Happy Friday Beautiful People! I hope you are having an amazing day so far. Today I want to talk to you about the “Power of Your Testimony” as a Christian.

If you are like me, you probably grew up in a world where people didn’t share their testimonies. Although I was surrounded by Christians my whole life, I often felt like the Christians around me had perfect lives. It seemed like they never sinned, and even felt like God loved them more than me. As I grew older, I desired to have a more intimate relationship with God, but the problem was I couldn’t relate to anyone around me. At the time, people at my Church were older and often played a self-righteous role. They constantly taught the youth not to do this and go there or do that, but they never gave us a real reason why we shouldn’t do certain things. Furthermore, these people never shared their testimony of their past and how they came to know the Lord. Instead of trying to relate to us, they became cryptic of us. As a result,  I did what most people do when they want to know God but don’t have direction from the church… I searched outside the church. 

During my search, I was very specific about the kind of people I was looking for. I was looking for people who had messed up pasts but still overcame. I searched for people who looked like me and would be open enough to share their journeys. That’s when the Lord led me to discover people like Pastor Mike Todd, Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts, Christina Kwarteng, Jackie Hill Perry, and many others. These people shared their story of salvation with confidence and love. They talked about how they overcame some of the craziest things in life through Christ. As a result of their testimonies, I took the time to discover the deep things of God for myself. Instead of looking at God as a cruel entity who wants perfection, I began to look at him as a God of LOVE. I also began to discover the true and rich nature of God, and this all happened because someone decided to share their testimony.

When I sit back and think about it, I can not help but wonder what my life would be like if I never found these people. I probably would never have known the true character of God. I probably wouldn’t be going to church and maybe would have easily fallen away from the Christian faith. Some of you are probably reading this and thinking “Joyce are you serious? ” See y’all have no idea what I’ve been through. I was in a very low place in my life, and I needed people who would be real and transparent about their relationship with God. I believe that the people I mentioned above were not only bold enough to share their testimonies, but they knew what power their testimonies had. 

Now before I tell you why YOU should share your testimony, let me first say that I truly believe that God allows us to go through certain things to be a light in a world full of darkness. He allows us to walk through some of the toughest seasons in life so that when we come across people with similar stories as ours, we can share the love of God with them. God wants us to be relatable to others. I mean that’s the reason he came into the world in the first place. God wanted to relate to his creation so much that he left his throne and became a man. He wanted to show us that he understands everything we are going through and that we can trust and follow his love. Now that Jesus is in Heaven, I believe that he has given each of us the power to be relatable. See, when we don’t share our testimonies, we can often unknowingly keep people from knowing the love of God.

As some of you are reading along, I’m sure you are saying to yourself “I haven’t had a crazy past experience, so what testimony do I have to share?” The fact that you woke up this morning and are able to read this post is a testimony alone. What you think may be minor could very well be powerful to someone else. EVERYONE has a testimony because no one is perfect. Just go to God and ask him what he wants you to share for his glory. Now that I’ve given you some background info about testimonies, let me tell you more about why YOUR testimony is powerful.

YOUR TESTIMONY MAKES YOU RELATABLE

I know I mentioned this earlier, but I had to make this the first point because it is so important. Can you imagine if you lived in a world where everyone was perfect and only acted one way? You would not be able to relate to anyone because they are all the same. God made us all different for a reason. He knew that we would encounter certain people in our lives so that we could relate to them. For example, I may not be able to relate to the youth pastor who portrays a perfect life down the street, but I may be able to relate to a choir member I met at Walmart because her story is similar to mine. Now that she has shared her testimony with me, I join the Church, I get saved, and now I have a relationship with the father. Amazing right?  

I tell my teenage class all the time that I don’t come from a perfect past. I’ve struggled with the spirit of lust, I’ve been heartbroken, I’ve been depressed, and by the grace of God, I’m still overcoming. I still remember the looks on their face when I told them about my past. They were shocked because prior to me they never had a teacher who was honest and vulnerable with them. This isn’t to say that their previous teachers were bad. The issue is they were older and just couldn’t relate to them and what they were going through. On the other hand, I could relate more because I was around their age group, I grew up in America, and I have experienced many of the same challenges they have. My relatability to them made them feel comfortable about sharing personal and emotional situations with me. Do you now see how God uses our differences and similarities to make us relatable to others?

