Toni the Lifeguard

There is a community pool who has as its lifeguard a most honorable, responsible and solid young woman names Toni watching over it. She is diligent about her job, as she is diligent and dedicated in everything she does. A solid and upright young woman of 18 or 19 years of age and 110 pounds in weight. She is well respected and the people enjoy her stewardship.

We must understand that as far as authority goes, Tony is it at this pool. She has as her uniform and weaponry: her red shorts with the Life Guard Cross on them, as well as the tank top and swimsuit also so emblazoned. And of course, the corresponding and necessary whistle, with which to draw attention to her commands.

One day as Toni is guarding her pool, a man enters into her pool whom she has never seen before. Though Toni does not yet know this, the man is a violent man. As the pool goes about its regular activities, she becomes aware of some rough horseplay around the man, and blows her whistle, generally giving direction to ‘tone it down’. She doesn’t even question that it will be addressed, and surely it brings attention to her and her watchful eye.

It also reminds people quite clearly that there is an authority here in this pool. This is something to which people in a just society that has laws understands and responds to. Having both been taught as they grew ever older, as well as that innate understanding of authority each person inherently has within. Even before we understand it, we are already all responding to authority when we become aware of it, or are under its attention.

Within a few minutes more Toni witnesses another rough bit of play from this man, where a ball he is using almost hit a child in the face, to which the child was fearful and tearful. She blows the whistle at the man, and orders him to cease this activity.

This now being the second time the whistle is blown, and for the same person, this also brings a response in the hearts of all of the people in the pool. We being creatures that respond to, crave and benefit from authority, we are seemingly aware when it’s level of attention and force increases. Further, it is known that in this public pool, Toni rarely has to blow her whistle. This now being a second time in a short while thus the more noteworthy.

The man looks up at Toni and gives her a somewhat attentive reaction, as if to say he didn’t mean to do it, and “accidents happen”. Oh well. Toni had intended to have the man remove himself from the pool, and yet so quickly did he acknowledge her and then turn back away, that she didn’t feel it warranted such an aggressive response. Not just yet. So, she was inclined to let it go, provided no other issues came to her attention.

However, only a few minutes later, yet once more and even worse; this man having now been joined by two buddies. He throws his ball, and this time it does hit a child in the face, and the child bursts into tears, pointing directly at the man.

Toni does not hesitate. Toni is a strong and upright woman. Toni stands up, blows her whistle, and points at the man . As he turns to her, she points from him to then out of the pool, giving the order verbally as well. She is curt. She is professional. She does not waver.

The reaction among the people is also seemingly universal. For whenever an authority makes a person or persons an object of attention and command, the people around all seem to step back, not wanting to be mistakenly part of that same attention. Whether it be a 110lb life guard, a teacher or principal in a school, a police SWAT office or even a military force, the first thing the innocent seek to do is separate themselves from the transgressors, and for right reason. This not built into us by God for no reason.

Now Al, for that is the name of this man… Well, he is both a violent man, as well as one practiced in lawlessness. In fact, he rather enjoys it, so for him the game is truly just about to begin. For Al, he loves to flout and disobey authority, and he does so here in no uncertain terms.

Al looks right into Toni’s eyes and tells her, “Honey, I’m not getting out of this pool, and you cannot force me to.” He says this without venom and yet within his eyes is a discernable malevolence. The people around him back further away, with some getting out of the pool entirely.

Al, for his part, has done just what he enjoys doing, which is putting people in a certain position with regard to authority. Al has three things he despises when it comes to authorities. First, those who have it, but do not understand it, and lacking this knowledge they do not know how to properly wield it. Second, those who have authority and understand it, but have not the resources to actually apply and enforce it. Third, and worst of all to Al, are those who both have it and the resources to implement it; they have a proper knowledge of it and the proper place, time and way to use it. Yet they refuse to use it for fear. They being both in authority, yet also being afraid, this is to Al perhaps the most egregious of the bunch.

