“A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:24-25 NIV)

Testimony: a firsthand authentication of a fact. attestation, confirmation, corroboration, documentation, evidence, proof, substantiation, testament, testimonial, validation, witness

A testimony is telling what happened to you

In the passage at top, religious leaders questioned a man who had been healed from lifelong blindness. They tried to trap him with a theological question. But, he instead said, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” A testimony is simply telling what happened to you. You don’t have to understand theology, be eloquent, understand completely, or be a long-time believer, you just tell what happened to you. That’s what the blind man did. It’s difficult for someone to argue about your personal experience.

“We have seen it and testify to it”

“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. We write this to make our joy complete.” (1 John 1:1-4 NIV)

Always be prepared to give a defense

“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:15 ESV)

Therefore…

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble.” (Psalms 107:1-2 ESV)

“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony...” (Rev. 12:11 NASB)

A  battle in heaven

In revelation 12:7-11, there is the story of a war that took place in heaven between Michael and his angels and the devil and his angels. The devil and his forces were over-powered and hurled down to earth. The passage said God’s Angels overcame the devil by using two things: the Blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony. The same two powerful weapons are available for you to use today to defeat the enemy and his demons when they attack you: Jesus’ shed blood on the cross (the blood of the Lamb) and the Word of God spoken in faith (Word of testimony).

Making peace by the blood

“And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

The blood that speaks a better word

“And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (Heb. 12:24 ESV)

The Word in your mouth

“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim).” (Rom. 10:8 ESV)

The word of the cross is the power of God

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1Cor. 1:18 ESV)

Therefore…

“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” (Rom. 8:37 NASB)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11 NIV)

God has prepared good works for us to do

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”(Eph. 2:10 ESV)

Trust God in all your ways and He will direct you

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6 ESV

God will give you strength to do all things

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”(Phil. 4:13 ESV)

Therefore…

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28 ESV)

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Heb. 10:36 NIV)

According to the above passage, you must persevere in doing God’s will for your life in order to receive what He has promised for your life. Sadly, some people choose not to persevere and they miss out on God’s best for them.

You have choices. Choose wisely!

1) You could choose to be content and remain ignorant.

“Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you…” (1 Tim. 4:14a)

“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.” (Heb. 2:1)

2) You could choose to do things your own way.

“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (Prov. 14:12 NIN)

3) You could choose to settle for less than God’s best.

“Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Matt. 19:21-22 ESV)

4) You could choose to contend for nothing less than God’s best.

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matt. 6:33 ESV)

“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:17 ESV)

God’s will is for you to be saved

“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:3-4 NIV)

God’s will is for you to be sanctified (set apart)

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality” (1 Thess. 4:3 NIV)

God’s will is for you to thank Him in all circumstances

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thes. 5:18 NIV)

God’s will is for you to do good

“For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.” (1 Peter 2:15 NIV)

God’s will is for you to renew your mind  

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 ESV)

Therefore…

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 5:15:20 NIV)

“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” (Psalm 96:3 ESV)

Walk humbly with God

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

Bring salvation

“For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”  (Acts 13:47 ESV)

Make disciples

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  (Matt. 28:19-20)

Let your light shine

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16)

Therefore…

“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” (1 Chron. 16:24 ESV)

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Heb. 4:16)

A deposit has been made to your account!

Recently my wife, Susan, called our bank to make sure enough funds had been deposited in our account to cover the bills she planned to pay. Once she was assured the money was there, she sat down and confidently wrote out the checks. In the same way you don’t have to worry about inadequacy when approaching God, because a more than adequate deposit was applied to your account by Jesus. You can approach God’s throne of grace with total confidence and “receive mercy and find grace to help you in your time of need.” (Heb. 4:16)

We may approach boldly with confidence

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” (Eph. 3:12 ESV)

Therefore…

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”(Heb. 10:19-24 NIV)

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12 NIV)

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for every good work

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16 NIV)

God’s Word lights your path

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

God’s Word hidden in your heart

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)

Therefore…

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22 NIV)

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)

Words are important

The old saying, “Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words will never hurt me” is not true! Words do hurt and can do much damage. I have spoken words in haste or in anger and then immediately wished I could take them back, but could not! The damage had already been done! Speaking words in haste is like squeezing toothpaste from a tube; it comes out fast and easy, but you will never be able to get it back into the tube.The Bible has a lot to say about words.

Rash words are like sword thrusts

“There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Prov. 12:18 ESV)

Death and life is in the power of the tongue

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” (Prov. 18:21 ESV)

A soft answer turns away wrath

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Prov. 15:1 ESV)

Gracious words are like sweetness to the soul

“Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” (Prov. 16:24 ESV)

Therefore…

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Eph. 4:29 ESV)