Not by Might...Not by Power....

"Just let me in there...I am a VIP!!"
"I was invited here as a guest...why don't you let me enter?"

These two guys were shouting on top of their voices, insisting to the security officers to let them inside the coliseum. Their voices were really too loud, it caught the attention of everyone around, and so my attention was called by the security officer. "We need you here, ma'am because these two people would want to get inside but we can't find their names in your guest list", was the humble plea of the terrified officer. So I calmly asked these two guys what the problem was.

They both introduced themselves as Pastors of a religious group. I explained to them that for security reasons, I could not let them pass through that entrance, they have to take the audience entrance instead. At first, both resisted, but being the executive director of the event, they were obliged to follow my instructions. After several minutes of argument and explanations, thank God, they both left and took the entrance for them.

I have been handling events, concerts, seminars in the past, and I am aware that glitches are but normal. However, this experience I had with our latest concert was one I will never forget. It was not really the glitch itself that makes it different from the other events, it was the people involved and the lesson I learned from it.

I could not believe it myself, seeing legitimate Pastors of a church acting rudely in such a situation. I felt like I was so embarrassed, not because I was at the helm of the event and that it was a reflection of my "inefficiency" but I was embarrassed even disgusted to see supposed "leaders of God" act in such a barbaric manner.

I wondered, where these so called pastors took the "authority" they are claiming to have. In one of the seminars I attended, I learned that God did not give man the authority to be dominated yet neither did He give man the authority to dominate other men.

I am myself rude at times, but never did it cross my mind that I have the right to dominate anybody else, not even my subordinates. Dominating is tantamount to depriving them of their rights as human beings.

That very moment, I was really pissed off and wanted so much to flare up. The stress brought by staying awake for more than 24 hours (actually, I was awake for a total of 32 hours during the event), the physical demand of having to liaise with the other departments aggravated by unethical behaviors of these people, indeed were too heavy for me to handle.

My patience was already too thin yet the words " Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit", flashed across my mind. Then in a snap of a finger, I regained my "spirit". I knew that at that very moment, it was no longer "me" who was facing the destructions, the "enemies" - it was my Creator who was working for me, because I know that I cannot do these on my own.

After the event, I can truly assert that "I CAN LAUGH AT THE ENEMY WITH HIM, HIDDEN WITHIN THE SHELTER OF HIS WINGS!"