For Al, this is one of the first things he seeks everywhere he goes. To suss out and take advantage of the weakness of authority around him. Al already knows that Toni falls by default on the second category, being herself but 110 lbs. While Al weighs 220 lbs., is 40ish years old and is a strong, a seasoned fighter. Therefore, there is no chance of the strength of force to come from Toni at a community pool. Al then in his behavior is also checking and testing Toni, testing her character and her knowledge. To Al, he really enjoys this, this testing and proving, and we will see as the events unfold he has more in his heart and mind.

For Toni, having herself issued a lawful, right, appropriate and necessary command, and Toni herself being a woman of strong character, she knows she cannot allow this situation to go unaddressed. If that were the case, then the situation would directly yield over to lawlessness, and this is unacceptable to this young woman of fortitude. Knowing she has not the strength to enforce the command herself, nor the ability to intimidate the target of her commands. For if this was a 5 year old boy of some 40 lbs., she would have no problem reaching in and pulling the kid out of the pool, and surely this would be her lawful right and a requirement of her job.

All that being said, such action is not an option here.

So, now we have a situation. We have a rightfully placed authority, having issued a necessary and lawful command, to an individual who is lawfully right to be in subjection to this authority, and also is properly guilty of violating rules. Further, he is one who has now directly disobeyed and thwarted the law and the authority set in place by those who created the pool to begin with.

We who live in a society ruled through laws must understand that all lawful commands must be implemented successfully. For to the degree they are or are not, this determines to a great extent the measure and steadiness of peace within which such a society to be found, and under which the people can practice their freedoms and live their lives. While it may seem a small infraction, some small community pool and a lifeguard. To Toni, as well as to all the others who participate properly within the rules of this area, to go without proper implementation now, will only over time yield to increasing levels of danger and destruction. Find any place where laws are not enforced, and lawlessness will not only be found, but over time the degree of it cannot help but increase, as such is the very nature of lawlessness. Even the lawless actually have laws, as even violators of the laws need their own forms and processes, that they can continue to function and be reliable in their lawlessness.

We now go back to Toni. Toni, again an honest and solid, upright girl, knows she cannot allow this situation to go unmet. Her very heart will not allow it, and as such she does what always happens in this type of situation around the world, where laws and law enforcement are in effect. As she herself cannot enforce the law, she goes to her next level of authority above. Toni, and those in similar positions, when properly prepared, are rightly equipped with the broadest array of resources and qualifications to handle every situation. In fact, law enforcement is almost always being exercised continually around the world by means of those with far less strength in almost all situation than *may* be necessary, but in conjunction with a few common essentials and expectations.

The first is the common submission to authority. Most people an orderly society are taught simply to submit to authority. The people are trained and taught that this is an upright and responsible thing to do. Additionally, they learn that the cost of disobedience, from the disobeying of parents its ensuing discipline as children, to the various higher and higher strata of life. From school teachers and coaches and principals, to police officers and judges and even the IRS… most people learn that it is correct and right to submit. As such, this enables the authorities themselves to operate with a much ‘leaner’ workforce than might otherwise be necessary in less orderly societies. The ‘general threat’ of such a ‘force’, most often accompanied by a recognizable ‘uniform’, are usually all that is needful, except under the most rare of occasion.

In these rare occasions, these traditionally “weak” forces need to have at their disposal a ‘pool’ of strength. In other words, they need to be able to “back it up’. This is the very reason when an officer of the law encounters a strong opposition, he calls for ‘back-up’. He doesn’t himself go everywhere with overwhelming force, all the time. Rather, he (and the department) maintain access to it in fairly short order. It is this very ‘threat of force’ that allows even one so small a life guard as Toni to, under most normal circumstances, execute authority over much larger individuals. For they have themselves been taught to respond to the authority of the whistle, to the shorts emblazoned with the cross, and not the person who physically inhabits them.

Once more, we look back to Toni, still the light breath compared to Al’s out loud refusal to obey and promise to not submit to her in any way. The people all around, having heard and seen all, are always now paying close attention to see what she will do. For all seem to know that as far as authority goes, unless it is enforced, it quickly becomes something to be ignored, if not outright disdained.

Toni, the responsible young woman she is, does what she knows is her job to do. She picks up her phone, all the while keeping her eye on the pool, and calls her boss: Bob. Owner and manager of Bob’s Pool Management Company.

