Your story matters to God and has an amazing purpose for the world. Our experiences, lessons, trials, and testimony have shaped who we are, and serve as a witness of who God is. Despite the many peaks and valleys that our individual lives have taken, God’s faithfulness remains consistent. Your story is unique and provides encouragement and hope for someone else who is going through a similar struggle.
God will equip us with confidence and boldness to share our testimony with courage and conviction. The enemy would want us to remain silent, compare our story to others, or shrink back in shame. However, God desires for us to rise and share how God has moved and helped us overcome. Our story is not simply for us, but to share with the world the sustaining power of God’s faithfulness. Here are 5 impactful ways your story can change the world:
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1.Your Story Reminds Others They Are Not Alone
When we tell our testimony to others with boldness, it encourages those who are struggling with a similar situation. As others hear your story and have a shared experience, it is comforting to know they are not alone. As a new Mom who was overwhelmed with the demands of parenting a newborn, I found support in community in hearing the stories from other Moms. God used their stories as encouragement, strength, a resource, and support for my motherhood journey. Knowing that I was not alone provided peace for my spirit. God uses community to strengthen us and dismantle the temptation to remain isolated.
Romans 8:1 states “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” No matter how hard the situation, relationship, or season you may be facing, God has kept you and you are still here. The enemy wants to keep you discouraged in a cycle of shame for your past mistakes, but God desires for you to be in community. John 10:10 states, “The enemy comes only to steal and kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” The parts of our stories that seem too painful or we would want to delete are the very areas that God is using to set us free and give God glory.
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2. A Testament of God’s Faithfulness
Sharing our testimonies is less about us and more about glorifying God. Despite the challenges we endure, God remains faithful. God’s grace, covering, protection, strength, and presence has kept you in some of your most difficult seasons. God has helped you to overcome with courage, strength, and tenacity. As we share our stories about God’s faithfulness in our lives, it provides hope for the hopeless.
Growing up, I would hear others share their testimonies in church and many would have dramatic, life-altering accounts of how Jesus transformed and saved them. Silently, I thought my story was not dramatic enough to matter. Many times, I remained silent because I was consumed with comparison, fear of rejection, and insecurity. As I matured in Christ, God showed me that my story has incredible value and is significant to God’s kingdom. God kept, strengthened, guided me, and taught me lessons that can help someone else.
Friend do not let your story be silenced. God will use your story to bring glory to His name and draw others to Him. Most importantly, our stories shape who we are and help us to depend more on God.
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3. Your Story Is an Example for Others to Not Give Up
Whether you realize it or not, God is the one that has carried, guided, strengthened, and helped you to not give up. In Christ Jesus, we are overcomers. Your story is hope for someone else to not quit and keep pressing forward. Galatians 6:9 states, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” If God helped you overcome the uncomfortable or difficult parts of your story, He will do it for the next person. When I look back over various seasons in my life where I felt discouraged, depleted, or weary, God’s strength is what kept me going. When I did not see the way forward, God’s word guided and directed me.
Through Christ, God will use your story as a resource and roadmap of healing for others experiencing similar challenges. The details of your story that you feel are insignificant, too difficult, or painful, God wants to use ALL of it as a testament of God’s grace and strength.
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4. Your Story Gives Thanks to the Lord
Sharing your story gives thanks and praise to God. It serves as a continual reminder to you that God is the source of your strength, hope, and ability to overcome. Sharing your story is an act of worship and gratitude back to God. It is a public declaration of God’s continued faithfulness, presence, and covering grace in your life. The battles we believe are too big, God has helped us overcome. The road we thought was too rocky, God was our refuge.
When we share our personal stories of how God delivered us and kept us, we are also saying thank you Lord. We are reaffirming the sovereignty and presence of God’s ultimate role in seeing us through. Vocalizing our praise and thanksgiving to God by openly sharing our stories is an encouragement to others and an act of gratitude back to God.
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5. Your Story Will Influence the Next Generation
God will use your story to positively impact the next generation. Our children are watching us and can learn valuable lessons from us. Our mistakes, challenges, lessons, and areas of healing can all strengthen, empower, and encourage the next generation. Our stories are awesome teaching opportunities. How will the next generation learn and grow from our stories if we do not share? Today, I invite you to share the lessons. Share the joys. Share the disappointments. Share the mistakes. Share the growth. Most importantly, share the great news of Christ and the immeasurable ways God has kept and sustained you.
Our stories are unique and have incredible purpose for the kingdom of God. Moving forward, I encourage you to share your story with others as a source of encouragement, testament of God’s faithfulness, an example for others not to give up, an act of gratitude to God, and a roadmap for the next generation. God wants to use all parts of our stories to bring glory to His name and it serves as a wonderful reminder of the ways that God has sustained us through every season.
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Originally published Thursday, 29 October 2020.
