Sweet Sisters,
Have you ever had an experience that affected you so much that you just had to share it? Maybe it was something as simple as discovering a new restaurant that had delicious food and amazing service. Maybe it was experiencing a really dark time in your life and making it through. I remember when my first grandchild was born. He totally rocked my world. I couldn’t stop telling everyone I came in contact with about him.
When we have such an experience and we share it with others, this is the definition of the word “testimony”. The Latin word that we get the word “testimony” from is “testis”. It means to give an eyewitness account. The Hebrew definition is very interesting. In Hebrew the word used is “AYDOOTH”. It implies “do it again with the same power and authority.” Every time we give testimony about something God has done, we are saying, “Lord do it again with the same power and authority.”
In Psalm 126:1-3, the psalmist is describing how God’s children felt when they were set free from captivity.
1
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
2
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
In verse 3 he gives the credit to God and says that because of what God has done, they were filled with Joy.
Isaiah 12 is a song of praise about what God has done. Isaiah says “to sing to the Lord and shout for joy” and “to make known to all the nations what God has done” in verses 4 – 6.
4 In that day you will say:
“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
5
Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
6
Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”
Through the years as I have taught classes or had conversations with my sisters in God’s family, I have often heard, “I wish I could do more for God but I don’t know what to do.” Sweet Sisters, what I want to tell you today in answer to that dilemma, is that the greatest thing we can do to honor God is to share what He has done for us.
In Luke 1:46 – 49, Mary rejoices in the great things that God has done for her and she shares her joy with Elizabeth.
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
In John 4 we have the story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. In verses 39 – 42, we see that she was so impacted by the experience with Jesus that she ran back to the village to share it with everyone she saw. As a result, her whole town came to to learn more about Jesus.
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
In Mark 5 we see another story of what can happen when someone shares what God has done for them. Jesus and His disciples have crossed the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. As they get out of the boat a demon possessed man comes running towards them. He has an encounter with Jesus and his life is changed. When he wants to go with Jesus, Jesus tells him “No”, but to go back to his own people and tell them what the Lord has done for him.
18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
I want you to especially notice verse 20. The man began to tell his story in the Decapolis and all the people were amazed. The Decapolis was an area of ten cities. The formerly demon possessed man influenced people in 10 cities simply by sharing what Jesus had done for him.
Let me share one more story with you. In John 1:35 – 42, we read about Andrew’s encounter with Jesus.
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.
We learn in verse 40 that Andrew was so excited about this encounter that he went and found his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at Simon and immediately changed his name to Peter. There is little recorded in the New Testament about Andrew, but Peter would be used by God in amazing ways because Andrew was willing to share how God had affected him.
Sweet Sisters, we all have a story to tell. We have all fought battles and because of Jesus we have been victorious. The people you come in contact with need to hear your story. They need to know that they can also have victory in the battles they are fighting through the power of Jesus.
God works in our lives in mysterious ways. He brings people into our lives for specific reasons. He is constantly orchestrating relationships between those of us with whom He has done great things and those who are searching to experience His power in their lives.
I pray that God will open our eyes to those around us and give us the courage to share our stories.
Debbie ❤