Welcome to Abounding Joy!

Tips for Writing Your Personal Testimony

  1. IMPORTANT!!! Remember to include the fact that faith in Jesus is the reason for the change in your life. It is only by genuine repentance and genuine child-like faith in Jesus Christ that we receive eternal life and become new creations!
  2. It is NOT important that you remember the details, or even the event, surrounding the actual moment when you first put your trust in Jesus. Many Christians cannot remember the exact moment of their conversion. (e.g., Ruth Graham) Remember the chair illustration.
  3. It IS important that you know that you are NOW trusting Jesus for the gift of His forgiveness, salvation, eternal life, & your relationship with God.
  4. If you came to Christ as an adult, think about how life was before you trusted Jesus and contrast it to how He has changed your life.
  5. If you came to Christ as a very young child, think about how your life is now with Jesus compared to how it might have been without Him.
  6. Keep it short. Avoid too much “travelog.” There might be an occasion when you have lots of time to give more details, but be prepared for the times when you may only have 5 minutes or less. Try to write a testimony that you can read in less than 5 minutes.
  7. You might want to focus on the difference Christ has made in one (or more) of these areas:
    1. The kind of friendships you have
    2. The attitude you have about death
    3. The way you have been able to deal with the difficulties of life
    4. Your purpose/reason for living
    5. Peace vs. anxiety, stress, fear, and worry
    6. Your ability to love and forgive others vs. bitterness
    7. Your understanding of yourself as a person loved by God
    8. Changes in your worldview in general
    9. Your God-given confidence about the future
    10. Your God-given ability to say no to temptation
    11. The joy that comes from knowing all your sins have been forgive
  8. Keep in mind that the Lord might use your written testimony to change the lives of your grandchildren (and others as well) someday after Jesus has taken you home.
  9. IMPORTANT!!!… While we are encouraging everyone to write a brief personal testimony, we realize that members of our class have very different backgrounds, temperaments, personalities, etc. We are NOT ALL THE SAME!!! No one is going to pressure you to participate in this exercise. If you feel that you are not ready, we totally respect that. However, if you feel led to write up a brief personal testimony, we would love for you to share it with us. Just let us know when you have something written.