"Well after my parents abandoned me, I tried to rob a bank and I landed in prison at the age of 14 where I got hooked on drugs. I was an alcoholic by the age of 16 and I later found myself in rehab. One night Jesus appeared to me in a dream and told me if I didn't get my life right I was going to die. I surrendered my life to Christ and from that moment on I have been faithfully serving the Lord and my life is awesome."
I have heard testimonies like that, and they are powerful! But since my story sounded NOTHING like that, for the longest time I just assumed I had no testimony. I have never broken the law (minus the occasional speeding ticket, oops), I have never done drugs, I have never had a single sip of alcohol in my life, I didn't go through the "typical" rebellious teenager phase, and I grew up with two parents who could be the poster children for a curriculum on Godly parenting. I had convinced myself that God was never going to be able to use my story because it just wasn't bad enough. The very thought that I needed to have an extra "bad" life to have an extra "good" testimony makes me laugh now.
Some of us as Christians have come to view our testimony as an opportunity to air our dirty laundry and prove just how bad we were before we encountered Christ. We boast in the fact that we were the worst sinners as if that makes Jesus more of a savior. That's not even what the word testimony means! A testimony is our opportunity to testify about the goodness and faithfulness of God in our lives. I don't need to go and purposefully do really bad, illegal things to prove that my God is really good. Rule followers are in just as much need of God as rule breakers. When I took the focus off of myself and put the spotlight on God, I realized that my testimony was just as powerful as the testimonies of my friends who have stories like the one I mentioned above.
Now that I have a more clear understanding of what it means to have a testimony and to share that story with the world, I jump at the opportunity. I love sitting down over coffee and pouring my heart out to anyone who can benefit from the story of God's faithfulness in my life. So, what is my testimony? I would love to tell you.
My testimony is the fact that I never thought I had one. I grew up in an incredible family. My mom and dad pastor one of the best churches on the face of the planet, and I was exposed to the Gospel at a very early age. When I was four years old, I made a very conscious, very sincere decision to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I fully understood that I was in just as much need of Him as the most hardened criminal. The Gospel is for everyone, after all. I was not the perfect child by any means, but really, is there such a thing? Growing up, I battled with fear, habitual sin, a bad attitude, insecurities, and other things that make me human, but God consistently displayed His grace and favor, and was my constant companion as I walked through those things with Him. Thankfully, He still shows that same grace and favor as I walk through new battles with Him to this day.
Because my mom and dad were firm believers in the fact that even young people can do ministry, I had a ton of opportunities to serve the Kingdom as a child, and I loved it! I had the opportunity even as a pre-teen and then teenager to lead worship, teach the Bible, feed our people, and just love on those who needed it most. The summer before eighth grade, I heard the call of God on my life to do full-time ministry for the very first time and that is the call that I continue to pursue to this day. I haven't lived a life free of sickness, or sin, or problems by any means, but I have lived a life that has been very protected by God… for a purpose. With an understanding of the call of God on my life, there have been a lot of things that I have had to say no to when others were saying yes. I said no to listening to secular music in high school, I said no to dating, I said no to watching movies that would not edify me, I said no to parties and drinking, and I said yes to a life ruled by Jesus. I decided to be set apart for God.
All throughout the Bible, we see instances of God setting people apart specifically to do something for His Kingdom. When he was just a boy, God gave Samuel his first message for the people and set him apart as a prophet to the nation of Israel. When God called Gideon, He told him to consecrate himself, or set himself apart, so that he could be used by God. When Jesus sent the disciples to fetch the donkey that He would use for His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, He instructed them to bring Him a donkey that no man had ever ridden before. The colt had been tied up for God's purposes and now the very first person to break him in would be Jesus himself. I allowed myself to be tied up for God so that I could carry His Gospel to the world.
Now let me add this disclaimer just to be completely clear. If your story looks more like the second paragraph of this blog and a little less like mine, I am NOT saying God cannot use you. He can and He will use you to reach people that I will never be able to reach. I don't know what it's like to grow up without a dad, or to have battled a drug addiction, or to have been set free from an undesirable upbringing. I can speak truth from the Word of God to people in those situations, but I will never be able to tell them "I have been there and this is what God did in me."You have the ability to walk them through that thing at a level I will never be able to without the supernatural intervention of God. I am also NOT saying that I'm the perfect little girl who can count the total number of mistakes I've made on my right hand.
