The Lord in the Word of God encourages us about the importance of sharing our testimony. It says in Revelation 12:11:

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
Revelation 12:11.

What is a testimony?

It’s important for us to understand what a testimony is, and how to give a testimony, and the importance of consistently giving a testimony, even when it may seem like your testimony is not complete.

Everyone on this platform has a testimony to give. A testimony is not just a story. It’s the evidence of God’s faithfulness in your life. It’s the evidence that God moved, the evidence that God sustained, the evidence that God delivered, the evidence that God is still working, is still on the throne, no matter the chaos in Iran, in the United States, or in Israel, or in our world, or in our own lives. He is still on the throne.

A testimony turns pain into proclamation.
I gotta say that again.
A testimony turns your pain into proclamation.

It turns survival into the significance of the mighty power of God. But you may be asking me, why does testimony matter?

Because it glorifies God.

It takes the attention from what the enemy has done or tried to do to you and glorifies God. When you testify, you shift attention from yourself to God. You are saying, this was not my strength.

This was His grace.
This was not my strength.
This was His grace.

It strengthens others. Others that are going through similar situations are able to find out someone else is surviving what you already overcame. They’re actively going through it, and your testimony may be that thing that they need to take them to that next level, to know that, oh, God got me.

It’s not just what I read in the Bible, because the words of the Bible are filled with testimony, right? But I can relate to Reverend Minister Renee, because she went through it. She’s a woman of flesh and blood like me.

I can relate to Reverend Pod because she’s the same as me. If she’s gone through it and the Lord delivered her, then the Lord can do the same for me.

Your story brings them hope.
Your story brings us hope.

Amen.

So why does testimony matter?

It silences the enemy.

The enemy wants to silence us, but your testimony breaks the shame. What the devil tries to do is isolate and try to conquer us in isolation, but the testimony you bring forth, even in the middle of your trial.

Sometimes, sometimes I like to share a testimony even in the middle of it, even when it’s not complete. That means I’m depending on the power of God to take me through, right?

Testimony breaks secrecy because the enemy operates in darkness and in secrecy. But when you open your mouth and testify, that breaks the secrecy of the enemy.

Testimony breaks the fear of the enemy. Not just your fear, but the fear of someone else that is still going through.

Not every testimony is dramatic and grandiose, like, oh, I was in prison, I was delivered, somebody almost killed me, the Lord came miraculously, it was like an angel that delivered me.

Not necessarily.

Every testimony matters, no matter how small it is.

God kept my mind.
God restored my marriage.
God sustained my child.
God helped me to forgive.
God provided when I didn’t know how.

Maybe it was miraculous. I had somebody give me $50. But that $50 meant a lot to me. Somebody that has millions would be like, $50? Yeah, I have the $50 testimony, and it’s my testimony, and I’m going to share it. So do not allow the enemy to minimize your testimony, because somebody needs to hear that testimony.

And even you need to hear it yourself, because there’s power in when you speak something and you hear it. It goes into your brain. There’s something that happens in the rewiring of your brain and your knowledge of the Word of God and what God is doing or has done for you. God provided when I didn’t know how. Small victories are still miracles. They matter.

The structure of a powerful testimony — I just want to give us a framework, because it’s important when we are called upon, whether during consecration or whether we’re sharing publicly, to know the importance of what the elements of our testimony are. We want to be intentional in keeping it simple.

Where was I when the testimony happened?
What did God do?
Who am I now?
How did what God did affect who I am now?
What did I learn about God?

We want to keep it honest.
We want to keep it God-centered.
We want to keep it redemptive.

Your testimony is not just about what you survived. It’s about who sustained you. Every time you speak about God’s faithfulness, you build someone else’s faith.

Don’t minimize your story. Don’t allow the enemy or your mind to minimize your story. If God brought you through it, it carries power.

I know God has brought you through some great things. Even this year alone, God has brought me through a lot of things. And what God has done before, He is able to do again.

So just remember, someone is waiting for you to share your testimony. So when you come tomorrow night and we ask for testimony, you better feel ready to shout from the mountaintop what the Lord has done for you, no matter how small the enemy tries to make it.

So I just want to also share some scriptures with you to understand that you have a right to share your testimony. Because sometimes some people would think, oh, I’m not a Reverend, I’m not a pastor, I’m not this, I’m not that.

No. You are an ambassador for Christ.

Second Corinthians 5:16–20 says it loud and clear, right?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ — anyone — anyone is a new creation. The old has passed. Behold, the new has come.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

Everybody say it to yourself:
I have the ministry of reconciliation.
I have the ministry of reconciliation.

That is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting our trespasses against us, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

You know what that is. I don’t even need to preach that message. You are the minister of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ.

You’re an ambassador of Christ. I mean, come on. What a decree. What a title. You are an ambassador for Christ.

And you all know what the meaning of ambassador is. Go search in the dictionary and look again to refresh your memory.

God is making His appeal through us. And there are two levels to this. The one level, of course, is the reconciliation of the world to Christ. The other level is your testimony that God will use, not just for the body of Christ, but even for people outside.

Amen.

So let’s be bold and be strong.

And the last scripture I’m going to share with you is about the power of your testimony, which can also come in the form of what you speak — speaking to your situation and speaking to the situation around you.

Two scriptures we’re coming from.

Psalm 103:20.
Bless the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His word, obeying the voice of His word.

The angels yield to the Word of God.

So anytime you elevate the Word of God in your life, you’re moving angels assigned to you to begin to move on your behalf.

But when you keep quiet, then things cannot move.

But remember, we’re not speaking negative, even if we feel it. We’re not speaking it. We’re speaking the Word of power. The Word has the ability to regenerate.

And also Mark 11:23–24.

Surely I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain — anyone, anyone — did He say a Reverend, pastor, or minister? No. If anyone says to this mountain, go throw yourself into the sea, and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it shall be yours.

I want you all, when you have your down moments, read the whole book of Mark chapter 11. That chapter was talking about when Jesus cursed the fig tree. When the disciples came back, they said, look at the fig tree you cursed — it’s actually dead.

And then Jesus explained it to them with these words.

He didn’t say imagine the mountain moving in your head.
He didn’t say think about the mountain moving.
He didn’t say pray under your breath about the mountain.

It says say to the mountain.

Speak.

Verbal, vocal words. Spoken words.

The power of testimony. The power of speaking the Word over your life.

Father, we just honor you. We thank you for the ability and the power you have given us in your Word.

Lord, I pray for boldness. I pray for courage for your people — courage to declare your Word.

Not to be moved by what they see, but to have courage to declare what you have said.

That they would dare to believe you and run with your Word.

We thank you that you consistently give us peace. You consistently give us joy, even when we go through, even when we grieve, even when we are challenged, even when we may feel fearful because of what is happening in our world.

But we can rest and allow our soul to be anchored in you, and elevate your Word above our situation and speak to our mountains.

So Lord, we thank you.

We bless you in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Thank you, Lord.

A round of applause.