What is a testimony?

What is a testimony? Some believers think that it's just a brief account of the way the Lord has worked in their life. While that may be true, our testimony is much more than simply a short story or a brief encounter with God. In fact, a Christian testimony is a long obedience in the same direction.

Three important aspects of our living testimony is our character, our conduct, and our conversation. The character that believers demonstrate is to be filled with truth and with grace. This Christian character includes a spirit of obedience. Do we follow God's instruction on occasions but ignore Him the rest of the time? An obedient spirit follows His guidance, no matter what. In times of trial, we remain faithful. In times of hurt, we remain strong. In times of insult, we remain humble. In times of struggle, we remain obedient to the calling that has been laid out for us. An obedient spirit follows Jesus in all things. At times our action may outwardly display obedience, but nobody except God knows what lies within our heart. He sees our true character, and it should line up with the story we tell others to glorify Him.

The second aspect of our living testimony is our conduct. In other words, what we do defines our relationship with God and with others. If what we say conflicts with our behavior, then we cloud our witness. Believers and unbelievers (especially our family) will never believe our words if they see actions that contradict the testimony of what we believe. Our conduct should never cloud our declaration of faith. This aspect of our testimony proves the genuineness of our faith. The way we act should confirm who we are in Christ.

Finally, a third aspect of our living testimony is our conversation. As Psalm 107:2 states; "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so." It is this aspect that propagates the power of Jesus' resurrection within our lives. It is our conversations that grant an opportunity to tell others what God is doing in our lives. Our words can be significant to an unbelievers who doubts the existence of God or the divinity of Christ.

I want to be known as a man that lived his long obedience in the same direction. I pray that is may always include a living testimony of character, conduct, and conversation! You know I love ya, Don

Consolation or Desolation!!!

    I am inspired by Ignatius of Loyola's dedication, commitment and faithfulness to the discerning of the Holy Spirit. His being raised as royalty and that he combines this royal upbringing with the ideas of faith and belief have heightened the cause and organization of Christian formation within the soul of men and women throughout the ages. There are many that find him to be unusual in the use of the spiritual exercises that are of the mystical nature and maybe too mystical, but thus far what I am discovering is practical thoughts as applied to supernatural visions so as to discern the will of God in a person's life.


     Ignatius called "consolation" when the soul is roused by an interior movement which causes it to be inflamed with love of its Creator and Lord and consequently can love no created thing in this world for its own sake, but only in the Creator of all things can one love. In opposition, Ignatius called desolation all that is contrary to the third rule, as darkness of the soul, turmoil of the mind, inclination to low and earthly things, restlessness resulting from many disturbances and temptations which lead to loss of faith, loss of hope, loss of love.

     After our two month old, Nicholas died, I experienced a deep time of desolation. I never lost my faith, but there was a deep sense of loss of hope and loss of love. About, six weeks after he died, I received a call and the caller was being encouraging by stating, "the next time you see Nicholas, he will be a strapping twenty something young man." I was gracious and hung up the phone, but it really upset me. I did not want the twenty-something...I wanted the two-month-old. I prayed and as I prayed I was comforted by the Holy Spirit with a God given truth. I have a treasure laid up in heaven for me that is realized in the here and now. I believe Nicholas is no longer bound by time. Thus, he is present with the Lord and when I see him again, Jesus will turn and will put a two month old back in our arms. It was in that prayer time that I moved from desolation to consolation.

     In my consolation, I find my worship and prayer time is enhanced because he is a great and loving God. He knows my heart and my hurt. Thus, my love for him grows and increases the more I rely on him to bring to comfort and hope. It is this time of consolation that my tears of grief are turned to "tears inspired by love of the Lord" because I know that he will complete that which he started and restore all things when the time is made complete.

   Hard Times come to a Dead End at the Cross! You know I love ya, Don

Character....I want it!

Character is the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.

President Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the best President's in all of American History. His character stands out and above in the waves of despair during the civil war. He was a man of faith, principle and of Character.

One day, President Abraham Lincoln was riding in a coach with a colonel from Kentucky. The colonel took a bottle of whiskey out of his pocket. He offered Lincoln a drink. Lincoln said, “No thank you, Colonel. I never drink whiskey.” After a little while, the colonel took some cigars out of his pocket and offered one to Lincoln. Again Lincoln said, “No, thank you, Colonel.” Then Lincoln said, “I want to tell you a story.” The president was always telling a story.

