the people while his own teaching or example contradicts the testimony God has given His servants to bear in regard to diet, for this will bring confusion. His disregard of health reform unfits him to stand as the Lord’s messenger.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 378.

These are strong words but sometimes God uses strong words like these to wake us up out of lethal slumber. If we do not wake up and change our habits, He knows that we cannot be in eternity with Him, and He longs for you and me to be with Him throughout eternity. This is why He uses such strong language. However, there is something else I would like us to consider and understand.

When Jesus comes to get His saints, and all are seated at that great wedding feast, will any intemperate person be at that table? No, not one. When does the change have to take place? Jesus told a well-known and true story from Old Testament times that gives us the answer. The application of this story is found in The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, 40, 41. The story is of the building of the temple of God during the reign of Solomon. Spirit of Prophecy says the following: “The stones were not prepared for their respective places just as they were about to be laid in the wall of the temple; all the fitting and planning was done previous to their being brought to the place of building. So it is that all the hewing, fitting and polishing of character must be done during man’s probation. When Christ shall come again to earth it will not be to purify and refine the characters of men, and to fit them for Heaven. His work then will only be to change their corruptible bodies and fashion them like unto Christ’s most glorious body. Only a symmetrical and perfect character will in that day entitle men to the finishing touch of immortality.

“Earth is the quarry and the work-shop where men are to be fitted and refined for the courts of Heaven.”

My friends, if we want to be at that great banquet table in heaven, we must conquer appetite here. If we do not, we cannot understand God’s great plan for our salvation. If we choose to remain in sin on this point, we will also bear the sin of leading other people into the paths that lead away from God and heaven. We must control our appetites here. It is an essential part of the Most Holy Place message, “keep your garments spotless.”

“The church is making history. Every day is a battle and a march. On every side we are beset by invisible foes, and we either conquer through the grace given us by God or we are conquered. I urge that those who are taking a neutral position in regard to health reform be converted. This light is precious, and the Lord gives me the message to urge that all who bear responsibilities in any line in the work of God take heed that truth is in the ascendancy in the heart and life. Only thus can any meet the temptations they are sure to encounter in the world.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 377, 378.

“The light that the Lord has given on this subject in His word is plain, and men will be tested and tried in many ways to see if they will heed it. Every church, every family, needs to be instructed in regard to Christian temperance. All should know how to eat and drink in order to preserve health. We are amid the closing scenes of this world’s history, and there should be harmonious action in the ranks of Sabbathkeepers. Those who stand aloof from the great work of instructing the people upon this question do not follow where the Great Physician leads the way. ‘If any man will come after Me,’ Christ said, ‘let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me’ (Matthew 16:24).” Ibid., 378.

“How many are deceiving their own souls and cheating themselves out of the blessings that others might secure if they would believe and obey? Probation still lingers, and it is our privilege to lay hold of the hope set before us in the gospel. Let us repent and be converted and forsake our sins, that they may be blotted out. ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man’ (Luke 21:33–36).” Ibid., vol. 9, 268, 269.

Remember, my friends, we have a compassionate Saviour. In His mercy in our behalf He endured that “long fast in the wilderness” that we might have His power to overcome. Oh, friends, let us not show despite to His great love and mercy, His tremendous suffering and sacrifice on our behalf. Let us claim the victory that was His and overcome as He overcame. Let us indeed “keep our garments spotless” through the mighty new covenant provided for us by our loving, merciful and just Father and His only begotten Son.

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.

How to Quit Smoking

by Dr. John J. Grosboll

How to Quit SmokingHave you ever tried to stop smoking? You may have had temporary success before, but now has your habit returned, leaving you frustrated? Are you reading this booklet in quiet desperation wondering whether it will be able to do for you what nobody else has been able to do?

Are you apprehensive that trying again and failing will simply weaken your will power and sense of self- worth even more, so that it seems dangerous for you even to keep reading?

WOULD YOU TRY AGAIN TO QUIT SMOKING IF YOU KNEW OF A WAY THAT WAS FAIL-PROOF?

There is such a method. The really good news is that this method can be followed not only by average men and women but even the weak. Those who have apparently been failures all of their lives can gain lasting success, permanent freedom from tobacco and a sense of dignity and value never before experienced.

The author has helped others who were heavy smokers for decades, to experience this success and has not found one person in more than twenty years who has followed all of the principles of the method now to be explained without permanent success.

This method is not based on anything mystical but rather on thoroughly researched scientific laws which govern the body and the mind. There are not only physical laws in the universe but also mental or spiritual laws, and if you know what these laws are and are willing to obey them, your success is absolutely certain.

Before we explain what you need to know and do, however, we need to investigate three important questions:

  1. Why did you start smoking?
  2. Why is it so hard to quit?
  3. Why do you want to quit?

WHY YOU STARTED

You need to know something about why you began to smoke because if those motivations still exist, they will make it harder for you to quit. A common time to start smoking is twelve years of age. This is a time when a child is seeking adult status in the world. Because of the example of his older peers or adults whom he knows, smoking often has seemed to be a way to become more “grown- up.” People who were role models for you may have been a large part of this influence. Your subconscious mind accepted the constant input from advertising and the example of others that there was a real benefit to smoking. This is a lie. Smoking does not make you more mature, smarter or in any way better or more attractive. In fact, it does just the opposite.

Smoking causes constriction of blood vessels and at the same time lowers the oxygen delivering capacity of the blood. This reduces the delivery of oxygen to the brain as well as other vital organs of the body. Habitual smoking causes you to appear elderly faster and decreases your beauty and attractiveness. It does not improve you mentally or physically. Smoking weakens the body so that the smoker has less endurance, higher mortality and more sickness.

Diseases which are especially increased by smoking include the following: lung cancer and cancers of other parts of the respiratory system; cancer in the urinary bladder, the pancreas and the kidney; heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and other vascular diseases; emphysema, chronic bronchitis, peptic ulcers; various mouth disorders such as tooth loss, jawbone deterioration, inflamed gums, and pyorrhea and oral inflammations. Smokers are absent from work more often and have more headaches and coughs than non- smokers.

ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN

For women, smoking presents shocking hazards. Smoking mothers have more premature babies, more stillbirths and miscarriages, and more babies who die a short time after birth. Babies born to smoking mothers have more congenital abnormalities. A woman who smokes and takes oral contraceptives containing estrogen increases her chances of a heart attack several times.

In addition to all of this, smoking decreases your ability to experience pleasure— for example, it decreases taste sensitivity so that you have less capacity to enjoy food. Your ability to experience pleasure is based on your sensitivity, and this is lessened by all narcotics.

SO WHY IS IT SO HARD TO QUIT?

Nicotine causes addiction. After a person is addicted to nicotine by habitual smoking, to cease smoking produces physical symptoms. Symptoms which habitual smokers experience when they stop smoking include irritability, muscle pain, headache, nausea, inability to sleep and jittery nerves. These symptoms are not imaginary because when you quit smoking, measurable physiological changes occur, such as changes in heart rate, blood pressure and in the electrical waves of the brain. Withdrawal symptoms, however, are not the only reason that it is difficult to quit smoking.

A number of social and psychological habits are often intertwined with the smoking habit. Smoking has often become associated with every major event of the day. For example, a smoker often takes out a cigarette every time he has a cup of coffee. An important business decision or meeting is often associated with a smoke. A change of pace, such as getting in a car to drive to work or sitting down to relax, is often associated with a smoke. So, every major start or stop or pressure or change of pace during the day is often associated with smoking. But even these are not all of the reasons that it is hard to quit smoking.

Smoking is also a physical habit. The hand reaches for the pack and a cigarette is retrieved. It is placed in the mouth and a lighting device is ignited. The inhale to kindle the end is accompanied by the fondling of the cigarette by the lips and later the playing with it by the hand. Later, ashes are flicked out, and finally, it is stamped out. These activities become deeply ingrained habits which the habitual smoker has repeated many thousands of times. Since smoking is an all- pervasive habit which has chemical, physical and mental or spiritual components, any rational attempt to quit must have an attack plan which includes physical, chemical and spiritual components.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO QUIT?

Since smoking is an all-pervasive habit having physical, chemical and spiritual components, the reasons why you want to quit are often the determining factors as to whether or not you will be permanently successful. You probably do not have the appropriate motivation right now to quit smoking permanently. If your motivation had been perfect, you would have been successful before and would not be reading this. Do not worry about that. One of the major purposes of this booklet is to help you acquire the proper motivation through a series of tested techniques. The result will be that you will acquire a power that most smokers desiring to quit have never experienced.

HOW TO GET STARTED

The first thing to know about how to quit smoking is that you need help, and the second thing to know is that all of the help in the universe will not give you victory without your determined, persistent effort.

We will study the first thing first— how you can get help to quit smoking.

