Participants: Myesha Lawson (Host), Brittany-Hill Morales, Jacques LaGuerre, Timothy Lawson, Xavier Morales
Series Code: PC
Program Code: PC000092A
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00:02 The following program discusses sensitive issues.
00:05 Parents are cautioned that some material 00:07 may be too candid for younger children. 00:42 Hi. Welcome to Pure Choices. 00:44 I'm your host Myesha Lawson. 00:46 And my panel here... 00:48 Xavier Morales. 00:50 Brittany-Hill Morales. 00:52 Jacques LaGuerre. 00:53 And Timothy Lawson. 00:55 So today, our title is, 00:57 "Use what you got to get what you want". 01:00 We're going to be talking about strip clubs, part one. 01:04 I know you're wondering, "Wow, strip clubs?" Yes. 01:08 There's a whole another world out there 01:11 and I've experienced it. 01:12 So we're going to talk about what goes on 01:14 inside the strip club 01:16 from a dancer's point of view, 01:18 but before we start, 01:19 we're going to start with prayer 01:21 as you bow your head please. 01:23 Dear Lord, we just want to thank You Father 01:26 for Your deliverance, Lord. 01:28 We ask right now Father 01:29 that You just bless this program Lord, 01:33 and that You just continue to abide with us Father. 01:36 We thank You in Jesus' name. 01:37 Amen. Amen. 01:40 Well, this is very personal to me. 01:44 So these questions I'm going to be asking you guys, 01:47 it came from my heart. 01:49 So the first question is, 01:51 in the midst of struggles and hardships, 01:54 why is it so easy for men and women 01:57 to resort to stripping? 02:00 Well, I guess, I would say the first reason why is, 02:03 it doesn't require education. 02:06 Like, when you're trying to get any of these other jobs, 02:09 you have to go through so many years of education, 02:11 you have to go through so many months and weeks of training, 02:14 but when it comes to being in a strip club, 02:17 you either have it or you don't, 02:18 and if you have the body for it, 02:20 you just go right in, 02:21 and you can make cash just like that. 02:25 I think it goes back to the title. 02:27 You know, use what you've got to get what you want. 02:30 And so, if you don't have anything, 02:32 you have your body, 02:33 and the world considers those things, assets, 02:36 and they actually sell them. 02:37 And so when people are down on their luck 02:40 and people are hungry, 02:41 it's very easy to just, basically use that 02:47 so that they can feed themselves 02:48 or whatever the case may be. 02:51 I'd probably talk about it from a different perspective 02:53 where a lot of men and women, 02:54 they're having bad sexual experiences, 02:57 and they're being used at such an early age, 03:00 and they're getting nothing out of it. 03:02 And so, I can see how it be easy for someone, 03:05 especially a young woman who's been used, 03:07 who's been abused sexually to say, "Well, 03:10 if I'm already being abused sexually, 03:12 I may as well make some money out of this 03:15 and use my body to pay my rent." 03:18 That's a good point, yes. 03:20 So do you think that 03:21 stripping can lead to other professions 03:23 and addictions? 03:25 I believe so. 03:26 It's often know that, 03:27 you know, strippers can enter prostitution, 03:31 escorts, just a upscale prostitutes... 03:34 Right. 03:36 With escorts pornography, 03:37 it's a big one where they end up doing 03:40 pornography for a living. 03:43 Drug addiction, you name it, you know, 03:45 there's other professions that are going to, 03:46 there's also other addictions that come with that territory 03:50 from what I've seen... Right. 03:52 And with friends and all that stuff. 03:54 So... 03:55 I think one of the most unspoken addiction is 03:59 the money itself. 04:01 You know, money is very addicting, 04:02 especially if you're making a lot of it in a short time, 04:06 and, you know, all cash or whatever the case maybe, 04:09 and that lifestyle becomes addicted. 04:12 Because this is, you know, 04:14 stripping in strip clubs is part of the sex industry. 04:18 So, of course, you know, if you start here, 04:21 then once you do something enough, it gets easier 04:23 and you're going to go on to other things. 