Our Testimony Truly Has Power To Impact Lives
Our testimony is how Jesus shines His light on others in this world. What your story says about how Jesus worked in your life, touches and impacts lives around us.
Sharing our testimony doesn’t have to be something daunting and scary or structured and perfect. Really, it is simply telling our story of how Jesus stepped into our life and the difference He made in our life.
Often times I think we short change the power of our testimony.
How many times have I heard and been impacted by someone else’s salvation testimony of what Jesus saved them from and how He stepped in and changed their life? SO MANY TIMES!
I have heard people share how they were drowning in their own sin and bad choices and wanted Jesus to save them, but weren’t sure if He was even real. How many times have I heard someone say that in a very dark moment in their life, they prayed something like, “God if you are real and if you will save me from this, I will follow You.”? SO MANY TIMES!
And in the moment of praying prayers like that, God responds and reveals Himself.
No Two Testimonies Are Alike
A friend of mines shares his testimony of feeling like He didn’t have a testimony. He was raised in a Christian home and raised going to church. He never really veered off the Christian path, and never lived a deeply sinful life. However, he always recognized his sin, even when he didn’t live blatantly wild or rebellious. My friend saw people like me with a “saved from a dark past” testimony and thought his testimony somehow lacked power and effectiveness.
This friend of mine is a potter and he shares his testimony while demonstrating pottery. He shares all the ways God taught him and revealed Himself to him while working with the clay. It is so interesting to me how much he felt that he didn’t have a powerful testimony because I love hearing his testimony. His testimony is so beautiful because he was able to see how desperately he needed Jesus and the life that Jesus offered, just as much as someone like me who had lived in a pit.
His story shines brightly because it didn’t take a pit for Jesus to get his attention. For me, I went to the depths of the pit before I looked up and looked to Jesus for deliverance and salvation.
Our Testimonies Are Like Fingerprints.
Fingerprints vary from person to person. No two fingerprints are exactly the same. Our fingerprints identify who we are. Testimonies vary from person to person. No two testimonies are exactly the same. Our testimony identifies who we are in Christ.
As bad of a life as I lived pre-Jesus, there are probably people saved from even worse sins than mine. Swing the pendulum to the other side of the “how bad were you” scale and you might find my friend’s story. Then, there are all the stories that fall somewhere in-between.
Think About How Your Testimony Identifies Who You Are In Christ.
As you think about your own story, I want to share mine. Many times when I go speak somewhere, I am asked to share my testimony and the way I do that is with a bag full of chains.
I was raised in a loving Christian home with parents who took me to church every time the doors opened. They taught me about Jesus and gave me every reason to walk with Jesus. However, I did not. The initial part of my story reminds me that Scripture teaches that we are born with a sin nature. So sharing my testimony from birth, I always begin with one set of chains that attests to the sin nature that we all are born with. Now every time you see the word “chains” in my testimony below, think about the devil putting chains around me.
My Past Life Story
(Click her to watch my Chains Testimony)
I was raped at 13 years old – chains.
Two weeks later I attempted suicide – chains.
At 15 I went through a nasty church split – chains.
I faced teenage pregnancy, got married, had a miscarriage, and got a divorce in less than 1 year when I was 16 years old – chains.
At 18 I met the “man of my dreams” in a bar – chains.
I hoped he was the one who would make life right. We married and had two precious little girls, but our life was a mess. Drinking was pretty much my daily way of life.
During that time, I was introduced me to things of the occult and I began to investigate other religions. I got deep into the New Age Spirituality and basically believed that you could do what you want as long as you don’t hurt anyone and what is true for one might not be true for someone else – chains.
My daddy who meant everything to me died when I was 24– chains.
I could not understand why God took the one person who loved me unconditionally.
Marriage #2 fell apart – chains.
I married man #3 at 30 years.
6 Months Later I Met Jesus
Jesus began to change my life, one issue, one step, one day at a time. Twenty five years later, my testimony is that Jesus has done so much for me. He changed my life in so many ways that it blows me away to think back across my life and see all that He has done. He changed me, my marriage, my kids, my finances, my temperament, my heart, my mind, and He is still changing me even today.
And they overcame by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.
Revelation 12:11a
I believe that every time we tell our testimony, we shine Jesus’ light on others and He uses that to touch and impact the world around us.
Dear Sister,
Don’t discount your testimony. It has anointing and power. Jesus gave you spiritual victories that make up your story what He uses to touch people in your life. Let the beauty of His story in your life shine into the places he has you in this world.