HOW TO GET HELP TO BE FREE FROM TOBACCO

It was not long before midnight on April 14, 1912. The ocean liner Californian was on its way to Boston from London. As Charles Groves, the ship’s third officer, sat on the top deck, he saw, several miles away, the lights of another ship speeding westward. As this ship was rapidly passing his own, he saw a splendid burst of lights, revealing a large passenger liner. Suddenly, however, it seemed that the big ship stopped and put out most of her lights. It did not occur to him that perhaps the lights were still on but only appeared to go out because the ship was no longer broadside but had swerved sharply to the left.

That night, when help was near, over fifteen hundred people lost their lives in one of the worst ship disasters of history because of no communication. Help was near, but there was no communication. So, when the Titanic went down, nobody was there to help.

DROWNING WITHIN REACH OF HELP

There are millions of people today who have a problem with tobacco and are ready to sink. Many are sinking in an abyss of smoke while help is available. What if a man was drowning and when a life buoy was thrown to him he refused to take it because he did not know if the rope or the buoy or the rescuer were trustworthy. He has no confidence, no faith. That man will drown because he cannot save himself and he is unwilling to accept outside help.

The man who is drowning must choose to believe in the person who is out to save him. If he believes and if he acts on that belief by taking hold of the help that is made available, he will be delivered. He will be saved. The tragedy is that there are so many people whose bodies are drowning in an ocean of smoke who will not ask for or accept the help that is available.

HELP IS AVAILABLE!

Wonderful help is available. Through an ancient prophet, God says, Call unto Me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know (Jeremiah 33: 3).

And through the apostle Paul, God declares that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or even think (Ephesians 3: 20). So, outside help is available. There is powerful help available, and many millions of people have found in this outside help the answer to the problem of self- control. Your nature may be so weakened through continual indulgence of wrong habits that it is impossible for you in your own strength to resist the craving for nicotine. You may be literally a slave to tobacco, but nonetheless, there is help available for you.

HOW CAN YOU GET THIS HELP?

1. Ask.

Acknowledge that you have a problem for which you need divine help, and ask for divine help. Jesus said, Ask, and you will receive. Everyone who asks receives (Matthew 7: 7).

2. Make a commitment.

God does not force the will of any human being. He does not want blind submission or unreasoning control. God does not use force. In order for Him to deliver you from the slavery of tobacco, you must be willing to make a commitment— choose to yield your will to Him so that a change can be worked out in your life.

3. Surrender your will to Him.

A lot of people in our world are do- it- yourselves. There are some things that we apparently can do ourselves. However, if you have found that you cannot stop smoking by yourself, you need to surrender your will to God in order to receive the divine help that will set you free from the slavery of bad habits.

Although you will find it a struggle to do this, surrendering your will to Him is vital if you are to have permanent success. To surrender the will to God means to accept Him to be our Lord and Master in all things, to acknowledge ourselves to be His servants, ready always to yield obedience to His commands. You can do it if you choose to. The surrender of your will to God’s will, moment by moment, is the vital key to success.

4. Are you in earnest?

God has promised, you will seek Me and find Me when you shall search for Me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29: 13). If that is your decision, there is no question that a divine miracle is going to take place in your life to give you victory over tobacco. You are on your way to fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16: 11).

5. Exercise your power of choice.

You may have decided that you are weak in moral power. You may consider yourself a victim of doubt. Your life may seem to be continually controlled by your past when you were constantly losing self- control and smoking. The resolutions that you made on New Year’s day may have fallen apart immediately. It may seem to you that it is impossible for you to control your thoughts, and by yourself, this is true. Your habit of smoking, your passionate craving for nicotine, your affection for this vice may be humanly uncontrollable. The knowledge of this causes you to have feelings of despair. There is a way out, however. What is that way out? The way out depends on your power of decision or choice.

You cannot change your heart or your affections for your past habits or your passionate cravings for nicotine. You cannot change your impulses, but you can make a decision. You can choose to yield your will to divine power. If you do this, divine power will work in you, and your nature will be brought under the control of a divine spirit. A change will occur in your affections and in your thoughts, giving you power to be free from tobacco.

The Scripture says, If anyone destroys the temple of God, him will God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are (I Corinthians 3: 17). If you have decided to make a decision to live a life that is pure— free from the defilement of tobacco— here is what to pray: “Father in heaven, I choose to surrender my will and all lam to You. I choose to seek You with all of my heart and live by every word that comes out of Your mouth. I choose to live a healthy life and not destroy myself with tobacco. Please help me, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.” Over and over throughout the day, you should breath this prayer to God— “Father, I choose to live a healthy life and not defile myself with tobacco. Please help me as You have promised, for I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

6. Why many fail to receive help.

It is fine to have desires to do the right thing, but if you stop there, nothing will happen. Millions of people are hoping and desiring to quit smoking, but they do not come to the point of yielding their will to a divine influence. They do not make a decision to yield their will to divine power.

If you exercise your will and make a decision, make a commitment to God about your smoking problem, you are going to experience divine strength in your life which will hold you steadfast. If you constantly yield your will to this divine power, you will be enabled to live a new life, a life of self- control, a life in which you will be in control of your thoughts, your affections, your cravings, your impulses and your past smoking habit. All of this is possible to you if you make a decision to yield your will to divine power.

God is interested above all things that you may prosper in all things and be in health (III John 2). If you acknowledge your condition and yield your will to Him, if you make a total commitment (full surrender) to this divine influence, God will fulfill His promise to you. He will supply the fact. He will make you whole in your spirit. It is so, if you believe it. Do not wait to feel that the miracle has happened, but believe it, because God has promised.

WHAT TO DO EVERY DAY

Now that you have come for divine help, do not draw back and take yourself away from the divine influence. Every day say, “I have yielded my will to Christ. I have surrendered my smoking problem to Him.” Then say to Him, “Please give to me Your Spirit, grace and power to live this new life. “It is as you continually give yourself to Him and believe in Him that a divine miracle takes place in your life. This is a miracle of self- control, of victory over your affection and craving for tobacco and nicotine.

THE NEW YOU

This is a miracle which no human eye can see but which you can experience. It is so exciting, the apostle Paul expressed it as being made into a new creature. He said, Old things have passed away, ail things are become new (II Corinthians 5: 17). Every thought, every word, every action is purified and brought into subjection to the righteous will of Christ. (See II Corinthians 10: 4,5; Ephesians 4: 28- 32; Romans 1:16,17.)

THE NEW RELATIONSHIP

A change is seen in our habits. We develop an emotional attachment for the One who has saved us from these bad habits which had fettered chains around us that we could not break. We begin to learn the meaning of the statement in the Bible where the apostle said that we love Him because He first loved us (I John 4: 19).

There are people who were smokers who never realized how personal and how individual God’s love was until they found out that God was interested in helping them solve their problem with tobacco.

DO NOT GO BACK TO TRYING BY YOURSELF.

There are two erroneous ideas against which we need to especially guard ourselves after asking for divine help. The first is the philosophy that we can trust in something that we can do in order to bring about the change in mind and spirit and the self- control that we need. Jesus said,

Without Me you can do nothing (John 15: 5). Place your complete trust in Him. Do not place any trust in what you can do. In every time of temptation, look to Him for power to overcome and have victory. If you trust yourself, you will fail, but Jesus never fails.

BELIEF ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH.

The opposite and no less erroneous idea is the common belief that if you just believe, then you do not need to do anything. The fact is that the divine miracle takes place only when there is a union of divine power with human effort. As long as you surrender your will to the divine influence, He will work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. And the works of obedience to the physical laws of your body will take place in your life as you cooperate with God by making a persistent and vital effort to live according to your requests. The apostle said, You WORK OUT. . . with fear and trembling . . . God . . . WORKS IN you to will and to do. . .” (Philippians 2: 12, 13). The secret then is not that God does it— you gain the victory in the fight for self- control— but God supplies to you the power to gain the victory which, on your own, would be impossible.

WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE?

The question arises, Will this miracle continue to happen? As long as you yield your will to Christ, as long as you are choosing to fully cooperate with Him, this divine miracle will continue to happen because your hope is not in yourself but in Him. So, you are not to look to yourself or depend upon yourself in order to have control over your craving to smoke or to manifest self- control in any other area of life. You are to look to where the help is.

One of the Bible writers expressed it like this. He said, speaking the Word of the Lord, Look unto Me and be saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else (Isaiah 45: 22). If you look to Him (in your mind), you are going to be delivered from your problems of smoking, lack of self- control, obeying wrong impulses, and affection for wrong past habits.

There are all kinds of things in life to divert your attention from where the help is, but remember, you must not allow anything to prevent you from looking for and asking for divine help.

This divine help is in Jesus Christ. If you commit the keeping of your mind to Him and trust in Him, He is able to keep that which you have committed to Him (II Timothy 1: 12). So, look to Him every time you are faced with a temptation to smoke. Choose to follow Him in obedience, who said, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself (Luke 9: 23).

Self denial is the way to become an ex- smoker and the way to eventually gain life’s greatest happiness and pleasures. It is a divine principle that Jesus constantly taught by precept and example.

THE THREE PRINCIPLES

Here are three principles that you can use to keep this divine power flowing into your life, giving you control over the craving to smoke.