04:25 Yeah, that's funny that you said that 04:28 because people, you know, I struggled with that. 04:32 Once I became a dancer, 04:35 it was the thing that I can resort to 04:36 just fast and quick, you know. 04:39 If I couldn't pay my rent or I couldn't pay my car note, 04:43 I can go dance for one night and make that money, you know. 04:47 So why stripping is being used as a profession 04:51 or a career? 04:55 I think it's like you said, 04:56 because, you know, 04:57 it's something that you can easily go to. 04:59 It doesn't require as much effort 05:02 as probably being a doctor, 05:04 you have to stay there for so many hours in a shift, 05:07 have to, you know, constantly learning up 05:09 and, you know, strengthening your skill with, 05:13 I would guess with stripping, 05:14 you don't have to put so much, you know, hours and hours 05:18 and hours and hours and hours of reading up different books, 05:22 trying to learn hard terminologies, 05:25 it doesn't require that type of mental strain 05:28 but you can do something, 05:29 I guess, a dancer would consider fun 05:31 because you've to dance and if you have an addiction, 05:34 like, your, 05:35 you like to show off 05:37 that's part of your addiction off your body 05:38 because you like that attention, 05:39 then if you crave it, it's easy, 05:41 and if some people, 05:42 they don't even think of it as something wrong, 05:44 so why not do it. 05:46 Right. 05:47 And you're totally on point with that 05:50 'cause I used it as a career, you know. 05:52 I always told myself, "Okay, I'm going to dance 05:55 and I'm going to get into school." 05:57 You know, I'm going to put myself through school. 06:00 But with all the money that you're making, 06:04 the more money, the more bills you have, 06:06 you know. 06:08 Your lifestyle changes, you know, 06:10 and not only you're looking at what other women having, 06:13 how much they're making 06:15 and they're telling you, 06:17 "Oh, yeah. I'm going to continue to do this." 06:18 I mean, there's 40 year old women 06:20 that are out there that are dancing, 06:23 and you're looking at them like, you know, 06:25 at first you go in and you're saying, 06:26 "Oh, no, I'm not going to, 06:28 I'm going to dance when I'm 40." 06:30 And you can't tell the devil which you are not going to do. 06:34 But I look at them 06:36 and then I'm looking at their cars, 06:39 some of them have homes that they own, 06:42 they own their own cars, you know, 06:44 some even have businesses, 06:46 but it's the attention that they're getting from dancing, 06:51 and it's the quick money that they're getting. 06:54 So we're going to go into sexuality. 06:56 I really want to talk about that 06:58 because it plays a huge part especially behind the scenes. 07:03 So how is working in a strip club, 07:06 a form of pornography? 07:10 I think that's big for pornography 07:12 because, I mean, number one, nudity. 07:17 You know, the nudity aspect, the sexual, 07:20 you know, provoking a man 07:22 or vice versa, there's male strippers, 07:24 you know, provoking those inner visions 07:26 to be released from, 07:28 you know, from within the person 07:29 that you're dancing for. 07:32 You know, you're provoking, 07:34 you're basically trying to sexualize that person 07:37 or seduce that person I should say, 07:40 without going all the way as they say, you know, 07:43 and a lot of times, 07:46 I mean, that is if you look at pornography 07:48 and that is pretty much the same thing. 07:50 You know, it's a false reality, 07:52 a false reality of what's sex is supposed to be like. 07:59 I tell you it's a form of pornography as well, 08:01 because myself being in the military 08:03 for three years, 08:05 you know, I spent a lot of time in strip clubs 08:08 before I met Christ. 08:10 And so, I know personally that there's a lot of stuff 08:13 that goes on in those private rooms 08:15 of this private dances 08:16 that is highly sexual, 08:18 and so that can be considered full pornographic, 08:21 not, you know, going halfway, but going all the way, 08:25 and so that's another form of pornography. 