Free from defiling habits

Obviously not every habit is bad. God

wants us "If any man defile the the
habits of prayer, fasting, Bible shall
God destroy; for church attendance,
and witnessing. is holy, which temple
ye some unhealthy, unholy habits that
ans 3:17). must reject.

To "deflie" means to make these

promises, dearly dishonor, to corrupt
the purity us cleanse ourselves from
allcontaminate. Any habit that of the
flesh and spirit, perfect- nales the
body is defiling in the fear of God" (il
Corin- dwells. What are the which
God's Word refers?
Tobacco
State Long body, declared Gospel
before the tobacco ministers. Holy
the cigarette Ghost Surgeon is a For
filthy, smoking had many
General already to years be of given
the harmful they habit.Unitedwarn-
haveto

the

ing taught to that destructive

From where did these innocent-

looking, potential killers come ?
Would you believe that American
Indians are the culprits! Columbus
and other early explorers were
intrigued by the rolls of smoking,
dried leaves carried by the Indians.
Soon the sailors on these expeditions
experimented with the curious weeds
and not only liked them-but came to
crave them! Tobacco leaves and
seeds accompanied the crew on their
return trip. On succeeding voyages to
other parts of the world, the -dried
leaves became an indispensable part
of their provisions. Within a few
decades, the tobacco

hat it had spread around the world.

Wherever tobacco was introduced, it
was an instant success! However,
religious authorities suspected that
the strange, noxious weed might be
dangerous to public morals and
health. Most European states have
since prohibited tobacco at one time
or another. But, once a culture has
intro duced tobacco, it has never
discarded it.

"Recuarchuis buy that the nicotine in

tobacco. produces an unquenchable
craving. Anyone who has tried to kick
the habit is acquainted with tobacco's
withdrawal symptoms anxiety,
nervousness, and irritability.

Logically, the Bible has no specific

commands against smoking,
chewing, dipping, or sniffing tobacco,
since the practice began long after
the apostles died. Consequently,
some validate tobacco use with
Paul's remark, "All things are lawful
unto me." But let's examine his entire
statement:
"All things are lawful unto me, but all
things are not expedient: all things
are lawful for me, but I will not be
brought under the power of any" (I
Corinthians 6:12).

" .. all things are lawful for me, but all

things edify not" (1 Corinthians
10:23).

A Christian's liberty must be qualified

by these

conditions:

. Is this practice helpful or beneficial?

Will it enslave the one who uses it?.

Our bodies are not our own; they

have been purchased with the blood
of Christ for the sole purpose of
becoming "temples" that God can
dwell in (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). How
could God be glorified if we inhale
into our bodies the enslaving drug of
nicotine ?
From the American Cancer Society's
pamphlet entitled, "The Decision Is
Yours", we quote:

"The lung is our breathing machine. It

draws in air, filters it, separates out
life-giving oxygen forthe body's use
and expels what is left over-mostly
carbon dioxide. .. Unfortunately,
damage to the lung often takes place
before there are any symptoms.::

"Emphysema is a disease which

destroys the lung's elasticity, and
therefore its ability to inhale and
exhale properly .. Emphysema used
to be a itiatively fare uiscase, but
today it is becoming increasingly
common. It has been strongly
associated with the cigarette habit
because of the intense air pollution
caused by cigarette smoke in the
lungs.

"Cancer ravages the lung with an

army of wildly multiplying cells. It
begins most often with the constant
irritation of the lining of
the bronchi by cigarette smoke. .. If a
smoker quits before cancerous
lesions are present, the bronchial
lining will return to normal. If not, the
abnormal cell growth spreads,
blocking the bronchi and then
invading the lung tissue itself.

"In the latter stages of lung cancer,

abnormal cells break away from the
lung and are carried by the lymphatic
system to other vital organs, where
new cancers begin. .. Because lung
cancer is difficult to detect early, it is
very difficult to treat successfully It is
often fatal. Yet if cigarette smoking
disappeared entirely, so would 80 per
cent of lung cancer. It has been said
that if the effects of cigarette smoking
appeared on our skin instead of in
our lungs-where it can't be seen-no
one would smoke."

