Every Friday I join a community of bloggers for Five Minute Friday. One word prompt, five minutes. Unedited. The prompt this week is …Â Testimony.
Testimony has been defined as an open declaration or statement. We tend to use it more in terms of evidence in support of a fact in a court of law.
John, in writing the epistles, wanted to make sure people for all time would be sure of what he was writing:
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”
(1 John 1:1-3, NIV)
“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” (1 John 4:14, NIV)
Growing up in the church, I remember there being a portion of the service dedicated to “testimonies” ”“ when individuals were given opportunity to share about how God was at work in their life.
Testimonies ”“ our stories ”“ they matter.
“They triumphed over him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
(Revelation 12:11, NIV)
Our testimonies, our stories, become the means by which we overcome and defeat the enemy of our souls. Satan would love for nothing better than to destroy or mar our testimonies.
He works at trying to make our testimonies ineffective because He knows they wield a powerful effect when combined with God’s Word. Our stories can encourage others, infusing them with hope, as they hear of God’s work in our lives.
May our stories tell not of our own achievements but of God’s power at work in, and through, our situations.
“Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the results of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials.”
(Smith Wigglesworth)
Photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash
Today I may be joining …
I pray I am able to share aspects of my testimony with others so that I am not hidden as Satan would wish. The Lord is triumphant! May our testimonies be gems in His crown.
Jennifer, FMF Neighbor of the Week!
I didn’t want a testimony,
flaming hoop through which I’d jump;
rather have a Shetland pony
to whom I’d feed a sugar-lump
while I gently rubbed his ear
as by pasture fence I’d tarry…
but then God, He WOULD appear
with a cross for me to carry.
If I’d known I would have hidden
from His searching puzzled eye,
but now I do as I am bidden
through this long and hard goodbye,
a branch reaching for the stem,
reaching for His garment’s hem.
It surely has been a long and painful journey, Andrew. But your testimony is encouraging us all!
“May our stories tell not of our own achievements but of God’s power at work in, and through, our situations.” Amen, Joanne!
Amen! Great blog! I remember having Wednesday night testimonies sharing what God has been doing in our lives. I wish we still had those. But we can still share our testimony with friends, family, neighbors, other Christians and in our writing. â¤ï¸Terri #8 FMF
Ours was most often on a Sunday night 🙂 We may not remember every testimony but those nights left an impact on us for sure!
I love testimony time at church! I think our faith is strengthened as we share God’s working in our lives with others, and they are encouraged as well.
Testimonies so strengthen and encourage us as we hear how God is actively at work in the lives of those around us.
Yes, our testimonies are powerful. I am always encouraged when I hear people share. And I love your point about how they should point to God’s achievements and not our own.
Well said Ms. Joanne. Our story is really His-story. While we may have lived it, it’s what He’s done that gives us the victory and courage to tell it. God’s blessings young lady.
Amen!
powerful – empowering – Thank you!
I’m not exactly sure why (although I have my suspicions), but the church of my youth never allowed testimonies. Once I got grown and attended different churches, I discovered how powerful it could be to hear others share publicly about the things Christ had done in their lives. You’re so right that they have a powerful effect!