The Power of a Testimony

Books have really inspired me in recent years. The one I
just finished is Release the Power of
Jesus by Bill Johnson, the pastor of Bethel
Church in Redding.

The book got off to a slow start, but it really spoke to me
once I got into it. It spoke of the power of testimony. Testimony is simply
telling a piece of God’s story. Sometimes we think of our testimony as
revolving around us, when in reality, it is about GOD and how he rescued us.
Testimony is also very closely associated with prophesy. This may sound funny,
but when you give a testimony, you are declaring what God has done, and what he
will do. The book tells many accounts of people that have been healed simply by
hearing the testimony of someone else healed from a similar ailment.

One of the main points is that we have this power, and how
it is our responsibility to continue to pass on the testimony of what God has
done in our lives, and in the lives of those before us.

Consider Psalm 78:2-8:

            …I will
teach you hidden lessons from our past-

            Stories we
have heard and known,

Stories our ancestors handed down
to us.

We will not hide these truths from
our children;

We will tell the next generation

About the glorious deeds of the
Lord,

About his power and his mighty wonders.

For he issued his laws to Jacob;

He gave his instructions to Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

To teach them to their children,

So the next generation might know them-

Even the children not yet born-

And they in turn will teach their own children.

So each generation should set its hope anew on God,

Not forgetting his glorious miracles

And obeying his commands.

Then they will not be like their
ancestors-

Stubborn, rebellious, and
unfaithful,

Refusing to give their hearts to
God.

In short, the Children of Israel were brought out of Egypt! God
parted the seas for them, gave them food every day for 40 years, but they still
turned their backs on Him. It is up to us to declare the MIGHTY works of God to
prevent the generations to come from turning away from God.

Now, in keeping with the namesake of this blog, I have a
testimony to declare. Lighthouse
Church has really caught
the fire in doing treasure hunts. About 10 of us went on Saturday! One of the
words of knowledge that someone received was “breast cancer”, along with
carrots, and sisters, and maybe a few other things. So, a few people went to
the grocery store (unfortunately I wasn’t with them to experience this
firsthand) and they saw two ladies who looked like sisters getting carrots.
They asked if they were sisters, but they weren’t. But the group continued to
tell them about treasure hunting and showed them the list of clues. Well it
turns out that one of them has breast cancer!!! So they prayed for her, and one
our girls told the lady where we go to church and that the next time we see her
that she would be healed. So, we are waiting for her return to hear the report.
Pretty crazy, hey?

That’s the power of Jesus.