God wants you to stand and face any life's battle in the light of your testimonies - Excerpts (The Unfailing Weapons of a Believer)

WEAPON #FIVE: KEEP YOUR TESTIMONY

Do not sell your testimony to anyone, guard it!

The call of God is a call of testimonies. It’s a call of conviction and witnessing. God the Father expects all His children to have a testimony and keep it with them forever. The Encarta English Dictionary defines testimony as something that supports a fact or a claim. 

Many Christians claim that God is Omnipotent – thus All Powerful and indeed He is – yet because they lack testimonies, they most often than not make their problems bigger than God. 

They sometimes think God can do all things but their situation is exceptional and it’s beyond the ability of God. They magnify their problems over the Almighty God; how sad it is!

The early church was convinced of the Mighty Power of God. They believed they could do ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthened them (Philippians 4:13). They had received one thing from the Lord and that was enough conviction for them that the Lord could do all things for them. No wonder they were seeing results. 

The more you keep your testimonies, the more testimonies you have!

John the Apostle heard and saw Jesus transfigured (Mark 9:2). When Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from death, John was there with Jesus (Mark 5:21-43). When Jesus resurrected from the dead, John was there when He appeared to the disciples (John 20:19-23). At Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, John was with the disciples (Acts 1:1-11). At the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was come upon the disciples, John was one of them. 

So John had a testimony; he heard Jesus and saw His works. He was then convinced and nothing could change his mind about the Word of life. What have you seen? What have you heard? What is your conviction? What is your testimony? John’s testimony made him stronger to stand and conquer all battles until He was called home.

1 John 1:1-2

¹ That which was from the beginning, which WE HAVE HEARD, WHICH WE HAVE SEEN with our eyes, WHICH WE HAVE LOOKED UPON and TOUCHED WITH OUR HANDS, concerning the word of life

² The life was made manifest, and WE SAW IT, and TESTIFY TO IT, and PROCLAIM to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made MANIFEST TO US

In this life, one cannot dispute your personal testimony. No one could challenge the personal testimony of John. His testimony and conviction about God was enough for his living. It is your testimony that can drive you – and others into victory. It is jeopardy to lose your testimony in this journey of life! It is your testimony that can take you far in this life. Testimonies are weapons God has given to the church to overcome any battle.

Revelation 12:11

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.

Thank God the blood of the Lamb has already been shed; what is left of you is to hold onto your testimony in order to overcome your accuser. You need to have a testimony and you need to keep it forever. Why do you lose your testimony and be afraid of the storm starring at you? Haven’t you read of the Lord who calms the storm and that if only you will invite Him into the situation, you shall experience total calmness and peace?

Write Down your Testimonies for Remembrance

God wants His children not to forget what He does for them. Testimony is a powerful tool so anytime God did anything for the Israelites, He asked their leaders then to write them down for posterity so that they will know the God they worship and not be intimidated by anybody. He wants His children to build their faith partly on what He has already done for them and trust Him for what He is about to do.

When God delivered the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians in the last plague which was known as the Passover, He asked them to make it a lasting ordinance for them and for their descendants. He said, ‘I don’t want you and your children to forget about this deliverance and when your children ask you why you observe this ceremony, tell them that God delivered you from the slavery of Egypt’.

Exodus 12:24-26

²⁴ You shall OBSERVE this rite as an ordinance for you and for your sons FOREVER.

²⁵ And when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you SHALL KEEP THIS SERVICE this service.

²⁶ And when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?'

²⁷ You shall say, 'It is the sacrifice of the LORD's passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he slew the Egyptians but spared our houses.'" And the people bowed their heads and worshiped

Don’t forget your testimony; it is a powerful tool for your victory. Also in another occasion, when the people of God, the Israelites were on their way to the Promised Land – when they had got to Raphidim, the Amalekites came and attacked them. Moses then asked Joshua, his minister to choose some of the men of Israel and go and fight the Amalekites. While Joshua and the men were at battle, Moses had the staff of God in his hands and held it up on top of a hill. 

As long as Moses held his hands up, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands down, the Amalekites were winning. At a point in time, Moses’ hands grew tired so he sat on a stone and Aaron, his brother and Hur, his brother-in-law held his hands up; one at each side of him. Because of this, Joshua and his men were able to overcome the Amalkites army with the sword. But after the victory God ordered Moses to write it down and also to rehearse it in the ears of Joshua who was to succeed him.

Exodus 17:14

¹⁴ And the LORD said to Moses, "WRITE this as a MEMORIAL IN A BOOK and RECITE it in the ears of Joshua that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven."

Why did God ask Moses to write it down? Because He wanted them to keep it for a memorial! God was about to do something in the lives of the Israelites, but if they forget of what He has already down, they may not believe Him for the future. God didn’t want them to forget His faithfulness; his faithfulness forever endures! The Lord is saying ‘don’t forget what I have done, keep it with you and use it as a cause to trust me for the future’. Has the Lord not done anything for you? Why do you forget and be afraid of what is before you?

The Lord wants you to keep what He has given you and trust Him for more. When we were children, I believed my daddy could provide me anything in this world (before he left mum and me). This was because whenever daddy went out, he got me shoes, dresses, candies and things I had earlier requested – though I didn’t receive from him all that I asked him to buy for me. But you see because he got me my needs, I trusted him so much so that I remember I once told my friends that Daddy has promised to get me an aeroplane and there were some of them who will never get on board – perhaps because they too refused me something. 