08:28 Yes. 08:30 So you're telling me that they're actually being 08:32 sexually active behind closed doors... 08:35 Yes. Inside the strip clubs? 08:36 Inside the strip club. Yes. 08:38 Okay. Yeah. 08:40 Does anyone else want to comment on that? 08:43 No? Okay. 08:44 Well, the next question is, 08:46 can working in a strip club affect your sexuality? 08:51 I think definitely, 08:52 because as you're going to work each day 08:56 and you look around, 08:57 you're seeing other women undressing themselves. 09:00 And then that just taking their clothes off 09:02 because they're jumping into the shower 09:03 like at a gym or something, 09:05 they're doing it very provocatively, 09:07 and your mind starts to wonder also like, 09:09 you might be over there doing your dance 09:11 but you're looking over like, 09:13 "Maybe, I could do that like her, 09:14 or maybe if I do this," 09:16 or in some cases, 09:17 they have those two strippers stripping together, 09:20 trying to create that extra attention. 09:23 So when you're interacting with like the other girl 09:24 or in some cases it could be a girl and a guy, 09:26 they're both stripping together, 09:27 you're doing all these different things 09:30 that is not harmless, 09:32 it's doing something to your mind, 09:33 it's doing something to your body, 09:35 so it's definitely affecting your sexuality. 09:38 Well, yeah, I like to piggyback 09:39 not only it can start to give you a desire 09:45 for the other people there, 09:46 you're watching them undress, you know, 09:48 if they're attractive, 09:51 if you're a female you might start to get attracted 09:53 to the female body, and vice versa for the males 09:56 because that's what you're around all the time, 09:58 and that's what you're used to. 10:00 And like you said, you're making different moves 10:02 and stuff like that, 10:03 but also your own personal sexuality, 10:05 however it feels, 10:08 it has to get to a point where 10:11 it might not be worth as much to you 10:13 as you think for you to start, 10:15 and you have to get into certain mind state 10:17 so you can continue. 10:18 And so the more you do it, 10:20 the more using your sexuality for this type of purposes 10:24 becomes okay in your mind. 10:27 That's funny that you guys said that 10:29 because I struggled with that as working in the strip club. 10:34 I had no interest in liking women, okay, 10:36 I grew up to like men and men only. 10:40 So I'm working in the strip club 10:42 and like you said, I'm seeing women's body, 10:46 and they're actually becoming attractive to me, you know. 10:53 If a woman basically looks something like me 10:57 and I think I'm beautiful, 10:59 then automatically she's beautiful to me, 11:01 you know. 11:02 Or she has a nice body 11:05 and you know, you catch yourself looking okay, 11:09 and so not only I worked with many women 11:12 that I had to perform acts with. 11:15 So as you become familiar with this woman 11:18 to perform this act, 11:20 you're the show, you begin to like her, 11:25 you know, and I began to like this girl, 11:28 I continued to do parties with this woman, 11:31 and next thing, you know, 11:33 I consider myself completely liking women 11:37 or I consider myself bisexual. 11:40 So where it started from was looking at women, 11:44 you know, and maybe not everybody go through this, 11:46 you know, what I've been through, 11:48 but by looking at the same sex 11:50 while dressing or undressing too often 11:54 does that mean you are lesbian or gay? 11:58 And this goes for men and women. 12:01 I don't, I mean, it's hard 12:03 because it depends on your setting 12:05 'cause when I was in a law enforcement, you know, 12:07 you have, they call the community showers. 12:10 So you have no choice, you know, you don't, 12:11 you make it a point not to look. 12:13 But, you know, when you have like, 50 guys 12:15 in the community showers, 12:16 it's just like, it's there. 12:18 And, you know, I never took a liking to that, per Se, 12:23 but growing up in the environment, 12:25 I did in Florida with the transvestites. 