Will you testify?

“Let your word be your testimony but let your actions speak”

I had written these words down earlier this week and I wanted to post, but I didn’t. I was reminded of them during Church service today as the preacher preached on being a witness. We often use that word too lightly and his message challenged me to dig down a little deeper to question my own life.

He started off by singing “Lifesong”. I’ve always loved that song and that phrase. I think back to when my uncle passed away and all I remember is one of the preachers at his funeral saying that “his life was his testimony.” It spoke. Shouldn’t our be? Shouldn’t we reflect God and His goodness, but also follow and exemplify the behavior and characteristics of Jesus if we proclaim to be His followers? The preacher touched some on consistency and consistency really is key. Otherwise we are double minded and we confuse. When we blend our testimony with the gospel and the world, others and even we ourselves don’t know what to make of it.

We aren’t to lose our saltiness or our separateness and we aren’t to hide our lights. We are set apart for His holy use.

What really hit me the most out of the words that I wrote and the message that he preached is this - I just recently moved to a new place and I had to ask myself: does anyone even know what I stand for, and have they seen any Jesus in me?? (Gulp!) Have they witnessed any signs that I am a Christian by how I talk and live my life? Do I reflect Him? If not, what am I afraid of? My friends back home and my family may not see me but He does. Am I living pleasing to Him? Am I being the child, the wife, the parent and the friend that I should be? Am I keeping myself accountable to Him?

This is a dark world that we are living in, yet the light overcomes the dark. We don’t need to blend, we need more people willing to share their testimonies and thus shine their lights. Or else, how are we different? How else will they know? Also, It’s not a show, it should always be real; to really glorify God and to point people to Jesus! Always! Or else it is for show and it won’t make a difference. We are all making a difference, is it beneficial?

The Word says that we are to shine our lights before men so that they will see our good works (we were created to do works and good works, although saved by God’s grace) and to glorify Him. We aren’t to look for or get the glory! We also aren’t to hide out story and our song. It’s Our story! But it should be for His glory! If we don’t witness or testify, we must ask why! Why? Do we worry more about what man thinks or what we want? We should be more concerned with what God wants and thinks. What does He ask of us? He has standards. We should love and live unashamed. He called us to live holy living because He is holy. None of us are without sin and it’s not about a holier than though, judgmental attitude, that reflects self and thinks it’s better. It is however a life that wants to please God, reflect Him and one that realizes that we were created after the very image of God and Jesus came to show us what that looks like!!!

So again, does anyone know what I stand for and if not, do I really stand for it? We can’t please self, the world and God too. One will always say go that way when He says go this way. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to God but by Him. That tells me there is only 1 way and we (brothers and sisters/proclaimed believers) MUST follow that path and do our part!!! It’s the good news. It’s the unadulterated gospel. We aren’t to abuse, misuse or misrepresent it.

Side note. Definition of Unadulterated: not mixed or diluted with any different or extra elements; complete and absolute.

We are like the world or we are like Jesus. We please the world and blend or we stand out, shine Jesus, and please God our Maker. No in-between. Not meant to blend. I think of it like this, those who are in-between will fall into the dividing line in the end. Even God says He’d prefer us to be hot or cold. There’s lots (multitudes and multitudes) of people in the middle, in the valley of decision. Will we be a witness or will we be take part in passing them by? Do you know who you are? Do you know where you stand?I’m ashamed to say I haven’t always fully stood for what I fully believed. God forgive me and I don’t want to say that lightly, but I want to let the truth change me rather than living a lie. I use to say, “tell me the truth, it might hurt but I can handle it a lot better than living a lie”. Let’s not live a lie. Let’s live for Jesus and spread the truth unashamedly. Let’s not be in the middle. Let’s not blend. 

