Submitted by Nicole Snider, Alaska Region, Administrative Coordinator
I recently heard the statement “Our testimony is our authority.” It caused me to think about what exactly that meant? First I considered what is my testimony? For some people this is a really easy question to answer, as God has dramatically brought them out of a very dark pit (i.e. abuse, addiction, etc.). For me, it has never been anything that dramatic; so more thought was required. For a long time, I questioned the “validity” of my Christian walk, because I didn’t have a dramatic testimony to share, and then I was gently reminded that God made us all different and our experience(s) with him were meant to be as individual as we are. So, although my testimony may not be as dramatic as others, I can definitely point to specific times in my life when God’s work has been more than evident and that is what I share as my testimony.
Next, I considered what is authority? Dictionary.com gives the following as options for the definition of authority: “a power or right delegated or given; authorization”; “a person or body of persons in whom authority is vested”; “an accepted source of information, advice”; or “an expert on a subject”. Interestingly, there are numerous times throughout the Bible when Jesus instructs individuals to go and tell what He has done for them. Throughout the Psalms there are exhortations encouraging one to tell of the Lord’s good works. These sound like a delegation or vesting of authority to me; and who is more of an expert on what God has done in your life than you. So, our authority is to share God’s good works and to shine the light into the world that the Lord has shined into our lives. Therefore my sweet sisters, I challenge you today to consider what work in your life He wants you to share with others and then I want you to stand in the authority that He has given you and share it so that we can all “Shine in the Light of His Glory”.
