In 2 Kings we read about the life of Hezekiah. Of Hezekiah, the scriptures say, “He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.” (2 Kings 18:5-6 NASB).
This very godly king matured in his faith over time. In 2nd Kings chapter 18 and 2nd Chronicles chapter 32 we see the accounts of Sennacherib king of Assyria who attacked Judah twice. The first time Hezekiah paid tribute to Sennacherib to persuade him to spare Judah. In a later year Sennacherib tried to get Hezekiah and the people of Judah to submit again. This time, Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet cried out to the Lord for deliverance rather than allowing the enemy to lure them into compromise. In response
the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. The second time, Hezekiah put his entire trust in God. We can learn from Hezekiah’s experience. When we compromise with the enemy, he is likely to attack in the same manner again. Also, compromise with the enemy can delay our growth and effectiveness, but past compromises cannot keep us from growing in faith and experiencing victory once we choose to cling to God in wholehearted trust.
When I came to the Lord, I was a heavy smoker; three packs a day. It did not seem to matter at first, but it was not long before the Holy Spirit prevailed over some of the other flawed areas of my life and began to address the cigarette issue. I have to be honest, I preferred that He would keep His hands off that area of my life. I really, really enjoyed smoking. It did not seem like that serious of a compromise to me at the time. Periodically I would ‘try’ to quit just to make myself feel better, but often my efforts were halfhearted. Sometimes I sincerely but unsuccessfully tried to repent; relying on myself rather than on God.
One day my Sunday School teacher and his wife came to our home with the intention of reaching out to my husband. My husband asked if they minded him smoking. The subject of my smoking came up in the process. My teacher asked if I would like prayer to quit. “No thank you,” I told him. “To be honest, I plan to have a cigarette after you leave. You can keep after me about it though.” He responded that he would ask ‘the hounds of heaven’ to keep after me instead. (The ‘hounds of heaven’ was an expression used in
the church back then referring to the Lord’s manner of persistent pursuit.) Shortly after they had left, my husband and I both reached up into the cabinet above the stove where we stored our cigarettes. As I started to pull a pack down my husband pointed at my hand and said, “See!”
“I’m just not ready to quit smoking yet,” I said in my defense.
“And I’m just not ready to give my heart to the Lord yet!” he responded. His words crushed me. Compromise no longer seemed like an option. I tossed the pack in the garbage and called my teacher requesting prayer. God suddenly felt much, much closer and far more important to me then He did moments earlier. He very graciously gave me total victory that very minute rather than a progressive victory, which also would have been a blessing from Him. I never even desired to smoke again.