First:

Fix the Bible promises to smokers in your memory. Some Bible promises for smokers are:

Call upon Me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me (Psalm 50: 15).

Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you do not know (Jeremiah 33: 3). The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed. A refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You (Psalm 9: 9, 10). For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened…. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to them who ask Him (Matthew 7: 8, 11)! With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19: 26). For with God nothing will be impossible. (Luke 1: 37). I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4: 13). And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 19).

God stands back of every promise He has made. Memorize them; repeat them over and over to yourself. This is a weapon that Jesus Himself used to overcome temptation.

Second:

Do not fail to continue asking for help. Jesus said, Men ought always to pray and not to faint (Luke 18: 1); in other words, do not give up. Keep asking continually. As you go about your daily activities, let your heart and spirit be uplifted to God, asking Him for divine help to conquer every subtle and surprising temptation to smoke. There is no time or place where it is inappropriate to offer up a request for divine help to assist you in conquering a temptation to smoke.

Third:

Develop the habit of being joyful and thankful. Did you know that most people are about as happy as they choose to be, and the Bible acknowledges this fact. If you will make the decision to be joyful and thankful, you will be surprised at the divine power that will come into your life in the very act of expressing your joy. The apostle said, Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice (Philippians 4: 4). In other words, express your joy. h everything with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 6, 7). There is the secret, friend. Be joyful and express your joy and thankfulness for God’s answer to your request and a divine miracle is going to take place in your life.

You have an imagination. In your imagination, every time you are assailed with a temptation to smoke, even if you are depressed or discouraged or ready to yield to despair, look to Jesus and request help. Ask and you will receive. When a perverted craving struggles for the mastery in your mind, look to Jesus Christ. His power is sufficient to subdue any bad habit. Choose to turn to Him. Lay hold of the hope that is set before you. He has strength for your weakness, and He is ready and willing right now to lead you step by step to perfect self- control, permanent freedom from the slavery of smoking. Never fear that He is far away because He is always near (Acts 17: 27), and He is interested in having communion (fellowship) with you (Revelation 3: 19- 22). He is ready right now to work in your behalf and to impart to you power to subdue every craving to smoke. He does not do this without your consent. You are free to choose what power you want to rule over you. Nobody has fallen so many times or is such a slave to tobacco that they may not find deliverance through divine power (Hebrews 7: 25).

WHAT HUMAN EFFORT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE?

God expects you to live in harmony with the physical laws which He has created within your body. The particular physical laws which you need to pay special attention to when you begin to resist the craving to smoke are listed below.

1. Eat mainly fresh fruit and some fruit juice the first day.

As soon as you quit smoking, your body starts trying to rid itself of nicotine and all of the other poisons from tobacco that have been accumulating. You can assist your body in this effort by adopting a cleansing type of diet. If you are engaged in hard, manual labor and need a more liberal diet, a suggested first day diet would be as follows:

Breakfast

1- 2 slices of whole wheat or whole grain toast 1 banana 1 orange or apple 1 bowl of cooked cereal or cold cereal with low sugar content, with milk or milk substitute and fruit sauce, if desired 1 glass of apricot nectar, grape juice or orange juice a few nuts, such as almonds, pecans, walnuts, filberts or brazil nuts— raw nuts are best, dry roasted next best, roasted in oil should be avoided, if possible.

Lunch

1 baked potato with gravy or other topping 1 bowl of tossed, green, garden salad 1 serving of cooked greens— broccoli, spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, collards or Swiss chard— if none of the above are available, green vegetables would be second best, such as: green beans, okra, cabbage or brussels sprouts 1- 2 slices of bread, whole wheat or whole grain 1 serving of high protein food— Any kind of legume— cooked, dried beans, peas, lentils or garbanzos— is excellent. Lima beans are fine. Peanut butter sandwiches can do in a pinch. a few nuts (Nuts also provide protein.) 1 glass of milk or milk- substitute, optional

Supper

Any kind of fresh fruit as desired any kind of fruit juice without added sugar— Use juices in moderation that are high in sugar content, such as grape juice and pineapple juice. crackers, optional

The above menu is only for those who engage in hard manual labor. Others are advised to eat mainly fresh fruit and fruit juice the first day. If you want to be successful right from the start, you are advised to not eat or drink any type of food or beverage not listed.

2. Drink a minimum of six glasses of water per day.

This is in addition to whatever fruit juice, milk or vegetable juice you drink during the day. If you do not like the taste of your water and do not have access to purified water, you may put a small amount of lemon juice in the water. This is also advisable if you have weak digestion or if your stomach rebels at the thought of plain water.

The way to get enough water is as follows: Drink at least one eight- ounce glass of water during the first thirty minutes upon arising in the morning. Do not drink anything for one to two hours after breakfast. During the late morning, drink a minimum of two eight- ounce glasses of water. Do not drink anything for one to two hours after lunch. During the later afternoon, drink at least two glasses of water. Either before supper or just before going to bed, drink one more glass of water.

You will have more energy as a result of drinking more water and your body will be assisted in ridding itself of the poisons that have accumulated from the use of tobacco.

3. Practice deep breathing at least three times per day.

First of all, stand up and be sure that nothing is tight or restricting around your waist. Loose fitting clothing is absolutely essential to proper breathing. Through either your nose or your mouth, inhale the largest amount of air possible. Your tummy should go out both in front and on the sides. After you inhale as much as you can force yourself to, then inhale just a little bit more until you are feeling some discomfort.

Hold the air for a moment and then breathe out rapidly through your mouth. While breathing out, bend over and place your palms flat against your ribs, or abdomen, and push in. If you cough at the end of this breathing out, you will get more air out of your lungs, which is what you want. Repeat this exercise two more times. Repeat the entire procedure at least three times per day.

Note: If you are a jogger, a bicyclist or a long distance swimmer, you may eliminate this activity on any day that you work out.

4. Get plenty of rest the first few days.

Your body will exert tremendous effort during the next few days to purify itself, so you will need adequate rest and sleep.

5. A tepid bath or shower is recommended every day.

A tepid bath is one that is not very hot and not cold, just lukewarm. A lukewarm soak before bedtime for the first few days helps some people go to sleep.

6. Avoid all alcoholic beverages.

The cerebrum or forebrain is the first part of the brain to be affected by alcohol, and even a small amount of alcohol results in a decrease in judgment and the ability to exercise the will. Alcohol will sabotage your efforts to be free from tobacco. You cannot expect God to help you quit smoking if you use alcoholic beverages because He has forbidden their use. (See Proverbs 23: 29- 35; 20: 1; I Corinthians 6: 9, 10.)

7. Avoid all compromise.

If you decide to taper off from cigarettes or other forms of tobacco, you will surely fail. You cannot be successful unless you quit totally and entirely.

8. What to do if you fall.

A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again (Proverbs 24: 16). If you fall, confess your fall to God (I John 1: 9; Proverbs 28: 13). He has promised to forgive you and help you to finally succeed. Read the first part of this booklet over again and go through all of the steps faithfully. Start over immediately to be free from tobacco, and do not allow anyone to discourage you.

In the Revolutionary War, America lost battle after battle but finally won the war. If you should stumble, get up immediately and start again. God will not forsake you and will give you a permanent victory over tobacco if you do not give up because of a temporary failure. Pray most earnestly. Say like Jacob, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me’ (Genesis 32: 26). If you keep going through the steps listed in the beginning of the booklet and keep asking, you will be given power to have permanent victory. The reason that some people stumble while quitting smoking will be explained later.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

1. How to deal with headache.

  1. First and most important of all, pray whenever you have a headache. Say, “Father in heaven, You have promised to keep me in perfect peace (Isaiah 26: 3) {f I trust in You. I have chosen to trust in You so I ask that You will give me peace of mind and spirit and impart to me that rest (Matthew 11: 28- 30) that You have promised, for I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
  2. Drink a glass of water. Extra water is helpful for headaches.
  3. Practice the deep- breathing exercises.
  4. If practical, you may go for a walk. Your arms and legs should be well protected if the weather is cool. An outdoor walk is the best.
  5. Try to practice a strict, regular schedule— a set time for eating meals, a set time for going to bed, etc. Regular habits will help you to get adequate sleep. Headaches are often caused by lack of sleep.
  6. Do not eat anything between meals. Do not have meals closer than five hours apart. Avoid overeating, and do not eat many varieties of food at the same meal. Avoid any practice which has caused you to have indigestion. Headaches can be precipitated by indigestion.
  7. Headaches can be caused by improper clothing, either too much clothing in a hot room or climate or improper distribution of clothing, day or night, so that the extremities (arms and legs) are inadequately clothed while the trunk of the body is warmly covered. Chilling of the neck and shoulders can cause a headache. Tight restrictive clothing either at the neck or at the waist or other part of the trunk of the body can cause a headache by imbalancing the circulation.
  8. A hot foot bath with a cold cloth on the forehead, or even an ice bag placed at the top of the back of the neck against the skull, is sometimes necessary. The foot-bath can be 103- 106 degrees Fahrenheit. The washcloth on the forehead should be kept cool by frequent rinsing in cold water. A tepid bath (94- 97 degrees Fahrenheit) for one- half to three- quarters of an hour sometimes relieves headache.

