The truth of your testimony

[misfire]

    Most of the stuff I post on here is cut and paste from daily devotionals I receive, but today I want to go a different path. I want to start by examining what is "testimony" and see if we can strengthen ours.
First, testimony is defined as the act of sharing one's personal experiences, encounters, and reflections of God's work in our lives. I have a testimony as do every one of you. So, how do we reflect that testimony in our daily lives?
   I have to be honest, the reason I am dwelling on this is the news of the passing of Phil Robertson. Every outlet I have read all shared the same view of Phil, that of being a strong Christian man who knew that his purpose in life was to spread the gospel of Jesus and wasnt scared to do so. THAT is testimony people! Phil lived that testimony daily and would not be deterred from that path. Are we doing that? I know I am not, and it shames me. We live in a society that is selfish, prideful, arrogant and filled with lack of true purpose. God saved us so that we could carry on the work of the first twelve disciples, to carry His word to a lost and dyeing world. Is that easy to do? Absolutely not! But there are things that we can do that will assist us in being able to do things that are out of our comfort zone. First and foremost, PRAY to God daily for strength and wisdom. I pray nightly for God to speak through me when I am able to speak to people.I also pray that God uses me in such a way that when people look at me, they see Him. Second, we must be knowledgeable in God's word and the only way to do that is to study His written word, which is the bible. Third, you just have to step out there and take a chance sometimes. Will we reach through to each and every person we speak to? Nope. But we will plant a seed  hopefully that leads that person to ask questions, but be prepared for a lot of negative responses. It is that little seed that we are planting that will hopefully lead to that person realizing down the line that they need God more than they realized.
   I know quite a few read these devotionals, and I pray that they help out in some small way daily for those that do read them. Use what God gives you to try and do His will in your life as well as the lives of others. I write Romans 10:13 on every call that I make and send out of my shop. That verse was read to me July 13,1984, the day I chose to accept Jesus as my savior- For whosever calls upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.
   So I will finish with this thought- become a farmer and "plant a seed". 

[eggshell]

Don't sell yourself short misfire. Your devotionals are well read and the effort is bearing fruit even when it seems it is not. I too wish my efforts were more dynamic and I long to see a great new Christian awakening in the U.S.A. and more people saved. I believe the signs of the times tells us we are in "end days". Let me start this and hope some others can share their testimonies. I could write so much but I will keep it brief.

I grew up being forced to go to church and I believe that is part of why I rebelled as a young adult. I pursued a career first and my recreational passions second. Throw in some wild bar life and drinking and you have a picture of someone far from Christ. Once my career took off I matured out of the party life somewhat and settled down into family life, but my mentors were atheist. As a science based professional I quickly took to the Atheist beliefs and adopted the belief that science could explain everything. Along the way some tragic events hardened my heart against any God and I soon became very critical of anyone stupid enough to believe in a God. I considered myself a reasonable good person, but I detested religion. They were all hypocrites anyway. Life dealt me some pretty stiff trials and the final straw came one day when one of my best friends literally died in my arms. I was hurt and I was angry and decided that if this was all life could offer then it was all a waste. So I decided I would seek out an answer and settle this thing. I talked to pastors and anyone who would listen and I debated and I argued and I searched more than I could find answers for. NO one satisfied me and I was truly confused. It was about then I had a brilliant idea. If this Jesus dude was real surely all I had to do was ask him to show up and prove it. One night (in the shower of all places) I knelt down and prayed, "Jesus if your out there reveal yourself to me and I will follow you the rest of my life". I can tell you that I was not prepared for what was coming next. The Holy Spirit fell on me and I heard a voice in my mind and spirit say, "I am right here and always have been, come to me". I knew beyond a doubt it was Jesus and I wept and I repented and I kept my promise. That was more than 25 years ago and I have never wavered from that promise. I was given a hunger for God's word and have become very well versed in scripture. I have served as a lay leader, elder and teacher. Then God sifted me even further and called me into prison ministry to incarcerated juveniles. I am now chairman and a leader of a ministry group and non profit serving a Juvenile Facility. I also freelance teaching Bible studies and several other callings from time to time. I have seen the unsavable saved, i have seen miracles and I am daily amazed at his work. This ride has been beyond any dream a young me could have ever envisioned. Oh yeah, turkey hunting is only a way to enjoy his creation even more. I had to learn to put it into perspective too. 

[misfire]

That is a great testimony eggshell, thank you for sharing. I have been in law enforcement for 33 years, and though I have taken the opportunity to try and reach a few people, I have not done that as much as I could have. It is the missed opportunities that I regret. I have let my emotions take over a lot and have to ask God to help me not let that get in the way.

[Toddmann]

Great posts gentleman!!! 🙏🏻

[jmart241]

Awesome posts guys thank you