The Craving is Gone

He tried to keep his promise to God that he would quit smoking, but he simply could not. Where could he find deliverance?

By Earl Phillips


I was brought up in a home where Mom was a Christian, but Dad was not. That home was happy, though, because my mom prayed.

My mom always took us to church, but I never wanted to pray. My dad went to church about twice a year; he seemed to get along all right, so I wanted to live like him. He smoked, and I followed in his footsteps and began smoking when I was about eleven years old. He also gambled occasionally, so I later gambled too. I was never saved as a child, but I knew the Voice of God. I remember the first cigarette I smoked and how God talked to me before I smoked it. Whenever I did something against His will, He let me know that I should not do it.

Throughout my youth, my mother continued to pray for me. When I would come home at night, I heard her praying. I finally moved my bed into the basement so I could not hear her prayers and so I could smoke my last cigarette at night and my first in the morning without her knowing. God talked to me down there, though, and I would toss and turn on my bed as I tried to sleep.

One day I was driving on the highway with a friend in my Model A car. We had some beer in the back seat and were planning to enjoy the weekend. Suddenly my car was caught between three semi-trucks, and there was no way out. To this day, I do not know how we got out of that, but we were alive, and my car was not wrecked when it was over. I heard the same Voice that day as when I was a little boy. My friend saw my anxiety, and he said, “What’s the matter with you?” I told him, “Oh, nothing,” but I knew what was wrong. God was talking to my heart, and I am glad He continued.

No chance to live

Not long after that, He got my attention when I became very sick. The doctor told me I was dying and had no chance to live. I was only seventeen years old and wondered why I should die when so young. As I lay on my sickbed, I prayed a prayer that God heard. I had a pack of cigarettes in bed, but I told the Lord I would quit smoking and would go to church if He would let me live. I got well, but I did not keep my promise to God. I didn’t smoke for a while, but soon the desire got so strong I couldn’t resist. I remember the next cigarette I smoked. I made a friend light it for me, and I shook like a leaf—afraid the Lord would strike me dead for not keeping my vow. I kept thinking, I will go to church, and I will pray.

God talked to me until I could not stand it, and I decided to quit smoking. One Saturday night, I went to a theater and purposely left my cigarettes in the car. Halfway through the movie, though, I went out and hunted through an ashtray, looking for a cigarette. I was bound.

“I am going to pray.”

When you make a promise to God, it will follow you wherever you go. I am thankful God held me to the promise I had made. The next morning, my best friend and I attended church. At the end of the service, I turned to him and said, “I don’t know what you are going to do, but I am going to pray.” I stepped into the aisle, and he followed. We did not get saved that morning, but we made a good start. My misery increased throughout the rest of the day; I knew I had to do something.

That evening, we went back to church and prayed. I believe I was able to pray because my mom had prayed for me. Those prayers made a way for God to talk to me when no one else could. I repented that night, and the Lord saved me. What a change! I did not need to put the cigarettes away and merely hope I could quit. To my surprise, God took out the desire for smoking and for all other sins. I should have expected that; Mom had always told me of the power of salvation, and I had heard victorious testimonies in church. For some reason, though, it had gone over my head until I experienced it myself. The Lord gave me new desires, and from the moment I began to serve Him, I wanted to stick with it.

A short time later, I gave my first spiritual testimony. My friend and I went to a technical show at the high school he had attended. As we walked up the school steps, a young man we had known came to me and asked, “Earl, do you have a cigarette?” I said, “I don’t smoke anymore, Carl. I’m a Christian.” He must have had a hard time believing that, because he said, “You are the one who taught me to smoke; you taught me to drink.” I was glad I was a new person. God had changed my life.

A reminder from God

The Voice of God was still with me, but it spoke in a different way. God guided and led me. I remember a time when someone near me lit up a cigarette. As that smoke went by, the devil said, “Ah, wouldn’t that taste good?” Then the Voice of God reminded me, “But that craving is gone.” He showed me the difference between temptation and sin. When the Lord sanctified me, the devil said, “You are not really sanctified,” even though I had a wonderful feeling in my soul. The next day, I went to work and was building a scaffold. A big double-hung window was on the scaffold, and I had one hand on it while I hammered with the other. Suddenly, the window came down and smashed my finger. I did not get mad; I did not throw things. The Lord said, “See? You are sanctified.” He continued to lead me to a closer walk with Him, as He helped me seek and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. That Voice still directs me today.

After all this time, I still cannot believe I am the fellow who ignored God and relied on cigarettes as a young man. I enjoy life today. If I had known this thrill and satisfaction as a young boy, I am sure I would have chosen the Gospel sooner. It is good to serve the Lord.

Earl Phillips is a retired pastor of the Apostolic Faith work, and a member of the ministerial staff in Portland, Oregon.