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."For the testimony of Jesus is the spirt of prophesy" Rev 19:10

This testimony you're reading is only to give Glory to The King Of kings and the Lord of lords. Let His name alone be Glorified.

'Delivered From A Deadly Habit After 38 years'

I stand here, today, in total humility and subservience to relate testimony of the power, grace, glory and majesty of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus.

I thank our wonderful pastor, Ben, a good man of God and servant of Christ, for this opportunity.

My narrative starts when I was 17 and half. This is when I started drinking. It was 1968 and I’d just joined the Army.

Leaving the Army in 1972, I secured a job with Imperial Typewriters. Some colleagues and my self, every Friday, visited a pub nearby. A cigarette was offered and I smoked it. The next Friday, I bought a packet of cigarettes to pay back the person who had given me one the previous week.

This was my introduction to the insidious, illogical, dangerous and highly addictive practice of cigarette smoking. The drinking and smoking continued. I left England for Rhodesia in 1976. The cigarettes were very cheap there and also they were sold in packets of 30’s. The drinking and smoking carried on. The drinking was at most times not excessive due to military duties during the Bush War but the smoking continued.

After the War, in newly independent Zimbabwe, I visited a hospital. This was for neck and upper back pain. I was given a routine x-ray but nothing was found relating to the pain. However, a nurse told me that the x-ray had shown up smoke in my lungs. I carried on smoking and drinking, returning to England in 1987. Some years ago I did stop smoking for about three weeks. I’ve stopped smoking several times – but not for very long!

I went to see my son receive a Batchelor of Engineering degree at York University, two years ago. I had the shakes and it was just about impossible to get a good long-range photograph of Stephen receiving his certificate. It was difficult to even to pop the film cartridge into the camera. I couldn’t face the sandwich that was bought for me later on. I had very little appetite. Stephen remarked that I was getting thinner.

Back in Birmingham I had joined several racing tipsters and was doing quite well backing horses.
Last year I was walking along the canal at about 6 o’clock after having the usual drinking and smoking session in the pubs. I took my mobile phone out of my pocket. It slipped out of my hand into the canal and I followed it. I pulled myself out quickly. Fortunately, I was only a few yards from the flat.

The luck on the horses ran out and I started losing. I couldn’t wait to get out in the morning and go to the pub. I used lift myself up to see if it was morning by looking at the light through the curtain. Doing that, I could feel the pain in my chest from the smoking.

You must realise that I was drinking and smoking every day. I could only eat small amounts on the evening when I came back after a session. I’d always been naturally thin and lean and I was getting thinner. I met Rob, a new neighbour and we had a drink together around town.

A few weeks later I felt that I had had enough but that it would be impossible to stop the urge to drink and smoke. I went to Church with Robert one Wednesday night a year and a week ago. I can’t remember if I’d had a drink that day.

Anyway, Pastor Ben came up to me whilst I was sitting down and put his hands on my head.

I felt pretty good as I walked back to the flat after Church. The next morning I had no desire to get out and to drink. I had no desire to smoke. It was amazing! The pain in my chest had gone! I could face food! I’ve put on 30 pounds since that day. 34 years of smoking! 38 years of drinking! It was as if I had not drank or smoked in my life.

I thank Jesus every day for saving a wretch like me! He saved my life.

Jesus has many names – my favourite is the Bright and Morning Star.

Everyone, come to Jesus.

Don’t waste his love for you, his friendship and companionship.

He’s waiting for you.

Thank you everyone.

Stephen Thorpe - 07882953572