12:28 You kind of, I did kind of 12:29 start taking a liking to that in the past. 12:32 You know, like, I guess, 12:34 you call the best of both worlds or whatever 12:36 and that was a struggle for me 12:37 when I came out of Christianity, 12:39 you know, understanding that. 12:40 So I think when you are around, 12:44 when you are inherently around something long enough 12:48 in a way that it is not of God, 12:51 I think you, your mind starts to get perversed thoughts 12:54 and starts to get perverse in ways, 12:56 and it's not because you're forcing it to per Se, 12:58 it's just your brain adapts to every situation. 13:02 Unfortunately, it starts equipping itself 13:04 with negativity rather than reality. 13:07 I was going to add to that, 13:08 like your mind plays tricks on you, 13:10 and then, I guess that curiosity increases, 13:13 but before like you said, 13:15 you only wanted to be with men 13:17 but as you started interacting with them, 13:20 curiosity started to entice you like, 13:23 "I wonder what it would be like if I did it just once. 13:26 I wonder how it would really work out? 13:27 Would it be okay? 13:29 You know, we can work together, great." 13:31 So you have all these like different mind, 13:33 your mind really starts playing tricks on you 13:34 where, like, I know I want this 13:37 but maybe, just maybe, 13:38 if I just try a little bit of it, 13:40 that'll be okay. 13:42 I like to piggybank how she said, 13:44 your mind's playing tricks 13:45 because if you're exposing yourself 13:47 to something you're not supposed to see, 13:50 most people will think that, 13:53 "Well, I'm glad I exposed myself 13:55 because now I like this, 13:56 so this must really be who I am. 13:58 This must really be what's inside me, 14:00 but actually you were exposing yourself 14:03 to something you were never supposed to see 14:04 and it starts to, you know, like she said, 14:07 "Your mind starts to play tricks on you." 14:08 You start to say, "Well, this now is attracted to me 14:11 which wasn't before." 14:12 So since it's attractive now, 14:13 it must have always been attractive to me 14:16 and maybe this is who I am, 14:17 and that's not always necessarily the case. 14:20 Yeah. 14:21 And that's true because not only to music, 14:25 music plays a huge part. 14:28 I mean, there's songs as if, 'My girl has a girlfriend', 14:32 or 'I kissed a girl'. 14:35 And, you know, when you're in the club, 14:36 they play these popular songs, 14:39 and you're constantly, 14:41 you know, listen to them even when you're at home 14:43 because it's a catchy song. 14:45 You like the song, of course, you know. 14:48 So it puts that in your mind that, you know, 14:51 like you say, you get curious, 14:53 "Well, how would I feel if I did kiss a girl?" 14:55 I'm not lesbian really, you know, 14:58 or I'm not bi, you know, you start really... 15:01 Rationalizing. 15:02 Rationalizing and, you know, 15:04 okay, so now that it comes to the point 15:08 where you're going to kiss this girl, 15:09 and you're kissing this girl because this is an act, 15:13 you know, you put it on a show, 15:14 a girl on girl show for a party for a guy, 15:18 whatever, 15:20 not only you're intoxicated, you have drugs in you, 15:23 anything goes at this point, 15:25 and not only you're doing it for the money 15:28 so it doesn't matter as long as they're paying you, 15:31 so your guard is down. 15:33 You know, you're willing to just go all out 15:35 as long as they're paying you. 15:37 And as long as you're seeing the money being thrown at you, 15:41 you want to do more. 15:43 You know, you get this sense of pride in you. 15:48 And you just become like God almost 15:53 'cause that is exactly how these men are looking at you. 15:56 I mean, you're sitting there, you're on stage 15:59 and the men are looking up at you 16:01 and they're just throwing their money, 16:03 and they're just in awe about you, you know. 16:06 And it's crazy, you know, they're mesmerized by you. 16:12 They don't see your flaws, 16:13 they don't even know who you are, 16:14 they don't even know your real name, 16:16 they know nothing about you. 16:19 You know, you can be on drugs, 16:20 you can be a heroin addict, anything, 16:24 they don't know anything about you. 16:26 They're just there for what they're there for 16:29 and you're there to give it to them. 16:32 So we're going to talk about the image of men and women. 