Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul. (Psalm 66:16, NKJV)
Everyone has a story to tell. I have mine; you have yours. And each of our life stories is different because God found us in different places at different points in our lives.
I grew up on a church pew, brought from birth by faithful parents with a strong commitment to God. Others met the Lord and were filled with His Spirit as an adult or even late life. Our stories are all different, some more dramatic than others, but we are all sinners saved by God’s grace. Even though I grew up attending church, I had my own personal encounter with God. I could not inherit my experience from my parents.
Although my story began well, but not all do. Such was the case of the Samaritan woman in John 4. We call her “the woman at the well” because that is where she met Jesus. The Bible gives us little of her backstory, only that she had a number of husbands and was living with yet another man. Her lifestyle must have shamed her, for she came to the well in the heat of the day when others would not be about. John relates how her encounter with Jesus gave her boldness to hurry into the city and tell others about the Man she had met.
The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him. (John 4:28-30, NKJV)
Mark 5 tells the heartbreaking story of a man crazed by demons. He lived alone among the tombs, a wild man beyond human help. Yet an encounter with Jesus began a new storyline for him. Jesus freed him from the torment and restored his mind. In thankfulness, the man begged to go with Jesus, but the Lord told him to remain and tell his story to those who knew him.
And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. (Mark 5:18-20 NKJV)
Many feel inept when telling others about the Lord. We are not Bible scholars and often feel inadequate when explaining God’s plan of salvation. Yet, all we really need to do is tell our story. We connect with others when we share our personal experience with the Lord. God can use our story to change their life, offer them fresh hope, and set them on a new path. Even if our words aren’t smooth or impressive, our testimony will show that God transforms lives today.
Remember this:
- Your testimony is powerful. You tell it best.
- Keep it simple. Lofty terms and “churchy” words may only confuse them.
- Keep Jesus as the center of your story.
- God’s Spirit gives you power to witness (Acts 1:8).
Whether raised on a church pew or set free from a life of deep sin and shame, your story will speak to someone’s heart. Always be ready and willing to “declare what He has done for my soul.”
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