Telling Your Story
“My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.”
During the Women’s Leadership Conference in Mexico with Debbie and Keith Myers, I had the privilege of giving directions and an example of how to share a testimony. It was such a blessing to give my own testimony because it helped the women see that there are people in the United States that live very kindred lives. Growing up in poverty myself, I used my story to connect with the women as my experiences, emotions, and challenges were very similar to what several of them may encounter in their lives today. I used a simple 3-step framework to organize my story in my mind so it would flow similar to a journey along a path… A journey that started on the path God had chosen for me, then me veering off onto my own path, but then returning to God’s plan once again. I shared how, at first, the path I wanted to take looked so fun and exciting. But it quickly turned into sin which required repentance, a change in my life, and redirecting my steps back to the path God had for me.
When sharing your testimony to an individual, it does not always have to be about how you first came to know and love Jesus. Although our personal salvation story is our greatest story (especially when a person makes a complete 180-degree change), sometimes we need to share stories of our obedience or disobedience, blessings or sufferings, revival or stumbling, repentance or retribution, trials or temptations. As you listen to the person to whom you are testifying, ask the Spirit to reveal a time in your own personal journey that could used as an example for the other person to see that they are not alone and that there is hope. Sharing how God worked in your life to help you through a similar experience will more likely resonate with the other person and help them garner a lesson from your testimony.
To keep your story organized and flowing effectively from beginning to end, use these three steps to make the process simple. This way, you can concentrate on the content of your testimony instead of the configuration.
The Background: Before the circumstance occurred, where were you in the story? What type of path were you following at this point? What was your walk with the Lord like at this point? What was your relationship with Jesus like? How did you feel emotionally and spiritually at this time?
The Climax: What happened that caused a change? What were the circumstances surrounding your struggle, challenge, temptation, test, etc.? If the climax was a negative experience, what went wrong? If it was a positive life-changing experience, what miracle happened? How did your relationship with Jesus change at this time? How did your feel emotionally and spiritually now?
The End Result: After the event or experience, what did you learn from it? What did you do to move forward in the right direction? How did the Lord help you? How did the experience change your relationship with Jesus? How did the experience affect you emotionally and spiritually?
Test this process on your own before you use it as part of your testimony during a worship service or to an individual person. I encourage you to write out two or three different testimonies using the steps to help you grasp the organizational concept of the steps. You might focus on one positive experience and one negative experience to see how the different examples can be used in different testimony situations. Then stand in front of a mirror and practice sharing your experience verbally.
One finally word of advice…. be sure to pray as you put your practice testimonies together. Ask the Spirit to bring to mind good examples and how you can best organize your story so you can tell it effectively. When the day comes that you provide your actual testimony to a person or group, lean completely on the Holy Spirit for guidance. He knows what someone else needs to hear, and He will guide you in sharing the perfect story in a perfect manner at the perfect time.
