When was the last time you shared your testimony?
Not long ago, I realized that I don’t remember the last time I traded salvation stories with my Christian brothers and sisters. Why? At this point in life, I feel like sharing our salvation stories should be part of getting to know one another. After all, our relationship with Christ should be the most important part of a believer’s life. So why not share that before we talk about what we do for a living?
When we are getting to know someone, we usually start with, “What’s your name? Where do you work? Are you married? Have kids? Dating? Where are you from? I can tell from your accent you aren’t from around here.”
Now, granted, there are some testimonies that are more difficult to share. Some are still struggling with shame over their past, even though God has forgiven their sins. So, I understand why sharing our testimonies can sometimes be difficult. But I also believe sharing them can remind us and others of what God has done and how His grace continues to work in our lives.
You don’t have to share every painful detail. Many things take time to heal. But we can emphasize something like:
“I was one way, and I’m not comfortable with sharing all the details just yet, but I was (this age) when I met my Jesus. Because of His salvation and His good work in me, I am not who I was anymore.”
Our relationship with God is far more important than where we work, where we went to college, and where we are from. Something I’ve noticed is that we often stop right after our salvation stories, forgetting that God isn’t done with our testimony once we’re saved. A large part of our testimony is the process of sanctification. Once we become believers, we are sanctified in Christ, but our journey of progressive sanctification is also an impactful part of our story, and one that points to God.
To those who are new believers and/or those who haven’t ventured deeply into theology, sanctification is God’s work of setting us apart, making us holy and more like Christ.
Through Jesus Christ, we are washed clean, forgiven of our sins, and justified before God. Our sins no longer condemn us to an eternity separated from God in hell. When God looks upon those who belong to Him, He sees us as righteous in Christ, not because we are without sin, but because we are covered by Jesus’ righteousness.
1 Corinthians 6:11 says: “And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
We understand the concept of some of these things, but what does it mean for a believer? Let’s break it down a bit.
Washed: Through Christ, we were cleansed from our sins. This definitely doesn’t mean we will never sin again, but Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient to cover our sins, past, present, and future.
Sanctified: Through Christ, we have been set apart from the world for God. We belong to Him, and He continues His transforming work in our lives so that we become more like Christ.
Justified: Through faith in Jesus Christ, God declares us righteous before Him. Jesus is our mediator, and through His sacrifice, we are reconciled to God, meaning the relationship with God, broken by our sin, has been restored through Christ. He does this not because we are sinless or earned God’s forgiveness, but because Jesus lived the sinless life we could not live and He took the punishment for our sins upon Himself.
In other words, salvation isn’t something I can earn on my own by being good enough. Thank goodness, because that is something I would never obtain. Salvation is a gift of God’s grace, received only through faith in Jesus Christ.
And here’s the thing: God doesn’t stop His work in us after we are saved. He doesn’t keep us where we were when we met Him. It is as though God is saying, “Come as you are, but you will not remain the same.”
You don’t have to come to Him clean, free from addictions, or without the burden of some heavy sin. And you certainly don’t have to come to Him by our definition “good enough.” No, come to Him as you are, knowing that He will do a good work in you afterwards.
And that is where progressive sanctification comes in.
Progressive sanctification is the lifelong process through which God is making us more like Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit, whom we receive when we are saved. When we receive salvation, we are set apart by God, but that doesn’t mean we miraculously think, act, or respond like Jesus in everything we do. We still have sinful desires, habits, and attitudes that need transformation. As we grow closer to God, He uses His Word, the Holy Spirit, and even our circumstances to reveal areas in our lives that need to change. Through Him, we learn to turn away from sin and follow Him in obedience. It’s a process that requires our obedience and participation, but it is through God’s strength that we are given the ability to grow.
For some, certain struggles are taken away as soon as they place their faith in Christ. Which is fantastic! But that doesn’t mean they will never struggle with other sins again. For many, the sins they struggled with before salvation are the same ones they continue to battle afterward. Some struggles may last for years, while others become less difficult as we grow in our faith in God.
