Did you know that during Billy Graham’s 1959 Australia crusade, a group of men conspired to assassinate the preacher? They were going to do this with homemade zip guns. If you weren’t around then, you have probably never heard the story. I sure hadn’t.

During the crusade, 10 different men planned to assassinate Rev. Graham because they hated Christianity, hated God, and hated the Jesus that he proclaimed. The ten men waited until the altar call, and once it was given, they stepped foot onto the field, ready to act. Each one was positioned where they could see the others.

But something happened.

As Rev. Graham was preaching, one man looked around and asked himself, “Why are all these people here?” To his amazement, there was a response. “Why are you here?” He looked around and couldn’t see anyone near enough to talk so clearly to him. The voice continued. It wasn’t the voice of any man though. It was the voice of God.

By the time Rev. Graham was ready to pray, the man put his gun on the ground and proceeded forward, giving his life to Christ. He wasn’t alone, though. Out of the ten men intending to assassinate Rev. Graham that night, nine of them gave their lives to Christ.

Sounds like an amazing story, right? It is. But what’s even more amazing is that it’s not the only story, just the most prolific. Growing up on the tail end of Rev. Graham’s ministry crusades, I didn’t pay much attention to them. I remember them being televised, but not much else. But by the time I accepted Christ, he had retired from full-time evangelistic work, at least from what I can recall. So I never heard these stories. And then I heard this one.

Rev. Graham was continually targeted for assassination. Over the years, his crusades received numerous bomb threats. Every incident either turned out to be a hoax or the suspicious object was found and taken out safely. The same thing happened when a letter bomb was sent to his ministry—it was intercepted and safely defused, harming no one. Throughout the years, plots against him arose and were thwarted. You don’t find much on it though because all the reporting done was on the success of the crusades, not someone trying to stop them.

That should be an example to us. There are several things—people, maybe even, and especially forces of the enemy—that are trying to stop us, bring us down, silence us. But we shouldn’t focus on those things. We should focus on the important things—what Jesus said, what Jesus did, and what we believe.

When the devil came to tempt Jesus, He didn’t hold a conversation with him. He just repeated what the Word said. We should do likewise.

During Rev. Graham’s ministry, there were several incidents where violence was threatened, yet nothing occurred, such as his 16-week 1957 Madison Square Garden crusade. Think about that! Sixteen consecutive weeks in Madison Square Garden!

No other event has ever matched that at Madison Square Garden.

Rev. Billy Graham was known for preaching the Gospel—Christ did for your sins—and that’s about it. Yes, he preached on other things, but that is what he was and is known for. He didn’t get off on those attacks, and look what he accomplished. We too should stay focused on what God has done in our lives, confronting those things the devil brings our way with what Christ has already done.

If we focus on Christ and not the opposition, there’s no telling what all we can accomplish.