The first time I typed out my testimony I cried. I honestly had to close my laptop and go do something else while tears fell down my face. It was so hard. Not only did memories flood back of things from my past, but it shook me at my very core by reminding me of the life I led before He came into the picture. And if my reaction was that massive just typing it out onto a blank computer screen, you could only imagine my reaction when I had to learn how to share my testimony in front of a group of people for the first time.

Sharing your testimony with a group of people — even with people who love you and know you isn’t an easy feat. It is hard because all those walls that you have so carefully constructed are forced to be stripped down. You no longer hide behind a facade, but the hardest parts of your past are brought to the light. So knowing how to share your testimony with others (whether it is at church or elsewhere), is definitely something that requires intentionality and patient practice.

But how awesome would it be if you could talk about your God-given story with that sense of fiery passion and confidence? One where the spirit of the Lord could so evidently be seen when you shared your testimony? And one where others would be able to see and witness the sheer joy that accepting Him into your life has given you?

We should always be ready to share our testimony: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” (1 Peter 3:15-16).

The Issue with Sharing YOUR Testimony

It kind of pains me to write this because it does hit so close to home to so many including me. But there is an issue with the phrase your testimony. This is just because when we’re sharing our testimony, it is so much less about us and so much more about Him. But oftentimes, our testimony can go one in two ways…

1. We hold back a lot of details out of fear and hurt about our past and as a consequence, our testimony loses the significant factor of exactly how God moved through our lives. Totally me.
2. We speak too much about ourselves and we become the central character of our testimony story, when in reality, He is. We make out our testimony to be a long, dramatized life story with a slight twist of God.

In a lot of Christian circles, a lot of testimonies are focused on self (whether it is via holding back details or speaking too much of oneself). It talks of how their faith came despite the obstacles and difficulties that they faced. This is the secular testimony. BUT the testimony that we are called to share focuses on the Lord. It tells the story of the person, the obstacles on their path to chasing the world, the bright light who takes them off their high horse, calls them to come to Him with a humbled and sorry heart, and who then commissions them to carry out His great work — warning them that they will most definitely suffer for His sake.

Click the image below for a beautifully designed, FREE workbook with prompts and guides on how to share your testimony. Because sharing your testimony is one of the most powerful tools you can use to share the gospel!

So How Are You Meant to Share Your Testimony with Others?

Learning how to share your testimony in a way where you are this healthy mixture of being open and vulnerable about your life story, but humble enough to keep the story fixated on Him rather than yourself isn’t easy. In fact, it can be really challenging. But while you might a) lack the confidence in sharing your past so that you can bring glory to the Lord or b) find it difficult to lay down your pride and hurt from the past to shift the focus to the Lord, it is possible to learn how to share your testimony with others in a way that glorifies Him!

While you may never become an enigmatic preacher with those ripped skinny jeans, loose white tees, washed-out denim jacket, converse sneakers and chunky silver cross necklaces that easily draws the attention of a room when you share your testimony, you can learn how to share your testimony with others in a way that truly highlights your trust in Him and emphasizes the change that He has made in your life from the moment you truly said ‘yes’ to Him.

But Why Should You Share Your Testimony with Others?

It is so completely encouraged to share your testimony with others…

Your story is an eyewitness account of how God has changed your life: “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard…” (1 John 1:3 NIV).

People relate to stories. People relate to experiences. And when they hear a story, they immediately try to see how their own experiences of outlooks in life fit with yours. People seek to feel understood, to feel connected, seen and accepted.

Testimonies can really be a powerful way to share the gospel with someone and form a connection with someone who is desperately seeking that all-knowing and all-consuming love!

5 Steps on How to Share Your Testimony with Others

#1 Pray Over Your Testimony

Before all else, through the power of prayer, just pray to God about your testimony. Ask Him to guide your tongue and your heart as you go about preparing or sharing your testimony. When we pray to God first about our testimony, asides from asking Him for the guidance and strength that is needed when it comes to sharing your testimony with others, it also helps us to seek Him first before all else.

Nothin’ is more soothing for the soul than a good ol’ prayer — even a bowl of chicken soup has nothing on a well intentioned prayer. So, before you begin to share your testimony with others the next time, close your eyes and say a quick prayer — you might just be surprised with how swiftly God works through prayers.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” – 1 John 5:14

Click the image above for a beautifully designed, FREE workbook with prompts and guides on how to share your testimony. Because sharing your testimony is one of the most powerful tools you can use to share the gospel!

#2 Check Your Heart

It is easy to run away with your feelings and begin talking about the deep hurt and tragic circumstances that you’ve gone through. And it is also SO easy to hide behind a facade by refusing to be authentic and truly showing others what God has done through the pain in your life. So, when you share your testimony with someone, check your heart’s condition. Don’t just check your heart’s condition before you start sharing your testimony, but check it during and after you share it too!

Ask yourself questions like…

“Am I the central character of this story or is Jesus?”

“Can I see myself brushing over necessary details out of fear?”

“Am I downplaying God’s glory and mercy?”

It is actually really surprising how often and easily our hearts can become separated from God when we begin allowing the emotions from our past take a much larger priority in our story compared to the promises and deliverances that He gifted you in the midst of it all.