For example, I think of some specific people who were saved later in life. In their past, they acted like the world, spoke like the world, and embraced everything that the world had to offer for thirty-plus years. To suddenly turn that switch off, for many, is not easy. You’ve been one way for thirty-some years, and those habits have become muscle memory. You might not want to do those things anymore, but sometimes those struggles go deeper than habits. They go heart deep, even. I have seen the frustration on someone’s face when they felt themselves slipping back into what once was.
But here’s some more good news: God doesn’t leave us to fight those battles alone. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, He continues to work on our hearts, convicting us, strengthening us, and transforming us to become more like Christ. It certainly doesn’t mean we won’t stumble along the way, but it does mean that God is still at work in our hearts and lives.
I know, we want to reach perfection as soon as we start following God, and we don’t want to struggle anymore, but do not lose heart. One day, we will be made perfect in Christ. Philippians 1:6 says:
“I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
What about those who feel like their salvation story isn’t worth sharing?
For example, there was a possibility I was saved when I was five, but I know that I know that I know I was saved at ten. I grew up in a loving Christian home. Both of my parents made it very clear that God needed to be my God, not someone I followed because Mommy and Daddy told me to.
Before I was saved, I had a love and appreciation for Jesus, at least the best kind a child who wasn’t a Christian could have. Do note, admiring and appreciating Jesus is not the same as placing your saving faith in Him. I wasn’t a terrible kid, but I sure had my moments. I know I had tested my parents’ sanctification at times. Yet, I wasn’t an out-of-control Tasmanian devil of a child.
But I still needed Jesus. Growing up in a loving Christian home does not make you a Christian.
I still needed Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection to be part of my salvation story. And my testimony certainly didn’t stop the moment I said “Amen” after praying the “Sinner’s Prayer.” Remember, that prayer alone doesn’t save you. Jesus does.
Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That includes even the smallest of children. Trust me, they look all innocent and adorable, but that theory is tested when they learn to talk back, and suddenly, everyone in the house has been given a lesson in Patience 101. Jesus died for them, too.
The power of a testimony isn’t measured by how dramatic someone’s past was. It’s found in the Savior who redeemed them and continues to do His good work in them.
God doesn’t sit on His throne saying, “This person was more of a wretch than this one before they received My gift of salvation. So, I deem the ‘wretchier’ one far greater because My Son’s righteousness had to cover a lot more than that less-wretched one over there.”
No, God doesn’t rank the value of our testimonies by how sinful our pasts were. Besides, a wretch is still a wretch. It isn’t a competition to see who is wretchier. Before salvation, we were all sinners in need of a Saviour. As a ten-year-old girl, I needed salvation just as much as someone who lived a life completely different from mine. When we place our faith in Christ, we are clothed in His righteousness and welcomed as God’s forgiven, beloved children.
Now, before I share how God has continued His work in my own life, I want to address something that isn’t particularly comfortable. Don’t worry, we’ll get to some encouragement in a moment. Scripture teaches that sometimes the trials and tribulations we experience are consequences of our own sin.
Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap. – Galatians 6:7 CSB
13 David responded to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Then Nathan replied to David, “And the Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die. 14 However, because you treated the Lord with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die.” – 2 Samuel 12:13-14 (This was after David committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband Uriah’s death. David was forgiven when he confessed his sins, but there were still consequences to those sins.)
There are many more examples of this that can be found in the Bible. But please do not lose heart and think that every single trial you endure is the result of some sin you’ve committed. That’s why the story of the man born blind is so important.
As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him. – John 9: 1-3
When Jesus said that “neither this man nor his parents sinned,” He wasn’t saying that they were perfect. He was explaining the fact that his blindness was not the result of anything the man had done, nor was it because of the sins of his parents. Instead, his circumstances became an opportunity for God’s works to be displayed.
All of that being said, I do believe that when we are faced with trials, we should take time to examine our hearts and consider whether our circumstances might be the consequences of our own sinful choices. You know me, I am going to take us back to my favorite book of the Bible. In Psalm 139:23-24, we find David praying to God.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.
Have those conversations with God. Go to Him humbly and be prepared for the answer.
