When we become a Christian, I believe there is a dangerous temptation that lurks and tries to stifle the Glory of the Lord.  It has to do with the completeness of our testimony.  I would suggest there are 4 ways in which the enemy tempts our flesh to lessen the Lord’s glory:

First, we generally don’t like to talk about the “old” us.  We would rather bypass that part of our lives and be the good Christian so that when others see, the will desire God because of how good we are and how great our life is.  Unfortunately, this has a reverse affect.  Others look to your life and feel that they can’t relate or measure up and thereby disqualify themselves from being a part of the lofty Christian family.  Or they see our lives as they are…a work in progress and feel that we are hypocrites. Talking about who we were and our depravity apart from God, creates an environment of grace.

Second, your story is a miracle because of what Christ has done for you. You were dead and now you are alive in Him.  I have heard the statement, “My testimony is boring…I grew up in the church my whole life…”  How could this be boring?  God in His great mercy has lavished His grace on you so much so that you would be protected from so many evils of this world.  You were still dead and now you are alive…there is nothing boring about that!  You do not need to dress up your testimony with some rags to riches extras to make it more exciting.  The truth is exciting and will bring Him glory.

Third, I hear sometimes, “I don’t know enough to share my testimony, especially if they ask questions.  Take heart and read the account of Jesus healing the man who was born blind in John 9. (Don’t skip the reading 🙂  One of the most simple truths displayed in this story is that we can testify even if we don’t know all of scripture yet.  The man is questioned and I love his simple response, “…One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see…”  While this is not an excuse to avoid scripture, it does demonstrate that we know who we were and how we are different now that we are in Christ. One of those differences is that we desire the Word of God.  When we proclaim God’s power in our conversion, He receives the glory.

That brings us to the forth tempation.  We need to give God all the glory.  I have heard testimonies of “I did this”, and “I did that to overcome sin” and I barely hear the name of Jesus at all.  Really?  I have not overcome any sin, but I merely partake in the overcoming that was provided to me at the cross.  Jesus is the victorious one.  Without Him I am…and can do nothing.

Take some time today and remember who you were before Christ.  Don’t be afraid to see and share the depravity you were steeped in before knowing Him.  You are the expert in regard to your testimony.  You know who you were and who you are now.   Your testimony is an amazing story from death to life.  The very nature of this conversion is a miracle.  Finally, don’t steal any of the glory.  The fact that you desire God is not of yourself but is birthed out of God’s love for you that He has revealed.  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph 2:8-9 ESV).

My prayer for you is that you love telling the story of how God has redeemed you out of darkness and into the light.  Tell your story of His work today!