2. Before you get up in the morning

Always pray before you say or do anything in the morning. The first thing in the morning, you might be severely tempted to have a cigarette. Before you get out of bed, talk to God about the upcoming day.

You might say something like this, “Father in heaven, I choose to consecrate myself to You and to belong totally to You today. On this condition, You have promised to give to me the fullness of Your blessing, to abide in me by Your Spirit and to be my strength and constant Helper. I claim these wonderful promises and claim a pure life free from the defilement of tobacco, in Jesus’name, Amen.” (This prayer is based on Numbers 6: 24- 26; John 14: 1- 17; 15: 1- 14; Hebrews 13: 5, 6.)

3. Use your leisure time wisely.

After supper, do not sit down and relax in an easy chair for the first few days because this will be one of the more dangerous times of the day when you will be tempted to smoke. Engage in an active or absorbing hobby, go for a walk or find something that will keep you busy until bedtime. Doing nothing will sabotage your efforts. Doing nothing can have a devastating effect on your will, so keep busy, except for time for sleeping the first few days. It will be advantageous for you to get a thirty minute walk or thirty minutes of working in the garden, etc., every day. Aerobic exercise will help you to always have a positive mental attitude.

The rest of this booklet will give you more help. If you are having any trouble, you may go over and over the first part of this booklet. Many people must go over and over the principles before they become a part of their character. Until your character is changed, your life free from tobacco is not yet permanent.

THIS IS ALL THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET STARTED.

HOW TO GET ANSWERS TO YOUR PRAYERS

The components of successful prayer are cited below. These concepts are from the Bible, but they are also found in a nineteenth century book called Steps to Christ.

Prayer is talking to God concerning our actual life— it is a conversation with Him. It is talking to Him in the same manner as we would talk with any friend.

Jesus taught His disciples to (1) present their daily needs before God and (2) cast all of their cares upon Him. He gave them the assurance that their petitions would be heard.

God’s heart of love yearns toward the children of men. He is ready to give them more than they can ask or think, but these divine gifts are only for those who ask and put their trust in Him.

Prayer should not consist altogether in asking and receiving. We are to praise God for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men (Psalm 107: 8).

To obtain answers to our prayers, the Bible presents the following prerequisites:

  1. We must feel our need, Isaiah 44: 3. 2. We must not cling to any known wrong, Psalm 66: 18. 3. We must choose to exercise trust in God, Hebrews 11: 6. 4. We must choose to exercise a spirit of love and forgiveness, Matthew 6: 12.
  2. We must persevere in prayer, Romans 12: 12; Colossians 4: 2; I Peter 4: 7. 6. We must take every opportunity to pray: in the family circle, in secret, with others and as we go about our work or daily activities. There is no time or place in which it is inappropriate to offer up a petition to God, Luke 18: 1.
  3. Christ’s example is that we are to blend prayer and works— we are to pray even in the midst of our work, but we are not to isolate ourselves away from others and retire from the world in order to pray. If we only pray and do not work, soon we will cease to pray or our prayers will become a formal routine.

So, take to God everything that perplexes your mind. Nothing that in any way concerns your peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no perplexity concerning your smoking problem that is too difficult for Him to understand. There is no calamity that can happen to you or anxiety that can harass you to which He is unobservant or in which He does not take an interest.

So ask. Ask when you are driving your car and you are being tempted to smoke.

Ask when you are on the job. Ask when you are talking with someone and you are tempted to smoke. Ask when someone offers you a cigarette and you do not know how to resist. You can always make a request for help in your mind, and God will hear. He says that He sees every thought that you think (Psalm 139: 2). Ask, Jesus said, and it will by given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it will opened unto you. Everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds and to the one who knocks it will be opened (Matthew 7: 7, 8). Are you knocking on God’s door? Are you seeking for His help? If you are, He has promised to hear your request and answer you. God stands behind every promise He has made.

MORE HUMAN EFFORTS YOU CAN MAKE

Success is the result of divine power and human effort. Your utmost human effort is necessary. If you stop making a consistent effort, then God must stop providing miraculous power to help you because He never works out of harmony with your own will— that would restrict your freedom, which God will not do. Here are more things to do to have permanent success.

1. Avoid all coffee and caffeine.

Caffeine is a chemical stimulant that can initiate a craving for a cigarette. Very few people will be able to permanently quit smoking and still keep on drinking coffee. Caffeine is a drug and is potentially dangerous like any other drug. For many smokers, coffee seems to automatically signal for a cigarette afterward.

Caffeine and nicotine are chemically related drugs and the use of one can cause a craving for the other. The only sure way to quit smoking is to quit drinking coffee.

Caffeine is much more dangerous than usually described in the public press. As little as two cups of coffee per day can retard bone growth in the fetus and significantly decrease placental blood flow. The use of caffeine can result in calcium loss and gradual thinning of the bones. It can also result in a marked decrease in iron absorption, which could lead to anemia.

In addition to this, high dosages of caffeine can result in nervousness, irritability, restlessness, anxiety, insomnia and headaches. Do you need all of this extra trouble when you are quitting the use of tobacco?

Furthermore, since caffeine is a drug that can harm your body, can you with a clear conscience ask God to provide miraculous power so that you can be free from tobacco while you are needlessly using a drug that can seriously harm your body? Can you expect Him to restore your body if you are deliberately doing something that could destroy it?

2. Use natural, harmless stimulants.

One of the most powerful natural stimulants is a cold mitten friction. In the morning, fill the sink with cool or cold water. Dip a washcloth (or terry cloth mitt if you have one) into the water and wring it out dry. Then rub one arm at a time until the arm is pink.

The second morning you can fill the sink with colder water until eventually you may put ice cubes in the water, if you desire. The second or third morning you may want to rub your chest, as well as your arms, until it is pink. The morning after that you may rub your arms, your chest and your back until they are all pink. Then you may rub both of your arms and the entire trunk of your body. Finally, in about a week or ten days, you will be able to rub your arms, your chest, your upper and lower back, your abdomen and your legs until they are all pink.

After a cold mitten friction, you will be awake without having to use coffee, and you will feel better and have no harmful side effects. It will give you a lift without a later letdown. It will also increase your resistance to colds and other upper respiratory infections.

You will need to get up a few minutes earlier in the morning to do this, but it will be worth it for the rest of the day.

3. Your diet

After the first day, you may liberalize your diet, but if you make fresh fruit and vegetables the major part of your diet, you will have better health and you will probably feel better during the time your body is flushing the poisons from tobacco out of it. A good plan is to have a generous amount of fresh fruit for breakfast with a whole- grain cereal or other whole- grain food, milk or milk substitute, whole- grain toast, fruit sauce and a few nuts. Lunch would then include a generous amount of raw and cooked vegetables and should include one dark green or orange vegetable daily with whole- grain bread and a protein food. Potatoes are an excellent staple vegetable and when eaten with another cooked vegetable, a salad and a legume or casserole, provide satiety and enduring energy. The best protein foods were listed earlier. The third meal, if eaten, should be light, preferably fresh fruit only, but crackers and fruit juice with the fruit is all right if you are very hungry.

HOW DOES GOD EFFECT BEHAVIOR CHANGE?

Behavior change takes place when there is a combination of supreme human effort and divine power working in a person’s life. Consistent human effort never occurs without motivation. Where and how does lasting, powerful motivation come into a persons life? How does this take place? Jesus said, If you can believe, all things are possible to the one who believes (Mark 9: 23).

Trust or belief in God comes the same way as you learn to trust or believe in anyone else. We learn to trust others as a result of our acquaintance or experience with them. We learn to trust God as a result of our acquaintance or experience with Him. How do we become acquainted with God? We become acquainted with Him in the same way that we become acquainted with anybody else. We talk to Him, and He talks to us.

We have already talked about asking Him for help continually and praising Him for answering our requests. Some changes take place instantly; some changes take place over a period of time. Just because you do not feel any different right this moment, this does not mean that a change is not really happening.

When we become acquainted with God, we learn to believe or trust in Him to give us control over our past smoking habit or any other unhealthful craving. The Scripture says, We love Him because He first loved us (I John 4: 19).

EXPERIENCING LOVE

When Jesus was here, the disciples experienced His love by being with Him. John says, We heard Him, we saw Him with our eyes, we gazed upon Him, our hands handled Him (I John 1: 1). Concerning what they saw, he said, That which we have seen and heard we declare also to you so that you might have fellowship (verse 3).

If we experience Jesus’ love now, it must be by reading these reports (the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) of what those disciples saw, heard and handled. If we do this, the result will be a fellowship with the Father and the Son, a precious experience in receiving divine love. Love brings joy and control into our lives.

When a man and woman are first in love, they spend as much time as possible with each other, and that love grows and becomes a powerful force in their lives.

