.....::::: DON'T BE AFRAID TO SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY :::::.....

Have you ever been in court or at least watched a t.v show where the setting is a courtroom and the bailiff (police officer) asks that the person who is about to speak, to place their hand on the Holy Bible and he then proceeds to say this:

“Do you solemnly swear that the testimony that you are about to give is the truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

Yeah…I know…for those who watch Law & Order or Criminal Minds, this is right up your alley. But how does this apply to us?

A while back, I blogged about how our testimonies can change a life. It’s true! But for some reason, some of us are afraid to share our past experiences…

We are afraid that we will get judged or the person listening will not take into consideration what it is that we are saying because at the end of the day, we are no different then them. We are ashamed because our lives don’t always match what we know God has done in our lives.

But we have misunderstood what testimony is. Testimony is evidence or proof provided by the existence or appearance of something. What that means is that it has to be something true and something that we know. And what do we know better than anyone else? Where we have been and came from. We are to testify to others what God has done in our lives.

But how though?

If we want others to take what we have to say seriously concerning Jesus Christ, we have to show them that our lives reflect His reality. We must do good. We have to talk the talk and walk the walk!

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:10)

Throughout the Bible, Jesus did many miracles and the people He healed or spoke to often ran and told others through testimony. Regardless of what their previous state was, they were unashamed and ran to tell others of what Christ had done!

Speaking of one of Christ’s many miracles, let us look at Paul. Before his personal meeting with Jesus Christ, Paul hated the Christian faith and persecuted Christians without mercy. I have spoken about Him previously in a few of these posts but I can not guarantee that this is the last time you will hear his name in one of these post!

In 1 Timothy 1:15-16, Paul was not interested in creating an image of anything. He was using himself as an example. He was never reluctant to share his past because he knew that by God’s grace, his past failures would serve to bring others to the light. But in this verse, he lowered his guard (transparency) to communicate the Gospel. That is a very important step! People will not always believe that the Gospel is important if it is not a crucial part of your life.

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.” - 1 Timothy 1:15

To make a long story short, people think that God will never forgive and accept them because of their pasts. But when you think that way, think of Paul’s past. He literally went against Jesus’ teachings and had many of Jesus’ followers killed before helping shape the history of Christianity. At times we hesitate to share our past struggles with others because we think that they will judge us or will say that we are no different from them. But in reality, we aren’t. And that is what is amazing with God’s grace! It is available to anyone and everyone! We are no better than anyone else but we do have something in common: there is a God that is willing to forgive us regardless of our sins. All we have to do is repent and seek out Jesus Christ.

Jesus came into the word to save sinners, and no sinner is beyond His saving power. Regardless of your background, your ethnicity, your mistakes, your past choices, your past luggage, your infidelities…REGARDLESS…share your testimony! The world needs Christians who are not afraid to live their faith and share their testimony! In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commands us to go into the world and preach the Gospel but we can only do that when we realize the power and importance of our testimonies. Don’t be afraid to let others know from where Christ reached to save you and all that He has done for you! God does not waste our time; He will use our past and present so we may serve Him with our future. Like a friend of mine would say: "The past is the past!!!" Spread for Christ!

We would love to hear from your testimonies! Contact us via spread4christ@gmail.com and send us your testimonies! Tell us what Jesus Christ has done for you! Stay blessed!

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE :::::.....

Let’s face it…if you are a Christian, there is no UNIQUE or SINGLE way to preach the Gospel to someone (evangelize). Why? Because there are many! One of them is actually with your testimony or past experiences. Even if you aren’t, you will still relate. (I guarantee it!)

What is a testimony? A testimony is a recounting or telling of experiences. 

When we think of our personal testimonies, we say to ourselves, “who would want to listen to me?” or “no, I don’t want someone judging me because of the things I once did. I am no longer that person.” Even though that may be true, your testimony could serve as a launching pad to build someone’s faith. Regardless if you are a Christian or not, everyone has a testimony because we have all been through life changing situations. 

For example, this is a true story, this happened to me this morning. I work during the night at a corner store. And during my shifts, I see a lot of different faces; some new and some old. Some actually stay and talk to me and some are too busy to care. But last weekend, a girl and her friends came in. Sadly, they had all drank alcohool. The girl could barely stand as she came in to buy a pack of cigarettes. As she took her time (evidently because she was “tipsy”), I observed her friends and even her as she sat on the floor looking through her purse for her debit card. Once she told me what she needed, she proceeded to enter her card number so I could hand her the pack of cigarettes. As I stated before, I observed the whole 15 scenario that had happened when she and her friends walked into the corner store. I was intrigued because she told me that she had just came from the hospital. Hard to believe because she had clearly been drinking but I gave her the benefit of the doubt. Then she and her friends left. 

One week later, she and one of her friend’s from the week before made their way into my store again. This time, all of her senses were there but I cannot say the same for her friend. She came to get another pack of cigarettes. Ironically, when she tried to pay for the cigarettes, the transaction was declined because she didn’t have enough money in her bank account. So her friend decided to walk back home and get some money while she stayed in the store because it was kind of chilly outside and she was in her pajamas and a winter coat. So as she stood there waiting, we began to talk. I asked her why she decided to smoke and at what age did she start? She told me that she started at the age of 19. The funny thing is that she actually admitted that the reason she started smoking was because of the influence of her friends. I then asked why won’t she stop even though she knows this. She said it is because of stress. (this next part is where I wanted to get). She then began to open up. She spoke to me about her love life and how her now ex-boyfriend left her for the mother of his child. She told me how she felt; how the guy used her and that he was manipulative and how he constantly gave her false hope amongst other things.

What I wanted to show you guys that are reading this is that there are A LOT of people out there that have gone through this same thing…or even other things. There are  A LOT of people that have problems! 

Someone may struggle with masturbation…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
A stealing problem…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
Lying problem…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
A sex addiction…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
A drug problem…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
Abusive parents at home…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
A rape victims…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
The person wants to kill someone or even himself…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
You are a single mother…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
Suffering from depression…YOUR TESTIMONY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!! Whatever it is, you name it and it is probably out there. But these same people need YOU! Not only do they need you to hear them and listen to them but they need you to share your testimony! What do I mean? The girl in the corner store, I could relate  to her! I too had my heart broken on numerous occasions…I too have been manipulated and even manipulated people. I actually ended up giving her advice and trust me, she left happier than she came in! People need your testimony so that they can relate and know that everything will be okay and that they are not alone in this! 

Let’s take a trip to the Bible if I may. In the Bible, there was a man named Saul (Paul). Saul was a Pharisee (a self-righteous person; a hypocrite). He once zealously persecuted Christianity’s early followers and attempted to destroy the movement. But on his way to Damascus, he had a life-altering moment and he even became one of Christianity’s most fervent supporters! 

Where am I going with this? 

A testimony, if you read the definition in the beginning is a recounting or telling of experiences, as in past experiences. Saul was once a “Christian-killer” but then became one that spread the Gospel and life (Word of God). So for us to say that because we were once something bad and that our testimonies will only get us judged or that they won’t help anyone…is WRONG! God turns our MISTAKES into MESSAGES! So what will you do? Will you continue keeping your testimony for yourself? Or will you stand, tell your story and be the help that someone needs?! You never know, the person might be going through the same thing…some people need to see Jesus through you…YOUR STORY IS WAITING TO BE HEARD! Have a blessed day and stay in faith!