There are so many things that catch my eye when doing ministry. My heart was being affected by everything I saw. If you read my blog, Awake and Alive (http://ashleyvarner.theworldrace.org/?filename=awake-and-alive), then you know a little bit about this already. What I didn’t mention was that aside from seeing myself everywhere that I looked, I saw men trying to fill a void, couples dishonoring each other, children out way past their bedtime and women filled with insecurity. My heart began to flood with sorrow, anger, hope, frustration, confusion and so many other emotions.
The foreign men frequenting these bars are there for so many other reasons than just sex. The sex is just a tool that they use to cover up situations in their lives. To fill voids that people have caused. To numb the pain that they are feeling. Some of these men don’t even have the intention of sleeping with a woman from the bar. Some just want a conversation. Some of them want sex because they just want to feel loved. That was my issue. The point is this: Pray for the men, too. If the men can be freed from the bonds in which they are enslaved , whether it is lust, sexual immorality, alcoholism, insecurity, or even grief, then the demand of sex tourism goes down and the amount of women prostituting themselves decreases, also.
A couple going on vacation together is a beautiful thing. It is so beneficial for two people to take a break and enjoy each other. However, when you enter into a relationship with someone you are making a commitment to them. You are making a decision to prefer them, honor them, respect them, and build them up. Exposing your significant to other, boyfriends or girlfriends, to provocatively dressed women dancing on poles is not honoring them. When you do that, you are doing 2 things. You are causing them to commit adultery in their hearts. You are creating unrealistic expectations for yourself and for them which can ultimately be the demise of your relationship. Honor each other by keeping yourselves pure for each other. Build them up to be men and women of respect and class. Pray for your spouses and future spouses. Pray for purity and redemption. Pray for Christ-centered relationships.
Children… ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!? This is where the anger and sorrowful emotion appeared. This is self-explanatory… A CHILD’S INNOCENCE IS JEOPARDIZED THE MOMENT THEY ARE EXPOSED TO THIS KIND OF LIFESTYLE. CHILDREN DO NOT BELONG IN BARS! Pray against generational curses! Pray for parents to step up! Few things make me angry. This is one of them.
The women I saw were not just the women on the poles. I saw the women like me… the women who compared themselves to someone whom the world declares as beautiful. I saw women who longed for their husbands and boyfriends to look at them the way they looked at the women in the bars. Having the confidence that I have now, not only in my appearance but, also, in my personality, is something that I want for all of the women I see on Bangla. The tourists, the street vendors, and the bar women. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! Yes, YOU! STOP COPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS! THE LORD CREATED HIS GREAT MASTERPIECE WHEN HE FORMED YOU! OWN IT! BE BOLD! SHOW THE WORLD HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE! Pray for all the women around the world that feel insecure or inadequate.
JUST PRAY.
