Own Your Testimony
Years ago our family visited a denominational church for a Testimony Service. We were really excited to hear the amazing things that the Lord had done for His people. Little did I know that this was a stepping stone and key for my own testimony and my ability to understand what the Testimony is.
Testimonies come through testing. You must own your Testimonies and share them. Testifying opens a door or portal for others to receive from the Lord. Perhaps not what you received though because God knows exactly what each individual needs. He knows us individually and provides for us individually and when our Testimonies touch the heart of another person, it opens a door of Hope where there was none. When we celebrate Him with others and are thankful for the amazing things that He has done in their lives, the door opens and His Power is made available to them.
God knows our motives and He moves in our lives accordingly through His Love, Mercy and Grace.
Each of these statements are true and I was really excited to hear of the good things that the Lord had done for the people of this denominational church. A beautiful couple stepped up to the front and began to speak into the microphone. Their testimony was that they had lived for the Lord their entire lives just as their Generations had. They were each saved early in their youth. Grew up in church, got married and had 4 beautiful daughters. Each of their daughters were serving the Lord and they were all so very happy and thankful to the Lord for their Blessed lives.
Well, I would love to say that tears rolled down my cheeks and that I praised the Lord Most High for His goodness toward these people. I did not do that. I was so mad and told God that I truly with all of my heart just didn’t understand. I thought that a Testimony was filled with pain and torture. That the tests and trials through fire brought forth The Testimony.
My Testimony is one of pain, abandonment, sickness, sadness and loss. I have walked through the fire of adversity and yes, I have the Testimony of Jesus Christ which Is the Spirit of Prophecy and have loved not my life unto death. I have literally almost died several times. I have Overcome by the blood of the Lamb out of the hand of the enemy.
The Lord was quick to point out that this is the difference. These people came from a long line of Believers in Jesus Christ. Their Parents, Grandparents, Great Grandparents and Great Great Grandparents are all Believers and they nor their Generations submitted themselves to the devil.
Oh, my heart was pierced and yet I saw something that I didn’t see before.
Exodus 20:1-6 (NASB)
The Ten Commandments
20 Then God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [a]slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods [b]before Me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself [c]an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Revelation 12:11 NKJV 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death
Truly, I had prayed to the Lord for my eyes to be opened clearly and see from His perspective. That night He ministered to me about owning my testimony and that others must own theirs. Our Testimony is of Jesus, His Love, His Sacrifice, His Rising again, His willingness to do all of this and that if we were each the only one – He would have lived, been crucified, and rose again just for one of us. He sees us generation-ally as well as individually. When we have yielded to the sinful nature that we were born with, we must walk it out until we fully yield to Him.
I made the decision that day to lay down every single bit of sin and shame, my Testimony of Jesus was mine and someone needed to hear His Goodness toward me. I acknowledged to The Lord that those people had the most beautiful Testimony that I had ever heard and that I was angry at myself and was ashamed of myself. I repented and asked for forgiveness because the good news of Jesus Christ was active in my life and although I had been such a sinner – He had forgiven me. I could not live my life feeling less than because someone’s family chose to follow the Lord. Oh to be able to stand before the Lord with your generations and proclaim that you have served the Lord as a generation. That was my goal and from that day I owned my Testimony.
Back to my reality. There are millions upon millions of people who don’t know Jesus on this earth right now. If you are sinner saved by God’s Grace then your Testimony is the Testimony that can unlock the Door (Jesus) for another sinner who needs to be saved by God’s Grace. You are a carrier of Hope for someone. You are a bright light for someone. If you have yielded your life to Jesus, Been Born Again, Crowned Him Lord of your life, you have a Testimony. Your Testimony must be shared and The Lord will give you peace about sharing His Goodness toward you. What greatand amazing thing has God done for you.
Lay down shame, sadness and regret and begin a Generational line of Born Again Believers in Jesus Christ. Trust the Lord that Your Testimony, though it may be a giant puzzle filled with ups, downs, twists and turns. You are His Masterpiece and He chose you. Your Testimony can bring freedom to another person.