Divine love is the most powerful motivating force for smoking cessation there is. We must spend as much time as possible with the source of that love so that we will receive it. Otherwise we will not have this most powerful motivating force in our lives which will bring about permanent freedom from tobacco. We love because He first loved us (I John 4: 19). Schedule at least fifteen minutes per day to read from one of the Gospels. A good place to start is the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5- 7. You will find a great deal of help to give you complete freedom over smoking in this sermon that Jesus gave.

WILL MY LIFESTYLE CHANGES BE PERMANENT?

Love is the most powerful motivating force there is for smoking cessation. When we love God and realize that He will give us any help necessary for us to achieve victory over our bondage to tobacco, lasting changes will take place. The result will be permanent cessation of smoking.

SUMMARY OF PRINCIPLES IN SIMPLE STEPS

  1. We become acquainted with God in the same way that we become acquainted with anyone else— by talking to Him and listening to Him talk to us (I John 1: 1- 3; Job 22: 2 1). We talk to Him when we pray. He talks to us through His Word, the Bible.
  2. As we become acquainted with God, we experience His love for us (Jeremiah 31: 3).
  3. If we become acquainted with God, the natural result is that we will love Him (I John 4: 19).
  4. Divine love is the most powerful motivating force there is to make and keep you free from the bondage of tobacco. It is a divine power that enables a person to develop self- control( l Corinthians 13: 7,8; John 14: 23).
  5. As our love relationship with God develops, we have more desire to become all that we can become with His divine power operating in our lives.
  6. His love to us and our responding love to Him empowers us to fulfill the desire to be free from tobacco.

OBTAINING PERMANENT RESULTS

Divine love is more powerful than any enslaving habit to tobacco you have. It is the only thing that will produce permanent results. Any other motivation will eventually wear off and your bad habits and bondage to depravity of one kind or another will return, but love never fails (I Corinthians 13: 8).

The first requirement for developing a love relationship with God is to spend time with Him— talk to Him. The second requirement is to listen to God talk to you.

HOW GOD TALKS TO YOU THROUGH HIS BOOK

God has big plans for you, bigger plans than you have for yourself. God created man to be in charge, to have dominion over the whole world, not to be a slave but to be a ruler. These plans can never be fulfilled unless you are in control of your own life. How does God plan to bring this about? He brings it about through His Word. Jesus said, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains in Me and I in Him, the same brings forth much fruit for without Me, you can do nothing (John 15: 5).

Because of the effect of heredity, of bad habits, of wrong lifestyle and of bad choices, we do not have the ability of ourselves to exercise self- control. We cannot control our minds or our bodies in our own strength. Jesus said, If a man does not remain in Me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered, and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned (John 15: 6). This is an apt illustration of the life that is ruined by bad habits. Jesus continued to say, If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you shall ask what you wish and it shall be done to you (John 15: 7). So, knowing the promises in the Word is very important if we want to obtain answers to our requests.

GOD’S PROMISES

The promises in God’s Word show us what to pray for and what to ask for. We know that if we ask for something that is promised in His Word, our request will be fulfilled (I John 5: 14).

Let us look now at a few of the Bible promises especially applicable to smokers. The apostle Paul says, Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6: 19). You are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body (I Corinthians 6: 20). It is God’s will for you to live in harmony with the physical laws of your body, in fact, the apostle says, If anyone destroys the temple of God, Him will God destroy, for the temple of God is holy which temple you are (I Corinthians 3: 17).

So, you know that it is not God’s will for you to destroy your body by unhealthful habits, such as smoking. God has promised to deliver you from every desire contrary to His will if you are willing. But I say, Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust [craving] of the flesh (Galatians 5: 16).

If you choose to follow the instruction of the Holy Spirit given in God’s Word this is a promise that you will have victory over every unhealthful craving and temptation. Through whom are given to us exceeding great and precious promises that through these you might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped from the corruption which is in the world through lust. (II Peter 1: 4). It is by memorizing, quoting and claiming the promises in God’s Word in every time of temptation that victory is gained. Jesus Himself used this spiritual weapon. (See Matthew 4: 1- 11.)

GOD UNDERSTANDS YOUR TEMPTATIONS

Somebody might say, “Well, God doesn’t understand howl am tempted.” But God does understand how you are tempted; in fact, the apostle Paul says in Hebrews 4: 14, 15, We have a great High Priest who is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. We do not have a high priest which cannot not be touched with the feeling of our maladies, but He was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin.

Jesus knows how you feel; He knows how you have been tempted. He knows how you are tempted because He was tempted in all points like as you are. Because He was tempted in all points like as you are, He knows how to deliver you from temptation. Look at the promise that follows in Hebrews 4: 16, Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need.

Does it seem impossible to obtain freedom from the bondage of tobacco? Does it seem impossible to keep from lighting up? The apostle said, Let us come boldly before the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4: 16). In other words, every time you have a temptation that seems irresistible, you need to ask for divine help, and the promise is that you are going to find mercy and grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4: 16).

YOU CAN BE FREE FROM TOBACCO.

Did you know that Jesus Himself has promised to set you free from every sinful or unhealthful habit? This is one of the most wonderful promises in all of the Bible. You can claim it every time you are assailed by temptation to smoke.

This promise is found in John 8: 32- 36: And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. They gave answer to Him, We are Abraham’s seed and we have never been enslaved ever. How do you say that you shall become free? Jesus answered them, Most assuredly I say to you, that every one who commits sin is the slave of sin and the slave does not remain in the house forever, but the Son remains forever. If, therefore, the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed.

Sin is simply doing something that is unlawful (I John 3: 4). The sixth commandment says, You shall not kill. This includes more than pointing a gun at yourself or somebody else. It includes slow suicide. This would include smoking because habitual smokers have a higher death rate than they otherwise would.

JESUS’ PROMISE TO YOU

Jesus has promised to set you free from all bondage. He has promised to deliver you from every kind of slavery. He has promised to deliver you, set you free, from every wrong habit, every unhealthful habit. This is a promise that you can claim every time you are tempted, every time it seems impossible not to yield to the temptation to smoke.

DO NOT SABOTAGE YOUR WILL

The will is the governing power in the nature of man. It is God’s design that your body be in absolute subjection to your will at all times. Only then are you truly free. (See 1 Corinthians 9: 24- 27.)

It is necessary for you to surrender your will to God in order to be delivered from the bondage which has kept you a slave in dire captivity to tobacco. (See Romans 7: 18- 8: 17.) As long as your will is surrendered to God, He will work through your conscience and reason to control it. God does not usurp your own mental powers, but as long as you are surrendered to Him, He works through them to elevate, refine, ennoble and bring you in every way to a condition where you might enjoy lasting pleasure and happiness with no hang- over, smoker’s cough or other sorrow connected with it.

But you have a part to act in order to keep your will from again becoming a slave to your body or the lower powers of the mind, such as the emotions. (Emotions should always be the servant of the will; the will or power of choice should never be under the control of any part of the body.)

There are certain physical and mental habits which can weaken the will and again bring it into slavery. If you deliberately weaken your will, God will not work a miracle to keep you free— by your actions you are declaring to the whole universe that you have not chosen to be free, and God’s power is not exercised contrary to your own choice. The practices which weaken the will are listed below. If you are brought into difficulty through no choice of your own like Daniel was when taken a captive to Babylon, God will protect you, but God’s power is not exercised to protect the presumptuous.

Physical and Mental Habits that Weaken the Will

1. Overeating

The will, as all other powers of the mind, is affected by the physical state of the body. If you overeat, the circulation is imbalanced and you lose your power to resist temptation. Overeating is often followed by a sensation of drowsiness, and in this half- awake state, the will is in no condition to bring perverted bodily cravings into absolute subjection as is necessary to acquire freedom from the slavery of tobacco.

If you are a habitual overeater, you can use the same principles found in the first part of this booklet to gain the victory over overeating. Especially remember to ask God for victory and selfcontrol. There are also a few physical techniques you can use to avoid overeating:

Practice regularity in eating. Eat only at regular times and not more than three times per day. Regular, balanced meals will help you to avoid the unhealthful habit of snacking.

Avoid extreme- type diets which can result in excess hunger. Any diet which is severely restricted in fat content can result in extreme hunger. While excess fat and fats that are solid at room temperature are dangerous to your health, there must be a balance. Get some fat at both breakfast and lunch. The best fat is in whole, unrefined foods. A recommended list of foods containing large amounts of fat follows. These foods should be used in moderation.

High fat foods include, most nuts and many seeds, such as sunflower and sesame seeds, avocados and olives. Refined foods containing fat, while not totally prohibited, should be restricted. This would include all oils and many dairy products. Milk substitutes have to be evaluated individually. Many have a high fat content.

Use whole foods and plant foods as much as possible. These foods have protective factors that help you to feel satisfied on less calories and thereby avoid overeating.

Eat slowly, laying your fork down between bites. Swallow each mouthful before taking another fork full of food. Chew your food slowly and thoroughly and allow adequate time for meals. This last point is very important. If you do not allow at least twenty to thirty minutes for your meal, you may feel hungry even if you have had plenty to eat.

