Christian Writers Circle

Grace To Testify

by Brenda D. Flowers

My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.  (Psalm 71:15-16, ESV) 

And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4: 33, ESV)

Each day for 33 days this summer, during my personal quiet time of Bible study and prayer, I spent part of that time reading personal testimonies of Olympic athletes (found in the Bible App devotional, “Struggle and Triumph:  Olympians’ Stories”).  Each story I  read touched my heart and challenged me to persevere in my personal faith “race”. Their words of tested faith also encouraged me to share my story of God’s intervention in my life with others.

At my church each week, a member gets to testify about their faith journey and how God has answered prayer or helped in some way. I had the opportunity to share recently. 

As I prepared to tell about how God had answered my prayers and how he had helped me, I thought about how the apostle Paul had written his letters testifying of God’s intervention in his life, too. When he wrote his letters to the churches, he challenged the followers of Christ in his day to continue testifying of God’s goodness and His great love. 

 Luke, a physician who traveled with Paul the apostle, recorded these words of Paul, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24, ESV) 

Laura Story (laurastorymusic.com) is a worship leader and Christian Songwriter and Recording Artist who sees the importance of testifying of God’s intervention in her life. She does so through the words of her songs and by sharing her story on-line and in person. Several years ago, I heard her speak at a women’s conference at a church in Tennessee. There she spoke about how each of us has a special story to tell. We are a part of God’s story. I purchased a T-shirt her team was selling that day. On the shirt are the words, “He’s the God of every story” When I wear this shirt, I am reminded of the great value of tested faith shared in one’s testimony.

God gives us the gift of testimony so we may share it.  

Have you recently opened one of God’s gifts by hearing someone’s testimony?

I try to do so daily. 

     One of the leaders of the organization Bible Study Fellowship recently shared on a Leadership training video, “ “Everything we do (in BSF) is by His grace and for His glory.” 

That challenges me as I step into a new season as a wife, mother, grandmother of five grandsons, sister, cousin, aunt, neighbor, friend, mentor and co-laborer in the body of Christ as children’s leader at BSF, a homeschool teacher for three of my grandsons and a writer called to write to testify of God’s goodness. 

That is my mission statement to glorify God with my actions and words. I’m trusting God to give me the grace to help me in my story. 

We all have a purpose in God’s great story!

Lord, may we devote ourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And may we see our part in Your story. May we trust You to give us the grace to testify of Your goodness. May we remember to pray for our country’s leaders, spiritual leaders and mentors. Please open doors for our messages of tested faith to touch many lives for Your glory. In Jesus’s victorious name, we pray. Amen