16:36 How does the profession affect men and women spiritually? 16:42 I think it brings, 16:45 you know, there's the physical plane 16:48 and then there's the mental aspect of life, 16:50 and then there's the spiritual nature 16:51 which is the highest that connects you to God, 16:53 that you communicate God with. 16:55 And this type of industry, 16:58 this type of club has you focused just on the physical, 17:02 and has you indulge in the physical 17:05 and make that, you know, one of your highest priorities, 17:08 and points, and parts, 17:09 because like you said the guys are looking at you, 17:12 so your main focus every night is this part, 17:16 just the physical, just the outside, 17:18 that's what's you're making your money off of, 17:19 that's what you're getting your attention from, 17:21 and you begin to think that this is the most important 17:24 and you forget or you've never known 17:27 that Jesus died for what's inside here. 17:30 He died for your mind, He died for your heart 17:32 so He could renew it, 17:34 and that totally will erase it 17:37 not only in the mind of the person performing, 17:39 but in the mind of the person who's paying for it. 17:43 Because they're spending their cash 17:45 on what they think is worthful, 17:46 and it's a physical, you know, representation 17:49 of whatever fantasy or image they have. 17:53 And to speak about how it affects the person 17:54 that's there, 17:56 in my own experience 17:57 after going to these institution so much, 17:59 I was at the strip club, like every weekend, 18:03 I could not really look at women as a whole person, 18:07 I was only focused on the exterior, 18:10 on the physical. 18:11 And it didn't matter how the woman was dressed any more 18:14 after a certain amount of time, 18:16 I just began to be able to objectify any woman 18:19 no matter what she was wearing, 18:20 no matter her age, and nothing mattered 18:23 because it was just all about the physical. 18:26 And I think, especially, as men we're prone 18:29 to being hyper sexualized, 18:32 and so when you spend that much time 18:33 in institution like that, 18:35 and then you couple out pornography 18:37 and all these other factors, 18:39 then you're turning yourself 18:41 or you're allowing the devil to turn you into an animal. 18:46 I'm just listening to what she said about, 18:48 how you started feeling like you were God 18:52 and these people were like worshipping you, 18:54 that has to affect you spiritually. 18:56 It's in your mindsets, 18:58 it's like, "You know, I'm so great, 18:59 I'm so awesome. 19:01 I don't really need God 19:02 because you said, 19:04 they're not even looking at your flaws. 19:05 These people don't care. 19:06 So it's like, why does God care? 19:08 These people give me money, why should I care if God says, 19:09 I'm imperfect, I have flaws, I have... 19:13 That doesn't matter 19:14 because as long as I'm beautiful 19:15 that's all that really matters, 19:17 that's what's going to get me paid. 19:18 So that's definitely has to affect you spiritually. 19:21 Most definitely. 19:22 I think you two come to an understanding like, 19:24 for me I'm piggybacking up for what Jacques said, 19:27 I used to start gauging based on, you know, 19:30 being a womanizer, 19:31 I started, you know, gauge women 19:33 how would they be in bed. 19:35 You know, kind of getting up predicting how they would be, 19:37 and going based off of that 19:39 and that kind of reminds me of a predator knows their prey. 19:42 You know, you target, 19:43 you already know somebody, you know, 19:45 that's in that stripping mentality 19:47 a lot of times, 19:48 they're weak morally or spiritually, you know, 19:50 they are weak enough where you can just pounce 19:53 and say the right things 19:55 to make them feel good about themselves, 19:58 get that moral, 19:59 and you pray off of that 20:01 and, you know, and that's hard 20:03 because these are human beings 20:05 but, yeah, you spiritually, 20:06 I mean, I wasn't with God at the time, 20:09 but, you know, God never left me. 20:10 Yeah. 20:11 But you really act like, 20:13 you know, when we said, an animal, you know, 20:15 you become an animal predator. 