Photo by Andres Siimon on Unsplash

By Kim Ellison

Sin contaminates the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Sin separates us from a Holy God. God does not love us any less when we sin, but He is holy, and where sin is, He will not abide. Many of us have had a particular sin or habit that has been difficult to get rid of. Just when we think we have the victory, it pops its ugly head back up. I too have experienced areas where I felt powerless and defeated by sin but we must remember that through Christ we can do all things. When we are weak, he is strong. God is able to see us through every difficulty that we may encounter.

One habit I really needed to get free of was smoking cigarettes. Smoking was a habit I wanted to hide because I didn’t want certain people to know I smoked. I would spray myself with perfume, eat breathe mints, and do a variety of things to cover up the smoke smell. I tried, tried, and tried again and again to quit smoking. I tried to quit smoking long before I had a personal relationship with Jesus, although once I knew Jesus I wanted to quit even more.

Hypnotism failed, acupuncture failed, behavior modification failed, and I smoked while I chewed the nicotine gum. I felt doomed to failure and hopelessly hooked on cigarettes. It was a frustrating and discouraging situation for me as I failed time and time again.

Although I would try to hide my smoking habit from the church, every now and then I would go up for prayer determined to really quit this time. I would crush up the cigarettes, stomp on them, and vow never to smoke those nasty things again. But before the night was over, I would be totally crazy from the lack of nicotine and digging the cigarettes out of the garbage, frantic for just one puff.

I smoked cigarettes for eight years after I was born again. Some of the most critical and unkind people concerning my habit were my fellow Christians.

I smoked cigarettes for eight years after I was born again. Some of the most critical and unkind people concerning my habit were my fellow Christians. My non Christian friends didn’t care if I smoked and were much more sympathetic, although it was becoming increasingly unpopular to smoke in many social circles. I cried out to God daily about the cigarettes, but it seemed to no avail. I lived under such heavy condemnation over the cigarettes that I didn’t need anyone telling me how bad I was for smoking. I knew it was unhealthy for my body. I knew I was supposed to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. I just couldn’t seem to quit. I had smoked for 22 years and it was not an easy habit to break. To me it seemed hopeless. But, Praise God, I did not quit trying.

Eventually I got the victory, but not without a struggle. Quitting smoking was one of the most difficult things I ever did in my life.

Eventually I got the victory, but not without a struggle. Quitting smoking was one of the most difficult things I ever did in my life. In a sense my quitting really was a miracle of God, even though it was not easy. I struggled daily for many months. God loved me in spite of my smoking habit and he didn’t condemn me. Jesus never said that He would save us if and when we quit smoking, or if and when we quit drinking, or if and when we quit any other habit or sin. Jesus tells us to come to Him as we are. He loves each one of us so much. It is only after we receive the Lord Jesus Christ that He is able to help us with our many sins and flaws. What ever you do, don’t give up. Keep crying out to God about your situation. Victory will come.

Sometimes people make the mistake of thinking that they have to become perfect and very, very good before they can have a relationship with God. I have had people tell me that when they quit drinking they would come to church, or when they quit taking drugs, or when they quit some other sin or lifestyle. When they get it all together, then they would come to Jesus. They didn’t want to be hypocrites. I understand where they are coming from. No one wants to be a hypocrite. But without Jesus in our lives, many times we are powerless to quit the sin or the habit that is keeping us in bondage. We need Jesus living in us to have the power to overcome in the areas that each one of us needs help in. God does not condemn us. We need to come to Him as we are, now, before it is too late. God will help us make all of the necessary changes to become the person he wants us to be as long as we are willing to put our trust in Him and allow Him to help us.

Romans 8:1 (NIV) “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Put your focus on Jesus. He is able to deliver you from any hidden or revealed sin.

Put your focus on Jesus. He is able to deliver you from any hidden or revealed sin. The more we spend time with Jesus in prayer and in the Word of God, the more we will become like Him. Ungodly things will fall away. The worthless and sinful things of this world will no longer be attractive to us as we taste and see that the Lord is good.

Sometimes, we don’t get rid of certain sins because we are too ashamed or too prideful to ask for prayer. We cannot allow pride to keep us from getting the prayer we need. It was the sin of pride that made Satan fall. In order to operate in the fullness of the Spirit, we need to get free of every sin that hinders us from running the race that is set before us. God is more than able to deliver us. Don’t give up. Keep crying out to God. He is faithful and He will deliver you.

