In this piece, we will be looking at a very interesting topic. We will be looking at “My Testimony”. I want us to personalize it, my testimony. It is important we understand that potent, in our walk of faith is our testimony. There are many things that are potent, but another potent thing, another potent principle in the kingdom of God is our testimony. And I want us to quickly see Revelations chapter 12, so that I won't do so much of the talking. We can see from the word of Life.
Revelation chapter 12 verse 10 to 11, 10 “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 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.”
“And they overcame.” And we overcame and we will overcome him, who is the him? We read verse 10, for context, you will see that a subject was mentioned there, he is called the accuser of our brethren. He is also called the one who accused them before our God, day and night. So, the him that is referred to in verse 11, is the accuser. And they overcame the accuser, we can read it like that. And they overcame the accuser by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, not the word of his testimony, the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives to the death.
Now, verse 11, has three powerful components from which we are going to take one of them. Number one, is the blood of the Lamb. The focus is their victory. They overcame, but how did they overcome? What are the weapons? What are the means through which this end was achieved? Number one, he said, they overcame by, meaning that the blood of the Lamb is an instrument, it is a weapon. They overcame by the blood of the Lamb. But our focus is not on the blood of the Lamb, but the blood of the Lamb is very potent.
He did not say “or”, he said “and”. So, this is not inclusive, this is exclusive. In the sense that this is also potent, the blood of the Lamb “and”, When you use “and”, you are trying to join things together. A is standing alone plus B. So, what is B here? By the word of their testimony which is our focus. My testimony! How do I overcome by my testimony? What is the meaning of my testimony?
Let's go to Matthew chapter 16 verse 19 to 20, 19 “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.”
And I will give you, who is Jesus speaking to here? He is speaking to me, I don't know about you. He said, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
Revelations 12 verse 11, they overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. And Jesus said, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you bind. Are you going to use fetters and chains physically to bind? No! What are you going to use? It is the word of your testimony.
I will give you the keys. Another word for keys is I will give you the access. I will give you the means by which you can bind and loose. How do you bind and loose? You bind and loose on the earth and it is registered in heaven by your testimony. In Revelation chapter 12, the verse 10 that we read, he said, and I heard a loud voice in heaven saying. When you testify, what does it mean? You witness! Have you seen somebody testify and the person is quiet, and you understood what the person was saying? So, tied to testimony is speaking, saying.
So, when we say my testimony, we are talking about my words. We are talking about my sayings. We are talking about my speech. We're talking about my witness. What do I witness when I speak? Another translation called the word of our testimony, the utterance of your testimony. The powerful word of your testimony. But beyond that, your testimony in the kingdom is not just talking, because if it is just talking, everybody is talking! Then everybody should be overcomers, true or false? But, are everybody overcomers? Is everybody not talking? So, we want to look at why everybody is talking, but not everybody are overcomers?
What makes you overcome by the word of your testimony? I want to dissect that word “testimony” a little bit before we go to the basis of our testimony. In the kingdom of God, to testify is to confirm the word of God. So, when we're talking about testimony, we're not just talking about talking, that you just go somewhere and you are talking. You wake up in the morning and you are talking, no! It is what? Confirming the word of God! Now, let us go to this Scripture, Jesus was speaking here in Matthew, when Jesus was going, He gave a charge to His disciples.
Matthew chapter 28 verse 18 to 20, 18 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore, in my authority, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
Why is Jesus with us always? To confirm the word, even to the end of age! Jesus said, as you go, as you are sojourning the earth, as you are moving from one place to another, I will confirm the word. What did He say? I will confirm the word, I am with you always. Doing what? Confirming the word!
Let us see Hebrews chapter 2 verse 3. We are looking at all these bits and pieces, and we are going to bring them all together by the teaching of the Spirit. Hebrews chapter 2 verse 3, 3 “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him”
Now, Apostle Paul was saying something here, and I want us to pay attention. How shall we escape if we neglect so great? The testimony is so great, we can't neglect it. So great, a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord. So, the testimony started with the Lord, then it was confirmed. He said, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. So, the first thing about the testimony is that, have you heard the Lord, for the word of your testimony to become a weapon that makes you overcome, you must have heard Jesus. You must have heard the Lord. How that testimony becomes a confirmation of the word is that you have heard it, and it is now confirmed in your life by your own experience.
