The Power of Sharing YOUR Testimony | EP16

Hello there,

In this episode of the Your God Sister Podcast, we explore the power of testimony through the story of the Samaritan woman. One encounter with Jesus—and a bold decision to share her story—led many to believe. That same divine strategy is still transforming lives today.

I share a personal moment from my own journey, when God asked me to “celebrate Him” on my birthday by testifying about His goodness. My testimony was a reflection on His faithfulness through every season of my life—how He led me, protected me, and guided in ways I could never have orchestrated on my own.

Because I spoke of God's goodness, a young boy, deeply moved by hearing what I said, ran to the altar to give his life to Jesus. No pressure—just the power of a testimony.

In this episode, we’ll talk about:
  • Why your testimony matters more than you think
  • How sharing your story can lead others to Jesus
  • Your opportunity to work with God to bring in the harvest

If you’ve ever wondered whether your story matters, this episode will remind you—God can use it to change someone’s life.

Scriptures references from this episode:
 John 4:39 NKJV
 John 4:1-26 NKJV  
 John 4:28-30 NKJV 
 Romans 10:14 TPT
 Mark 16:15 TPT

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Let all your moments be moments the Lord can fill. He may want to talk to you. He may want you to talk to him. He may have revelation or instruction for you that's found in his word. Whatever it is, just follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. It will always be worth your time and your attention. This morning I was sitting in church. Service hadn't started yet, and I just decided I'm going to open my Bible and read for a little bit. I came across the scripture in the Gospel of John, and this is what I saw. Welcome to the Your God Sister Podcast, where we address life's challenges with biblical answers while enjoying our time together. A couple of constants here are what the Bible says and what the Lord speaks to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. My name is Joy Cooper. I'm an associate pastor, I'm a youth minister, and through the years I've had the opportunity to mentor young ladies. But on this podcast, I'm here with you. My eyes fell on John chapter 4, verse 39, and I'll read it in the New King James Version. And it says, And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in him because of the word of the woman who testified. He told me all that I ever did. What struck me first was the result of this woman's testimony. What was the result? Well, the result was that many people believed in Jesus because of what she said. This has been a strategy of our Father for some time. It worked with the Samaritan woman, but it also worked for me. Let me tell you a little story. I was preaching at our church two years ago. I'll never, I will never forget this. The date was May 26th. I remember that because it's my birthday. I asked the Lord, as I always do, what He wanted me to say and do in that service. And he said so clearly, celebrate me. And I knew exactly what he meant. I was to share some of the testimony of my life. As I stood before the congregation, I told countless stories of his goodness. I told how the Holy Spirit had led my entire life. I told how he was always protecting me. I told them he had put me in places I could never arrive at on my own. I told the people he walked me through being single. I spoke of how he chose for me my husband. All of these moments combined gave way to a beautiful testament of God's character, of his love, and of his guidance. After my sermon, which was really just chunks of my testimony, I asked if anyone wanted to receive Jesus. I said all that I had shared was a result of him being my savior and my Lord. I will never forget what happened next. One of the preteen boys of our church moved so quickly out of his seat. His face was red and he had tears in his eyes. He wanted to give his life to Jesus. What inspired him to move so quickly? Before he had realized he hadn't asked his dad if he could go to the altar, he was already there. My heart overflowed with joy. I did what God told me to do. He told me to celebrate him on my birthday. He told me to testify about his goodness. And that young man gave his heart to Jesus on May 26th, 2024, because he heard a testimony about the goodness of God. That was the best gift I could ever have received. I mean, talk about a gift, someone giving their life to Jesus. This is also what the Samaritan woman did in John chapter 4. You've got to go read her story. I don't have time to read it all here today, but you've got to read it. Read John 4, 1 through 26. Seriously, you gotta read it. Her story illustrates God's love for anyone who will open their heart to him. She was not considered high class. Her ethnicity was frowned on. She was considered a wayward woman. These many strikes that society had placed against her meant nothing to a loving Jesus. Having not told anyone prior to this moment, he revealed himself for the first time as the Messiah to this lowly woman. As soon as this woman had the chance, she shared the goodness of Jesus with all who would listen. She testified with no shame about what Jesus had done for her, how he saw her, how he loved her, how he answered all her questions. Let's look at John 4, 28 through 30, and I'll read it in the New King James Version. The woman then left her water pot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, Come, see a man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ? Then they went out of the city and came to him. This is amazing. You could read over this real quick and you could miss some very valuable lessons. This woman encountered Jesus. When anybody encounters Jesus, there's change that occurs. And sometimes some people might try to fight the change. Some people give in quickly to the change, but there has been something planted in one's heart when they encounter Jesus. And this woman encountered Jesus. He treated her as God wanted her to be