On February 23, 1982, The Arizona

Republic published a startling report
from the U.S.
Surgeon Generalaboutsmoking:
"Cigarette smoking will cause 30 per
cent of the predicted 430,000 deaths
from cancer inthe United States this
year, and even non-smokers should
treat it as 'a publichealth potentional
hazard,' Surgeon General C. Everett
Koop said Monday in releasing the
government's annual report on
smoking and health.

-In some respects, he said, it is 'the

most serious indictment of cigarette
smoking that the Public Health
Service has yet made.'

"It singled out smoking as a major

cause of death from cancer of the
lung, esophagus, larynx and mouth.
The report also called smoking a
'contributory factor' to cancer of the
bladder, kidney and pancreas.

Because smoking also contributes to

coronary

heart disease and lung disease,

Koop said,
'Cigarette inoking is clearly identified
as the chief preventable cause of
death in our society.'"

Welfare The U. S. Department of

Health, Educationand

of nary cancer, and edges the

emphysema. heart 600,000 that calls
and smoking 25,000 disease,
cigarette deaths So, deathsdefiles
smoking the a 72,000 year medical
fromand resulting deathsthedestroys
chronicleadingworld fromfrom
bronchitisthe acknow)-causecoro-
body.lung

themselves such Those as:who with

want strong to "kick motivation the
habit," should for quitting.equip
Smoking is a definite health risk.

Smoking is contrary to Scriptural

principles. Smoking is costly-two
packs a day at 80c a pack costs
$11.20 a week and $582.40 a year
Smoking is habit-forming.

:Smoking is a filthy habit having an

offensive odor.

A week of fasting has been known to

"cure"fou pack-a-day smokers.
Fasting has been describe by
medical doctors as "salvation for the
man woman who wishes to break the
shackles of th poisonous habits of
alcohol and nicotine."

Alcoholic Beverages

The problem of drinking intoxicating

beverages began almost at the dawn
of creation. Thefirst wine-related sin
recorded was Noah's drunkenness
(Genesis 9:20-25). Then because of
Lot's intoxication, he committed
incest with his daughters (Genesis
19:32-38). Isaiah condemned wine
and strong_drink for causing the
people, the priests, and prophets to
err in spiritual vision
and judgment (Isaiah 5:11; 28:7).

Many warnings in Proverbs are given

against strong drink:

"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is

raging.

and whosoever is deceived thereby is

not wise" (Proverbs 20:1).

"Be not among winebibbers; among

riotous eaters of flesh: For the
drunkard and the glutton shall come
to poverty: and drowsiness shall
clothe a man with rags

. . Look not thou upon the wine when

it is red, when it giveth his colour in
the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and
stingeth like an adder" (Proverbs
23:20-21; 31-32).

consequences listed in Proverbs

23:29-35

row,from eyes, drinking contentions,

sexual
sin, wine indecent babbling,and
mixed talk,wounds, wine loss are:
ofrednesswoe, coordina-sor-of tion,
and addiction. Under penalty of death
priests were forbidden to drink wine
or strong drink when ministering
before God in the Tabernacle or
Temple (Leviticus 10:9; Ezekiel
44:21). Kings and princes were
forbidden to drink wine so they could
remember God's law and execute
justice (Proverbs 31:45).

In the New Testament, John the

Baptist abstained from wine and
strong drink (Luke 1:15). Jesus,
Peter, and Paul warned against
drunkenness and drinking wine (Luke
21:34; Romans
13:13; 14:21 ; Ephesians 5:18; Peter
4:3). Jesus refused strong drink at
Calvary (Mark 15:23). We refuse it
because of Calvary!

_ . One requirement given by Paul for

bishops, deacons, and aged women"
is:
keeping themselves from wine (1
Timothy 3:3, 8; Titus 1:7; 2:3). From
all these references, it seems clear
that Christians must not indulge in
using alcoholic bev- erages.

