I am a pastor in North Carolina but work full-time outside of ministry. I also attend an online Bible seminary. I was preaching right living and was trying to live right and do increasingly more to serve Jesus. Life has been very demanding and I felt myself being burned out. I had considered stepping out from ministry for a short while to finish school. It was too much for me.

I also had about a 15-year struggle with addiction to spit tobacco. I even stood on the pulpit one Sunday and confessed my addiction. I held up a can of tobacco and said that I, like what David did to Goliath, would cut off its head and feed its carcass to the birds.

Through tears I told the people I had resolved to put the addiction away and many came to the altar that day to cast off their addictions. However, I was back at mine within a week and feeling great condemnation. I am positive that many others who came down that day also did not have lasting victory. I fought and fought, quit and quit, over and over again.

I eventually found Joseph Prince Ministries and a friend gave me one of Pastor Prince’s books. I was amazed at what I was hearing and reading, because I had never heard the gospel preached this way. I knew it was truth and it began to set me free. I heard Pastor Prince say that the solution was to quit trying to win on my own and to confess to the Lord, “Lord I cannot, but You can.”

This became my motto and I quit trying to quit using tobacco. I no longer felt guilty and I confessed that even though I was struggling with this tobacco habit, God still loves me no less and that Jesus’ finished work still avails for me.

I can now testify that I have been tobacco free for more than a year. Should an urge pop up, I just say to the Lord that I know what He has for me is much better than tobacco.

Praise God! This message of unmerited favor has changed my life and ministry.