MY POINT IS THIS… no matter who you are, where you've come from, and how your story sounds, GOD CAN AND WANTS TO USE IT. Your problems are not to big nor are they too small to be a tool of redemption in the hand of God. Your testimony is not about you, but it about the faithful God who brought you to where you are today. Our testimonies are one of our biggest weapons against the enemy.
"And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and BY THEIR TESTIMONY. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die." Revelation 12:11
Some of us as Christians have come to view our testimony as an opportunity to air our dirty laundry and prove just how bad we were before we encountered Christ. We boast in the fact that we were the worst sinners as if that makes Jesus more of a savior. That's not even what the word testimony means! A testimony is our opportunity to testify about the goodness and faithfulness of God in our lives. I don't need to go and purposefully do really bad, illegal things to prove that my God is really good. Rule followers are in just as much need of God as rule breakers. When I took the focus off of myself and put the spotlight on God, I realized that my testimony was just as powerful as the testimonies of my friends who have stories like the one I mentioned above.
Now that I have a more clear understanding of what it means to have a testimony and to share that story with the world, I jump at the opportunity. I love sitting down over coffee and pouring my heart out to anyone who can benefit from the story of God's faithfulness in my life. So, what is my testimony? I would love to tell you.
My testimony is the fact that I never thought I had one. I grew up in an incredible family. My mom and dad pastor one of the best churches on the face of the planet, and I was exposed to the Gospel at a very early age. When I was four years old, I made a very conscious, very sincere decision to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I fully understood that I was in just as much need of Him as the most hardened criminal. The Gospel is for everyone, after all. I was not the perfect child by any means, but really, is there such a thing? Growing up, I battled with fear, habitual sin, a bad attitude, insecurities, and other things that make me human, but God consistently displayed His grace and favor, and was my constant companion as I walked through those things with Him. Thankfully, He still shows that same grace and favor as I walk through new battles with Him to this day.
Because my mom and dad were firm believers in the fact that even young people can do ministry, I had a ton of opportunities to serve the Kingdom as a child, and I loved it! I had the opportunity even as a pre-teen and then teenager to lead worship, teach the Bible, feed our people, and just love on those who needed it most. The summer before eighth grade, I heard the call of God on my life to do full-time ministry for the very first time and that is the call that I continue to pursue to this day. I haven't lived a life free of sickness, or sin, or problems by any means, but I have lived a life that has been very protected by God… for a purpose. With an understanding of the call of God on my life, there have been a lot of things that I have had to say no to when others were saying yes. I said no to listening to secular music in high school, I said no to dating, I said no to watching movies that would not edify me, I said no to parties and drinking, and I said yes to a life ruled by Jesus. I decided to be set apart for God.
All throughout the Bible, we see instances of God setting people apart specifically to do something for His Kingdom. When he was just a boy, God gave Samuel his first message for the people and set him apart as a prophet to the nation of Israel. When God called Gideon, He told him to consecrate himself, or set himself apart, so that he could be used by God. When Jesus sent the disciples to fetch the donkey that He would use for His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, He instructed them to bring Him a donkey that no man had ever ridden before. The colt had been tied up for God's purposes and now the very first person to break him in would be Jesus himself. I allowed myself to be tied up for God so that I could carry His Gospel to the world.
Now let me add this disclaimer just to be completely clear. If your story looks more like the second paragraph of this blog and a little less like mine, I am NOT saying God cannot use you. He can and He will use you to reach people that I will never be able to reach. I don't know what it's like to grow up without a dad, or to have battled a drug addiction, or to have been set free from an undesirable upbringing. I can speak truth from the Word of God to people in those situations, but I will never be able to tell them "I have been there and this is what God did in me."You have the ability to walk them through that thing at a level I will never be able to without the supernatural intervention of God. I am also NOT saying that I'm the perfect little girl who can count the total number of mistakes I've made on my right hand.
MY POINT IS THIS… no matter who you are, where you've come from, and how your story sounds, GOD CAN AND WANTS TO USE IT. Your problems are not to big nor are they too small to be a tool of redemption in the hand of God. Your testimony is not about you, but it about the faithful God who brought you to where you are today. Our testimonies are one of our biggest weapons against the enemy.
"And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and BY THEIR TESTIMONY. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die." Revelation 12:11