For those who try to justify wine

drinking, let's examine the Hebrew
and Greek meanings. In the Old
Testament, a total of eleven different
Hebrew words are used for "wine",
but only two are used extensively.
"Yayin" usually means fermented
wine but can also refer to freshly
made unfermentea grape juice.
"Tiyrosh almost always refers to
newly made, unfermented wine. It
refers to the wine that was to be
tithed before fermenta tion occurred
(Deuteronomy 12:17; 14:23;
Nehemiah 13:5). At times "tiyrosh" is
translated as "new

wine" or "sweet wine". It may even

mean the juice that is still in the
grape (Isaiah 65:8).

The New Testament Greek word

"oinos"
usually refers to fermented wine; but
like the Hebrew one, can also mean
unfermented wine. The Jews had
strong anti-intoxication laws. In the
time of Christ, custom demanded that
a ruler or "governor" be present at a
feast to decide how much wine each
person should have and how it
should be diluted. And it was diluted!
The Hebrew Mishna refers to mixing
the wine with water and to the "warm
kettle of water" used to dilute the
wine.

There is certainly no proof that the

water Jesus miraculously turned to
wine was ing (John 2:1-11). The God
who drunkenness in the Old
Testament would create strong,
intoxicating wine in the

and Norwasthedrink
intoxicatingusedbyJesus

ing vine" of was cal (Matthew Yeast

the change that His used. is (leaven)
vine" disciples grape the 26:29; Both
in at
termbread juice producesthe their
Mark at given "unleavened similar the
rather supper 14:25; last aby type to
than Luke supper. the the were
ofbread" fermented process Gospel
22:18), organicunfermented."Fruit
and indicat-of chemi-writersof
winealco-"fruitthe

holic fermentation in wine.

Since the waters of Europe and Asia

have been polluted for thousands of
years, people found that drinking
fermented juices was healthier than
drinking water. People in the
countries around Palestine continue
to drink their wine (which is still the
most widely accepted drink). Some
still mix it with boiled water in such
proportions that the wine is merely a
flavoring.

For Americans to mix wine with

boiled water as the Orientals do
would be unthinkable! In our own
country, we still have fairly safe water
and many kinds of non-alcoholic
drinks. Therefore, we have no reason
to drink fermented grape juice.

When Paul advised Timothy to "Drink

no longer water, but use a little wine
for thy stomach's sake and 'thine
often infirmities" (I Timothy_5:23), he
must have been recommending
fresh, nourishing grape juice. If
Timothy had a weak stomach, strong
alcoholic beverages would only
aggravate

What evils abound in our own country

as a result of alcohol! The National
Council on Alcoholism's publication of
"Facts on Alcoholism" paints a sad
picture. Alcoholism ranks with cancer
and eart disease as a major threat to
the nation's health. Cirrhosis of the
liver attributable to alcohol is res
sponsible for 30,000 deaths annually.
.

Alcohol kills brain cells Although the

body can replace lost cells
elsewhere, it never grows new brain
cells. Any brain damage is
permanent. Alcohol also causes
small brain hemorrhages and blocked
capillaries. Ultimately, alcohol causes
the brain itself to shrink and become
spongy. Extended, heavy drinking
can cause deteriorated memory,
judgment, and learning ability.

Alcohol has a toxic effect on the

heart, finally

causing irreversible damage to the

heart muscle. Drinking daily for a
minimum of two years causes
increased amounts of fat to collect in
the heart and disturbs its normal
metabolism. Alcohol causes the red
blood cells to clump together in sticky
wads, slowing circulation and
depriving tissues of

oxygen. It also causes anemia by

reducing the production of red blood
cells. The lungs, heart, liver,
pancreas, small intestine, endocrine
glands, blood, bone tissue, hanos
and feet are all affected by alcohol.
Within the bones, alcohol creates
"drunken celis' which form brittle
bones. Both red and white blood cells
production in the bone marrow is also
reduced. It was once thought that
alcoholics had mont fractures
because they fell frequently. Now
researchers know that comparable
harmless falls 10 nondrinkers cause
broken bones in alcoholics. .

