By Michele DeGarmo
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.”
The power of our testimony is real. Our trials and tribulations in this world are not for us
to sit and sulk in. The enemy hopes that’s what we’ll do: sit and sulk and keep our mouths shut.
We become powerless when we side with the enemy. I don’t want to be powerless, and Jesus
certainly didn’t die so that I would remain powerless! Revelation 12:11 says that they (those
who have their faith in Jesus) overcame him (the enemy) by Jesus’ blood and by the telling of
their testimonies. There is victory in telling our stories of how God redeems us!
This is what we did on our recent trip to India! The 5 women who comprised the IWM
team this trip shared our powerful testimonies with the women (and men!) in India. We
became vulnerable to these women, sharing very hard testimonies of how the enemy tried to
take us out, shut us up, ad keep us down. Tears were shed by all present in the room. But did
we stop our stories at the lowest parts? Did we sit and sulk in the difficulties we had to endure?
NO! We shared about God’s redemption: how He shone His light on all those hurts and past
mistakes and from that His glory filled the room! His presence was tangible each time we
shared! The women could see the changes in us – from devastation to restoration – and they
praised the Lord with us because of His faithfulness! Hallelujah!
We were affirmed by the women, the pastors, all who heard, that this is what these
women needed to hear. Real life with Jesus. Our vulnerability was new to them. These women
were all converts from Hinduism. 100% of them. They are learning about the Lord, His Word
and His ways. They’d not yet been exposed to this kind of openness and they got to see the
benefits of it: freedom and peace. They could see the transformations in us because our
countenances were full of joy. Joy comes in the morning, after all! The Lord had exchanged our
sufferings for His peace, and this was clearly seen! We encouraged them to open up, to share
with each other what the Lord has done for them and how they have been comforted by Him.
We wiped their tears as they shared their stories and began their new journeys to freedom and
peace.
Testimonies speak loudly to the goodness and faithfulness of our God. Jesus transforms
when we open our mouths. Both the speaker and the listener are forever changed. So, my
encouragement to all of us today is to open our mouths. No fear. No hesitation. Go and tell
people what the Lord has done for you. Yor story will resonate. It will have an impact. It will
make a difference for the Kingdom! Share your story and give God the glory!The Power of Our Testimony
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony…” Rev
12:11
