“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” Revelation 12:11 ESV
This verse has been rolling around my head since our Women’s Bible Study last fall. Especially the part about, “the word of their testimony.” Every Christian has a story, (1 John 5:10) because every Christian has been saved from something. But what if we’re not just meant to be saved from something. What if we’re actually meant to be saved for something? And what if that starts by simply sharing what God has and is doing in our lives?
Honestly, that’s as far as I got for several months. If you’re like me, when you hear something about telling your story you think that means sharing a polished story from a platform with a large audience. We have all experienced the transformative power of that type of storytelling! I’ve come to realize that sharing experiences from our lives is more than a one-time encounter. It goes far beyond one story to one audience as God uses our story to affect those who are listening. Telling our story starts with a grateful awareness of God’s work in our lives and routinely sharing that work with the people around us as we go.
I also realize there are a lot of hang-ups when it comes to sharing. We are all sinful people. Therefore, we have been hurt by sinful people and, as sinful people, we have done hurtful things. This can make God’s work in us messy and sometimes hard to share. Let’s look at the last part of Revelation 12:11, “for they loved not their lives even unto death”, which is another way to say they chose to set their pride, fear, and comfort aside to be used by God.
Friends, don’t let your past keep you from boldly proclaiming God’s goodness in the present! 1 Chronicles 16:8 says, “give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known His deeds among the peoples.” Share what you can, when you can and, as you do, God will grow this spiritual muscle in you. When Jesus sent his disciples out to proclaim his message, he told them not to worry about what to say or how to say it and reminded them that God would speak through them (Matthew 10:19-20).
I’m proposing this thought to you today as a fellow struggler, but also as encouragement. Whether your story is polished or raw, your audience is 1 or 1,000, I want to encourage you to train your mind to focus on God’s continual faithfulness. Practice keeping His faithfulness on your lips day and night, ’til Kingdom come.
Start today!
1. Pray: Ask God to help you tell your story for His glory (Matthew 5:16).
2. Write it Down: write down 3 things God has/is doing in your life THIS week.
3. Share: reach out to a friend, family member, neighbor, etc. and talk to them.
4. Repeat this process as often as possible!