It is my prayer that someday our Generations will stand before the Lord and that every one of them will live for the Lord and have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony not loving their lives to the death. I have asked for the Salvation of my entire bloodline in Jesus name.
Ask for yours today. Take a step of faith and draw the Blood line of Jesus around your Generations. Take one Step at a time and Overcome by the Blood of the Lamb – Out of the hand of the enemy. No matter where you are right now, you can be an overcomer by the Blood of the Lamb and God will use your testimony to bring the Light and Hope of Jesus Christ to others. Own your Testimony and Proclaim it, someone needs to hear it.
I Bless each of you in Jesus name today and Praise the Lord for you.
Hope this GEM (God Empowered Moment) has been helpful. Made you hopeful and opened the Door – Jesus Christ over you. Step on through and Overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and by the Word of your Testimony.
Kingdom Finance G E M by Beth Auman
Years ago when Ben and I were just learning about Kingdom Finance we were in a desperate situation. Ben needed a job. We were out of money. I turned on the TV one day and a precious minister was speaking the truth about Kingdom Finance. Every fiber of my being tuned in. I immediately heard the Lord’s voice and I did exactly what He instructed me to. I planted a seed. I spoke to the seed and said, I apply the blood of Jesus over you, Ben needs a position, not just a job. Things in our lives must change and I’m planting you into the Kingdom of God. I remember saying – I do not fully understand this but what I am doing isn’t working and I trust the Lord for change. I have heard His voice and I trust Him. I planted that seed and prayed over it every single day.
An important back story about this seed is that when our oldest daughter was little, we committed ourselves to sending her to Private Christian School. It was a huge sacrifice for us, but we wanted her to grow up differently than us and we knew that knowing Jesus would make all the difference in the world. We scrapped by to send her to this school. We continued Private Christian School for her when we moved to Florida and it was even more of a sacrifice there.
We began mailing out resumes for Ben. There were no jobs in the Furniture Industry where we lived, so I began searching everywhere. Praying Where Lord do you want us to live.
He spoke to my heart and revealed His Word to me: Acts 17:24 (NASB)
24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and [a]exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’
God knows all of our addresses and when we need to make a move – He will lead us and guide us. Sometimes it really does feel as if we are groping for Him to find Him. But He is never far away from us. In Him we live and move and exist.
We sent out many resumes and we received ONE reply. Ben interviewed with the company which was in Florida, further South than we were. Ben took the job and the income that they offered was exactly to the penny the amount that Ben and I made together when each of us were working. My heart’s desire was to stay at home and homeschool. To the penny. ‘If you add up the amount of money that we sacrificed to send our daughter to Private Christian School, it was the exact amount that we would have tithed each year on the income that we had at that time. Our income with Ben’s new position was exactly to the penny our two incomes combined.
We obediently heard His word, planted the seed that He instructed to the place that He instructed and He gave us revelation of His Word. He taught us about His boundaries. He placed His hedge of protection around us and got us back on track. In Him we live and move and exist.
We will never forget this lesson and continue to plant where He says plant and live within the boundaries that He has set for us. We will always remember that God sees everything. He discerns our heart and knows our motives.
There is a little more to this testimony though. Not only did we move and live in South Florida for a while. The company that Ben worked for moved their plant to NC. They paid to move us back home. Which is where we live now.
God had such a much bigger plan than we could have ever imagined. To this day we give Him all of the Praise, Honor and Glory. We are so very thankful for His plan and it is our only desire to live in the center of His well lit path for our lives.
I pray in Jesus name over each of you today. Thank you for reading our Testimony. God has a appointed the boundaries of your habitation too. Walk through the Door of our testimony. For the Testimony of Jesus Christ is the Spirit of Prophecy. He will lead you and guide you as you grope for Him and find Him. May you always live in Him, move in Him and exist in Him.
Love Beyond Measure.
Beth Auman