treated, regardless of what others had done or said about her or thought about her. Jesus was there and his love, God's love through him penetrated her heart. And she was never the same. And so she immediately left from where she was and began to tell everybody. Now this is amazing because she shared her testimony. Those people who she spoke with then wanted to come in contact with Jesus for themselves. It says, then they went out of the city and came to him. So who are we telling about Jesus? So that they then want to encounter Jesus for themselves. That's what our testimony is supposed to do. You know, it's like a commercial. You see a commercial, and it's like, you know, you see a product, and this person is saying, This product does this, and then you think, I want to go get that product so that product can do that for me. Well, that's what happened here. She was essentially a commercial for Jesus. Jesus does this, he did this, he did this, he did this for me. And so the people that were listening said, We want that for ourselves. That's what a testimony is to do, is to excite those who hear it so that they can desire Jesus for themselves. The Samaritan woman's testimony was so potent it caused others to go seek Jesus. Always make sure your testimony highlights and elevates the goodness of Jesus. Your testimony really isn't about the sordid details of your life. That would be a testimony of the devil and his works. Your testimony is to exalt what Jesus has done. It should inspire people to move as quickly as they can toward the Savior. Our testimonies about the goodness of Jesus are a huge part of taking in God's harvest. We get to help the Father gather people and welcome them into his kingdom. We must take this job very seriously. If you are not testifying of the goodness of Jesus, who might be missing the opportunity to run into him for saving? Don't think someone else will do it. I don't know how. Listen, write down what God has done for you. As you recount all he's done, let it get big in your heart. And I'm talking about all of it, the things that you might think are small. Let your heart burst with thanksgiving. Let your testimony come from a heart that is full of gratitude. This will be an open door for someone to walk through straight to Jesus. And here's another tip. Like I said, don't discount your testimony as being small and insignificant. If God did it, it's grand, it's large, it's worthy of telling. You may not have a testimony like the Samaritan woman. Your testimony may be that you grew up in church your whole life, you never smoked, you never drank, etc. Your testimony may just be that Jesus miraculously gave you a full right scholarship to college. Never count something small that Jesus has done. Jesus has already done the work. We just get to reap the harvest. We get the easy part. We get to tell people what Jesus has done and then offer them the opportunity to receive Him for themselves. How easy is that? Let's look at Romans 10:14 and the Passion Translation. But how can people call on Him for help if they've not yet believed? And how can they believe in one they've not yet heard of? And how can they hear the message of life if there is no one there to proclaim it? Often we make the mistake of seeing people in the pulpit, those are the only ones that can preach. Yes, those in the pulpit who preach have been called by God to do so. But in the Greek, one of the definitions of the word preach is simply to publish, proclaim openly something which has been done. Well, guess what? Anybody can do that. Anyone who has accepted Jesus as Lord is authorized to speak of his goodness, to publicly proclaim that Jesus has done something. Think about that. You whomever you are, you could be um, you could be a college student, you could be somebody who works in a Fortune 500 company, you could be a teacher, you can be, you can be whoever, whoever you are, if you can convey something to someone else, you can proclaim to them a testimony of the goodness of Jesus. Mark 16, 15 in the Passion Translation says this, and he said to them, as you go into all the world, preach openly the wonderful news of the gospel to the entire human race. Simply put, go tell someone about what Jesus has done for you. His goodness will reach into their hearts and draw them to himself. You will have played a part in that. Pause and think on these things until next time. As promised, I want to give a shout out to more of our friends of the Your God Sister Podcast and the cities tuning in. Shout out to those listening in Florence, Kentucky, Iowa City, Iowa, Omaha, Nebraska, Lancaster, California, Chicago, Illinois, and Bloomington, Indiana. Thank you so much for listening, and I pray you continue to be blessed. So look, we talked about sharing your testimony. My challenge to you is over the next couple of weeks, decide that you are going to share what Jesus has done for you with someone. And remember, there is nothing too small that you can share. Whatever it is. You might tell somebody, you know what, I was running late and I needed to park close to the building. I got the first spot in the row. That's the goodness of God. You didn't do it, the devil didn't do it. God did it. That's his goodness. So take the time to share with someone how good God is. It could be the very door that will open from them being in the kingdom of darkness and being translated into the kingdom of light. Don't not take the opportunity to share Jesus with someone. I know I say that often, but it really is the truth. Before you go, make sure you're on the Your God Sister Podcast email list so we could stay connected between seasons. Season one is wrapping up soon, but through weekly emails, I'll continue sharing what God is placing on my heart with you until we return for season two. I've dropped the sign-up link for you, and as a little thank you, I'll send you my personal Bible study method, the exact approach that's deepened my walk in such a meaningful way. We'll talk soon, but until next time, know what the Bible says and treasure what the Lord speaks to your heart.