Regular exercise has a powerful regulatory effect on the appetite. If you walk for thirty minutes a day, you will probably feel a need for less food than if you were totally sedentary.

2. Overwork and lack of rest

Any habit that results in undue fatigue will result in weakening the will. Staying up late at night, followed by an early rise which is still not early enough for a good breakfast, results in starting the day in a weak condition. Lack of planning and scheduling or trying to do two day’s work in one and the resulting lack of sleep, plus overwork, can sabotage your will power.

3. Alcoholic beverages or other mind altering drugs

The higher powers of the mind are more and more anesthetized as alcohol is used. Many people who had quit smoking have started again after drinking alcohol.

4. Tea, coffee and other caffeine sources

Caffeine is a stimulant to the nervous system. Continual use of caffeine has the same effect as overwork or lack of rest— the nervous system, as well as the rest of the body, because of unnatural stimulation, does not recuperate adequately and becomes debilitated until the will is overborne, and then the person has no ability to escape unnatural cravings. Divine power is ready to deliver you from this vicious circle, but you must do your part— decide to abstain from all harmful substances which weaken your will, and follow your decision with your utmost effort while calling upon God for divine power to help you. You must work out what God works in. (Philippians 2: 12, 13).

5. Overindulgence in sexual passions

Every blessing that God has given the human family can be abused and thereby become a curse. Sexual intimacy requires a large amount of biological vitality, and overindulgence can have a weakening effect. One of the worst effects is the habit that can be formed of placing the higher powers of the mind under the control of the sexual passions. The will should always control the passions and never be controlled by them.

If sexual passions control the whole being, man is then in a similar position to dumb animals. A person who is used to being a slave to emotions and feelings will find it impossible to become free from tobacco unless God works a miracle in His life. The first part of this booklet outlines how this miracle can happen.

6. Other unnatural stimulation

Many other habits and practices can unnaturally stimulate the body and the mind and result in a weakened condition of the will. These include using large amounts of certain condiments and spices. The general rule is that if a seasoning tastes hot when actually it is cold, it might be used as a medicine, but it is not safe to use as food. Condiments can immediately start a strong craving for a cigarette.

The mind can be unnaturally stimulated by watching crime, either in the news or acted out. The mind can be unnaturally stimulated by reading novels, various works of fiction and other exciting literature or by watching movies. Such stimulation unbalances the circulation, and any excess stimulation finally results in debilitation and weakening of the will. You can keep up with what is going on in the world and know everything you need to know without this constant stimulation and knowledge of the details of every outrage that is committed.

Rich and heavy foods can unnaturally stimulate the body. A high protein diet is a stimulating diet and not the best for health. While you are still experiencing cravings for tobacco, any unnecessary stimulation of the body can make this craving worse, so avoid meat as much as possible because meat not only is high in protein but contains purine and ammonia which have stimulating qualities. Especially avoid rare meat.

The general rule is that any substance, when taken in far greater amount than needed by the body, can result in stimulation or debilitation, either of which is not helpful to having strong will power. Some other common substances which can have stimulating qualities when taken in very large amounts are vitamin pills, food supplements, sugar, eggs, milk and other dairy products.

A word of caution is in order here. If you have been using large amounts of food supplements, it is wiser to decrease the amount taken slowly rather than all at once because your body probably has a tolerance now to large amounts of these vitamins or whatever supplement you have been taking. You can experience a severe letdown in energy and a feeling of malaise and fatigue if customary food supplements are suddenly discontinued. This extra shock to your body is totally unnecessary while you are acquiring permanent freedom from the slavery of tobacco, so do not discontinue supplements all at once.

7. Doing anything that you know is wrong

If you deliberately do anything that you know is wrong, you will suffer a violated conscience and an immediate weakness of will power to do what you know is right. You will immediately lose the divine power that God has been giving you to help you to obtain freedom from the slavery of tobacco.

If you experiment with any instrument which is used of evil spirits, such as spiritualistic mediums, psychics and fortune- tellers; secret associations and seances; healers who claim to employ electricity, magnetism, or “sympathetic remedies”; if you attempt to communicate with the dead (See Deuteronomy 18: 10- 12; Isaiah 8: 19, 20; I Chronicles 10: 13, 14; Ecclesiastes 9: 5, 6.); if you venture into scenes of dissipation or irreligious pleasure; if you seek the society of the sensual person, the skeptic or the blasphemer, either in person or through the medium of the press or theater, you will lose the miraculous power of God in your life.

Your only sure escape if you are in this situation is to follow the divinely appointed steps back to freedom:

First, you must acknowledge the wrong you have done to God and also to others if you have injured them and ask forgiveness of all injured parties. (See Proverbs 28: 13; I John 1: 9.) Then you must follow the steps presented in the first part of this booklet again about how to get started and how to get divine help to gain back your freedom and self- control.

HOW WE ARE TEMPTED TO SMOKE

In 1 John 2: 15- 17, the apostle says, Do not love the world, neither the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him because everything that is in the world, the craving of the flesh, the craving of the eye, and the ostentatiousness of life, is not from the Father but is out of the world. The world passes away and the cravings of it, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.

This is a plain acknowledgment that our body can crave things that are not good for us. It is also evident that we must not gratify these cravings if we desire life. The apostle says, Do not love these things. Do not love the world; there are only three things in the world, the craving of the flesh, the craving of the eyes and the ostentatious- ness of life.

WHAT DO I DO ABOUT THESE CRAVINGS?

Now the question that comes to you and me is, If I love the world, if I have been giving in to the craving of my flesh, if I have been giving in to the craving of my eyes, if I have been smoking until that craving has become almost overwhelming, what do I do about it? How do I get over it?

The secret is right in this passage (1 John 2: 15- 17) I am not to love the world, but I am to have a transfer of my affections so that I can do the will of God. You see, if my whole life revolves around the craving of my flesh and the craving of my eyes, it will never be possible for me to obtain perfect self- control over my cravings or urge to smoke. In order for me to gain the victory over bad physical habits, what must happen? I must have a transfer of my affections from these things to somebody above.

HOW OUR DESIRES ARE MODIFIED

This happens in the following manner. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4: 19). Did you know that God is never tempted to smoke? God is love and His love is always directed outward toward the benefit of the intelligence’s He has created. Our wrong habits and cravings are the result of a perversion of His love. Instead of our love being directed outward toward the happiness and benefit of others, our love is directed inward to the happiness and benefit of ourselves— to gratification of our flesh by smoking or wrong eating, etc. Wrong habits are cultivated through this basic root principle of self- love.

We can never quit our wrong habits unless we learn the essence of the divine character— that principle which seeks not its own but another’s good. How does this happen? The process of overcoming wrong habits is, in its most simple explanation, a process of learning to love the way God loves.

HOW DO WE LEARN THIS VITAL PRINCIPLE?

The problem is, how do we learn to love when we are so used to loving that craving of our flesh, that craving of our eyes, our oppressive desire to smoke and other gratifications of these desires of our flesh and our eyes? How does this process of learning to love the way God loves happen in us?

Before we will have any love to give to anybody else, we must first experience His love to us. When Jesus was here, His disciples experienced His love by spending time with Him. John says, We heard Him, we saw Him with our eyes, we gazed upon Him, our hands handled Him (I John 1: 1). Concerning what they saw, he said, That which we have seen and heard, we announce also to you that you might have fellowship with us (1 John 1: 3).

HOW DO WE SPEND TIME WITH HIM?

If we are to have fellowship with Jesus now, it will have to be by reading the reports about what these disciples saw, heard and handled. If we do this the result will be a fellowship, a close interpersonal relationship with the Father and the Son, a precious experience of receiving divine love. This experience will give power to our decisions to be free from tobacco and to overcome our bad habits. We will have a transfer of our affections from the satisfaction of the cravings of this world to the satisfaction of fellowship with the Father and the Son. Then, the apostle says, our joy is going to be full (1 John 1: 4).

HOW DO WE FALL IN LOVE?

When a man and woman are first in love, they spend as much time as possible with each other, and that love grows and becomes a powerful force in their lives. Divine love is the most powerful force there is to overcome the craving to smoke. It is the most powerful force there is, but we need to spend as much time as possible with the source of that love so that we will receive it. We will never be filled with that love with just a few minutes a day thinking about Him while we spend the rest of the day thinking about the cravings of our flesh or booking at secular pictures and advertising with craving in our eyes.

We must experience His love the same way that the first disciples experienced it. We must hear His voice speaking to us. We must see Him in our imagination. We must gaze upon Him. As we work in this world, our hands must touch Him. We must have the same intimate spiritual fellowship with the Father and the Son that they had. People who love each other always find time to be together.

THE RESULTS OF SPENDING TIME WITH HIM

The result, friends, of that relationship in your life will be that you will receive divine power to overcome the craving to smoke. Spend time with Jesus by studying His life every day, and the result will be that a new love will take possession of your mind. Your affections will be imperceptibly changed from love of the world with its craving of the flesh and craving of the eyes to the love of the Father, an intimate love relationship with the One who has all power and who will give you His power to overcome. He will give you power to carry out your own best decisions.

