Your Testimony is Powerful
– written by Chrisme Visagie
On Sunday Hennie and I had the opportunity to share our testimony in church and we enjoyed it so much. I just realised again how important it is to share our testimonies with each other and I wanted to share some thought about that with you today.
Firstly…
What is a testimony?
A testimony is someone’s account of what they saw or what they experienced. To witness about something, means exactly the same thing. You cannot testify or witness about something, unless you have personally experienced it. When we share our testimony as Christian with someone, we tell them about what the Lord has done in our lives.
Why is it important to share our testimony?
1. Jesus commanded us to!
In Mark 5 we can read the story of the man posessed by many demons. When Jesus freed him, he wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus commanded him: “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” (Mark 5:19)
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
1 Peter 3:5 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
God wants us to always be prepared and ready to witness for him, but He promised that the Holy Spirit will help us!
Luke 12:12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say
John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you
If you have never shared your testimony, it can be quite daunting, but it is actually very simple. Simply tell your story by breaking it up into 3 parts:
- My life before Christ
- How I met Christ
- My life since meeting Christ
Remember to keep the focus on Jesus. “Your” testimoy is actually not “your” testimony, but a testimony of the goodness of God in your life!
Look at how Paul shares his testimony in Acts 22 and in Acts 26, this is a great framework to use when writing your own testimony.
If you need some more tips on how to share your testimony, check out this short article by Shelby Abbot: 6 Principles for Sharing Your Testimony, or watch this video: How to share your testimony in 6 minutes
2. To remind ourselves about God’s faithfulness
The Psalms are full of examples where David reminds himself about the goodness and faithfulness of God. Whenever he was dispondent, he would call to remembrance something that God has done in his life (or in the lives of the Israelites) and this would encourage him and give him the confidence and hope to continue.
Psalm 63:6-7 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
1 Sam 17:34-37 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
In Deuteronomy, God commands the Israelites to never forget “the things your eyes has seen“. Sharing our testimony with others is a great way of securing it in our own hearts, so that we will not forget it. The more you tell it, the more real it becomes!
Deut 4:9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren.
This verse also commands us to share our testimonies with our children. This brings us to the next point….
3. To share God’s goodness with others and encourage them
As seen above, Deut 4:9 commands us to share our testimonies, what we have seen and experienced, with our children and grandchildren. We sometimes forget how important it is to share our stories with our children. My husband and I try and make a point of telling our children our lifestories and how God directed our ways. Even though they are young, it is important that they hear these stories again and again.
We already saw how Jesus commanded the man who was demon-posessed to go home and tell others what God has done for him, but let’s just look at the next verse as well:
Mark 5:20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.
People will marvel at your testimony! People may doubt a teaching or a sermon from a preacher, but no-one can refute your personal testimony – what happened, happened!
Your testimony can also encourage others. Paul was very discouraged at one stage, but the good report (testimony) that Timothy brought back from Thessalonia, encouraged and strengthened him.
1 Thess 3:5-8 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you— therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.
Your testimony is not always just what you say. How you live your life can in itself be a powerful testimony. Jesus said in Matthew 5 that our lives can be a testimony that leads others to glorify God!
Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
4. As a weapon agains satan
Rev 12: 7-11 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”
Satan is real, but God has given us all the weapons and ammunition we need to fight and overcome him. One of the weapons is our testimony!
Every testimony about God we share is a testimony agains Satan! Magnifying the Lord’s name deminishes satan’s power! In Ephesians 6 we read about the armour we need to put on to fight this spiritual battle. The the belt, the breastplate, the shoes, the shield adn the helmet are all defensive equipment to protect us, but the Sword of the Spirit, THE WORD, is our weapon that can hurt the enemy!
I hope and trust that what I have shared here, will challenge and encourage you to pick up your sword – your testimony – and fight!
Remember the Holy Spirit will guide you and remind you en give you power. Just start!