YOUR TESTIMONY IS YOUR GROUND TO SHAME THE DEVIL

I’m sure you all have heard the saying “Tell the truth and shame the devil.” This quote basically means that even though you may not want to share the truth, do it so that you can shut down the kingdom of hell.  Another quote I like is in Revelation 12:11 and it says “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.” This scripture honestly speaks for itself. Your testimony is a weapon that threatens hell. You silence the attack of the enemy over your life when you share your testimony with others. Not to mention, Jesus blood already sanctifies us. His blood makes us pure and white as snow. The fact that he died and rose should give you confidence about sharing what God has helped you overcome. 

Never forget that because you are a child of God, Satan has no authority over you. The devil knows that he can’t silence you, but he doesn’t want you to know this. Chileee you gotta speak back to satan and remind him what the word of God says. You are an overcomer. You are a light. Don’t let a fallen creature who is living on earth ILLEGALLY (Satan needs to be arrested bruh) stop you from releasing hope into the world mkkayy! 

YOUR TESTIMONY MAKES YOU UNIQUE

 No one has a testimony like you, that is why God gave it to YOU. You are unique and loved by Him (Don’t ever forget that). I also want you to know that it is okay to be DIFFERENT! One of the reasons why I love Jackie Hill Perry is because her testimony is soooo unique and different. Having a homosexual background and then getting saved, falling in love with an ex-gang banger, getting married, and having kids is very unique, if you ask me. Yet, do you know how many homosexuals have repented and given their life to Christ because of her testimony? What about how many men stopped judging females with homosexual backgrounds because of her testimony? Do you think God was intentional about all this? The answer is YES! The Lord knew that when he created Jackie, she would fall into this sinful lifestyle. The Lord also knew that he could use this to give him glory. 

Let me tell y’all a story real quick. Do you remember when Mary and Martha sent a message to Jesus and his disciples stating that Lazarus, Mary and Martha’s brother, was sick? Do you remember how Jesus responded to this? In John chapter 11, Jesus said that Lazarus’ death was intentional. He said that this happened so that the son of God will receive glory. God had a purpose behind Lazaruses sickness just like he had a purpose for Paul’s past, Jackie’s past, and even your past. When Jesus raised Lazurus from the dead, God was indeed given glory and Lazurus now had a very unique testimony to share with the world. God makes our stories unique for a reason, and you should take joy in that!

YOUR TESTIMONY IS YOURS! DONT ALLOW ANYONE TO STOP YOU FROM SHARING WHAT GOD HAS HELPED YOU OVERCOME

For a long time people felt like they had to be silent about their testimonies, especially if they came from an African or Caribbean background. A lot of times if you talk “ill” about your family, it is like putting shame on your family’s name. Furthermore, if you share an experience you had with an ex or old friend, people think you are being salty or even rude. I think you can respectfully share your testimony without “embarrassing” your family’s name or being disrespectful to someone from your past. The purpose of your testimony isn’t to bash anyone. The purpose is to inform and bring light to a situation that could help someone. Also, don’t forget that God wants you to be relatable (I will keep saying this). Even if your family or friends feel like you are saying too much, just take the matter to God. It is better to obey God and give your testimony than to worry about the feelings of a human being, even if it is family (Matthew 10:35).

YOUR TESTIMONY BRINGS LIGHT NOT FEAR! DON’T BE AFRAID OF WHAT MAN WILL SAY ABOUT YOU OR YOUR PAST: THEIR OPINIONS DON’T MATTER

Sometimes we can be scared to share our testimony and what God has helped us overcome because we are afraid of what people will say. Let me remind you that the Bible says when you give your life to Christ you are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). If people are still judging you for sins in your past, then bump them and leave the vengeance to God. Sometimes people forget that when they are judging you, they are actually judging the God who created you. Don’t allow someone to make you feel bad about something you once did. You are no longer that person. Plus, you are not sharing your testimony to get approval from a man. You are sharing this for the glory of God! When someone comes across your testimony and sees how you have overcome, they will want to know the God you serve. Do you know how many angels will rejoice in heaven because of that? Chileee forget what other people think, their opinions are useless you hear me? USELESS! 

**Also, if you struggle with intimidation, and caring about what people think of you, read “Breaking Intimidation: Say “No” without feeling guilty. Be secure without the Approval of Man.” This book changed my WHOLE life, and I believe that it will change yours too!

In conclusion, remember that your testimony has the power to change the world. It has the power to change lives and bring restoration to many. When you share your testimony, you are telling others about the goodness and never-ending love of our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope that after reading this, you will be encouraged to go out into the world and share your testimony with fearlessness and boldness.  Have a blessed weekend family!

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