David said, once He has spoken, twice, have I heard that power belongs to God. What is the meaning of that twice? Once the Lord has spoken, I heard Him. So, the first hearing was that hearing of faith. It is the communication. The second hearing is the confirmation of what I heard. So, if your testimony becomes a weapon, this is how it becomes a weapon. When the Lord speaks once, you must hear twice. Your testimony becomes a weapon when the Lord speaks once and you heard twice. The first hearing is that hearing that communicate faith to you. The second hearing, is the confirmation of that word in your life. So, what is the basis of our testimony?
Why should we hear God and believe Him and allow it to be the basis of our witnessing; our utterance?
Number One: Psalm chapter 119 verse 105 to 106, we are going to share some of the reasons why it is important for us to let God speak once and we hear twice. Psalm chapter 119 verse 105 to 106, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.106 I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments.” This is David speaking here. What is he communicating here? He is the same person that said, the Lord has spoken once, twice have I heard. Now, he's helping us to breakdown how he heard. He heard first and confirmed. I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep His righteous judgments.
So, when you hear the word of God, how do you hear it? Do you just hear it like somebody speaking to you, advising you or it is a law? It is something that you are swearing an allegiance to. How many of us have heard people, maybe those in the military or something, they have a creed. And once they are reading their creed, it is like a conviction that is being communicated to them. And when they are talking to you, they will use part of the words of the creed that they have read over time to communicate. But, how come that we have so heard the word of God, and our communication, our utterance is not showing the word that we have heard. There is no conviction!
I have sworn. That swearing is like a conviction. And I have sworn and confirmed. As in, I'm not shifting grounds. The reason our testimony is not a weapon of our victory is because we are shifting grounds. We are torn between two opinions, we falter. Sometimes you are here, sometimes it is about what your village people said. This is how they used to do it in my place. This is, and you say it. You are not saying what God has said. And Revelations 12 said they overcame, not by the words of their elders in their village, but by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
What are you saying? Are you saying what the word has said? Are you saying what God has said? When you hear God, is there a swearing and a confirmation like David in your heart? When God speaks once, have you heard twice? Is there a conviction that beyond any shadow of doubt, I believe this word works and this word is for me? Numbers chapter 23 verse 19, The basis of our testimony. The reason why we must hold tenaciously to the word of God. Numbers chapter 23 verse 19 19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
God is not a man. Why should we hold on to our faith in Him? Why should we hold on to His word? We hold on to His word because God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. He won’t say no, I didn't say it. Has He said, and will He not do? It is a rhetorical question. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? This is why you should put His words on your lips.
God is not a man. When He speaks to you, He is not lying to you. When He speaks to you, He will not change His mind about what He has said. That's why we must put His words on our lips. Our utterance, the utterance of our testimony must be in alignment, must be in tandem with the Word of God because that's when our testimony becomes potent.
The basis of our testimony is because God is not a man that He will lie. So, as you are speaking it, the Bible says you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. The truth will give you freedom. The truth will give you liberty. The truth will make you an overcomer. So, we must know the truth. We must hold on to the truth, we must speak the truth. When we are sharing things like this, somebody will say, “okay, if I'm sick. And I'm truly sick, my temperature has gone up to 38 degrees. I'm vomiting. I'm feeling cold at the same time, I am having feverish condition.” So, what should be the word of my testimony? The question I want to ask you is, those symptoms that you are feeling, did you see it in the Bible? Did God communicate that symptom to you?
Did God say, say you are cold? Say you are hot? Is that what is in the Bible? No! Let the poor say, I am rich. Let the weak say, I am strong. God does not deny the present situation, but He is taking you from the present situation to the truth that is in His word. We are not there yet, we are on a journey. To go from where we are, to where God is requires a journey of faith. And what conveys us, what is the transport, what is the medium through which we are carried from where we are to where God wants us to be? It is the word of our faith.
So, God will not just pick you from where you are, to where He wants you to be without you participating. Our participation is our testimony. How do we work with God to make sure that we move from where we are to where God wants us to be? It is our testimony. Let the weak say I am strong. You are not lying; you are partnering with the truth.
The Bible says, the word did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith in their heart. When you believe something, you will say it. True or False? If you believe that Nigeria will be great. In fact that Nigeria is great already, and you know that you are journeying towards it? What will be your communication? When people are saying, “nawa oo, we don't even know which kind country we dey. We don’t even know where we dey go.” Will you join that communication? No, because your testimony becomes your destination.
