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Questions & Answers

The roots of smoking

First posted: March 20, 2005

 

Question

What are the spiritual roots behind smoking?

 

Answer

The Canaanite root

As we meditated on this question, the first root that came to our hearts was the Canaanite root. As we share in the Canaanites article, these are the spirits responsible for addictions.

 

As we have said before, the Canaanite spirit is a "people-pleasing" spirit. Many people get into smoking because their friends do it, and their desire to fit in and please them is stronger than their convictions. Canaanite roots are destroyed by reaffirming one's convictions and making a determination that those convictions are more important than pleasing anyone else. Having convictions, however, implies making judgments. If your friend starts smoking, your convictions will drive you to tell that person that he or she is doing something foolish and destructive; if the friend accepts the judgment, he or she is on the way to recovery. If the friend rejects the judgment, confrontation will ensue until the friend starts smoking or a separation occurs. Canaanites hate confrontation, so they prefer to relinquish their convictions before confrontation creates a rift in their soul relationships. Canaanites love soul communion, and this makes them haters of judgment and people who relinquish their convictions. Canaanites need an impartation of apostolic judgment. They need to expose themselves to God's word of logos judgment and to apply that word over their own lives in order to renew their minds.

 

The Canaanite spirit must be cursed in order to be defeated. Therefore, the breaking of any addiction requires that we somehow or other pronounce judgment curses (in the Spirit) against the Canaanite roots. As we pronounce destruction judgments, a deep hatred of the addiction begins to grow in our hearts, and, as that hatred grows, the authority and intensity of our judgments against the Canaanite spirit grows. This creates a "virtual cycle" that breaks the "vicious cycle" of the addiction.

 

As we begin to judge the addiction the way God judges it, we begin to understand exactly why God hates that addiction so much. It is important to ask God to explain to us what He likes or dislikes and why. As we see things the way God sees them, it becomes easier to abhor and put aside what is bad and to take up and accept what is good.

 

The Girgashite root

As I prayed and asked the Lord for guidance on the roots of smoking, He began to impress the word "Girgashite" in my heart. To confirm this, He led me to search for the etymology of the word "nicotine", and I found at www.websters-online-dictionary.org that the word "nicotine" came from the name of the man who introduced tobacco from Portugal into France, Jean Nicot, Lord of Villemain. As we have said before, France has a strong Girgashite influence. France is strongly dominated by a spirit of intellectualism, which means a strong reliance on what the mind can "see"; this makes France a fertile ground for the Girgashite spirit, which leads to focus on visible things. The fact that the word "nicotine" has its origins in the name of a Frenchman confirms the connection between smoking and the Girgashite spirit. This connection is strengthened even further by the fact that tobacco is a product of the earth, and the Girgashite spirit is a spirit that moves people to focus on earthliness and forsake eternal things.

 

People who smoke are mind-oriented people who are incapable of "seeing" the damages produced by smoking with their minds. In some of our articles, we have shared that the disease of cancer is related to the Girgashite spirit, so it is not surprising that smoking produces lung cancer. The key to destroying the Girgashite root in a person's heart is to make the person aware of his or her spiritual calling and aware of the value of the things that cannot be seen with the natural mind. Girgashites tend to become workaholics, and this explains why smokers tend to be overactive, activity-oriented people. They are driven by the pursuit of earthly goals, and reject the things they cannot see. This is why Girgashites need an impartation of God's prophetic anointing. They need to get away from their dry lives of earthly goals and pursue God's prophetic purposes for their lives.

 

The Amorite root

As I continued to ask the Lord on the spiritual roots of smoking, He kept impressing the word "pride" in my heart, and I kept seeing the images of people blowing smoke out of their mouths, which generally comes with a look of pride and self-exaltation on their faces. The Lord then led me to look up the Greek word for "smoke". One of the Greek words for "smoke", used in Matthew 12:20, is typho. A related word in Greek is typhoo, which literally means, "to raise a smoke", but is used 3 times in the New Testament to refer to attitudes of pride:


"Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil" (1 Timothy 3:6)

 

"4He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself" (1 Timothy 6:4-5)

 

"2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (2 Timothy 3:2-5)

[The word "highminded" was translated from typhoo]


The fact that Scripture associates "smoke" with "pride" shows how smoking is also related to the spirit of Amorite pride and self-exaltation. People who smoke derive a sense of pride and self-importance, and that makes smoking very attractive to them. The producing of smoke is also a way to draw attention to oneself, the way "smoke signals" are used to make other people notice your location.

Besides being Girgashite territory, France is also Amorite territory. France has always been a glory-seeking nation, and this reinforces the fact that the word "nicotine" is named after a Frenchman. By the way, there is powerful prophetic seed that was sown into France some 5 or 6 centuries ago, which has not germinated until now. When it does, however, France will be mightily impacted by the Spirit, and God will do great things through the French people, but, first, He must break their Amorite pride and their spirit of Girgashite intellectualism.

 

People who smoke want to be noticed and admired. Therefore, they need to learn to derive their sense of self-worth from God and not from men. This will prevent them from trying to do things to draw admiration from others. I have the strong sense in my spirit that many people who are heavy smokers have the calling of an evangelist in their lives. As we have said before, evangelists who stray from God's will tend to become Amorites. Evangelists are by nature spiritual conquerors who dethrone Amorite kings and establish God's kingdom on Earth; they have a "kingdom" anointing about them. However, when they stray from God's will, they try to establish earthly Amorite kingdoms and glory for themselves. Therefore, it is safe to say that many people who smoke are evangelists who need to understand that their innate desire to draw attention from others was given to them by God so that they would draw many people unto God:

 

"27Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. 29The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. 30Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. 31Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 32And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (John 12:27-32)


Evangelists in the Spirit understand that all their glory is in God, so they don't need to get glory from anywhere or anyone else. They understand that the natural grace they were given is for the purpose of drawing others unto God. In a previous article, we share briefly on the spiritual role of physical beauty and natural grace.

 

Busy hands

One final comment we would like to add is the fact that Jean Nicot was Lord of Villemain. The word "ville" means "city" in French, while the word "main" means "hand". The hand in Scripture is related to the concept of "service", meaning that people who smoke slowly lose their ability to serve others. In a sense, we could say that their hands are so busy holding their cigarettes that they cannot be used to serve others. Even though some may begin smoking out of a Canaanite desire to serve and please others, their smoking slowly drives them to Amorite and Girgashite selfishness where all they care about is serving themselves.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can link smoking to 3 spiritual roots in the heart of the person:

  1. The Canaanite root: Destroyed through apostolic judgments

  2. The Girgashite root: Destroyed as we are filled with a sense of prophetic purpose.

  3. The Amorite root: Destroyed as we seek to evangelistically draw others unto God and not unto ourselves.

 

As far as we can understand, these are the 3 underlying spiritual roots behind smoking. If you revisit the triangle of evil, you will notice that the 3 types of spirits mentioned above comprise the 3 vertices of the triangle. In other words, smoking covers the entire triangle of evil spirits.