Bats in the Cemetery

I often visit the cemetery near our church building. I go there to study and pray and rehearse my sermons. One evening I was rehearsing a sermon called Fear Factor. My sermon manuscripts are five pages long and I rehearse each page aloud five times. That evening I was concentrating on my sermon and didn’t notice how late it was until it was almost too dark to read my manuscript. I looked up and saw several bats swooping around my head. I found myself ducking and weaving, fearing the bats were going to fly into me. Then it occurred to me – I’ve been practicing this sermon on fear but I was afraid of those silly bats. So I stood up straight and tall and said out loud, “In the name of Jesus Christ I refuse to allow these bats to ruin my time with God!” I immediately felt confident and walked on, preaching my sermon aloud from memory. It may seem insignificant or silly to others but this little experience taught me some important lessons. Fear can make you walk funny. Fear steals your confidence and is very distracting. It’s hard to concentrate when you are afraid – even if it’s something as insignificant as bats. But when you call on the name of Jesus he gives you courage immediately. Faith overcomes fear. If you practice this in the little things it prepares your for the big challenges.