I know that for myself, I took some time to really examine my heart, and I desperately begged God to reveal to me what I had done wrong to deserve this pain. I received no answer. Nothing was revealed to me, and trust me, I was ready to grow in whatever area God might have shown me needed changing.
Yet, again, I received no answer.
So, what is this testimony of mine that’s still being written? I’ve mentioned it throughout this blog, yet I haven’t told you where I believe it started.
In August 2008, eighteen-year-old me said a prayer that I believe changed my life forever. I don’t know if that is indeed what started all of this, because I am not God, yet I cannot ignore the timing.
“God, I am tired of being the person I am now. I am giving all of who I am to You and letting You mold me into something even more beautiful on the inside.
In Your Name,
Amen.“
Friends, God takes those prayers seriously, and sometimes we might not be prepared for what we’re asking. Yet, He will be with us every step of the way.
In October, two months after I prayed that prayer, my life changed drastically.
At the time, I had remembered my prayer and thought that the pain would only stick around long enough for me to grow. Once I learned whatever God was teaching me, the pain would go away. I wasn’t necessarily excited about the pain, but I wanted to grow from it.
And then it didn’t go away.
As I mentioned in a previous entry, I went through a season called “angry and bitter toward God,” because how dare God answer my prayer this way! My desire to grow was a good thing, so why did I feel as if I was being punished?
I decided that I wasn’t going to grow from this. In my mind, I decided that all I learned was that you shouldn’t get on a machine that you don’t know how to use.
Thankfully, God doesn’t give up on us so easily. I am not sure if God led Mom to start the conversation I mentioned in my entry Music for the Seasons, yet He used it. Because of His work in that moment, my heart began to soften towards Him yet again. My suffering didn’t automatically make me more Christlike. God continued to work in my heart throughout the years, even while I resisted Him.
Just a few years ago, even after seeing His good work in me, I would honestly tell those I trusted that if I had the opportunity to skip that moment that started all of this, I would take it.
Yes, at the time, I was willing to give up all of my growth if it meant not having this pain.
But in the same breath, I would acknowledge that I strongly believed that if it hadn’t been that specific incident, God would have allowed something else to mold me to be more like Him.
For all I know, whatever else He might have allowed could have been far worse.
Now, I see the progressive sanctification still at work in my life because I no longer say that I want to skip that day…at least most of the time.
I haven’t fully embraced the idea of living with this pain for the rest of my life. I’m also not saying I love this pain either. Yet if it weren’t for this pain, I wouldn’t be writing or reading this to you. I believe I wouldn’t know God the way I do now if I hadn’t experienced this suffering.
Pain or not, God would still have done His good work in me. If I were without pain, He would still be molding me.
But suffering is a unique training ground.
“3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” – Romans 5:3-5 (CSB)
In some translations, instead of “boast” it says, “we rejoice in our suffering”. I can’t say that I am at the point of rejoicing in my suffering, at least not yet. But I am learning to rejoice in and boast about what God is doing and what is blooming because of the pain.
I am learning to embrace the very thing that I once hated God for allowing because He is using it to teach me to be more like my Heavenly Father. That is one of the bigger parts of my testimony in and of itself because that kind of change could only have come from God.
At eighteen, I prayed for change, and God continues to answer that prayer well into my thirties.
Whether we specifically pray for it or not, if we belong to Christ, we will find ourselves on a journey of progressive sanctification. It might not be taught in the classroom of chronic pain, but change is rarely comfortable. It isn’t always easy, but it is necessary as we grow to become more like Christ.
May we share the testimony of God’s good work in our hearts, not only through our salvation story, but also through the ways He continues to work in us even now.
God’s work in my life isn’t only for my benefit. No. I may never know who might need to hear how God has been faithful in my life. My testimony might be the very encouragement someone needs to keep trusting Him in their own journey.
Psalm 66:16 (CSB)
Come and listen, all who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.
Selah: How do you continue to see God working in your life? When was the last time you shared the story of His work in you? Let’s put sharing our testimonies, which are still being written, into practice.
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