Our Testimony ...

In effect we will all have the same testimony in that Jesus Christ saved us from the evil in our lives. And yet each one of us will have a unique testimony of just what happened in our lives, under what conditions, and unique to us, like the DNA strands, and fingerprints that singularly identify us today. It is interesting that the themes of our testimony may be quite similar, a weakness for greed, or lust, or appetite, or power. How many of us suffer from the same weaknesses the devil has devised over the centuries.

There are worse things than not having had a personal experience with Christ bringing victory to your life. One would be the idea that you need no victory; that your life is “fine” just the way it is. The devil works hard to make people believe the meager existence they experience is all that life has to offer. He denies them the desires of their hearts long enough to convince them that no hope exists. Once people begin to compromise their goals, the rest is easy. People settle for the mediocrity the devil provides, without ever tasting the freedom and exhilaration that is possible ONLY through the liberation Christ can bring. Ironically the devil presents the Kingdom of God, as a prison of restrictions, or rules and regulations that must be kept on pain of death. Yet the “rules” or principles of God’s Kingdom define what freedom and fulfillment are all about. They do not constrain us from that which would make us happy, but rather are there to provide a buffer against that which would seek to destroy us and leave us completely empty.

This is tried technique of the author of all evil; Satan acts with malevolent intent and fierce actions and then blames God for “allowing” him to do so. It is why God is so often blamed in the face of tragedy; when in fact, the tragedies themselves come directly from the one who would see everyone suffer with him. Satan seeks only to spread pain however he can. Whether it be a denial of what is truly possible, or an infliction of horror itself, Satan wishes no human escape his wrath. This is his last avenue to hurt our Creator and so he works incessantly to achieve that singular goal.

Another fate worse than a lack of a personal experience with Christ, is a lie about a relationship that truly does not exist. There are those who claim more than just personal victories over sin worked in their lives due to the power of Jesus; they claim divine inspiration, revelation, or authority to speak on God’s behalf. So how do we sort out testimony of truth, from lies told by wolves in sheep’s clothing? For if truth can be found in any vessel of God’s choosing, how do we know He has not made a choice we simply do not understand ourselves. It is easy to get caught up in pre-judging the avenues God is allowed to reach us within. We close ourselves off to obvious sinners (those whose sin is known publicly), and generally do not want to associate with them, or listen to what they say. We stay away from places we deem inappropriate and believe truth is only given in church. We prejudge Christian music we do not enjoy as being evil, and therefore incapable of relaying the Holy Spirit of truth to us. And by all this prejudging, God is effectively excluded almost every avenue from reaching us with His intentions and word.

To treat those who claim direct divine revelation like they are all nut-balls is to err on the side of caution. But to treat all those who claim direct revelation of authors of truth, is to invite apostasy and deception into the mind and heart. So how do we tell the difference and sort the truth from the error? First, we must examine their language and actions in an attempt to know them by their fruits. Those who claim direct interaction with God SHOULD be the most loving of all Christians you have yet to encounter. It is an automatic side effect of being in close proximity to the source of all love. If they come across as critical, condemnatory, judgmental, obsessed with sin and not the savior, they are probably misstating their interactions with the divine. But just because someone is full of love, does not automatically make them full of truth.

Next, we must examine what they say against what we know of scripture to date. To directly counteract scripture is a very dangerous proposition. It may be truth, but requires very close scrutiny before adopting a position we believe to be 180 degrees different than what we know today. To directly counteract a fundamental of scripture is to simply be a mouthpiece for the evil one. Claims like there is no God, the Bible is untrue, Christ is not the messiah, or God does not care what we do. All of these kinds of nullifications of what God wants for us (a permanent escape from evil and the pain that comes with it), are plainly not true. They are lies meant to weaken or destroy faith. They do not make logical sense, if the claims of these people encourage evil they should be avoided.

We too should be conscience of the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Just because we are blessed with a supernatural comforter who is capable of working great works in our minds and hearts, does not free us the influences of other much more malevolent supernatural beings with evil intent. God does not mind being challenged. To ask a supernatural presence “in the name of Jesus Christ” to identify itself is a quick effective method of determining right and wrong in a world beyond our eyes. Satan is not allowed to lie when asked this question in this form. Most of the time evil angels succeed by avoiding being asked this question at all. They present themselves as beings of light that would be insulted to be asked such a meaningless question at all. They may even exhibit anger at the idea you would “show so little faith” in them. But God is not insulted. He understands our need to avoid danger and receive only truth, and He will be faithful to accommodate us.

So what will be your testimony? When walking down golden streets that never dim, will you testify that our Lord saved you from the pain of evil’s counterfeits regarding sexual expression? Or will it be that the Lord freed you from the consuming fire that is greed and avarice? Was it your lust for power and control that drove you to the brink, only to be pulled back by the mercy of Christ? Or was it simply that your eyes were opened by Jesus to the apathy of your own existence, and now you know what it is like to live in freedom with Christ. What can God say only through you? What will be your testimony?