As I was in the shower this morning praying on what Word God wanted me to write about today, Holy Spirit told me, “Tell them (and yourself) that:
“They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” (Revelations 12:11)
So I ask you (as I ask myself too) WHAT IS THE WORD YOU ARE TESTIFYING ABOUT? Over God, over your life, over whatever you are praying about? Whatever you are believing about for you is what your testimony indicates.
What is your situation or your life testifying?
Holy Spirit then brought to my mind Acts 16:23 when Paul and Silas had been flogged and put into prison. What did Paul and Silas do? They prayed and sang hymns to God. THEY PRAYED AND SANG HYMNS TO GOD. What are YOU doing? What are YOU believing? How are YOU acting? Who are YOU trusting in? Do you know the last part of that sentence in Acts 16:25 says:
“And the other prisoners were listening to them.”
If you have professed to be a Christian, you can BET there are people watching to see how you respond to life’s situations. How do you act? Do you cuss and swear and get filled with anxiety and cause anxiety to others all around you? Or do you take a deep breath and turn your eyes as the psalmist did in Psalms 121:1-2:
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.”
I know it is not easy to do that when your heart is racing and you are frantic to bring order to chaos, listen- when God gives me a word to write – it is not only for YOU but often for ME too! Fear is NOT of God. Anxiety is NOT of God. These are not fruits of the Spirit – which is WHY He told me to share this word. WE OVERCOME BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND BY THE WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY.
Maybe we need to change what we are saying, what we are thinking, what we are believing so that it lines up with the Word of God.
Maybe we need to READ the Word of God (the Bible) to KNOW what it is that God is saying to us, individually concerning the things that we are concerned and anxious about? Instead of looking to other means and methods – we need to go RIGHT To the One who has the answers. Remember the first part of Revelations 12:11 is: “Overcame by the blood of the Lamb…” Jesus – Jesus – Jesus- Jesus. “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29)
We DON’T overcome on our own strength, on our own accord. We overcome BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB and THEN by THE WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY. What IS your testimony?????
Can you imagine Paul and Silas, flogged, beaten, people – like you and me – they had every right to be disheartened and discouraged and fearful and full of anxiety – I’m pretty sure this is not what they thought they had signed up for when they decided to follow Jesus. BUT Holy Spirit filled them with God’s peace and they determined that instead of wallowing in the situation they would turn their eyes to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. They KNEW WHO it was they belonged too! They KNEW that their steps were ordained by God. They knew that Jesus had told them “He would never leave nor forsake them.” There testimony for what they had been put in prison for in the first place – DID NOT CHANGE WHAT THEY BELIEVED!
They SANG Hymns! WHAT ARE YOU SINGING? WHAT ARE YOUR ACTIONS TESTIFYING???
No matter what we go through in life – God is WORTHY of praise. Our testimony is our story – the story of US. It is what happens in between the year of our birth and the year of our death on our gravestones. The “dash” in-between. When you think of your life, what do you see within that “dash” timing?
As a very vocal Christian (I refuse to have a rock cry out louder than I! 🙂 People know what I believe in, I don’t hide it. I try to show it “in love” by being very transparent about what I have gone through and where I am in my life. People watch how you act when you profess to be a Christian (especially if they are not one). There have been times when I have been praying diligently about something and am waiting for an answer from God. I may be having a “Job-type” situation where people around me are expecting me to “curse God and die” (See Job 2:9). I have actually had people ask me, “if you are going through such and such, why do you still have faith in God?” My response is this – My love for God is not dependent upon what He will do for me (although I DO bring my requests through prayer to God who tells me to do so and believe Him for answers), I love God for what He DID for me. He sent His Son, Jesus to die on the cross for forgiveness of my sins, so that I will not perish but have everlasting life. (See John 3:16). My love and desire to show Him my love is based upon God’s love for me. (See 1 John 4:19). And guess what? JESUS DIED FOR YOU TOO.
So what is the Word of YOUR testimony???? Hey – the second part of Acts 16:25 attests to this… “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, AND THE PRISONERS WERE LISTENING TO THEM.” (Emphasis is mine). See? Paul and Silas faith in how they would response to their situation was being watched, or in this case, listened to. Then do you know what happened??? Look at the next verse: Acts 16:26:
“Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!”
Sometimes the things that we experience for our faith are not due to anything we have/haven’t done but because God will get the glory for the situation. Hey – when you give your life over to Him, your life is NOT your own anymore. It is His. As I have said before, we are vessels for HIM. Praise God for the times that He uses us so that others will be set free! God is concerned with saving souls and if you have decided to be a vessel for Him there may be life situations where He is using YOU as His vessel to help others! Remember, we only see in part – but God sees in full!
And there is even more to the story! Listen to Acts 16:27-34
“The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself, but Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
“The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household.
Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized.
The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.”
Look what God did! Look how God used Paul and Silas! Look at Paul and Silas’ willing to endure whatever it is they had to endure for the glory of God?! They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their testimony and in doing so – others were set free and the one who was holding them captive – their captive AND not ONLY their captive but their captive’s family – WERE SET FREE!!!! Doesn’t that make you want to shout and praise God?? Praise Him for His forgiveness, for His mercy, for His love!
I don’t know about you, but when I look at what I’m bringing what I’m currently bringing before the foot of the cross, the concerns I have been having, they seem miniscule compared to that. But if God can do what He did for Paul and Silas and NOT ONLY for them, but for the prisoners that were listening AND for the prison guard who HELD them captive AND the prison guards family – I know that my Redeemer, who gave me the Word of God for SUCH a time as this is increasing my faith and helping me to know, that WHATEVER trouble or concerns or problems or situations I am going through in THIS life CAN INDEED be overcome by His precious blood and the word of my testimony… HOW ABOUT YOU?
“Father, I thank You so much for using the people of old and their lives and their situations as examples for me to trust more in You by reading and believing and applying the Word of God to my own situations and to my own life. Your Word tells me that, “You are the same today as you were yesterday as You will be tomorrow. (Hebrews 13:8). You are my Redeemer, You are the Way, You are the Truth and You are the life. Thank You Lord for seeing the full picture of ME. Forgive me for the times when I have tried to draw upon my “own” strength. Forgive me for the times when I haven’t trusted You. When my testimony has been anything other than complimentary to all that You have done and will do with this life You have given me. Forgive me when I have doubted what You are capable of doing, when I have felt as though You are holding out on me. Forgive me Father. Wash me with the precious blood of the Lamb who is the REASON I CAN through HIM overcome ANYTHING that life throws my way. Help my life be a testimony to Who You are, What You’ve done and what You WILL do and may my testimony be one that You use to set others free. Thank You Father. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen!”
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