What Is Your Testimony?

Could you step up to the microphone?

Have you every been asked to give your testimony? For some, this is a terrifying and intimidating proposition. Public speaking is one of the most common fears. Couple that with trying to articulate, in a short time, such a complex issue as faith, and you have the recipe for shaky knees and sweaty pits.

That's OK. You're not alone.

Our testimony is our statement of faith, or the story of how we came to faith. We can also have testimonies (statements of evidence) of how we have seen God working in our lives. For some, it is easy to get up and talk about these things. Then again, some can get up in front of people and talk about anything! For others . . . not so much.

It's important to know what you would say.

Being able to talk about your faith is important. We are supposed to go and make disciples, to be lights unto the world, to teach the truth about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we cannot talk about what we believe, how are going to do those things?

That doesn't mean you have to face large crowds. That is a calling for some, but not all. What is important is that you have a testimony that you can share with people you know, or strangers you meet. This doesn't have to be some fantastic story of how God saved you from the depths of despair (although that is true), or how you nearly died and found God. Those testimonies are powerful, but so is yours. The more ordinary your testimony, the more people will be able to relate to it.

Our testimony is very simple.

In I John 5:10, John says, "Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart." In verse 11, he identifies the testimony as this: "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son."

That's pretty simple, isn't it? Our testimony is that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. That's our statement of faith. That's what we believe. Sure, there are layers upon layers of supporting evidence for why we believe what we believe, but boiled down, our testimony is just that simple. God has given us eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Being able to speak this is important. Memorize that verse, or put it in your own words. Know what you believe. Be confident in it. That way, when opportunity comes, you will at least have a starting point for a conversation. You don't have to be a great speaker. Moses wasn't. But he got the job done. So can you.

You will have the chance to share your testimony

Those opportunities abound. We are called to take advantage of them. That means being prepared. We tell each other about what has happened in our lives all the time--what our kids did yesterday, how the date with our spouse went last night, what we thought of the ballgame, or the election, or whatever. Talking about our faith is no different. It's about what we've seen, heard, experienced, and felt. You can talk about that. I know you can.

When that opportunity comes, take it. If you are sharing with an unbeliever, it's not on you to convince them. All you are called to do is speak the truth. Their reaction to that truth is on them. They can accept, or decline. Either way, you have been obedient. And you just might be an instrument God uses to bring them to eternal salvation. How cool is that!

Having a testimony about God is an incredible honor. No matter how plain you might think your story is, it's a powerful statement of God's work in your life. People are amazed by the amazing, but they relate to the everyday. Your story of how you came to know God, and how you see God working in your life, may just be what they need to hear to come to know Him.

Your chance is coming.

Don't waste it.