They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, so they can be defeated even though there is a blood of the Lamb and if there is a wrong testimony, they have been defeated. Because if it's only the blood of the Lamb, some people right now, you will see in their house, different tasty-time; blood of Jesus, different color; red, wine, maroon, different one, blood of Jesus. And you will see them in the morning, and they are still defeated. It is not in tasty-time.
The power of the blood is what gives us the authority to proclaim the word with power and boldness. Jesus said, all authority in heaven and on earth. He purchased for us that authority by His blood. So, we have authority, then we have to partner with the authority we have received to move from where we are, to where God wants us to be.
You can be having low grades in school, but God said you will be the head but not the tail, above only and not beneath. Yes, your present position is 32, but as you confess the Word, as you believe that I am more intelligent than my teachers, I have more understanding than my teachers, there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty grants him understanding, you are moving.
The second basis of our testimony, Philippians chapter 1 verse 7, the Holy Spirt is challenging us that we live our lives with the consciousness that the word is potent but we need to partner with the word for it to work for us.
Philippians chapter 1 verse 77 “just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.” The basis of our testimony is that we are partakers of grace. By confirmation of the gospel, what is the gospel? The gospel is good news. What is the good news? The truth that Jesus has come to die as a propitiation of our sins, that you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
The Bible says, therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Our lives must be a confirmation of the gospel, because we are partakers of grace. It is not by works, lest any man should boast. Grace is a free gift, you are not deserving of it. You worked nothing to merit it; it is given to you on the platform of Christ. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ has come to us because of the love of God, and it is activated by the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Believe it!
The basis of our testimony is that our testimony confirms the gospel. Our testimony confirms the good news. “The Lord is good, all the time. All the time, the Lord is good.” After saying it, what else do you say? How do you live your life? The Bible says and with joy, we will draw from the wells of salvation. What is Joy? Joy means that irrespective of the circumstance, Joy is spiritual. You might not see the wind, you might not see the rain, but the valleys are being filled. Joy is spiritual! The joy of the Lord is my strength. Why are you excited in the midst of what is happening to you? The joy of the Lord is my strength. Even though I cannot see it, I know my God is working. And I know my God is able.
Our testimony confirms the gospel. As a believer, if people look at your life, when things are rosy, you are happy. When things are not rosy, you are sad. What is the difference between you and an unbeliever? When things are going well for the unbeliever too, the person is happy. When things are not going well, the person is sad. So, what is the difference? Somebody must be able to look at you and say, “Ah! Sir, in the midst of what you're going through, you are still rejoicing.”
Apostle Paul was in chains, when he was writing the book of Philippians. He said rejoice in the Lord always, I say again rejoice. In chains, he was finding consolation in God. You will not testify if your consolation is not in God. The Bible says when others are saying there is a casting down. “When others are saying; meaning that you will be in the same circumstance, you will be in the same environment, you are in the world but you are not of the world. You are in Nigeria even though you're not of Nigeria. True or False? True! When other Nigerians are saying, “there is a casting down, this economy is bad. I don’t even know, from fry pan to fire.” Your testimony will be, “there is a lifting up.”
If you don't say it, you can’t have it. If you don't say it, it can’t have it. If you don’t say it, it can’t become your experience. The Bible keeps repeating it over and over again that the communication of our faith must be effectual, because there is power in it. Even though God has blessed you, if you don't testify of the blessing, that blessing will not come on you. Even though God has healed you, if you don't confirm that healing with your testimony, that healing will not be perfected.
How many of us remember the story of the ten lepers that Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priest? They were ten. Jesus said, go and show yourself to the priest. And they were all going and, on their way, they noticed they were cleansed. Nine continued to show themselves to the priest, one turned back, he said, I must testify. Out of the ten lepers, only one was whole.
Let me explain to us, many of us don't understand the depth of it. Now when people have suffered from leprosy, their fingers and their toes are cut off. Then they now have that white spotish all over their bodies. The nine that were going to show themselves to the priest, they noticed they were cleansed. Meaning that all the white spot was no longer there, but their fingers and their toes were not back to normal. So, they felt this is it, let's go ahead.
But, one turned back, something has happened to me. I must share it. He went back to Jesus and said, “Jesus, as we were going, I noticed.” Jesus knew that it was not the priest that will cleanse them, it is their obedience. And when that one noticed in his obedience that something has happened, he went back to his source, others abandoned the source. But that one went back. And when he went to Jesus. He said, “Jesus I noticed as we were going, I was cleansed.” And Jesus said, that you have come back to recognize that this is the source, you are made whole.