Now Bob is himself also a very upright and responsible man, and Toni both knows this and is thankful and grateful to work for such a man. Upon getting Bob on the phone, Toni quickly related to Bob the situation: She has three large men, the leader of which has three times acted in a manner not in keeping with pool safety. As such, Toni ordered him to leave, and he out loud committed to both disobey her and confirm that she could do nothing about it. She is also a discerning and trustworthy woman, and Bob knows this. As such, he believes her as she recounts the events to him.

Now again, Bob is an upright man and also being a professional at his job, has encountered unfortunate circumstances from time to time. As such, he has an ear for what Toni is describing. Now, if it were perhaps a rowdy teenager or two, Bob might himself consider he would have the ability to bring a resolution to the situation. However, Bob understands full well that if he were to himself enter into this situation, he would have a good chance of being met with more of the same as Toni. Then, and ever worse, it might escalate the situation, exacerbating it.

So Bob tells Toni to continue to watch the pool, keeping other people a safe distance from the men, while also watching the men, themselves. For they are indeed still her safety responsibility, should anything happen to them. While he himself was going to arrange for a proper and competent response to quickly come on scene.

Here we are seeing an excellent and expected execution of authority set in place, and having a proper chain that is being followed. With excellent and wise individuals trained at each level for a proper response after discerning and understanding the situation.

Toni, for her part, has complete confidence in Bob, that she will not herself be left to fend for herself in this situation. As she passes this information on to Bob, she has a firm heart that her words, issued under her authority, will indeed be met with ‘back-up’ from Bob, however it comes to pass.

We next find Bob, as soon as he hangs up with Toni, calling his good friend Barney, who is the chief of police in the town where Toni is located. Bob, for his part, has nurtured excellent relationships, both as an upright man himself. As well as a necessary part of his job, to provide for the safety of those in his care and authority. For in all, Toni is simply an extension of Bob’s authority, and as such Bob is the one who ultimately must give an answer for the safety of his pools.

Barney is also a solid, upright man, a seasoned veteran of Law Enforcement, which is why he both has his position and is widely accredited as being excellent at his job. When Bob gets Barney on the line, he quickly relates the situation even as Toni had given it to him. He also explained to Barney that Toni was a most honorable and reliable employee, taking her job very seriously and worthy of believing the situation was just as it was related by her, without exaggeration nor confusion.

To Barney, this is helpful and will pull away any doubt he may have had on what his response would be. Barney, being a highly competent and seasoned law enforcement manager is already playing scenarios through his mind, weighing against all of his experience what the situation likely is, where it might go and what his response should be.

For Barney has one chief thought: How to I restore order in the most effective way and with as little fanfare as possible, while not compromising any lawful commands and authority along the way. To Barney, the rules are not there to be bent, nor is resistance of them acceptable. Barney knows full well through experience what happens when authority begins to break down. Barney, already formulating his response to Toni and Bob’s situation, next tells Bob to give Toni a quick call back and tell her that the Chief is on the way, and it won’t be long.

Now, before we continue with Barney, let’s step back to the pool for a moment and further evaluate. We also want to glean some more information about Al and his fellows. One thing we do not want to do is take Al lightly, nor underestimate the man. For while Al is a violent man, more so than anyone is as yet aware of at this point, he is also very smart. This cannot be said of his two companions. For while they are strong enough and he can put up with them and even enjoy and appreciate them, they will only do what Al tells them to do. As he leads, they follow.

Now Al, ever since he saw Toni pick up the phone and have a brief conversation, then putting the phone away and returned to her post, Al was wisely already discerning how the events were like to unfold. You see, whereas Barney (whom he has yet not met and neither is known to the other) is excellent at his job, for his part, so too is Al. We will get to know Al a bit more as we move along, but in the most general of terms, each of them, Barney and Al, have met one another over the years in many other people and other incidents.

For Al’s part, he truly enjoys this part of the game. In a most simple way, this is a bit of a game to Al. Al, he loves to push against authority and await the response. Then and thereafter, he weighs his options and then executes his plans. Right now Al is certain of a few things. The first is that Toni is indeed a solid girl and worthy of appreciation. She did not scare nor back down, while at the same time exercised proper discernment of the situation, that of her own self she could do no further than she had already done.