Meanwhile my Daddy had never used an aeroplane himself before – as at then. Well, you may say we walk by faith, which is true but the point is that base on what Daddy did for me some days before, I trusted him for everything in the future.

God wants us to be like the ideal child who will believe his father for everything because of what he has already received from him. The good news is that our Heavenly Father unlike the earthly father lacks nothing. Whatever He wants to give to you, nothing can limit Him. Just keep what He has already given to you and let that alone convince of the future provisions. He is able!

Testimonies Bring Victory

A lot of people have conquered life's battles because of their personal testimonies or testimonies from other people. Though faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, testimonies can boost your faith in the Lord. David was a young guy who had been a Shepherd throughout his life. He had never been to war in his lifetime before – though he had big brothers – at least three of them who had been to war before. 

Then came a time when a Philistine by name Goliath who rose against the Israelites and their King, Saul. The Bible refers to this man Goliath as ‘A Champion’ (1 Samuel 17:4). Perhaps he had never lost a battle in his lifetime before.  And we are told this Goliath had been a warrior from his youth. He was an experienced warrior. But the battle of life is not fought with experience; but with the grace of God.

Goliath ridiculed Saul and his men and said to them "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us” (1 Samuel 17:8-9). He believed in himself and didn’t see any giant among the Israelites who was able to fight and conquer him. 

But you see, Solomon after studying all these things made a profound statement that ‘the battle is not for the strong’ (Ecclesiastes 9:11).

At the words of Goliath, Saul and his men were dismayed and greatly afraid. Well, I think they had no testimony; they had not read of what God had done in the past and they themselves had no personal experience with the Lord. You will only be terrified by the enemy when you don’t have a testimony. 

But unexpectedly came a man with a testimony. David came to the scene and heard the blasphemous words of Goliath against his God. David had never fought in the battlefield before, but he had fought severally for the lives of his sheep on the pasture field. He told the King Saul, ‘I have a testimony and I can stand this Philistine’! Saul said No! You are just a small boy who has never been to a war before; you can’t fight this guy! David said ‘I have a weapon and that weapon is my testimony’

1 Samuel 17:34-37

³⁴ But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,

³⁵ I went after him and SMOTE him and DELIVERED it out of his mouth; and if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and SMOTE him and KILLED him.

³⁶ Your servant has KILLED both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God."

³⁷ And David said, "The LORD who DELIVERED ME from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, WILL DELIVER ME from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you!

Perhaps David knew some old shepherd with experience who was killed by wild animal like the lion or the bear. He realized it was not normal to fight the lion and the bear and prevail. He acknowledged God as behind his victory over the lion and the bear. He convincingly said “The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine”. David had an experience with God; He had a testimony from God and he kept this testimony.

When he had shared his testimony with the people, no one, not even Saul, the King, would stop him. If you have a personal testimony, nobody can stop you from walking into your victory. There are people who are still in the grips of fear and wouldn’t rise up to stand their accuser in battle. They have already pronounced themselves as losers because they have lost their testimonies! Let no one stop you! 

Let no one discourage you! Believe that all things are possible with God. Tell your discouragers what the Lord did for you in time past and that He lives for your victory. And when David through his testimony trusted God, He would not also let him down. If only you will keep your testimony and trust the Lord, He will never let you down! David said “Some boast of chariots, and some of horses; but we boast of the NAME OF THE LORD OUR GOD.” (Psalm 20:7).

What do you remember? What do you trust? What do you boast of? And what keeps you going in life? David never forgot the name of the Lord. He always remembered the goodness of God and that made him thrive in life. David tasted and saw that the Lord is good and because of that He never feared what the future would bring. He said “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want...” (Psalm 23:1-6). 

What has the Lord done for you? And are you more than convinced that He who saw you through yesterday will see you through today and tomorrow?

Testimonies of the Apostles

Peter and John were threatened. The Sanhedrin has commanded them not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But they had a testimony. Their experience could not stop them from witnessing. They told the Sanhedrin they have a testimony to share

Acts 4:19-20

¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge;

²⁰ For WE CANNOT BUT SPEAK of what WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD

You see, if Peter and his colleagues had kept quiet because they were intimidated, I don’t know what would have become the church now. They didn’t lose their testimonies; they kept and shared them and the church is greatly benefiting from their testimonies. Their testimonies have become part of the Bible which is profitable for all godliness. Paul too had a testimony. He believed that the Lord who delivered him from death would continue to deliver him until he was finally called home

2 Corinthians 1:9-10

⁹ Why, we felt that we had received the sentence of death; but that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead;

¹⁰ HE DELIVERED us from so deadly a peril, and HE WILL DELIVER; on him we have set our hope that HE WILL DELIVER US AGAIN

Paul was not afraid of death because God had delivered him from one and he was convinced that no death will overshadow him if the Lord had not permitted it. What testimony do you have? What have you seen, or read, or heard, or touched? God wants you to stand and face any life battle in the light of your testimonies.

God bless you!

Sincerely

Richard

richardadupoku2045@gmail.com