What does that mean? It means that his fingers grew back to normal. His toes grew back to normal. You are made whole! When God says, you are made whole, everything! It means nothing missing, nothing broken. So, they were nine lepers that were cleansed with short fingers and short toes, but there was one that had wholeness. His testimony!!! Our testimony gives us wholeness. The word of our testimony brings us to that place of wholeness.
SONG: “See what the Lord has done. Can you see what the Lord has done? What we've been waiting for has come to pass. See what the Lord has done.”
See, once it has happened in spirit, it only takes time for it to materialize in the physical. When you know it, you know peace. The Bible says, the devil is going around like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour. If you don't have your testimony in your mouth, the devil will devour you.
Hebrews chapter 6 verse 17 to 18, “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise, the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation.” When we have our testimony, our testimony is our strong consolation. My testimony is my strong consolation! My testimony is my strong consolation in Christ. That we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.
I want to read it in the Amplified version, in the same way, God in His desire to show to the heirs of the promise, the unchangeable nature of His purpose, intervened and guaranteed it with an oath so that by two unchangeable things, what are the unchangeable things? His promise! Another word for His promise is His word. And His oath, God's word is His bond. In which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to Him for refuge, would have strong encouragement.
Another word for consolation is encouragement. Your testimony is your encouragement. When you are going through, you are encouraged. An indwelling strength to hold tightly; “God will do it. He has not failed before, He will not fail me. He did not fail Abraham, He will not fail me. He did not fail Hannah, He will not fail me. He did not fail Lazarus, He will not fail me.” That's why the Bible says, all of Scripture is written for our admonition. That's why He is called our strong consolation. If Joseph from prison can become a Prime Minister, what can God not do?
SONG: “There is nothing you cannot do. There is no mountain you cannot move. If you have said it, then you will do it. You have a track record of keeping your words and you're not about to stop doing it now.”
He is our consolation, our confidence, our encouragement. That according to Numbers 23, God is not a man that He will lie, nor the Son of Man that He will repent. So, we hold tightly to the hope set before us, because we have a strong encouragement. We have a strong consolation in His word.
I want to show us a practical example in the life of Jesus as we wrap this up. Matthew chapter 4 verse 1 to 10, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, afterward He was hungry.” This was the state of Jesus, He was hungry. This is what He was going through. This was His present predicament. Because some of us will say please, let’s leave Bible aside and let's focus on our present predicament. Let us look at the facts before us. So, this was the fact before Jesus, He was hungry. “Now, when the tempter came to Him, he said, if You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” With His present predicament, somebody is now challenging His faith.
“But He answered,” When you see “but”, meaning that He could have done something else, but He chose the part of His testimony. He said, My testimony will not be altered. My testimony will not be changed because of My present predicament. My present predicament will not distort My testimony. It is written! What is my testimony? What is written is my testimony, not what I am going through, not what is before me. My testimony is what is written. “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” And no contest!
SONG: “There is no other argument, there is no other plea. It's enough that Jesus died and that He died for me.”
It's enough! No arguments, no contention. Then the devil took Him up, he said, “okay, that's alright, You have overcome on that one. Let's move to the next phase.” “He took Him up into the holy city, and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, if You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.” For it is written, that since it is the word You want to be using, “it is written also that He shall give His angels charge over you and, in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him, “it is written again.” Let your life be a confirmation of the word. When God looks down from heaven, let Him see a man, a woman that is standing on the integrity of His Word. The devil quoted his own, not based on the integrity of God's Word. And Jesus quoted another Scripture based on the integrity of God's Word. He said, you shall not tempt the Lord your God.
“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, all these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said to him, away with you, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God.” No matter how long what God promised me will take, no matter how long I will have to fast, no matter how long I will have to pray, no matter how long I will have to wait. “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only you shall serve. Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”
You will think angels will never come. You will think that promise of God will never come. And behold, angels came. The Bible says, those that wait on the Lord, the Lord shall renew their strength. They will mount up with wings as eagles, they will run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint. Those that wait on the Lord!
Our testimony is how we show that we are waiting on the Lord. Our testimony is our strong consolation, our strong encouragement, that though it tarries. Do we remember Habakkuk, he said the vision is yet for an appointed time. Though it tarries, what did he say? Wait for it! For it will what? It will come.
SONG: “see what the Lord has done. Can you see what the Lord has done? What we’ve been waiting for has come to pass.”
Jesus has been waiting for the angels to come. And behold, angels came. And behold, the job came. And behold, the child came. And behold, the marriage came. And they overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.