He said, “One day, when I was about nine years old, my mother called me to her bed. She was very sick. She said, ‘Abe, the doctor tells me that I am not going to get well. I want you to be a good boy. I want you to promise me before I go that you will never use whiskey or tobacco as long as you live.’ I promised my mother that I never would, and up to this hour, I’ve kept this promise! Would you advise me to break that promise?”

The colonel put his hand on Lincoln’s shoulder and said, “Mr. Lincoln, I would not have you break that promise for the world! It is one of the best promises you ever made. I would give a thousand dollars today if I had made my mother a promise like that and had kept it like you have done. I would be a much better man than I am!” (Martin M. Hyzer, 15K-WS)  

That is Character.

How a Christian deals with the circumstances of their life speaks of their character.

• Crisis doesn’t necessarily make character, but perseverance through it does reveal character.
• Adversity in our lives is a crossroads where a person chooses one path – Character or Compromise.
• Jesus and the Cross are the ultimate example of character.
• Every time we choose character, we grow more into the image of Christ
• Character is who you are when no one is looking. 
• People that always seem to be at war with themselves have a problem in their character.
• Your character determines who you are.

I am seeking God in every opportunity so as to demonstrate His character in my life. You know I love ya, Don

What about the Struggle? The struggle is not the problem...but a part of the soulution!

 

Daniel 6:17

“A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed.”

Walking with God opens opportunities of struggle.

A Struggle is to to proceed with difficulty or with great effort. An example is to struggled through the high grass... when walking in high grass ones needs to pick up their feet and walk intentionally and with purpose.

In a recent issue of his One Minute Uplift newsletter, RickEzell writes: "The pages of history are lined with individuals encountering negative setbacks only to make something positive out of them. They are better for it. In many cases so are we.

"Thomas Edison, when a boy, received a blow on his ear which impaired his hearing. What a tragedy! Later he felt his deafness was a blessing, for it was a tool by which he was saved from distractions. This allowed him to concentrate on his work, and out of that concentration emerged some of the greatest inventions of all times.

"Victor Hugo, a literary genius of France, was exiled from his country by Napoleon. What a tragedy! Out of that period of exile arose some of his most creative works. When he later returned home in triumph, he asked, 'Why was I not exiled earlier?'

"Helen Keller, born blind and deaf, faced obstacle after obstacle in her life. However, on more that one occasion she confided, 'I thank God for my obstacles, for through them I have found myself, my work and my God.'

"George Frederick Handel was at a low point in his life. His money was gone, and his creditors hounded him, threatening him with imprisonment. His right side became paralyzed, and his health deteriorated. For a brief time he was tempted to give up. In the midst of the darkness he picked himself up and began to do the only thing he knew to do--write music. Out of that despair he wrote the oratorio known as The Messiah, which many consider the greatest piece of church music in history.

The thread tying Edison, Hugo, Keller and Handel together is that these people refused to be defeated by their problems. They saw their misfortunes and bad luck not as dilemmas to destroy them, but as opportunities to grow and develop in ways that otherwise would have been impossible.

Daniel could be added to our list. He faced struggles his entire life...yet he pushed on and even when it seemed God would not change the situation, Daniel remained faithful to God and did not waiver. He walked with God. Daniel realized the struggle was part of the solution and the struggle was not the problem.

Opportunities of struggle are a good thing....yes, a good thing.

What are you struggling with today?

 You know I love ya, Don

Does Integrity Matter?....What about Character?

Daniel 6:10

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”

In East TN in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park are these quiet walks. These are places to pull off and walk among the nature and experience the national park. When Karen and I were dating, we would often find a place to eat and the head up the National Park and go on a quiet walk. It was a great place to spend time together and we would enjoy the park. It was a true experience. In fact, because of those days, it is remains one of my most favorite places to be.

Daniel is over 80 years old. He spent that vast majority of that life in exile. His relief came when he would spend time with God. His refuge was in the love and life He shared with his creator.

Even after 80 years of dealing with the life of exile...Daniel remains a man that walked with God. His quiet walk in his everyday life was to pray and spend time with his God.

    

Walking with God opens opportunities of integrity.

“A store owner interviewed a young man for a job. He asked, "If I hire you to work in my store, will you be honest and truthful?" The young man answered, "I will be honest and truthful whether you hire me or not."

Warren Buffet said, "Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you."

Daniel...was a man of integrity. Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. Daniel was not just known as a man of integrity, he lived his life on unshakable ground because he was a man of integrity. He was honest and demonstrated strong moral principles...he lived those principles and he made them his habit.

Is integrity a habit in your daily life?

You know I love ya, Don