We must each ask our own selves: Do I know the truth and am I walking in it? Am I living it out? Is my life my testimony? The truth is, It is whether or not I want it to be so the real question is: am I proud of it? Would God be? We will all give an account. And He clearly says, if your ashamed of Him, He will be of you. So, pray now, testify now, and reap later in dividends. Or, play now and pay later. Are we witnessing or are we misrepresenting the gospel and what we really believe???? 

Let your words speak but also let your actions match your speech. Let your life be louder. I saved the scripture of the day for last.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Revelations 12:11 

How do we overcome the accuser, the enemy, Satan himself? We need to know in order to live victorious. The scripture tells us right here: “BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB &...... THE WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY”.

So we first have to be saved and accept what Christ did for us on the cross. He already overcame and made us to be overcomes, but how can we be unless we abide in Him? We are covered by His blood if we believe. Second, we overcome by the words of our testimonies. That’s the truth. Know the truth and it’ll set you free!! So many are living bound because they don’t know the truth. In darkness, because they haven’t yet come to the light. Maybe you haven’t overcome because you haven’t accepted or maybe it’s because we don’t share our testimony. They go together as one, like salvation and baptism. We accept and then we proclaim outwardly with baptism to let the whole world see: down with the old, up with the new. It’s the same concept. We are to live that outwardly just as much as inwardly and not to hide it. It’s powerful. 

Let us not be ashamed to speak it out, in fact, if we’ve truly been changed, we should be excited to share it. Just as a prisoner who received and holds the keys to the cells. He got free, he’s excited to let all his fellow inmates out and quickly before they perish in their sins! We should care about souls this way. We are more than over-comers. We are victorious. We are children of the Most High God. We are joint Heirs with Jesus. That’s reason to rejoice and tell the whole world. We are each lights and witness’s. Together we are brighter and  stronger when we bind together in agreement and in truth, for one Higher purpose. 

Let your little light shine and watch it grow.

Can He get a real witness? Will the real representative and disciple of Jesus please rise up?  When we signed up and first accepted Him, we were on fire. Let us not lose that zeal. We must realize that He came not only to save our souls but the worlds, and we are His witnesses and disciples. That means that we have a job to do, to spread the good news. 

So if your bound, ashamed and weak, then start to speak! Let your words speak, your life align and your light shine.

”Dear God, May I point them to You because no one else can save. We must ask ourselves who or what we are actually following if we proclaim to be Your followers. I know that I am not of this world, just passing through. May my life song sing and may my words testify of You. We need more testimonies like the days in Church when believers would stand up to testify of Your goodness, mercy and the work that you were doing in their lives. May we also live it out, outside of Church. Somebody needs to hear the truth and somebody needs to see the way. May we be your mouthpiece, hands and feet..”

Will you testify? If you don’t know Him, run to Him and you will soon be testifying. Don’t hold back. It only takes a spark to start a wild fire and it can start with only one. Will it be you?

This song has been heavy on my mind:

“Nobody” by Casting Crowns

Why You ever chose me, Has always been a mystery

All my life I've been told I belong, At the end of the line

With all the other not-quites, With all the never-get-it-rights

But it turns out they're the ones You were looking for All this time

'Cause I'm just a nobody, Trying to tell everybody

All about Somebody, Who saved my soul

Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing

I'm living for the world to see, Nobody but Jesus

I'm living for the world to see, Nobody but Jesus

Moses had stage fright, When David brought a rock to a sword fight

You picked twelve outsiders nobody would have chosen, And You changed the world

Well the moral of the story is, Everybody's got a purpose

So when I hear that devil start talking to me saying, "Who do you think you are?"

I say

I'm just a nobody, Trying to tell everybody

All about Somebody, Who saved my soul

Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing

I'm living for the world to see, Nobody but Jesus

I'm living for the world to see, Nobody but Jesus

So let me go down, down, down in history, As another blood-bought faithful member of a family

And if they all forget my name, well that's fine with me

I'm living for the world to see, Nobody but Jesus

And if they all forget my name, well that's fine with me

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus