First of all, by saying, “smoking is just like eating a Twinky”, I think you may be comparing vipers to ants. True, both may bite, but one has the sole purpose of toxicity: I don't recommend you stand in a pile of ants, but nicotine is a class of its own when it comes to poisonous results.

In fact, according to a 2014 article published by Politifact, tobacco is more addictive than marijuana.

And, according to counselonchemicalabuse.org , it is just as addictive as heroin.

1Corithians 6:12
...I will not be brought under the power of any.

Paul, here is literally speaks of addiction. Why poison your body with something so addicting?
Just ask someone who has tried to stop without God's help. They'll tell you how binding it is.

Remember also:

Proverbs 20:1

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Many people have been confused by this. They say, “After all, didn't Jesus turn water into wine? And isn't wine served at the Lord's Supper?”
Listen, the wisest man that ever lived said this:

Proverbs 23:31
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

You say, “Why don't they say what they mean? Is it fermented juice or not?” Let me ask you, why don't we say what we mean? Suppose I'm riding home from church and it's a hot day in the middle of summer and I say, “Sis. Estis, let's pull over and get a drink.” Well, I hope she knows I mean lemonade.

But suppose an alcoholic says to one of his friends on Friday right after work, Let's go get a drink”, what do you think he means? That word “drink” is just a generic word. We deserve context; your classmates would certainly demand context; so why can't we give God's Word context when referencing the question of fermentation.

Let's do a word study: There is a word in Hebrew called “shêkâr”

Proverbs 20:1

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: 

Strong drink or “Shekar” is raging... it is literally a brawler. Strong drink, which is an alcoholic beverage, in the bible is universally condemned. A Christian is not to have anything to do with “Shekar”.

There is one exception to this:
Proverbs 31:6
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

This strong drink was given to a person who was ready to die; in just the same way that we would give a narcotic to someone on his or her deathbed, perhaps an infusion of morphine, “Shekar” was used for medicinal purposes. “Shekar” was used as a narcotic or an act of mercy to someone who was in

extreme pain on their death bed. Today we would never use morphine for recreation and relaxation.

They did not have morphine, but they did have “Shekar” or strong drink.

But in the same context, look at the same chapter that reads this:

Proverbs 31:4

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: (shekar)

Pro 31:5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

What does God say? If you are in a responsible position, you are not to be a drinker. That is as clear as black print on white paper can be. Mark it in your bible, “shekar” is prohibited, except as a narcotic on someone's deathbed: someone who is ready to die, who is in extreme pain, and that is an act of mercy.

There is another word, “tee-rosh”- “tı̂yrôsh” . In our bibles, it is interpreted “New Wine” or sometimes simply “Wine”. And that word means plainly: Grape juice. It is not referring to that which would make someone drunk. They have many vineyards in the middle east, and they drank juice as much as we would drink water.

Here is an example:
Proverbs 3:10
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

That is, when you squeeze the grape, that which bursts forth, is called New Wine. That's fresh grape juice.

Here is another word: “ya-yan”. That is also translated wine. This word means that which does or does not intoxicate. It's the most frequently used for for wine For example: 

Isaiah 16:10b

... the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; 

The word here is Ya-yan, and it is the freshly tread-ed out grape juice. That would intoxicate no one.

But then again, Proverbs 20:1 Wine (Ya-yan) is a mocker, strong drink is raging:

Here it can mean, “that which is intoxicating”; so you're going to have to find out from the context.

In the NT, the word for wine is: “Oy-nos”.

Jesus turned water into “oy-nos”. Here, the word is a Greek word meaning wine and it too means that which is intoxicating or is NOT intoxicating. The word can translate to “Ya-yan” or “Tee-rosh” but never translates to the word “Shekar”. When you read the word “wine” in the NT, you can only know by the context, whether or not it could make someone drunk.

That's why we look to the OT: Proverbs 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. ..: and know this kind of wine we are to shun and leave alone.

Jesus turned water into Oy-nos. Is that the kind of drink that would make someone drunk? OF COURSE NOT.

Jesus knew the OT: Habakkuk 2:15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also,

I think Jesus knew that! I think Jesus knew, or remembered, what He spoke to Solomon to write in Proverbs 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

If you think Jesus would have produced something that contradicts the commandments of the Old Testament, remember, He did not come to destroy the Law! Jesus provided refreshments for the party, He provided “Oy-nos” and because I know the character of Jesus and the context of the scriptures, I can conclude that this was not “Shekar”: this was not intoxicating wine.