After her call, she calmly took up her post, making no scene and simply accepting that events are now unfolding and her part in them has been accomplished. Less mature or wise individuals would go through all manner of futile exercises of arguing, crying, complaining, or even running off and quitting. Not this girl. She is doing what she should be doing, without complaint or fear, and in this she garners much respect from Al.

What Al also knows is that once that phone call was made from this competent woman, there was sure to be a further response. In truth, this is really what makes Al interested, and even excited. For this is the part he relishes. A man of lawlessness that enjoys not just fighting, but engaging in all manner of battles and tests. In particular, he enjoys seeing what responses will come in various situations, and then taking advantage of them where and when he could.

So for Al, he is simply awaiting the next move, and that is no longer in his hands. He doesn’t know what will happen, exactly, but that more will unfold he is certain.

For Al, if the pool owner came, that could lead to all manner of fun engagement, and perhaps even a joyful physical altercation, for indeed Al does like to fight. Understanding even the base mechanics and operations of people in water, is to know that to physically extract a person unwilling to leave a pool while they are resisting is far harder than if they were just on solid ground. Even a skinny kid could resist some much stronger adults given the nature and squirm-ability of a person wet, when trying to be forced by others themselves also wet. From a sheer physical perspective, Al and his buddies have a supreme advantage, and only a fool or arrogant boss of Toni would consider being able to handle the situation. So, again, that would also have a lot to do with their own experience level. To Al, this is much of the fun part, considering all of the possibilities and then taking advantage when and where possible.

Now back to Barney: Barney, himself again an upright and solid Law Enforcement Officer and Manager, much experienced, already knows his plan is to rectify the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible. As such, Barney wants to bring to bear such resources as to make this both quite attainable and as certain as can be.

Barney, being quite experienced in his field, is well able to weight the risks and possible outcomes for almost any situation. As such, he can play pretty well in almost any environment and forecast the highs and lows. He loves the highs, the encounters that turn our near flawlessly; verses the lows, those that spiral out of control all too quickly. Almost always does the latter come to pass as a result of a too weak initial response.

Barney almost never makes that last mistake, and as such he has already teams in place to deal with the situation now being presented to him. He has what he calls Strong Team Number 1, and at their head is a guy named Jim. Jim now, whereas Al in the pool is a rough guy, a street brawler of strength… Jim is perhaps the same size, 220lbs, but Jim is a trained and steely, honed professional. Whereas Al is rough, Jim is wire-tight and tough as nails. Jim has on his Strong Team five other guys that fit the bill and build. Big and professionally trained to deal with just such foes as Al represents. These guys are also all seasoned pros, and as such are never taken by surprise at physical events.

Barney speaks with Jim and relates the situation: A strong and honorable, all be it small lifeguard, has issued lawful commands to some big, rough fellas, and they have blatantly refused to comply. They rather and of a purpose are going out of their way to provoke a situation. Barney explains that Toni has taken up her post yet again, is maintaining control as able and is awaiting a response from ‘us’. One other thing about Jim is this: He is a terrifically likeable guy. Meaning that under almost any circumstance, anyone who meets or comes across Jim, really likes him. He’s a man with a quick smile, a good sense of humor, a sharp and gentle wit and an excellent discernment of individuals; knowing just how to speak to them. Barney particularly loves this trait in Jim, and it is why Jim is the lead of this team. For even as Jim can overcome just about anyone in a physical altercation, he almost never needs to. Jim could veritably talk a cat out of a tree with a ring of dogs around it, and the cat would be happy about it.

So Barney, much as Jim can already anticipate, explains that ideally he wants to have this situation resolved with no fuss, whatsoever. At the same time, if anything should need to become physical, Barney wants to know he will quickly overpower the foes presented in the situation, and as such Strong Team Number 1 and Jim are assigned the job. Diplomacy backed up by overwhelming force is the under-written MO of Jim’s team.

Barney tells Jim the location, and to meet him in front of the pool asap. When they are all there together, they will all go in together. So, within about 10 minutes, Barney, Jim and the other five members of ST#1 are assembled and prepared to enter into the pool area.

