July | 2016 | Real Life on Rocky Top

The Bat Attack: 3 Ways to Overcome Fear

Jul 26 2016

I’m reposting by request and because it compliments Preacher’s sermon this past Sunday.

It had been raining for days on Rocky Top so my brown rocker outside had been eluding me. The forecast last night had given me hope of sunshine for the coming day.

I woke up suddenly to thuds against my windows. I sat up and said loud enough for the Preacher to wake up…..What is that noise?? He did wake up, stumbled out of bed and peered through the wooden blinds….It’s just some birds hitting the window. He then plopped back into the bed to sleep until his alarm went off in 15 minutes!

His explanation didn’t satisfy me…..especially when the thuds grew more frequent.

I walked over to the window and looked for myself. Oh my word….Preacher…this isn’t birds….those are bats…..hundreds of bats were flying on my precious back porch, encircling my brown rocking chair…..NO it was not raining but Bats were attacking my home!!!

I went and looked outside the rest of the windows…..bats everywhere!!! They were flying on the front porch, the side porch, the basement porch. We were officially under bat attack!!!

Ok…..think Donna…..you must get rid of these hideous creatures. Not totally sure why they have chosen my house to attack…..but they are’t welcome here. And I refuse to allow them to rob me of my back porch and rocking chair today. I will not live in fear of BATS!

1. I walked around the house and turned on every outside light we had. The sun had risen but due to the clouds and mist, it really was’t that light outside. I remembered from basic science that bats don’t like light…… FEAR doesn’t like light either. When I am fearful, just saying HIs word out loud, declaring His truth drives fear out!

2. I also turned on all the outside ceiling fans. Those bats will have a hard time flying into air that is blowing in the opposite direction. FEAR can’t exist when the wind of the Spirit is blowing. Fear envelopes us when the Holy Spirit is being quenched in our lives.

3. Then I waited patiently. I trusted that the sun would eventually come out and shine brighter. FEAR is no match for faith……a faith that waits patiently for the promises of the Lord.

By the time the Preacher opened the garage door to head off to work, the bats were almost gone! There were a few casualties lying dead on the downstairs back porch……but the rest flew off to find some other home…..a dark cave to sleep in until the sun went down.

When my mind is a dark cave…..void of His truths, His wind of the Spirit and faith…fear will reign. But fear, like bats can’t tolerate the light of His word, the wind of His spirit and a steadfast faith.

Choose to know His Word and speak it out loud on a regular basis…..and watch fear dissipate.
Feed His Spirit within you…..sing His praises out loud, serve others with joy and watch the wind of His spirit blow through your fears! And choose faith….even when it seems dark and dreary in your life…..trust Him, wait upon Him! He is faithful and true!

Bat attack: Fear attack…Conquered! John 8:12; John 1:1-5; I John 4:18; James 1:22-25; II Timothy 1:7; and II Samuel 22:29

The Power is Out!

Jul 08 2016

Up here on Rocky Top the power is out!! We are sitting in the dark. We have a few candles flickering and one huge flashlight but these sources of light do little to illuminate this house or the dark night outside. On Rocky Top when the power goes out, we also have no water due to being on a well. So not only is it dark and hot in the house, very soon it will also be “stinky”! I am hoping you can figure this out without further explanation.

Powerful winds tore over the lake yesterday ripping down trees and huge limbs. The yard is filled with debris.

Preacher drove around looking for “the problem”. God has gifted him with the ability to see the problem, know the solution and speak to it.

About 100 yards from our front door was the problem. A power line was down, coiled up in the middle of the road along with bits and pieces of a large tree.

Knowing the problem, the solution was evident, appropriate calls were made and then we waited for the power to be restored. The line needed to be reconnected to the source of power.

As we waited, news came across my phone of violence in our land. Preacher and I discussed the events of the week in the darkness.

Before we fell asleep, we prayed in the darkness.

“Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for the light but there is darkness…….For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter. TRUTH is missing. The Lord saw that there was no justice, and He was offended. He saw that there was no man and He was amazed that there was no one interceding.”

Isaiah 59:9,14-16

The power lines are down on my street. They are disconnected from the source of power. Yet the power is there. The power has not disappeared. Someone just has to connect the lines to the source.

Too often first thing in the morning I reach for my phone to check Facebook, Twitter, Fox news or messages instead of hitting my knees to intercede and cry out for His power. I choose to not access His power.

Too often I grab my phone to call someone to discuss a situation instead of discussing first with my Father. I choose to look for power in another source instead of the the One true source.

Too often I choose to try and fix something before seeking His truth and His ways first. I attempt to use my own power.

Too often I pass people without seeing them through His eyes and speaking words of love and encouragement. I choose to not let His power flow through me because I am so focused on myself.

Too often I do not open my mouth and share the Good News of Jesus with others. I choose not to let anyone else know about the One power that can change their lives.

God forgive me! God may I not be the one to allow the power lines to stay down. Lord, may I not be the one to keep His power to myself.

I want power on up here on Rocky Top and in my life! Living in the darkness is hot and smelly.

But more than anything, I want to see His power again moving in our nation!

And dear, dear friends who read this blog faithfully, our nation is one big hot, stinky mess because we as believers have allowed the power lines to go down and choose daily to not connect ourselves to His power and intercede for this nation and world.

We must return to our knees and cry out to God for His light to shine in and through us to our world.

“That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness has not overcome.”

John 1:5