Untreated, alcoholism results in

physical incanarivs. normanoni
mental damage enalor premeture
death. Some 100 million persons
over the age of 15 in this country are
consumers of alcohol, including 10
million alcoholics. But fewer than 3%
of alcoholics live on Skid Row.

Between 6% and 10% of workers are

alcoholics, costing the nation nearly
43 billion dollars annually due to
absenteeism, health and welfare
services, property damage, and
medical expenses. The cost of
treating all alcohol-related problems
outweighs liquor revenue by more
than four to one.

Of all fatal accidents on the roads,

50% involve

alcohol. Violen! behavior attributed to

alcohol accounts for 65% of murders,
35% of rapes, 30% of sex crimes,
and 60% of child abuse cases.

Present knowledge indicates that a

recovered alcoholic may never safely
drink again. He will be

able to lead a normal, productive life

as long as he or she maintains total
abstinence.
With these facts, how could a
Christian drink even the slightest
amount of alcoholic beverages,
knowing he may be presenting a
temptation that a former alcoholic
could not
handle. Any believer

who drinks intoxicating beverages of

any kind will invariably lose his
testimony.

Another stumblingblock to those

watching our lives is to purchase
alcoholic beverages for shampooing
the hair with beer or cooking with
wine. In itself, neither would be sinful.
But how would they affect a sinner or
weak believer if they saw these items
in your grocery cart? How would they
know the intended purpose?

You may be ibinhive .. "Ce wind?

That's nottv .. problem. Must I be
deprived to prevent
botheringsomeone else?" Remember
Cain brazenly asking God, "Am I my
brother's keeper?" Yes, I'm afraid we
are. Not only are we responsible for
the spiritual welfare of those around
us, but we must,

"Abstain from all appearance of evil"

(! Thessalonians 5:22).
As someone has so aptly said, "If one
never flins with the bottle, there will
never be a marriage."

Drug Addiction

The history of drug-taking is almost

as old as mankind. Whenever
confronted by anxiety, frus- tration,
tension, fear of gods, fear of
enemies, or fear of failure, man has
resorted to the sanctuary of drugs.
For most, the refuge has turned into
a prison, or at best, an illusion.

Because of this inherent weakness,

man has learned to grow and market
drugs. Practically every country
having a hot climate and moderately
fertile soil grows a beautiful four-foot-
tall plant known as the opium poppy.
As the fat blossoms drop their petals,
moderate-sized green pods remain.
When the pods are slit with a knife, a
milky
fluid spills out. If this fluid dries on the
pod for a day, it turns brown and can
be scraped off and pressed

> into cakes or balls of pure opium-

the raw material for one of the most
insidious and damaging commodities
known to man.

Raw opium from the poppy pods is

converted to a morphine base, then
sent to laboratories for conversion to
heroin. From the west, east, and
south, these drugs are smuggled into
the United States. The world narcotic
traffic, much of it managed by the
Mafia, still flourishes despite the
eradication efforts of national and
international agencies.
slum, millions of Americans each
year are also entangled in the great
pill epidemic. Billions of doses of
potentially lethal drugsbarbiturates,
amphetamines, and tranquilizersare
swallowed each year. When
prescribed by doctors, they are useful
in treating ailments. But at least half
of these
drugs are bought illegally, and even
those prescribed are often abused.

Such abuse can lead to a

dependency more difficult and
dangerous to break than heroin
addiction. Pills can be purchased
without prescription much easier and
with much less suspicion than
pushing and smuggling marijuana,
heroin, opium, or morphine. Thus, the
adolescent easily makes his
"beginning" into the world of pills.

After alcohol, marijuana is considered

second
mostpopularintoxicantintheworld. It
duces most of the same evils as
alcohol, lack of self-control,
psychological, and even cal
addiction. The December 1979
Digest printed an article researching
the mental and physical effects of this
drug entitled "Marijuana Alert: I.Brain
and Sex Damage Il. Enemy of Youth."

Marijuana gained popularity in the

days of jazz musicians, Harlem slum-
dwellers, and
"far-out" artistic and literary people.
Today it is impossible to estimate the
number of its slaves. Marijuana is a
leader in "mind-changing" drugs.

