testimony 2

I want to continue with testimony. Every believer is given a living testimony from their Lord Jesus Christ. A testimony is truth about something that the Lord has done in your life or through you. God has a reason for this and how He wants to use your testimony.  I don’t know all the reasons why, when, where and how God wants to use them but He does. Maybe God wants to use your testimony to reach someone who doesn’t know Jesus yet. Or maybe God wants to use your testimony to share with others in the body of Christ to bring healing, understanding, growth etc. One reason for sure that everyone and that means everyone in the body is given a unique testimony is to bring glory to God.

     I like the testimony of a demon possessed guy in Mark 5:1-20. He was in a place called Gadarenes, a region full of demonic oppression. Jesus meets and frees a guy from a demon inside of him who calls himself Legion which means many or an army. So he was possessed by many demons. But knowing something of this is not the important part, it is the living testimony Jesus sent with this guy to tell others. Mark 5:18-20 “And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.” This man wanted to go with Jesus and follow Him but Jesus had a different plan for him that would bring glory to God. It says in this scripture that the people marveled at what Jesus had done in his life. Marvel means to be wondered at, to be had in admiration.

In the last post while I was writing the verse John 1:18 came to me where the NLT refers to Jesus as the unique one. After the post I was reading in the book Vertical Church and James Mcdonald states “In the bible, Genesis 2:7 calls what makes us unique ruach, spirit or the breath of life.” Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Psalm 139:13-17 “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” God has created us all in His image and we all have a unique different personality for a reason to Glorify Him. We all have a journey and a testimony from God. No two are the same. It is a joy as we walk with Jesus daily to discover more who we are and others close to us and what God does in our lives.

 

The testimony given from the Lord to every believer is a beautiful thing that brings glory to God. I think with beautiful things that glorifies God sometimes comes difficulties and struggle. Satan our enemy doesn’t want the truth or God’s glory to be seen. Sometimes a testimony or what God does in a persons life is not always received by others. I think a lot of times the truth in a testimony is misunderstood, we will always be misunderstood by others, the people in the bible were misunderstood. No one even some close to you will not fully understand you like Jesus does, why He made you the way He did and what He takes you through.

 

One way to worship God is when we say the truth from our heart about what He has done in our life. We don’t have to change the truth of what God has done to please men. If it is truth it will glorify God. Trying to please others or change truth of what really God has done is not what God wants. I like Matthew 15 in verse 12 the disciples says to Jesus don’t you realize that the truth you have just said offended the spiritual leaders or Pharisees. Then in verse 18 Jesus explains that the words we speak from the heart is what defiles us which would include lying, false witness or false testimony. All of us or most of us in our walk will realize at times that we maybe have not been seeing things correctly until Jesus corrects us. If God gave you the testimony just say the truth mix it with faith and let God do the work. We do it to glorify and please the real King of our life Jesus Christ who is absolute truth, nothing false or hidden. John 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”

 

Another part of this is the struggles, trials, heavy burdens or hard times we go through in our walk with the Lord carrying our cross. This is the part of the testimony that is not always received or accepted by others. We are selfish beings, we want to hear only the good part and make a good showing in the flesh. Anyone who is a believer and reads the bible and try’s to follow Jesus knows you are going to struggle with many things and this is the part we hide. But this is the good part that also shapes us like Christ and brings glory to God. In 2 Corinthians 4 the apostle Paul I think speaks of this. How can you read the gospels and the apostle Paul’s writing and think other wise. 2 Corinthians 4:6-18. “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you.” (II Corinthians 4:6-12 NKJV)

I have been given something from God that I don’t in anyway deserve. I have been led by God to a ministry called Christian Mentors Network where we mentor and disciple men. I get to set across from Godly men everyday and hear their testimonies, struggles and what God has done in their life. This is a huge blessing in my life that helps me grow. About two years ago God somehow led me to have men over to my house from all ages and different churches. We have food, a fire if in the winter, brotherly fellowship, Some scripture from God’s word, and a testimony from one man of what God has done in his life. This is a very special time that helps the men and is glorifying to God.

Glory of God- Weighty importance and shining majesty that accompany God’s presence. The basic meaning of the Hebrew word kavod is heavy in weight. Thus it can refer to a heavy burden.