Some people say, “Didn't Jesus serve wine at the Lord's Supper?” No—sorry He did not.

The same people that are so focused on the wine of the Last Supper evidently never consider the bread of the Last Supper? How do we have the Lord's Supper? With unleavened bread.

Unleavened bread is bread without fermentation in it. It is bread without yeast. Why? Because leaven in the bible, is a type and picture of sin. The Old Testament feasts were made without leaven. It was a symbol of Sin. What is fermented grape juice? It is grape juice with leaven in it. It is juice with yeast in it. That's what the fermentation is.

Do you think that the element of the bread would not have fermentation in it, yet the element of the wine would? For the Type to be consistent, it must be one or the other. There are two symbols but they reinforce the same thing. You can't have a body without blood and what is the point of having a blood without a body? Someone cant say to a law enforcement officer, “Sir, believe me...I know I have been driving with alcohol in my blood but there is no alcohol in my body. Trust me.” No, the two must be congruent.

Our Lord is not telling us to drink fermented wine at the Lord's Supper. Didn't Jesus say, “This is my blood”? You cannot convince me that fermented, rotten grape juice is a symbol of the saving blood of Jesus Christ.

No, Jesus used “the fruit of the vine”. Remember, Jesus is our Great High Priest. In the OT, the Priest were absolutely forbidden to drink wine. In fact, Jesus refuses that kind of wine. When Jesus was on the Cross, they gave Him to drink “wine mingled with myrrh.” What was “wine mingled with myrrh”? That's what we call Strong Drink! 

Isaiah 5:22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

What did Jesus do with it? He received it not. They were giving it to Him as a narcotic. It would have been legal under that circumstance. But Jesus even refused that. Later on, they offered Him vinegar on a sponge, He took that; but not the fermented drink. He refused it.

You can do all the fancy-footwork you want to. You can talk about Jesus turning water into wine and Jesus drinking wine at the Last Supper and all the rest of it, but you cannot convince me that is what Jesus did or intended to do. When the refreshments ran out He refreshes the people with Oy-nos. And the ones who were there said, “We've never tasted anything so good in all our lives!”

-Bro. Zane Estis

Of all the tens of thousands of choices a person make in a lifetime few have more implications than a career. I place it third on the list of importance. First is accepting Christ, second is choosing a spouse and choosing a career is third.

When choosing the direction for a career there are a few things to consider.

1. Am I making this decision prayerfully? Am I willing to seek good Godly advice from my parents and pastor? It is better to lose out on the career ladder of success than to be out of the will of God.

2. How will this career affect me spiritually? Will I be able to handle the pressure of the job?

3. How will my career choice affect my family? If a career constantly takes away quality time from a spouse and children it will eventually deteriorate the foundation of the home.

A career that will keep a person from church on a regular basis cannot please God. In Exodus 34:14 the Bible tells us “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God”. A career has the potential of becoming a god. A career, hobby or many other things can come between us and God. God becomes jealous when he witnesses that taking place. The saying is true “He is Lord of all, or not Lord at all”.

The writer of Hebrews warned us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. In these last days we are witnessing the decline in church attendance at an astounding rate. Paul also said when he was writing to the Galatians “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth” I am sure we can insert the word “what” for “who”. It is the business of Satan to place stumbling blocks in our path of life. But once again Paul penned the words “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices”.

Jesus himself stated “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”. Providing for the family is required, but never forget God still is able to supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory! A career is not the most important thing in life.

I want to touch briefly on some issues I have personally witnessed in the careers that you have asked about. A lot of times a person may end up spending more time with members of the opposite sex than they do their own spouse. It is not healthy for a marriage or single person to share housing (even though in separate quarters but in the same building) or in a confined area for extended hours together.

Infidelity and fornication runs rampant in the careers of firefighters, EMS personnel and law enforcement. Co-workers become too familiar with each other which can lead to conversations and actions that are not becoming to a Christian. Even though these are needful careers, a person must be aware that they also can drag a Christian down if he does not keep his spiritual walk fresh. Thank God there are Christians who are doing these important jobs and witnessing to a lost world at the same time.

Lastly, Peter said “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”. What is a  holiness young man to do? A holiness young person is to stay vigilant in all areas of their life because there is a reward at the end of the journey!!!

-Bro. Doug Phillips