20:18 Yes, indeed you do. 20:20 Because you're going to look at, you know, 20:22 you're going to look at everyone in the club 20:24 and you want to know who can you get 20:27 and how much can you get out of this person. 20:31 And so I like to... 20:32 My experiences when I go up to a man, 20:35 I only have 15 seconds 20:38 to get him what I want him to be, 20:41 you know. 20:43 I'm going to sit, I'm going to talk with him, 20:45 I'm going to touch him. 20:47 I need to know everything about him as short as I can, 20:50 a short amount of time to see if he likes me, 20:55 and if he really want to spend money on me, 20:58 and so by that, I win. 21:01 If he wants to spend money on with me, 21:02 I have him completely 21:04 and I can have him for that whole night. 21:07 So let's talk about 21:11 how does it affect men and women 21:13 mentally and physically? 21:18 I think it goes back to when you're looking around 21:21 you're seeing these other women, 21:23 or if I don't know, I'm not sure how guys do it, 21:25 but for a woman if you look around 21:27 and you see, okay, this girl is getting more money 21:28 because she has these essential factors, 21:32 then of course, you start wondering, 21:34 am I good enough? 21:36 Yes, I'm making money, 21:38 but should I change my own body? 21:40 Should I probably get some implants? 21:42 Should I probably go to some different classes 21:46 and learn how to do these different types of moves? 21:50 Like, you start feeling like 21:52 you're not significant enough mentally 21:55 and the physical aspect, 21:56 you want to go and change your body. 21:58 You want to do these different things. 22:00 Her hair was short, maybe I should cut my hair too, 22:02 maybe that will work. 22:04 Maybe I should do something with my face. 22:05 Maybe if I change my nose 22:06 that will make me more attractive 22:08 compared to these other girls, 22:10 and I will win 22:11 and I can better get that money. 22:13 I think too. 22:14 We see that with society, 22:16 you know, how does it affect them 22:17 and, you know, you essentially, I've seen 22:18 and I remember a lot of the guys 22:20 that I used to hang out with at the strip club, 22:21 they were married. 22:23 And the wives were like, "Oh, yes, that's fine. 22:24 We let them do that, you know, once in a while." 22:26 And we see that in our society 22:29 pole dancing as a form of exercise, 22:32 you know, that's an acceptable form of exercise nowadays. 22:35 And I think it's just really... 22:38 It affects you to the point where you cannot differentiate 22:42 what's morally right and what's morally wrong. 22:45 You just do what the book of Judges said, 22:47 "Every man did what was right in their own eyes." 22:49 You do what was right in your own sight regardless 22:51 and it affects you to a point 22:53 where your discernment is completely done. 22:57 Well, physically, 22:59 I like to piggyback off what Brittany said. 23:01 It's going to make you, 23:04 if you stay long enough at some point, 23:05 you're going to augment your body, 23:07 whether you get tattoos in different areas, 23:10 whether you get piercing in different areas, 23:12 because if you look at the sex industry 23:15 there's different looks 23:17 but there's this same kind of look 23:19 that women have and the girls have. 23:21 And you're going to think you need this kind of look 23:22 like she said, to make this kind of money 23:25 or to take yourself to the next level, 23:27 and its different genres, you know. 23:29 This different race might look this way. 23:31 And you know, in down south and those kind of clubs, 23:34 all the different women might look, you know, 23:36 a different certain ways. 23:37 So physically, you know, 23:39 it's like by beholding you become change. 23:41 Obviously, you're parents now, 23:43 you begin to, the devil begins to tell you mentally, 23:47 you know, you need to change, 23:49 or you're not good enough and you need to do this. 23:51 And so you start to look at yourself 23:54 instead of, in the image of God made you 23:57 and try to change yourself 23:58 into a whole different type of image. 