"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." -Galatians 5:1
Jesus's pursuit of us is incredible because it is relentless and it knows no limits. He isn't afraid to get messy, to be judged, to be mocked, or even to lay his life down for us. He is confident because he knows that he carries within him the gift of freedom that everyone of us are desperate for.
His gift of freedom is offered to anyone that will receive it. Freedom from addiction, from lust, from self pity, from gluttony, from greed, from the approval of man, from self righteousness, and from the feelings of worthlessness.
His gift of freedom enters all places; churches, bars, homes, universities, offices, bedrooms, grocery stores, and yes…even strip clubs.
Jesus started pursuing each of us before we ever realized it. And this month in Thailand he allowed me to be part of the pursuit of one of his beloved daughters.
It began during a time of intercession and prayer as some of the girls went out to the red light district of Thailand to build relationships with girls in the bars. As I was praying for Abba to give me a word or a vision for the girls he gave me a vision of a baby mobile.
I sat there for a while and tried to process the meaning behind the baby mobile. As I was praying through it I laid on my back and looked up and God told me that someone was disillusioned, and caught in this cycle that seemed to never end. They were dazed and he was ready to wake them up.
So my prayer was simple, "God may this woman be free from the cycle of disillusionment and be awakened to your truth."
The next day I was planning to go out to the bars to pray with the other girls and God told me abruptly to stay. He wasn't done with the vision, and he spoke clearly by showing me the side profile of a woman who was pregnant, but she didn't know it yet. She had been disillusioned by this lifestyle and God wanted to wake her up to let her know he was creating life inside her.
My heart broke for this woman and I knew in that moment that I was supposed to find her. I shared this with my team and we began to pray for her, and for God to show her to us.
That night we went out and went on a giant scavenger hunt led by Jesus to find this woman. One of my teammates said she felt like God was saying the name Betty to her. So we had a name, but we didn't find her that night.
We didn't stop there, because that's not where god would stop; after all his pursuit is relentless.
So the next afternoon as we were praying over the bar street another team mate said, " I feel like God is telling us to go into the strip club." The four of us sat there and agreed that if it was indeed God we would go. We all prayed that God would search our hearts and make sure that our motives were nothing but him. Sure a catchy blog title "Jesus in a strip club" would get more hits, but we didn't want to do it for any glory for ourselves. It's not about us, it's about him.
As we walked out that night we all knew God was being clear, so we headed into the strip club. We prayed for God to protect our hearts and minds and to direct us to this woman that he was relentlessly pursuing.
We walked in and it was super awkward, as you can imagine. As we sat there drinking our red bulls we couldn't help but notice that we stood out like sore thumbs. So, we decided to flood that place with Jesus and begin praying out loud for Jesus to surround us, and to bring the girl to us that he was pursuing.
Then he did, and it didn't take long for Jesus to whisper to me, "thats her." I was elated and smiling from ear to ear. Jesus brought us into this strip club to be ambassadors of freedom.
We had 3 five minute conversations with "Betty" in between her dancing. She was new and being trained by a man who made the hair on my arms stand up. The amount of control he was forcing on her and another new girl was almost tangible. He was watching her as we were talking and it was obvious he didn't want us there.
I knew we wouldn't be welcomed back so I asked her if she would like to get coffee sometime, and she said yes!
So the next day we met and had a coffee date and shared many stories about our childhood, our beliefs, our relationships, and even her current job situation. She doesn't want to be at the strip club, and its obvious that she feels like she owes this man something. She shared her desire to own her own business one day so that she isn't "ruled by anyone." She also doesn't want to be married because she doesn't want to "submit to any man."
As we were swapping stories of our lives I asked her what she liked to do for fun and she said, "swimming is my favorite because I find freedom in the water, like there is nothing holding me back."
It's not hard to catch the trend here. She is desperate for freedom. What she doesn't realize is that what she really desires is freedom that can only be provided by Jesus.
So what's the next logical step? Date number two at a swimming pool at her favorite resort. Sure we could take her to a local swimming pool but God doesn't give us good enough, he gives us the best. And thats what he's doing right now with "Betty." He's pursuing her and allowing me to be apart of his beautiful story.
God has been pursuing Betty since the day she was born. To God she isn't a story, an object, or a possession to be bought. She is a daughter who is deeply loved by her father. Abba wants to set her free from the lies she's believed all her life so that she can walk in the freedom of her true identity.
Today I challenge you to believe that because Jesus himself is freedom; freedom can be found anywhere, even in a strip club. Don't just believe it, but live it out. Im not saying everyone should go to a strip club and call it ministry, I'm simply saying that as children of God we were given the gift of freedom not only to set ourselves free, but to extend that freedom to others. Trust that as The Lord speaks he is using you to be apart of his redemption story. Remember how Jesus pursued you, and listen to him as he leads you to pursue others. Maybe you're the one that gets the vision, the name, the place, or the word. Whatever it is, you are apart of other people's freedom story.
Let freedom reign, and let if first start within your own heart!