I cried out to God for eight years about smoking. I realize that some people might think that I should have been set free long before that, but the truth of the matter is, I wasn’t. I struggled daily for a very long time. I needed friends in the Lord to fast and pray for me, and thank God they did. Needless to say, I have a lot of compassion for people who smoke, or have addictive type issues.

Always remember that God loves you whether you smoke or not, and the time will come when you will quit.

Always remember that God loves you whether you smoke or not, and the time will come when you will quit. Just keep talking to Jesus about it. This is true for any habit or sin we have in our lives. Maybe you have something to overcome that is far more serious than smoking a cigarette. Most of us do. I had many things to overcome in my life, some of which I would not want to put in writing, but we must realize that the only hope we do have is in God. If we think God is mad at us, and won’t help us, then it all becomes hopeless. Why try?

But the truth of the matter is, our God desires that none should perish and He loves each one of us with an everlasting love. The Bible says that His mercies are new every morning. I thank God for that because I for one certainly need his mercy. Many times I fail in this life. Sometimes I fail to be kind, sometimes I fail with the words I speak, sometimes I fail in my thoughts, and sometimes I fail to love God as I should. If we are truly honest, we all fail. That is why we so desperately need a Savior.

Jesus Christ is that Savior. He was the perfect sacrifice. The Lamb of God who gave His life for you and I. He died on the cross for our sins. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. We earn death for our many sins but the only begotten Son of God came to earth to pay the penalty for our sin. There is no greater friend than one who would lay down his life for a friend. Jesus did that for you and me and He calls us friend.

If you have never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, today is the day of salvation. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Ask Jesus in your life today. Maybe you have gone to church your whole life, maybe you have been confirmed and baptized, but it is imperative that you have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

We can praise Him with our lips, but our hearts can be far from Him. We cannot work our way to heaven. Going to church every Sunday won’t get us into heaven. Giving all our money to the poor or feeding the homeless will not get us into heaven either. These are all good things but we must ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins and to be our Lord and Savior. We must lay aside our pride and acknowledge our need to be forgiven, and our need for a Savior. The Bible says our works are like filthy rags. If our good works could get us to heaven, if being good enough could get us through the gates, then there would have been no need for Jesus to come to earth and die on the cross. But being good enough will never get us in because we will fall short in one area or another. No one is perfect. That is why God made another way.

Jesus is the way. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NKJV) There are not many paths to God. Jesus is the only way Goad has provided. Jesus proclaimed this himself. Either we accept what Jesus said, or we call him a liar. There really is no other position to take. Jesus is the way. If you want to know Jesus in a more personal way, please pray the following prayer. Your eternal destiny depends on a relationship with Jesus.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving me so much that you sent your one and only son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins. To pay the price I could not pay. I confess that I have not loved you like I should and I have not lived my life for you. I acknowledge my need of a Savior. Dear Jesus, I ask forgiveness for my sins. I receive the blood you shed at Calvary to wash away my sins and the gift of salvation that you freely give. Please come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. Fill me with your Spirit and help me to live my life for you from this day forward. Amen.

If you prayed the above prayer and you meant it, then Jesus did come into your heart. Your name is now written in the Lambs book of life. You can be assured of your salvation. You may feel different, and then again you may not. It does not matter because it is by faith that we believe and are saved regardless of our feelings. It is important to get involved with a Bible believing, Spirit filled church to help you learn and grow in the things of Christ. It is also important to read your Bible every day and to spend time in prayer. You can talk with God just like a person for he is personal and He is waiting to spend time with you. God loves you very much and the angels in heaven are rejoicing over you. Your name is now written in the Lambs book of life. Hallelujah!

John 3:16 (NKJV) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Come to Jesus today. You don’t know what tomorrow may bring. Time is short and it may be your last opportunity to receive Jesus and the wonderful gift of salvation that He offers to you today. Know this; God really, really loves you. There is no sin too great that He will not forgive, and there is no problem too small that He doesn’t have time to listen to. Reach out to Jesus today. He is reaching out to you.

This article is an excerpt from Kim Ellison’s book, “Come Out of the Muddy Waters.”