Part of the reason I'm able to blog so much is because I believe God is ALWAYS speaking to us and I look for Him in every occurrence in my life. Since I believe, He has a purpose for my life and everything that happens in it, I'm ALWAYS asking Him to show me what He's trying to convey to me. On that premise, let me share with you the story about my recent trip to a strip club in Myrtle Beach...

After days at the beach with my family, out of sheer boredom and loneliness, I decided to visit a local strip club on my final night there. Despite my inner misgivings about going ANYWHERE alone at night in a foreign city, I threw caution to the wind and pressed my way to see some naked flesh. It ended up being a complete waste of time and money as I sat TALKING to a dancer most of the night, since none of them were attractive enough to get me "excited"...

Right before I left I decided to let her dance for me, since in the course of my 100 questions about why she was a dancer she mentioned she had a $64 storage bill that was past due. See, I AM a christian! lol Anyway, the sexier she tried to be, the more grossed out I became. I soon thanked her for her efforts and made a b-line for the exit. After a short walk to the poorly lit parking lot I sadly discovered that the driver-side front tire of my vehicle was completely flat.

So, I immediately go into prayer mode instead of swear mode. It's funny how we start to listen to God AFTER something bad happens, isn't it? I wanted to know WHAT He was teaching me, besides to stay out of strip clubs. I KNEW in my gut that there was more He had to say, since out of ALL the cars in the parking lot, MY tire was the one flattened...

Fear and paranoia quickly kicked in as I realized I was in the hood, in the dark, out of town, and ALONE! I speedily and falsely discerned that the smart thing to do would be to try to drive on this tire until I found the closet gas station. Boy, was I wrong. The tire held up long enough for me to get out of the parking lot and onto the main road, which had no street lights and was surrounded by woods! With no gas station in sight, I was forced to pull onto the shoulder and call Onstar for help.

If I tell you all the drama that took place during my call for help, this blog entry would take you as long to read as it took for help to arrive. I eventually had to call the tow truck dispatcher back to reiterate how unsafe I felt and how dire my situation was. After my final plea, the dispatcher assured me that the truck was only five minutes away and I would be rescued.

To my surprise, the truck pulled up within that new timeframe and two young guys hopped out to help me. One of them started asking me questions about where I was from and how I got into that predicament. I told him I was at the strip club and my tire was flat when I came out to leave. He laughed and said, "That's where we were when we got your call for help." Needless to say, I was a little pissed that they were looking at naked girls while I was on the side of the road in need of help and fearing for my life. The whole time they were only FIVE minutes away, but sat there feeding their lusts, while I was stuck on the side of the road, in need.

By now, you probably see what God later said to me. The lesson was about the distraction of personal/carnal desire. I was angry at the tow truck drivers for being in the very same place I was in, while I needed their help. Well, God isn't jumping for joy as I spend my time pursuing my personal desires or the lusts of my eye. There are people who are stuck in life and need help while I'm distracted by what I want! While I'm praying for a new this or a new that... While I'm nursing my anger against this person and that person... While I'm at the mall buying the latest whatever... While I'm spending all of my energy trying to build a successful business... Someone is WAITING on me to answer the call that God put out like I was waiting on the tow driver to respond to the dispatcher's call!

Those of us who have realized that God has a purpose for our lives don't have the luxury of doing what everyone else is doing. If you are going to fulfill your destiny and thus fill the emptiness inside of you, you can't be afraid to yield to the higher calling and rise to your best self. You may have to be the sober one at the party, not because drunkenness is a sin, but so that you won't be distracted when God wants to use you IN THE CLUB! (I have an AWESOME story to illustrate that)... You'll have to be the one in the relationship to practice forgiveness in order to keep your heart free from distraction, thereby hearing God's voice more clearly. You, and the nation assigned to you, can't afford for you to be distracted by your own selfish desires!

I'm gonna stop here, but I have ALOT more to say regarding purpose, destiny, distraction, desire, and so on. In the meantime, I ANTicipate an incredible move of God as we yield to His desire and seek less to fulfill our own desires. God bless all who read this post...

BTW, spare me your judgmental comments about my visit to a strip club! If the Holy Spirit can't convict my heart of sin, your imperfect life surely can't either! :)