Once more, what we are to see here is a proper response to questioning authority, being properly exercised as it goes up the chain. For at its lowest levels, it is a very rare thing when an individual has the resources and power and freedom to actually implement all of their authority. Yet, as it goes up the ladder, so to speak, that authority reveals itself as successful or a failure. We will examine a bit later, what might have happened should this chain of authority had been broken anywhere along the way.

Now, back to the pool, with Toni, Al and all of the other guests at the pool that day. One thing is for certain, everyone knows something is about to happen. It’s palpable, in the air. Oh, there’s a chance it will just fizzle out. The guys starting the ruckus will just tire, get water-pruned and determine to leave of their own will. In other words, they’ll get bored. At this moment, however, this does not seem to be the case. The guys are just laughing and having fun, throwing their ball around while no one else seems particularly in the mood to join them in the pool.

All the while Toni just faithfully maintains her post. Keeping an eye on Al and his fellas, should anything untoward happen, and or of course should anyone else slip into the pool.

At last, we have the creak of the gate to the pool. What is an actual, tangibly perceived presence of authority to enter into the area. From the moment the men arrive, Barney, Jim and the other 5 really big men, their presence is spiritually discerned by everyone there, even if the people are themselves unaware that this is what they are experiencing.

One of the first to physically exhibit this, albeit to her credit not by very much, is Toni. A slight relaxing enters into her posture. She doesn’t actually change very much. She simply nods and greets Jim, as He walks up to her first and asks her a very few questions. She’s the on-site authority, and therefore brings Jim up to date on the last ten minutes of activity. Meanwhile Al himself, also to his credit for what that is worth on the ‘bad’ side of the equation, he doesn’t register any reaction at all, physically. Spiritually and mentally, however, he has a major shift within taking place.

You see, from the very outset, there were always only three potential outcomes in this situation. Either Al and his buddies would have to quit the field and retreat (or just tire and leave), they were going to fight, or they were going to have to seek terms and negotiate. (We see this in the Scriptures, when Jesus relates the story of the King who has an army of 10,000, who when learning of another king coming to fight Him with 20,000; he will quickly determine whether or not he can defeat the opponent, else he will seek terms of surrender.)

As so we find that as Barney, Jim and the team enter in, Al being a smart guy himself, very quickly is determining his own likely response. For as much as Al enjoys encounters and physical confrontation, and even after a simple state of challenge wouldn’t mind much going one to one with Jim as he measures him up. He can also readily enough understand that the six of these guys, trained professionals all, are far more than he would choose to take on, given the circumstances.

So as Jim, having spoken with Toni very quickly, walks over to the side of the pool where Al is (For Jim, also a seasoned pro, knows immediately and exactly who is in charge of this crew, here. He knows it’s not the two companions, clearly for all of the reasons men like this know things like this, and addresses Al directly.

To Al, and through him the other two guys, Jim says, “Well guys, great day out here today isn’t it? I sure do like it when everyone is having a great time and enjoying themselves on a day like this. I want nothing better than everyone have the best day available to them.”

He continues, “To that end, fellows, I’m going to speak quite clearly. Toni, the life guard here, has given a lawful order for you to exit the pool due to some horseplay earlier, and it is well within her authority to do that. Further, in response you refused to obey her. Now, not only are we here to enforce her commands, properly given. But since you have taken it this far in disobedience, we are going to add further to them, that you not only exit the pool but that you also exit the entire area and not return.”

Al, for his part, is of two minds here. First, he really likes this guy, Jim. In fact, for all of his encounters with authority and law enforcement, he really does appreciate when they get it right. As much as he disdains improper use of authority, he quite enjoys it when it is properly done at all levels. To get deeper into Al’s story, if things were different in the case of his own life and childhood, he himself might be in the place of Jim right then. As it is and under other circumstances, he would even yet want to spend time with Jim, for Jim is just a really likeable guy. For in speaking as he has to the men, is clearly communicated the general competence and intelligence and confidence and disposition of the man, and its all of a likeable sort.

At the same time, Al himself has a role to play here, and in evaluating the situation he will quickly come to a decision. As mentioned before, the three options were: flee, fight or negotiate. What Jim has done, quite wisely, has opened the door to terms without even making note of it. For as things stand in this moment, Al and his buddies, if they choose to leave the pool and area, have otherwise complete and total freedom to do anything else they might wish to do. Go to a park, a bar, their home, etc… All other options of life remain on the table, and at this present time there is no cost associated with their misbehavior. The other alternative is to force this issue to a physical confrontation, and that simply does not measure up on the option list.

