And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 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. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
Revelation 12:10-12
Quick Breakdown
I don’t typically start my blogs with a Scripture since I like setting up why I’m sharing that passage. This one is different. When we look at the above passage from Revelation 12, we see that Satan is in a panic because, as verse 12 points out, he knows his time is short. That’s why when we look back at verse 10, it tells us he has been accusing the believers before God day and night. He’s desperately seeking to tear down those who have put their faith in Christ, and it’s in verse 11 that we see how they were victorious, by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death (emphasis added).
What I find so interesting about this statement is its two parts. The first is the sacrificial blood of Jesus. 1 John 1:7 reminds us, If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. This is a reminder that through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, His resurrection, and faith in Him as Lord and Savior, our sins are forgiven, and we can be in fellowship with our Heavenly Father. The second part of that victory, though, is found in our personal testimony. The reason our testimony is so important is that it’s through our story that we can see God’s faithfulness unfolding throughout our lives. This not only provides encouragement to us but to those around us who hear and see it. One of the biggest lies that Satan wants us to believe is that we are alone in our sin. That there is no way God would love us how we are or that He would ever want to be in relationship with us. We’re simply too broken. This passage from Revelation is a powerful reminder that those lies are simply not true!
Question(s)
Have you ever thought about your testimony? If not, do you even know where to start when it comes to sharing it? It’s really easy to overcomplicate our testimony when it should be very simple. Here’s an easy way to break down putting together your testimony.
- How was I living before I came to Christ?
- When and why did I realize I needed to trust Jesus as my Savior?
- What does that newfound relationship mean to me now?
- How has it changed the way I live and view the world?
Once you can answer those questions, you’ll have the meat and potatoes. From there, think through some of the details and weave them into your story.
- Who were some of the people who made an impact on your faith? In other words, did anyone help lead you to learn about Jesus, and how did their faith/life impact you?
- Were there any moments you can look back and see how God was faithful even when you were not following Him? These can be moments where He kept you safe or provided for you in times when you were broken but still hadn’t come to faith. How do these moments show the evidence of His exponential grace?
- Are there any Scripture passages that you hold close to your heart to remind you of your decision or God’s faithfulness in your life?
After you’ve weaved the details into the answers to the questions, you’ve got your testimony. Boom! That simple! Sure, it may take a little time or thought to piece all that together, but as followers of Christ, we need to do it. We never know when our story can impact someone else’s life, just like the people in your story made an impact on yours.
My Story
I just gave you an easy way to break down your testimony. Sure, I could type it out for you to read, but I’d like you to click the link and hear it instead. When you're done, come back, and I’ll throw you one more thing to check out.
Closing Statement
One more thing I want to tell you about your testimony.
It’s yours.
That statement may seem silly and obvious, but something that can happen when we hear the testimony of other people is that we can begin to compare. We start to think my life didn’t look like his or hers or I didn’t see some incredible change in my life in that moment. I want to tell you that’s ok. Everyone who comes to faith in Christ does so through different circumstances and at different times. While there may be similarities because of our struggles, our lives are not the same. We all grow and move at a different pace, and that’s the beauty of your personal story. Not only that, but our faith doesn’t make us perfect. We’re still going to make mistakes, but it’s through our faith in Christ that we aren’t stuck in our sin; we are challenged to live differently. Paul reminds us of this in Philippians 1:6 when he says, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” That moment we put our faith in Christ, we received salvation from our sins. It’s through sanctification that we see Him continuing to work in our lives. That’s the power of our testimony.
Something Extra
There’s a song by Desperation Band called Everyone Overcome—feel free to check it out. It’s a longer song, but it was recorded live.
