The Impact of Sharing Testimonies
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; Revelation 12:11b Testimonies are evidence or proof of the acts of God by which we can trust Him to fulfill His promises in our lives because we’ve seen the proof in the life of someone else. In other words, a testimony is bearing witness to an action, a proof of the occurrence of something spectacular. It is therefore important that we share our testimonies with others because we will be giving someone a reason to believe that whatever promise God has made to them or whatever they are trusting God for, He is able to do it. So many people have testimonies of what God has done in their lives at one time or the other but have never shared it. As much as some of these experiences are very personal and close to home; we must not forget that God gave us those testimonies as proof of what He is able to do and much more. When God answers a prayer, He expects us to use them to encourage others to know that God is still in the business of doing amazing things. Especially people who might be giving up hope or have lost faith in God. I once heard a testimony that changed my attitude towards prayer and I began to relate it to my personal life. It was a testimony of breakthrough and the testifier said this; “My life was a total mess and I felt like I could never achieve anything or amount to anything anymore. I had fallen into such a great sin that the devil just dangled it over my head and lied to me that I couldn’t get out of it or make something out of my life and I almost gave up. But I wasn’t ready to die yet so I went to God and asked him to just help me to survive. God gave me a word; write down everything you want to achieve in a year and attach a scripture to each. Then confess it, speak in tongues over it and praise me and you will see the change you want; your sins were forgiven before you even sinned. I thought I was imagining the impossible but then I took the step of faith and followed through. I kid you not; in two months, the first set of desires happened in such a way that I knew it was purely by angelic assistance. One year down the line, everything on that list was fulfilled one after the other, some happened even much more than I anticipated. I didn’t just survive, I thrived, and I give God all the glory. He said it and He did it and my prayer life took a turn for the supernatural.” This testimony caused a shift in my spirit such that when I have a desire, I don’t just pray amiss or emphasize unnecessary repetition; I prayed in understanding, attaching applicable scriptures, meditating on it, speaking in tongues and praising God for answered prayers. And because God cannot lie and doesn’t favor one person over the other, I have experienced the miracle of answered prayers in different dimensions. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Rev 19:10 What am I saying? It is important to share our testimonies because it is the recounting of the occurrence of the miraculous that not only allows us to remember how God came through for us, but also allows someone else the opportunity to believe God and trust that if He did it for one person, He can do it for another. Here are a few reasons we should share our testimonies: It glorifies God: When God comes through for us in amazing ways, testifying about it reveals the faithfulness of God and thus we give the glory back to Him. We are able to recount how amazing He has been to us, and our gratitude opens us up to more of His blessings. And because we acknowledge that what happened was not by our own power but by His grace, He takes the glory. It becomes a resource that gives others hope and courage: Many times, people have lost hope and wonder if something can ever happen for them. But sharing our testimonies with them might just be what they need to hear to rekindle their hope and help them believe again. It was the testimony of Elizabeth that reaffirmed to Mary that she will surely conceive of the Holy Spirit. It builds our faith and that of others: The Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Your testimony is, therefore, a reminder for you that if he did it before he can do it again. Just like David who remembered that the God who helped him to kill the Lion and Bear is also able to kill the uncircumcised Philistine irrespective of him being a giant. Also, someone may need to hear your testimony repeatedly until their faith is built up towards that desire in their heart. You might ask, “how can I share my testimonies”? – You can share it physically during church service – You can have it written and read – You can have it recorded as video – You can share it in small group meetings – You can share among friends and families or social media The most important thing is to get the message across. Remember, your testimony is someone else’s hope for a miracle, assurance that God will do what he says and the evidence of faith for the fulfillment of prophecy. Don’t hold back those good deeds that God has done in your life. Give someone an opportunity to trust God again. Written by Tolulope Oyekan
Doing Life Together
There is a zone in life that is more dangerous than danger zone, it is called comfort zone or solitary zone. Gone are the days when people were comfortably suffering and smiling; in this age and time, a lot of people are sinking and smiling. I’ve come to realise that doing life alone can be more devastating than doing life with the wrong people. One of the greatest sources of success in life is having the right relationships and one of the surest sources of stress is wrong relationships; but the most unwise decision anybody can make is having ‘no relationships’. The life of a loner hardly makes sense. However, a wrong relationship can be a blessing in disguise. Every relationship can either be a blessing or a lesson, what makes the difference is the power of positive perception. In a world where depression and suicide have become the norm, the significance of having a circle of strength cannot be overemphasized. I have had to deal with deep depression too, it was further fuelled by wrong relationships and lonesomeness. However, I got to a point where I wrote this short poem: I have seen heaven and hell Nightmares don’t scare me any more… I have terrifying tales to tell, Echoes of woes don’t move me anymore. I know the valley of the shadow of death, I’ve been there before. Jesus restored my soul and my strength… His grace kept my core. In the inaugural speech of the current President of Nigeria, He said “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody”. In some Christian communities, a lot of people seem to be lost in the crowd and their testimony is “I fellowship with everybody, I’m in friendship with nobody” or worst still, “I live with everybody, I lean on nobody”; little wonder The Elevation Church has put systems and structures in place where it is easy for guests to move from the crowd to the committed, one of such systems is the small groups system. Some small groups are interest-based while some are location based. Everyone has a group where they feel at home with people who speak their ‘language’. Small groups are not only circles of strength, they are a major source of stability in adversity and sustainability in prosperity. Small groups provide a platform for members to experience favourable friendships, fulfilling fellowship and deep discipleship in an atmosphere of faith, fun and freedom. The first small group in the world can be traced to Genesis chapter one, where God called a mini conference which led to the creation of man. Since then, small groups have always played a major role in the discovery, development and deployment of creative capacities. Below are four reasons why small groups are sacrosanct: Personal Discovery: Vulnerability is a key factor in self-discovery. Except a seed falls to the ground and breaks, it abides alone. It is easier to get integrated, inspired and ignited in a small group than in a large community. For instance, teaching and learning is everyone’s duty in small groups, questions are asked and answered by anyone who wishes to but that doesn’t often happen during church sermons. Leadership qualities are swiftly discovered, developed and deployed in small groups. Purpose Delivery: Small groups do not only provide a platform for people to learn from each other, it also provides a platform for interaction, interrelation and interconnection. It is easier to share ideas, sharpen strategies and shape destinies in small groups because people of like minds who share same interest often find it easy to bond and build each other up in such settings. Effective Ministry: No one comes to the larger church to share their secret storms and struggles but due to the high voltage vulnerability in small groups, it is easier to minister to peoples’ needs without much ado. Small groups are more like the backbone of ministry. Greatness Gallery: I have always maintained that anyone who wants to stand tall must be willing to start small; every big and beautiful thing around us started small. The disciples of Jesus in the early part of his ministry were just twelve, but look at the whole world, billions of Christians are making greatness common in different spheres of life. Doing life together guarantees greatness. I encourage you to join a small group today and enjoy doing life with amazing people who will uplift, inspire, encourage and motivate you towards achieving your purpose. Written by Adeleke Adeite