Personal Testimony

What is a Personal Testimony?

A testimony is simply a story of how God changed a person’s life. More specifically, it is a recounting of how that person came to know God’s love and accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

Maybe you have just encountered the love of God for the first time and are overwhelmed with excitement and joy over the fact that you are now in a personal relationship with your saviour. Or perhaps you have been a faithful Catholic for some time now, but have never really thought about the events surrounding your adult decision to put Jesus at the centre of your life. Regardless, there are many reasons for you to take some time to prepare a three-minute testimony:

Lay Claim

It is important for us to lay claim to the events that led us to make an adult decision to put Jesus at the centre of our lives. By recalling the moment (or series of events) that paved the way for you to respond to the gospel message, we acknowledge that we have a new life in the Lord, that things are different.

Writing it all out in a concise way will help you be confident that you are indeed Christian. Our stories remind us of God's personal, unconditional love for us. Recalling your testimony will be very useful in times of doubt and difficulties in faith.

Give Glory to God

We need to celebrate what God has done in our lives! Our conversion is truly a miracle. Jesus says:

"There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents". Luke 15:10

Writing out the events helps us rejoice in the work of the Lord in our lives and gives Glory to God.

Your Testimony is an Evangelistic Tool

“Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.” 1 Peter 3:15-16

Believe it or not, your life can be an inspiration to the many people around you who do not know God’s personal love for them. This passage acknowledges that we must be able to explain why we live such full lives!

Your testimony is an effective tool for witnessing to your faith for many reasons:

• • You are the walking proof that the Good News is real!

  • No one can deny what happened to you or argue with your personal experience.

  • It is non-confrontational.

    • When you share your personal story with someone, it does not appear that you are trying to convince them of anything.

    • People are touched because you are opening your life to them.

  • It makes the facts of salvation, the reality of God's Kingdom, concrete, real, specific and personal. It puts flesh and bones on the truths of salvation.

We've created a helpful guide to aide you in writing out your own testimony. It can be downloaded here. You can also check out a sample of someone else's testimony here.