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As believers in and followers of Christ, it is our mandate to tell the world of what God has done, not to boast of ourselves, but to draw the unsaved to Him, and to encourage other believers in their walk.

v  Psalm 78:5-8 (NASB) For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their children, that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they may arise and tell them to their children, that they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments….

v  Mark 16:15 (Amplified Bible) And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race].”

v  Romans 1:12 (Amplified Bible) That is, that we may be mutually strengthened and encouraged and comforted by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

So what exactly IS a testimony? Does everyone have one? What if I’m ashamed of my old life and I don’t want to tell anyone where I’ve been or what I’ve done? What if I don’t have a dramatic story to tell? What if I can’t remember the day that I became a Christian? What if I don’t ever remember NOT believing in Jesus?

These are questions that we hear all the time. But giving your testimony is simply the act of testifying to GOD’s presence in your life. When we become Christians - when we in faith, admit our sins and receive the gift of forgiveness and eternal life from Jesus Christ - we are changed in a moment.

Ephesians 2:7-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

We are made righteous in an instant; JUSTIFIED, not because of our own worth or merit or good behavior, but because of what Christ did on the cross in our place.

SANCTIFICATION, on the other hand, is what happens in our lives as a result of justification. It is the process during which the change from unrighteous to righteous becomes more and more evident in our lives. How does it manifest itself? Some will have obvious and dramatic changes right from the moment of justification while others will have a slow, subtle awakening to the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit lives in us and guides us and teaches us, we begin to bear the “fruit” of righteousness, the Fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control and other similar traits. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Your testimony is certainly about that moment of justification but even more so, it’s about the process of sanctification in your life. What were you like before you met Christ? How were you introduced to Christ? What has your life been like since surrendering to His will for you? How is the fruit of the Spirit evident in your life?

In Life Letters, we explore the testimonies of nine women in the Bible who demonstrate the traits listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Each week we’ll focus on one fruit, wrapping every chapter study up with a personal record of that particular fruit’s manifestation in our own lives. It is my prayer that as you work through this process, that you will gain a deeper understanding of your identity in Christ.

By the end of the ten-week study, we should have several great Scripture verses committed to memory and a collection of personal testimonies recording the evidence of God living in us.

Your final assignment is to write a letter of your own, testifying to what God is doing in your life.

Writing out your testimony:

v  Will help you gather your thoughts so that you can more effectively tell of God’s goodness

v  Gives hope to non-Christians

v  Encourages Christians

v  Reminds you of God’s goodness

v  Documents and proclaims God at work in you

The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk goes before the Lord and asks Him to explain Himself regarding the horrific situation in which God’s people find themselves. We read in Habakkuk 2:1-2 (Amplified Bible), [Oh, I know, I have been rash to talk out plainly this way to God!] I will [in my thinking] stand upon my post of observation and station myself on the tower or fortress, and will watch to see what He will say within me and what answer I will make [as His mouthpiece] to the perplexities of my complaint against Him. And the Lord answered me and said, “Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by.”

God told Habakkuk to write His response down as confirmation, as a proclamation of His promises regarding His people so that no one who saw it could doubt what they were reading, including the prophet, himself. The written words were reminders of WHO they belonged to, of WHO was in control, and of God’s great plan for His people. And these written words ultimately became Habakkuk’s letter to the Israelites, and to us; his legacy.

We are called to do the same, to “preach and publish openly the good news,” to leave our own legacy, one that proclaims His presence in our lives.

Your testimony is the story of the relationship between you and God and it’s a story HE wants you to share. Prayerfully consider who may need to hear your story. Ask God to show you who should receive a copy of your letter. Your daughter? Your mother? Sister? Husband? Friend? The Lord will whisper names to you.

And remember, it is your life and the fruit you bear that are the real evidence of Christ living in you.  You have a testimony to share, whether written on stone, on paper with pen and ink, or in your heart.

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 (NASB) You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human heart.