THE HUMAN ESSENTIAL FOR SMOKING CESSATION

Jesus talked about the human essential in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord is going to enter into the kingdom of heaven, hut the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 7: 21). It is not what we say, it is not what we profess, it is what we do that counts. And why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and you do not do what I say (Luke 6: 46)?

WHEN WE BECOME SUCCESSFUL

We become successful in becoming free from tobacco when:

  1. we ask for help,
  2. depend upon God to give us divine help and then, in obedience to our request and trust in Him,
  3. we take action— we act on our trust or our belief in Him.

It is always true that we will act out all of the trust or faith in God that we have, and it is when we show by our actions that we believe that God is going to help us, that a miracle begins to take place in our lives.

ON THE BORDERS OF THE PROMISED LAND

There was a time in ancient history when the children of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, the spiritual forefathers of the faithful of later ages, marched out of Egypt and went across a terrible wilderness to inherit the promised land. The time came when they were encamped on the borders of the promised land.

Right now, if you have been following the instructions in this booklet, you are encamped on the borders of your promised land— the new you, the new self-controlled you, the you who has control over your lifestyle and is free at last from all enslaving habits.

But when the children of Israel were encamped on the borders of the promised land, it was not enough for them to have a knowledge of Canaan. It was not enough for them to sing songs about Canaan. This would not bring them into possession of all those wonderful vineyards and olive groves in that wonderful country. They could make it theirs in truth only by occupation. They had to go across the Jordan and actually occupy the land. They had to do something. They had to comply with the conditions. They had to exercise faith in God and take His promises to themselves while they obeyed His instruction. They had to have an active experience.

IMPORTANCE OF TAKING ACTION

Becoming free from tobacco consists in doing something, doing something active about the problem. Whether or not we will be successful depends not just on whether or not we ask for help, whether or not we believe or whether or not we make a profession of believing. Whether or not we are successful will be made manifest by whether or not we actually do or act in harmony with our requests. We must do and not say only, because it is only through action that new habits are built.

HOW CHARACTER IS BUILT

These new habits develop into a new character. Actions become habits and habits become character— you. You started reading this booklet with many wrong habits in your possession as a part of your character. You have been making decisions based on the information presented about changing your character.

We cannot do this unless God supplies the power. That is why this must be a spiritual experience, an experience of asking Him for help and getting to know Him. Although God will supply the power, it is up to you and me to use the power. We cannot just sit in our tents and pray and study. We must get up and take action— walk into the promised land.

Taking proper action will result in the development of good habits which will result in the development of a different character, a new character, a new, pure, tobacco- free you. You have had a misshapen character because of smoking. Our goal is to help you to reshape your character using divine power that is most certainly available to you. It is impossible for anyone to do this perfectly by themselves. That is why we have talked about the necessity of receiving divine help.

YOU ARE THE ARBITER OF YOUR DESTINY

Remember, God will supply the power, the help. It is up to you and me to take hold of that power and do something with it. No matter how much power God supplies to you, He leaves it up to you to take that power and work out what He works in. Every day you are building the new you. Your character depends on the actions that you take. Your actions result in habits, and the habits result in character.

OBTAINING LASTING RESULTS

There is a true foundation to build your character upon— a living Stone— and if you build upon that true foundation, God’s life will be imparted to you as you build upon Him (1 Peter 2: 4- 9). If the building that you are building is on another foundation, someday it is going to fall. Some people build their character (their attempt to become free from the slavery of tobacco and other bad habits) upon a foundation of human ideas, upon human philosophy and opinions, or upon protocols of some man’s invention.

The person who does this is building a structure of character upon shifting sand. Someday, sometime the fierce tempests of temptation will sweep away this sandy foundation and leave that person’s house of character a wreck, and they will say, “I stopped smoking once. I was free from tobacco once, and I thought I could handle it myself But when the stress of _________ happened, I started again.”

If you are resting your hope of having perfect self- control upon yourself, you are building on shifting sand. It is not too late, friend, to escape ruin. Before the temptations of perverted carnal desires break over you, flee to the sure foundation, the tried and living Stone.

Listen, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, and the one who believes will not be in a hurry, . . . Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is none else…. Do not be afraid for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you by the right hand of My righteousness (Isaiah 28: 16; 45: 22; 41: 10).

The help is available. The question is, What are you doing with it? What character will you build with it? Your actions develop your habits, and your habits develop your character, the new, pure, tobacco- free you. Whoever hears these words of Mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house upon the rock (Matthew 7: 24).

TODAY IS THE DAY FOR A MIRACLE IN YOUR LIFE

There is recorded in the Scripture a time when the apostle Paul spoke the good news to a Roman governor. The Scripture says there were three things that Paul talked to this Roman governor about. He talked to him about right— about doing that which is right. He talked to him about self- control. He also talked to him about having to give an account in the future for this life that we live here.

THE DANGER OF PROCRASTINATION

As Paul did this, the Scripture says that this Roman governor, by the name of Felix, trembled and he gave this answer, Go your way for this time. When I have a convenient season, I will call for you (Acts 24: 25).

This is a classic reply, a classic response. Go your way right now; when I have a convenient season, I will call for you. I am going to do something about it. Have you ever heard someone say that? Today lam going to smoke just a little bit. Tonight I have to go to a party, but tomorrow I am going to develop self- control; tomorrow I will become free of the slavery of tobacco. Today, during the holidays, I need to enjoy myself, but lam going to do something about my smoking later. I am going to change my lifestyle sometime in the future. Tomorrow I am going to do it. Today I have other things to do.

THERE WILL NEVER BE AN EASIER TIME

The news is, friend, that today is the day for you to make the changes that you want to make in your life. It will never be easier tomorrow than it is today. It is easier today than it ever will be again, on the basis of what you have just read. The actions that you commit today develop habits, and these habits develop character. Your character is what you really are. If you keep on indulging yourself, if you keep on smoking, more and stronger, wrong habits will be formed. The result will be a deterioration of character, a depraved character. So, tomorrow it will be harder for you to make the changes you want to make than it is today. Although nothing is impossible with divine grace, it will be more difficult. So, today is the day for you to make the changes that you want to make in life.

TODAY IS THE TIME

We read in the Bible about a woman that was brought to Jesus from the very act of adultery. And they came to Jesus and they said, Moses said that such should be stoned, but what do you say? And this they said that they might have something to accuse Him (John 8: 5, 6) either to the people or to the Romans. Jesus arranged affairs in this incident so that all of the people who brought the woman to Him left, being accused by their own conscience of their own sins, and the woman was left alone with Jesus. When that happened, it says that, Jesus lifted Himself up and saw none but the woman, and said to her, Woman, where are those your accusers? Has no man condemned you? She said, No man, Lord. Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more (John 8: 10, 11).

When Jesus talked to that woman, He said, in effect, today is the day for you to make a change in your life. Jesus never told anybody that tomorrow will be all right; you can go ahead and indulge yourself today. You can go ahead and practice your unhealthful habits today and change tomorrow. Jesus never told anyone that. Jesus told people, today is the day to make a change in your life. Today is the day that God is willing to work a divine miracle in your life. Today is the day. He said to that woman, Go and sin no more (John 8: 11).

Do you realize what that almost certainly meant? That meant that the woman had to go and get a different kind of job. That meant that she was out of a job because she was involved in prostitution to make a living. But when Jesus talked to her, He did not say, “Let’s work on this and see if you can make some arrangements to get another kind of job.” He did not say anything like that; He said, “Today is the day, tight now. Don’t live like that any longer. Today is the day; right now is the time to change. Right now is the time to have new life. Friend, that was the beginning of new life for that woman, that day.

Now, which kind of person are you? Are you like that Roman ruler who said, “Go for right now; I want to enjoy my wrong indulgences a little more, so I want to wait for a more convenient time. There are so many wrong habits in my life, and it will be inconvenient for me socially and professionally to change right now. I am going to wait for a more convenient time.” The more convenient time does not come.

Or are you going to be like that woman that Jesus met? Right then, right that day, a change was made in her life. She started to live a new life that very day. Jesus said, Go and sin no more. Today is the day to make a change. That was the beginning of new life for that woman. If you are willing to make a change today, God is willing to help you to make that change today. But God will never work a miracle in the life of a person who says, “I want to continue in my wrong habits for today. I want a more convenient time, and then I will make a change. I want to taper off from my bad habits.” If you decide to taper off from bad habits, you have decided to do some evil still, and if God were to help you, He would be blessing you in evil- doing. So, you cannot have any help from God until you decide to quit completely all evil or unhealthful habits. The person who is waiting for a more convenient time or who is trying to taper off never experiences a miracle. They may believe, they may know, but they are waiting for tomorrow to quit completely, and life passes by. At the end, their character is a wreck in the annals of time and eternity.

