As children of God, called and saved through Jesus Christ, we all have a unique story called a testimony in Christianeze. It is a beautiful display of God’s grace and can vary from the simplicity of a young child in a Christian home who puts their faith in Christ to the heroine-addict or prostitute wallowing in darkness responding to the light of Christ and being delivered from their wretched state. It is a story that does not end when the blood of the Lamb is first applied, but goes on with sanctification until the last breath is drawn.

A testimony is a powerful thing with three main functional aspects in the life of the redeemed.

Assurance: Our testimony is a reminder of who we are in Christ. It is the vehicle of the hope that lies within us. Our testimony is a component to God’s Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:16) It is a testament to us when trials come of what God has done, thus giving us assurance of what He will do, ultimately our complete salvation in His eternal kingdom.

Warfare:“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Rev12:11) One of the greatest weapons in our spiritual warfare arsenal is that of testimony. In Ephesians 6 we see that the shield of faith can disperse all of the fiery darts of the evil one. Faith in who Christ is and who we are in Christ. 1 Thess 5:8 refers to the hope of salvation as a helmet, protecting the mind against the lies of the enemy. Satan has been placed under the feet of the redeemed, he has no authority over the one with a testimony. Our testimony declares that our destiny is secure and that the enemy can never pluck us from the hand of the Father. I often find myself verbally putting the enemy in his place, reiterating the work of Christ and declaring the chronicles of God’s grace in my life. This is an atom bomb to be used in the hour when darkness crowds around.  Arm yourself with testimony, take time to chronicle the works of God in your life starting with your salvation. This will lead not only to being mightily armed against the evil one, but will bring praise and thanksgiving to your heart!

Evangelism: This is a big one to me. The testimony of the saints is the greatest tool in the craft of evangelism. It is a beautiful thing that speaks truth from the heart in the simplest way. When backed by our lives it offers the most undeniable proof of the truth of God’s word and the power of His saving grace! This gets me excited! Every believer has a testimony, thus every believer is equipped to fulfill the great commission, to be ambassadors for Christ. I am not a good speaker and I often trip over my tongue, yet God has called me to the role of evangelist and church-planter. When I first began evangelizing I was compelled to build my presentation of the gospel around my testimony. I found that if, as I mentioned before, I considered my calling, redemption, and sanctification there was seldom a time that I could not find some way to relate to the person I was sharing with. There is power in looking in the eyes of a lost soul and declaring the hope that is in you. It is the greatest proof of the love of God and His sanctifying power. With a testimony you do not need formal theological training or to know the latest evangelism skit or other such hokus-pokus (though some of these things are great!). For those that are very timid you need only be able to declare in your own words that you are a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior. I could go on, but please, start telling people what Christ has done for you.

Conclusion: I believe that all three of these aspects of testimony intertwine beautifully. If you ponder upon you assurance you will not be able to help the urge to make known what great things God has done for you. As you share your testimony you are bringing light to darkness and doing battle with the enemy! Take some time in your devotions, ponder on what God has done in your life, study the promises of scripture, then let it lead to action. In this way your joy will increase, you will defeat the enemy, and you will fulfill the great commission.