Al considers. For, even if he were somehow sent to jail, it’s actually not a place he dislikes. As there, in truth, he can engage in the very thing he enjoys, testing strength and authority on a regular basis. At the same time, he much more enjoys the added freedoms he has outside of jail, and on a nice day like today, Al being a very smart guy, he makes a wise decision which even he himself is not displeased with.

He turns to Jim and simply says, “You guys did very well. We’re leaving.” So Al and the two fellows leave the pool, gathering their things, and without saying a word to anyone beside Toni, they exit the pool. Now to Toni, Al simply says in passing to her that she did well, and he is sorry for any trouble.

And that’s it. A command given at the lowest level, when properly followed up with a reasonable and appropriate response, ends up in the proper execution of lawfully given commands, and all who submit are themselves blessed.

For Toni’s part, she is rewarded with honorable words in her professional and just with which she conducted herself and performed her job. Jim himself spends a good five to ten minutes juts talking with her. Jim, an excellent judge of character, can already tell that Toni is a terrific, stand-up girl and he desires the very best for such a woman, so seeks to encourage her.

As for Barney and Jim, they achieved exactly the result they had hoped for. Bringing a proper measure and execution of resources in response to the situation. Based upon an upright, righteous and wise, judgment, seasoned with experience. For Bob, he had cultivated and ensured that he had the right channels and credibility, both in himself and in his employees. That also enabled the proper outcome to the situation.

Thus, while Toni indeed encountered adversaries far greater than she herself could ever hope to influence, directly. Because of the proper use and implementation of authority across the board, she saw her lawful commands and words spoken in the name of her position, that of a life guard, to be upheld.

To take it even one or two steps further, in exploring resources… let’s say that Al refused to obey and called a few more guys of his own and determined to fight… Barney could easily respond with his SWAT team. If Al somehow brought more to bear, say heavy weapons, then Barney could call the national guard in. This level of escalation is what ensures that authority is actually carried and enforced and brings peace to all involved. Even Al and his buddies, much of the time, also, when they aren’t the very cause of such a situation.

Continuing the story:

One last example of proper wisdom and support takes place as we watch the situation go forward one more step:

When Barney and Jim leave the premises, Barney gives Bob and call to apprise him of how the situation turned out. Bob hales Barney as predictably competent and gives him great thanks. Again, these are both strong, moral and just men, out to do their jobs well and they appreciate one another.

Barney, as he is speaking to Bob, gets a thought, and asks Bob to call Toni the life guard and to have Bob give her his direct cell phone number. He tells Bob to tell Toni to call him directly if she should see Al out anywhere else any time soon. Why Barney does this is likely both of discernment and experience, as well as a spiritual gifting. He has no reason from the encounter to believe that Toni is herself in any particular danger, and yet something within him says that if there is to be any furthering of this situation, the only target of such furthering is likely to be Toni. She was the authority in place and was also directly addressed by Al when he left. Bob agrees and says he will follow up with her. Barney tells Bob to tell Toni to simply identify herself as Toni the life guard if indeed she does have to call, and Barney will know immediately what is taking place.

Bob thus informs Toni and Toni punches the number into her cell phone speed dial.

Now, one thing we must also understand is that while Al is smart and wise in many ways, Al is also a lawless man. As such, he has some long time ago given a large portion of himself over to lawless spirits. To that end, he is not the one who rules himself much of the time. Rather, there are other forces greater than he who truly control what he is doing much of the time. Again, he granted these spirits such authority through the many episodes of lawlessness in his life, and even the lives of his ancestors.

So, even as Al determined himself to leave the pool peacefully, that with a glad heart to still have his freedom. Very soon after leaving and parting from his buddies do the spirits within him begin to manipulate and torment him. With what is malevolently miraculous, maliciously and in power, they very quickly begin to mock Al. Making fun of him and calling him weak for so allowing a tiny little teenage girl to so rule over him. Almost immediately is all memory of the truth of the event, of the presence of Barney and Jim and the other five large officers utterly ignored. Now the sole target for his shame and offense and rage come to be Toni, with her whistle.