24:01 And so mentally also, 24:03 it's going to affect your thoughts 24:06 and it's going to affect your emotions. 24:07 If you're sitting there 24:09 and, like Jacques said, if you're a guy 24:11 and you're looking at these girls, 24:12 it's going to affect their emotions now 24:14 you have towards women. 24:15 If you're the woman, 24:17 you know, both people are hunting 24:19 and everybody's trying to see who's going to be the one 24:21 to be the predator or the prey. 24:22 If you're a woman, 24:24 you're going to look at guys in the same light, 24:26 how much money can I get out of guys? 24:28 They're a mill ticket as it were, you know, to life 24:31 and it's going to affect your human to human interaction 24:34 'cause you have to shut your emotions off, 24:36 you know, at that point. 24:37 You know, if you're using him and he thinks he's being used 24:40 or if he's using you, 24:42 you can't have too many caring feelings 24:45 for that human being at that point 24:48 and keep this, you know, cycle going week after week 24:51 and stuff like that. 24:52 Right. 24:54 And I also struggled with the whole mental and physical. 24:57 When I first started dance very young, 24:58 I believe 18 years of age, 25:01 and I went in there with innocence, okay. 25:04 I looked it like a young girl which I was. 25:08 And men liked that, 25:11 they liked that I was, what's the word, 25:13 not jaded as they call it, 25:15 I wasn't seasoned enough. 25:19 And some men didn't like it, 25:21 they wanted a more woman that has experience. 25:24 It didn't matter how well I danced or anything, 25:27 they were able to tell that I was young, 25:31 and that I don't have any experience. 25:34 I haven't danced long enough. 25:35 And they'll ask and I'll tell them. 25:37 So as I'm looking at other women 25:39 how the way they're putting on their makeup, 25:42 how long their extensions are, 25:45 okay 'cause when I first started, 25:47 I was wearing my real hair, less make up, 25:51 and it just wasn't enough for them 25:56 so I had to change, you know. 26:00 And then I begin to get sucked in this life, 26:03 and I couldn't get out, this life. 26:07 So why is it so hard to get out of the entertainment business? 26:13 I think it comes to some of those addictions. 26:18 You're receiving as it were this worship, 26:20 you're receiving this money, 26:21 and also, you know, the devil is involved. 26:24 Satan always, you know, 26:25 take you farther than you want to go 26:27 and keep you there and hold you there 26:30 and nothing but the power of the Lord can break it 26:34 so now it becomes a stronghold 26:36 because you start to identify yourself with this sin. 26:40 This is who I am. 26:42 And when you do that, 26:43 it's always hard for you to change. 26:45 I think to control, you know, you mentioned earlier that 26:48 they look at you as God, 26:50 there's a central power and control, you know, 26:52 that's the hardest part to relinquish, 26:55 is that ability to be able to control somebody for money too. 26:58 You know, you get the money and control, 26:59 that's, you know, 27:01 and that kind of mentality, that's the best of both worlds. 27:03 So I think that's where the hardest hit is too. 27:08 Yes. It was a stronghold for me. 27:12 And I'm just so thankful that the Lord took me from that life 27:16 because it was really hard to let go. 27:19 If it wasn't for people out there praying for me, 27:22 the man who is my husband now was praying for me 27:25 and was always encouraging me, 27:27 and was always sending me scriptures, 27:29 he actually gave me Steps to Christ, 27:32 and I read that. 27:33 And it was just such a blessing. 27:35 And then, my pastor, my first lady, 27:38 they were continued to be there for me, 27:40 send me messages. 27:43 And it was just saying that was said to me 27:48 from my friend from church, 27:50 and she says, 27:52 "Sin will take you further than you want to go, 27:55 keep you longer than you want to stay, 27:58 and cost you more than you want to pay." |
Revised 2018-05-02