4 Steps to Sharing Your Testimony

I looked at the to-do list in front of me and one item jumped off the page and gave me the jitters. I’d signed up for a short-term missions trip to Cuzco, Peru, and I was sitting at my first team meeting with a group of total strangers. As my team leader read through the weekly assignments, I nodded my head in agreement.

Buy a light duffel bag. Done.

Update your passport. Already done.

Send out a prayer letter to supporters. Working on that.

Write out and memorize your 5-minute testimony and prepare to share it next week with your team.

Seriously? How am I supposed to explain how Jesus has changed my life in less than an hour? I mean, I could write a whole book about how Jesus has changed my life. And, who are these people in this room? Is this a safe place to share my story?

I left that night wrestling with doubts and fears, but I knew God wanted me to go on this trip. He had confirmed it in so many ways! So, I worked up some courage and wrote out my testimony.

Can I tell you how thankful I am for that exercise? Narrowing down my conversion experience into a concise story and practicing sharing it with my new friends helped me lose the nervousness I’d always experienced when the opportunity arose to share Jesus with people in my everyday life.

Here’s what I learned: If you want to tell other people about Jesus, you need to prepare in advance.

Maybe like me you feel tongue-tied whenever the opportunity arises to share your faith. I want to share 4 simple steps to help you as you work on creating your personal testimony. Are you interested?

Great, let’s get started.

4 Steps to Sharing Your Testimony

Step 1

Write it out in a Paragraph of 600 to 800 words: Grab a notebook. Ask God to remind you what it felt like before you experienced His full forgiveness. Write down one or two sentences about your life before Jesus. Then, get the Gospel in there. Explain how Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and why you surrendered your life to Him as your Savior. Finally, end by sharing how Jesus impacts your daily life today.

Step 2

Practice telling your God story out loud: Read your testimony to a Christian friend and ask for feedback. Make any adjustments you need for clarity, and then warm up a few times by saying your testimony out loud. (Tip: A great time to practice is if you have solo driving time in the car. Just imagine someone is sitting next to you and share your story.)

Step 3

Pray for an Open Door: Start your day telling God that you are willing to share your testimony with someone. Ask Him to send people your way (Be brave!)

Step 4

Watch out for Divine Appointments: Live alert. As you rub shoulders with people throughout the day, you will meet people who are seeking hope and peace in this broken world. You have the answer — don’t hesitate to share it.

Remember you are not responsible for how people respond to the Good News, but you are called to proclaim it. Preparing your personal testimony in advance will set you up for success.