The spirits whip and goad Al into a rage that he allowed a little girl to get over on him, and sadly, within a not long period of time, it is all Al can begin to do but determine her would have his revenge on her. For so mocking him and thinking she was so great for getting over on him. He has now determined at the very least to meet up with her and frighten her badly, if not beat her or even worse. For Al is not his own, but he is Satan’s own. The man who walked peacefully out of the pool is no longer there, but rather is tangled and bound beneath a mass of strong spirits who have ‘taken over’ Al. The man who, were his childhood more like Jim’s, might easily have actually been Jim, has no power to resist.

So it is, when Toni is readying to finish the day, getting ready to close the pool and walk out to her car and head home, she notices something. As she readies to lock the gate, something near her car that catches her attention. Surprisingly, she sees that parked directly next to her car is another car, and within it is Al. Toni quickly pulls out her phone and hits speed-dial for Barney as instructed. As he answers the phone, she simply says “It’s Toni the life guard.” Barney immediately understands that this is a very serious situation, and is again grateful for the insight within him to be proven accurate, even if sad that it is necessary.

A quick conversation determines her location and after telling her to reenter the pool area and get herself somewhere safe, Barney both gets in the car and heads right to the pool. He also calls Jim and team, that they all do the same. All units responding.

Toni for her part re-enters the pool, calmly, not looking fearful. To Al as he is watching, he finds it all the better that he should be able to enter in and find her alone, and himself quickly exits the car and proceeds to follow after her.

Toni immediately locks herself in the filter room, and within 2 minutes sirens are being heard about the place. Al for his part must flee, yet quickly yells through the filter room door he had just been pounding on; for he suddenly has found that he has just ‘come to himself’, that he is sorry and he doesn’t know why he did it. “It wasn’t him” he thinks to himself as he then flees, to either be caught that night or some time the next day.

In the end, again, we find not only authority being properly enforced, but also wisdom as to the ways of evil and thus a people able to protect their own.

Now, importantly, we need to take a moment to see what would have happened if the situation had gone a different way:

Let’s say that Toni, when she had first encountered Al in the pool, and having all things proceeded as they did the first time through. Whereupon she endeavors to call Bob her boss for help and her direct line of authority, Bob in this case were to respond to Toni:

“Toni, I don’t know what to tell you. These things just happen. Manage it as best you can. <click>”

In this case, Al, an evil man overrun by demons, himself spiritually gifted to detect such weakness in authority, would discern in very little time both from Toni’s demeanor, (for the confident woman from above would rather be replaced with a pensive woman of 110 lbs. who would try to manage the pool under these lawless conditions). The lack of response over time who be a direct invitation for Al to understand one thing lovely to his heart and mind and the spirits raging within him:

Al is now in control. Al is the authority. For Al has learned one thing quite well: If there is no authority over him to control or prevent him from doing what it is that he wants to do, then that means that now Al is the authority. He can do all according to his own heart, especially over time. Whereas above Toni was upheld and honored by those who are righteous, now Toni will have to herself submit to Al and his whims, for he will overpower her.

What might at first begin to a place where Al brings in his buddies and drinks, parties, etc… all the while he tells Toni that whenever Bob calls, she is to say “all is well”. And she must obey…

In time this can turn into such a worse situation. One where Toni quickly become not just a ‘personal life guard’ to order around, but rather a personal ‘girl’ to Al. Terribly, she soon finds herself being subjected to all manner of worse and worse abuse. Before long she might have to accompany Al to bars, parties, and not too long after, this good, strong and upright girl is herself becoming a child of Belial and lawlessness.

This is what happens when the righteous have no responsive authority to turn to. In this case, the ruler of the pool goes from being Bob, through Toni as enforced by Barney and Jim. It now becomes Bob for pay and bare resources, with Al for on-site execution of duties. Bob is none the wiser, Barney and Jim are unable to respond or help, for they are simply unaware.

For here is the truth: All things are always under authority. Always. Nothing exists in creation that is not subject to some authority. The only question is whether or not that authority is good or evil.