SUMMARY

Today is the best day, the best opportunity you will ever have, to make a change. Let us review what we have studied:

  1. Ask for divine help, knowing that God never tells a lie and that He stands back of every promise He has made.
  2. Become acquainted with God. Talk to Him every time you are faced with a temptation to smoke.
  3. You become acquainted with God when you listen to Him talk to you about the big plans that He has for your life and by exposing yourself to His Word, especially to the promises He has made in His Word to everyone who wants complete freedom.
  4. You expose yourself to the most powerful force in the world by experiencing the love that Jesus has for you— you experience His life by reading about it in His Word.
  5. Then you start to act out the promise that God has made to you, depending upon Him to work a miracle in your life.
  6. When you do these things, the miracle begins today. Do not say, “I am going to wait for a more convenient time; I am going to wait for a better opportunity.” Do not say that, because then the miracle will never happen. We have no record that Felix ever had a change in his life— the Lord never worked a miracle in His life. He went on with all of his wrong habits, wrong actions and depraved character development.

Today can be the day that a change occurs in your life, if you make the choice today. Jesus said to the woman that was taken in adultery, Go and sin no more (John 8: 11). In other words, be done with all of those bad habits, today. If you want to live a new life, if you want to have perfect self- control, if you want victory over the craving to smoke or a life of idleness and inactivity, today can be the day when you have a new life. Jesus worked miracles for those who were willing to exercise trust during the present— today.

WALKING ON WATER

There is a story in the Bible about a man who walked on water with the Lord.. This story happened between three and six o’clock in the morning. The disciples of Jesus were on a boat, alone, in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. A fearful storm had arisen on the sea. During this storm, Jesus came to the disciples walking upon the sea— Jesus was walking on water.

At first when the disciples saw a person walking on the water, they were afraid, but then Jesus said to them, Be of good courage, it is L Do not he afraid (Matthew 14: 27). The Scripture says that Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. And He said, Come. And coming down out of the ship, Peter walked upon the water to come to Jesus, but looking on the wind boisterous, he was terrified and beginning to sink, he cried saying, Lord, save me. And Jesus stretched forth His hand and took him, and said to him, Oh, you of little faith. Why did you doubt? (Matthew 14: 28- 31).

PERMANENT SUCCESS AND TEMPORARY FAILURE

We are now going to address the subjects, “Will you be free of tobacco permanently?” and “How to deal with temporary failure.” From the human point of view, walking on water is impossible. From the human point of view, being permanently free from tobacco is impossible for many.

But there is Somebody who can help you to walk on water. Peter’s experience of walking on water covers the steps that we have been studying about becoming permanently free from tobacco and developing new habits of behavior— forming a new character.

ASK THE RIGHT PERSON

First of all, Peter asked the right person— he asked for divine help. We have already seen the importance of asking, continually asking for divine help. Right in the middle of business affairs, you can send up a silent request to God, and He will hear and answer your petition, although it is not verbalized.

CHOOSE TO TRUST HIM

Second, Peter was acquainted with the divine Person whom he asked for help and he trusted in this Person that He would help him. He had so much faith in this Person that when the Lord told him to come down out of the ship and walk on water, he believed. He did not say, “Oh, no, I’ll sink if I do that.” He believed in the Person because he was acquainted with Him. We have studied about becoming acquainted with this very same Person— we become acquainted with Him just like we become acquainted with anyone else, by talking to Him and listening to Him talk to us, which He does through His Word.

Third, because of this complete trust in the Person whom he had come to know and love, Peter got down out of the ship and attempted to do something that had always been impossible for him before— walk on water.

If we trust Him and He tells us that He wants us to develop perfect self- control, as He indeed does in I Corinthians 9: 24- 27, then we, too, will attempt to do something that has always been impossible for us to do before, such as becoming permanently free from tobacco.

Is it impossible to walk on water? Is it impossible to be totally and permanently free from tobacco? It may be just as impossible as walking on water, but when you ask for divine help, place your trust in the Person whom you are asking and begin to take action based on that trust, a miracle starts happening in your life, and you start to walk on water.

WHEN THE MIRACLE BEGINS

So, Peter acted on his faith. He got down out of the ship, and because he asked the right Person and he had faith and confidence in this Person, he acted on his faith. When he acted on his faith, a miracle began to happen in his life. This is a very important concept to understand— when did the miracle begin to happen in Peter’s life? It began to happen when he acted on his faith.

God does not begin to work a miracle in your life until you start to demonstrate your faith in Him by doing something active while you trust in Him to work a miracle in your life. Millions have experienced this miracle. How about you? God stands behind every promise that He has made.

WHAT IF I START TO SINK?

Now, the questions come, What if sometime I should do something wrong? What if I should give in to my perverted craving for cigarettes sometime? What if I should engage in an unhealthful practice at some time? What then? Is everything last?

As soon as you begin to practice a known unhealthful habit that you know is not right, you lose the spiritual power that you have within and the same thing happens to you that happened to Peter; immediately you begin to sink. Peter looked at the problem— big waves, a big storm, great surges of waves under his feet.

The same thing can happen to you— you look around and you see a cloud of smoke around you, on television, on billboards, in magazines; the lust of the flesh, the cravings of the eye, the unhealthful habits, these perverted cravings that you have been developing for years surround you. Everything around you seems to be a temptation, and if you look at the problem instead of looking to the One who is the solution to the problem, you will begin to sink.

If you take your eyes off of the One who can and will always be a never- failing source of help for you and look at all the problems, immediately you will begin to sink. The problem seems overwhelming. Discouragement sinks in when you have a temporary failure and you say, “What happened? I had victory yesterday and the day before that, and now, today, it’s not happening. What am I going to do? I am facing failure. Is everything going to ruin?”

That is the situation that Peter was facing. He was walking on water. He had asked the right Person. He had put his trust in the right Person. He had acted on his faith. A miracle had been occurring in his life. But he took his eyes off of where the help was; and, friend, when you look away from where the help is, you are automatically looking at the problems. You start looking at your perverted cravings and that cloud of smoke obscures your thinking. Right away you begin to sink. What do you do then, when you are sinking and you are facing failure?

Friend, you must do what Peter did. You must say, “Lord, save me!” You must look where the help is. You remember the text in the Bible that says a righteous man falls seven times and rises again? Friend, it does not take very long to sink; you may have been walking on water for a longtime, but when you take your eyes off from where the help is, when you start deciding to do it yourself, down you go. When you lose your connection with your all- powerful divine helper, you go down in the water (or smoke) very rapidly. Very fast you can sink right back down to your old habits, your old, smoky lifestyle.

What do you do to keep this from happening? Remember to keep your eye on where the help is, keep asking for divine help and keep taking action on your confidence in that divine help. Keep studying the promises in His Word and claiming those promises. The result will be that you will keep on walking on water.

Here is a prayer that you can pray: “Father in Heaven, I thank You for Your promises and the divine miracles that they bring into my life. I come to You to make request. I ask that You will give to me right now, that miracle of grace that will give to me perfect freedom over tobacco. Help me to act on my trust in You and to come down out of the ship of complacency and inactivity and do what I know that I should do as Your child, by Your grace. Help me to experience this miracle that can keep happening in my life every day.

“If I make a mistake, Lord, and I begin to sink, save me when I call. Help me to turn me eyes toward You. I claim Your promise that You will help me keep on experiencing that miracle in my life which will impart to me that self- control over every craving of the flesh and of the eyes. May I experience Your love in my heart every day which will be a power over and against every wrong habit, for I come to You in the all- powerful name of Jesus, Amen. “

HOW TO OBTAIN DIVINE HELP OVER WRONG HABITS

  1. Realize that you need help to be set free from tobacco (John 15: 5; Jeremiah 33: 3).
  2. Know that God desires to provide this help to you (Isaiah 41: 10).
  3. Acknowledge your need and your willingness to come to God and fully cooperate with Him in causing a complete change to happen in your life (Matthew 11: 28- 30). It is vital that you not live in a state of denial. Acknowledge to God, verbally, your condition and need. Ask Him to give to you a change of mind about tobacco. Tobacco is not to be your master (Matthew 23: 10). This can only happen if you have a change of mind (heart). Confess your guilt and ask for release from the guilt and power of tobacco (I John 1: 9; Proverbs 28: 13).
  4. Ask for divine help to be set free from tobacco (Matthew 7: 7, 8).
  5. Choose to believe that God will fulfill His Word to give you perfect freedom over tobacco (Mark 9: 22, 23).
  6. Express trust in God and His promise to help you gain perfect freedom from tobacco (Luke 11: 13).
  7. Act on your belief by making a commitment to live a life of self- control enabled by God’s power (John 1: 12). It is not enough to be sorry. You must actively turn away from your former lifestyle (I Corinthians 9: 24- 27).
  8. Spend time fixing the divine promises in your memory. These promises will bring power into your life when you are assailed by perverted cravings. This is the weapon that Jesus Himself used when He was tempted on appetite (Matthew 4: 4).
  9. Ask for help in every time of temptation (Luke 18: 1, 7, 8; James 4: 7- 9). (God is not wearied by your continued requests for deliverance.)
  10. Express your joy verbally; thank God for helping you to control your appetite (Philippians 4: 4- 7).

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