“If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” – 1 John 3:20

#3 Layout Your Testimony

In general, a testimony often follows a layout like the one described below…

• Describe your life before you met Jesus

• Describe when and how you became a follower of Jesus

• Describe how your life is different now

For example it could go a little something like this…

PART ONE: Life Before Jesus

“Growing up, I was raised in a Christian family. I had two loving parents, but I struggled deeply with perfectionism and living up to expectations raised by myself and the world. I was the definition of a lukewarm Christian who went through all the motions of a ‘good’ Christian, but inside, I was separated from Him. I was so much more concerned about how I looked to those around me and a lot less about how I appeared to God. I hated trying to reach out to Him because it only reminded me of how imperfect I was — and that was hard for a young girl who thought her self worth was based on her perfection.”

Click the image below for a beautifully designed, FREE workbook with prompts and guides on how to share your testimony. Because sharing your testimony is one of the most powerful tools you can use to share the gospel!

PART TWO: When I Met Jesus

“I had two really awesome friends who spoke truth and life into me. However, my heart wasn’t yet ready to receive Jesus fully and completely. But gradually over time, He showed me the pride that was in my heart and the selfish desires that I had to conform to the world. At first, I was so utterly resistant to it because I had lived my life thinking that I was a good person. After all, I was striving so hard to be perfect! But it took a broken and toxic friendship before I realized how far I had fallen from Him.”

PART THREE: How My Life Has Changed

“Now I know (even though I still struggle with it) that the foundation on which I built my identity upon was unstable and unreliable. I would reach highs when I lived up to my own expectations but fall so deep when I made even the slightest mistake. When God really began to show me how perfectly imperfect I was and how perfection could only be achieved through Him, my heart began to anchor. It is an ongoing journey and even though it isn’t easy, He has called me to share my testimony with others so that other people too can begin to experience the unwavering presence of Jesus Christ.

Now that is just a really simplified idea of a testimony, but you get the gist! A testimony often follows the aforementioned layout — and especially when you don’t have too much experience in sharing your testimony with others, having a layout to follow through with can be super helpful to keep it on track and easily understandable to the listeners!

#4 Practice Writing it Out First

Before you even begin verbally sharing your testimony with other people, try writing it out first. You might be surprised by the results! When we write, we have more time to think carefully about what we want to say compared to when we are called to speak live in front of others. Writing out your testimony can help with the intentionality behind it — and it is an awesome way to begin visualizing the flow of it before you are called to speak out loud!

#5 Try Verbalising Your Testimony

Not going to lie, I find it so hard to articulate my thoughts into comprehensible sentences sometimes because my mind just makes such MASSIVE leaps before my mouth can even catch up with it. Honestly, I sound like a babbling duck with lots of um’s and uh’s when I’m put on the spot.

When you have a rough idea of what your testimony is like, put on a little background music (to make it a little less nerve wrecking to be speaking in utter silence) — and begin verbalising your testimony aloud to yourself. A testimony is something powerful, and sharing your testimony with others effectively might just mean a little practice!

Click the image below for a beautifully designed, FREE workbook with prompts and guides on how to share your testimony. Because sharing your testimony is one of the most powerful tools you can use to share the gospel!

#6 Share Your Testimony ALOT But Be Wise

It goes without saying, the more you do something, the easier it becomes. The more you put yourself in a difficult situation, the better you become at handling it. And the more often you share your testimony with others, the better you’ll get at sharing it! BUT with that being said, one thing I think is super important — especially for girls is to guard your heart!

It is absolutely amazing to be open about your testimony and sharing it with people so that the glory of God can be shared with them. BUT He also calls us to be wise and protect our hearts — not out of fear, but out of wisdom.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” — Proverbs 4:23

Sometimes we are called to share our full and complete testimony with someone we have just met. However, sometimes the two-minute ‘elevator’ testimony will be enough. You aren’t called to be vulnerable with absolutely everyone. You are called to use the wisdom that He has sown into your heart and listen to His call of when it is right to be vulnerable and share it all and when you’re called to be careful.

Before You Go!

Hope you enjoyed this little blog post on how to share your personal testimony with other people! It isn’t always easy — and it is definitely something that requires a lot of patience and practice. BUT no matter your story, it is something special because it is a precious story of how God brought you back to Him! And that is definitely something to celebrate! 💛

Even though I say this heaps… you are SO beautiful and loved and heard and seen. Your story, your life, your relationship with God is something to rejoice in! So please, drop a comment in the comment section below. I would love to hear from you — have you shared your testimony before and how did it go? Let’s start a discussion! Or better yet, bring this discussion to the Girls After Truth Tribe!

—> CLICK HERE to Join the Girl After Truth Facebook Group!

The Girls After Truth tribe is MORE than just a Christian Facebook group for girls (ages 18-35). It is a sisterhood of faith lovin’ girls who JUST WANT to tear down the walls and talk about issues RELEVANT to modern Christian girls today. Join in on the regular Q&A’s and participate in the open discussions we hold after a message with me 🙂 This is a place for the Christian girl who wants to be in a group that points them to Jesus — all while having a ton of fun doing so!

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