Several weeks ago, Dave and I flew into Alamosa, CO. to keynote at the Southern Colorado Women’s Conference. We met a wonderful group of women, and I’m pictured above with the sweet women who worked so hard to make this annual conference possible. Dave and I had quite an adventure as we took an 8-seater tiny plane from Denver to Alamosa. Let’s just say my 6’4’ hubby had to bend in half to get to his seat. When we arrived, only his bag arrived with us!
Treasured memories. That’s a cedar chest in the center made by the pastor for his lovely wife Kay!
The theme of the conference was “Remembering the Goodness of God,” which the conference coordinator chose after reading my book, Forsaken God?: Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten. The decorations were amazing designed to help us remember our treasures. Dave has traveled with me to many conferences and retreats and he said he’d never seen such beautiful and detailed decor.
On Friday night, I gave my testimony, and then Saturday morning, I talked about eight of the twenty-three ways I share in Forsaken God? to remember God’s goodness in your life, starting with sharing your testimony. There’s no greater witness to God’s goodness than sharing what he has done in your life. No one can question your testimony because it’s your personal experience.
[Tweet “There’s no greater witness to God’s goodness than sharing what he has done in your life.”]
We often start conversations with questions like:
- How was your day?
- What’s going on in your life?
- How are you doing?
Or when meeting someone new:
- Where do you live?
- What do you do for a living?
- What church do you attend?
- Where did you and your husband meet?
But when is the last time you asked:
- What is your spiritual journey?
- What’s your salvation story?
When’s the last time you told someone about your spiritual/salvation story?
Many think the Great Commission is just for the disciples and pastors, but it’s for every follower and believer of Jesus Christ. You don’t have to be an evangelist to share your story.
[Tweet “There’s no greater witness to God’s goodness than sharing what he has done in your life.”]
God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age. (Matt. 28:18–20 The Message)
You and I are Christians today because those twelve disciples did just what Jesus instructed them to do. They shared the gospel they had experienced with anyone who would listen . . . and with many who didn’t listen.
We receive the Advocate—the Holy Spirit—when we become Christians and our charge is the same as the disciples: you must testify with everyone you meet.
You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:14–16 The Message)
[Tweet “Your spiritual journey is your testimony that describes your life before you turned it over—or returned—to God”]
Your spiritual journey is your testimony that describes your life before you turned it over—or returned—to God and how you’ve transformed into a new creation in Christ.
You may not think you have a testimony if you’ve been a Christian most of your life and life has gone smoothly for you. Well, that smooth life didn’t just happen. God has been walking beside you guiding your life every step of the way. That’s your testimony to others who worry about losing something by turning their lives over to God. You’re a living example of how good God really is!
[Tweet “God can use every experience for His good and glory”]
If you have a hidden past you’ve been too embarrassed to talk about, now is the time to deal with those buried hurts and hang-ups. God can use every experience for good, but not if we don’t let him. The Bible tells us “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23), so hidden sin holds us in a death grip that silently destroys us spiritually, and often physically, from the inside out.
Exposed sin loses its power.
We don’t have to waste energy and emotion worrying about others discovering our past. We can “thank God we’ve started listening to a new master, one whose commands set us free to live openly in his freedom!” (personalized from Rom. 6:18 The Message).
Think back to an experience where you know it had to be God who rescued you and how you might make that a testimony to his goodness.
Ways to Remember God’s Goodness—Share Your Story—Make It Your Testimony
[Tweet “The most effective encouragement for trusting God in the present is remembering His Goodness in the past.”]
The most effective encouragement for trusting God in the present is remembering His Goodness in the past. As we mature spiritually, we move beyond just remembering God’s goodness for our own benefit and start retelling our testimony to help others.
Every time you give God the glory for something in your life, you testify to God’s goodness.
[Tweet “Sometimes God redeems your story by surrounding you with people who need to hear your past so it doesn’t become their future”]
Sometimes God redeems your story by surrounding you with people who need to hear your past so it doesn’t become their future.
When we don’t share our story, we don’t share His story.
Being willing to share how God helped you through difficult times requires vulnerability, approachability, and responsibility. It’s your witness to His faithfulness. It’s the opportunity to give purpose to a crisis.
Otherwise, you might spend your life feeling sorry for yourself—living as a victim instead of victorious.
[Tweet “Revealing is the first step to healing.”]
Revealing is the first step to healing.
Your story doesn’t have to have a “happy ending” for you to share it. You give your testimony to show God’s faithfulness regardless of the circumstances, and to assure others they’re not alone or to stop someone else from making the same mistakes you did.
Every day you encounter opportunities to share your testimony, and every time you tell it, you’ll remember how good God has been to you. Let your loving heavenly Father guide you.
Sometimes you’ll only share a short snippet—less than three-minute—an “elevator testimony.” Other times, the whole story.
Women sharing their 3-minute testimony with each other.
Don’t dramatize how bad you were; characterize how good God is!
Your story becomes your testimony when the focus is on God, not on you.
[Tweet “Your story becomes your testimony when the focus is on God, not on you.”]
Don’t tell graphic details or anything to make someone else or you uncomfortable. It’s not a tell-all, and it’s not a time to tell someone else’s story.
If you haven’t written out your spiritual testimony, think of it in five parts:
- Your life before Jesus.
- How, when, why you realized you needed a Savior.
- Making the commitment, or re-commitment, and surrendering your life to Jesus.
- The change in your life since becoming a Christian.
- What being a Christian means to you. How does knowing Jesus help you do life?
In Psalm 71:15, the psalmist admits he’s not sure if what he says will help, but he’ll tell his story and let God choose how to use it: “My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long— though I know not how to relate them all.”
Some people may reject or rebuff your testimony. That’s not a sign to stop telling it; you plant a seed, and God does the watering. Peter reminds us always to be ready to share our testimony.
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (1 Pet. 3:15–16)
So don’t worry about how God will use your testimony, or how someone will receive it. Just be willing to speak up when you feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and He’ll use it for God’s purpose. Sometimes it will be in a spiritual setting, other times when you least expect it. Be ready to share with or within . . .
- Bible study group or small group.
- Mentoring relationships.
- Others going through something similar.
- Conversations acknowledging God’s goodness in your daily life.
- Social media.
- Unbelievers or skeptics.
- Support Groups.
- Where else?
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” —1 John 5:11–12
But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.
—Psalm 73:28 NLT
What testimony does God want you to share and who needs to hear it? Who needs to know the reason for your hope?
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*This blog uses excerpts from Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten.
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