In addition to barbituratedepressants
and stimulants, amphetamines, and
hallucinogens, there are the
tranquilizers-a non-
barbituratesdepressant. These are
the "wonder drugs" introduced in the
1950's as sedatives to relieve anxiety
without the dangers of
barbiturates.Manyoftheirtrade names-
Miltown, Equanil, Placidyl, Doriden,
Noludar, Librium, Valmid, and others-
have become household words.
Tranquilizers are also very habit-
forming.
"Deliriants" are chemicals that can be
sniffed or swallowed. They produce
delirium, or a confused state of
intoxication resulting in drowsiness,
dizziness, slurred speech,
unconsciousness, and often
hallucinations. Many deliriants are
contained in
thinner, and cleaning fluid. Even
ground nutmeg in. sufficient doses
may cause delirium or even death.

However, more Americans likely

havey dependence, either physical or
psychological, Gr caffeine (contained
in coffee, tea, chocolate, and cola
drinks) than on all other drugs
combined. If you become nervous,
irritable, weak, sick, or unable to fast
without that "morning cup of coffee"
or daily cola, you have a habit that
should be broken,

The Holy Spirit alone should control

or dictate to believer if we yield to
anything else, we beits servant. Any
drug that is the equivalent of (loss of
self-control), leads to sin, physical
harm, or causes a dependence or is
displeasing to God.

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield

yourselves servants to obey, his
servants ye
are to whom ye obey; whether of sin
unto death, or of obedience unto
righteousness" (Romans 6:16).

Overeating

Many good Christians would not think

of smoking cigarettes, drinking
alcohol, or taking harmiul drugs into
their bodies. But they disregard
overeating. While we are protecting
the temple of the Holy Ghost from
harmful habits, let's not forget that
guttony (excessive eating) is also an
abusive, sinful abit that causes a
variety of diseases and eventually a
premature death.

Consider the absurdity of a grossly

overweight, sall dichteous Christian
condemning others for smoking
cigarettes or drinking beer! How
inconsistent this must be to the world!
What does God's Word say about
"temperance" moderation and self-
control?
"And every man that striveth for the
mastery is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible
crown; but we an incorruptible .. But I
keep under my body, and bring it into
subjection .. (I Corinthians 9:25, 27).

"For the drunkard and the glutton

shall come to poverty . . " (Proverbs
23:21).

"He that hath no rule over his own

spiritis

like a city that is broken down, and

without walls" (Proverbs 25:28).

"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
youunawares"(Luke21:34).

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink,

or whatsoever ve do, do all to the
glory of
God" (I Corinthians 10:31).

"Hast thou found honey? eat so much

as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be
filled therewith, and vomit it"
(Proverbs 25:16).

Another form of gluttony condemned

by Proverbs 25:16 has invaded our
world. We quote from an article in the
Houston Chronicle, January 24,
1982, entitled "Growing Number of
Bulimics Gorge Like Participants in a
Roman Feast":

"The Roman orgy, a prolonged feast

interspersed with periodic purging to
make continued gorging possible,
was an occasional event among the
wealthy in ancient Rome: But today
this bingeand-purge behavior has
become a daily affair for growing
numbers of young women,
threatening their health and
interfering with their lives.

"For some, the symfonie, hinown is

build
(from the Greek, meaning "ox
hunger"), has evolved into a $50-to-
S100-a-ozy food habit that has forced
them into bankrupicy, stealing and
even prostitution. Victims may
consume up to 55,000 calories in an
hour or two, then induce vomiting and
repeat the behavior as often as four
times a day. Others take laxatives-as
many as 300 a week-to prevent their
bodies from retaining the enormous
amounts of food theyconsume,

Our world is becoming ripe for the

"surfeiting" Jesus predicted would
come in the last days-over-< loading
the stomach by an excess in eating
and drinking; a gluttonous meal that
deranges the stomach and system.
How careful we should be not to
become entangled with Satan's
snares for defiling the temple of the
Holy Ghost.