We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 1 John 1:1, NLT.
Our testimonies are powerful when we share them with others. Every healing, every time God provided a need for you, and every time He made a way where there seemed to be no way is a testimony—your testimony.
One of the greatest things we can do in our life is share the love of God with someone. Telling your story about how you came to know Christ will make you relatable and it will encourage others to experience similar things.
Sometimes, when we envision telling our testimony, it is only to those who are lost or backslidden, but I have found that sharing our story with other Christians is powerful, too. It is so easy to look around the sanctuary and think, “they have obviously had a charmed life.” However, when we are brave enough to share our trials, struggles, past victories and defeats with each other, then we realize there is common ground—the foot of the cross.
You can make an eternal impact just by sharing what God has done in your life. A testimony is about God’s goodness, not ours.
Tips on Sharing your Testimony:
I believe it is so vital to learn how to share our testimony effectively. Many times people will not want to hear a sermon, but they will be willing to listen to your experiences with the Lord.
- Write down your testimony. Consider writing your experiences in order to limit confusion with too many facts. Ask yourself, is this relatable? What are the highlights and lowlights of my testimony? Do I feel passionate about what I’m about to share?
- Share what you were like before you gave your heart to Jesus. What was your struggle? How did Jesus make a way? You don’t need to go into detail about the sins you committed, but you can generalize certain things to keep a positive boundary of privacy.
- Tell how you came to Christ and explain how God turned your life around. Did someone teach you a Bible study? Did you pray a particular prayer and God answered? Did you have an addiction and God delivered you? People need to know that our God is powerful, forgiving, and a healing God.
- How has your life changed? Explain why living for God is the best decision you have ever made.
Additional questions to ponder:
- When was the first time I felt the love of God?
- What miracles have I witnessed?
- When did I choose to commit my life to the Lord?
- What did God deliver me from?
- How has God changed my family, my marriage, and my relationships?
- How has God taken a painful memory and used it for His glory?
- When did God provide a financial need in my life? What did He do?
- Think of a time when God gave you a second, third, forth chance.
- How does it make you feel that His love is unconditional?
- How have you witnessed forgiveness and redemption in your personal life?
The longer I live for God the more testimonies I have. I’ve learned which ones to share with people at different times, depending on their needs and growth level.
The most important thing you can do is share your heart. The most impactful messages and testimonies I’ve heard are not the ones that are polished and perfectly spoken, but the ones that touched my heart, moved me to tears, and encouraged me to seek the Lord on a deeper level.
You have a story to tell and God will use your unique experiences to minister to others.
To get started, feel free to comment below about something God has done in your life.
Prayer:
Lord, I pray that You would give me courage to share my testimony with others. I hope that my life’s story will encourage others to pursue a relationship with You. I pray that you will open doors with my friends, family, coworkers, and strangers I come into contact with. In Jesus name. Amen.
2 Comments
God delivered me from chains of addiction. Through my using He kept me safe and towards the end of it He healed me from a horrible infection known as endocarditis which I had got through my using. The infection had damaged my body and my heart and left me at deaths door. I was in the hospital almost 3 months. Through the prayers of my family and so many other people He began to heal my body allowing the drs to do open heart surgery to replace a damaged valve. I never thought I’d be able to live life again without the craving of wanting to use drugs and about six months after the healing of my body I was sitting in the back of a police car and God completely took away the taste and craving of wanting to use drugs! Today I am almost 6 years clean from any mind or mood altering drugs and I give all the glory to Him. My God can do the impossible!
When we were trying to establish a home missions church, my husband couldn’t find emplyment for much above minimum wage, and nearly an hour away. Money was tight. There was a time when all we had to eat was oatmeal. I fed the girls breakfast, ages 1 and 4 years, then tried to keep them busy so we could skip lunch and they wouldn’t notice. I had $1 and planned to buy a package of hot dogs for supper. That afternoon, a station wagon (that dates me) pulled into our driveway loaded with groceries. There was so much food that we had to share 5 bags, lest it would spoil, with a needy family to whom we were teaching Bible study. What a blessing!