Sharing Your Personal God Story

Tuesday, I shared my personal testimony with my fellow team members at the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center in Dallas, Texas. In serving as their team chaplain, it is my desire to be authentic, genuine,  and transparent with each individual on the team. Usually, I’m happy to share my God story with others, but today I felt a little uncertain and even a tad uneasy. I wasn’t sure how my story would be received. But I told it anyway. I learned a long time ago that the safest place in the world is being in the center of God’s will.

I had a similar uneasy feeling about opening up and sharing what God has done in my life at a recent men’s ministry breakfast at my home church. Why is it that it seems more difficult to share your personal God story at church? Sometimes, following God is uncomfortable.

I believe God gives us our stories so that we can share them to provide a little comfort to others, share a bit of encouragement, and give people a dose of inspiration. Hopefully, that came across today. I’d like to believe it did. Like Peter when he saw Jesus walking to him across the water, we have to be willing to get out of the boat and trust God.  

What about you?

Matthew 14:22-33 (NIV)

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. ²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. ²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”  ²⁹ “Come,” he said.Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

To experience life the way God intended, you and I must receive God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. This gift from God is available to all who ask. Will you personally receive the gift of eternal life so that you can experience the total forgiveness from your sins that come through believing in the atoning death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

As always, thanks for reading. For nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37)

Blessings,

The Devotional Guy™

ABOUT: The Devotional Guy™ is a writing ministry of Chaplain Rainer Bantau, a Swiss-born, German kid who grew up in East Texas and today ministers throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

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