On June 19, 2022, I had the honour of going to Live Seed Christian Church of God, Lagos to close the activities marking their 10th anniversary. Just before testifiers were called, the minister who anchored the service enumerated three things that testimony does. Firstly, it is a way of giving gratitude to God for what He has done. That is obvious enough, because unless some form of divine intervention had taken place, there would be nothing to testify about. Secondly, testimony shames the devil. Every time a believer testifies of the goodness of the Lord, a crushing blow is served on the devil. Thirdly, testimony helps to boost the faith of the listeners. Hearing what God has done for someone is enough to stir faith in another. God is not a respecter of persons; what He did for one, He is willing and able to do for another.
I came up with a fourth thing testimony does, and that was after listening to a man give his testimony. A brother spoke of his ordeal at the place of work. Having worked faithfully for a number of years, he set his heart on a particular position. He was good enough for the job, but had passed the cut-off age for the position. He was considered old for the office. Someone advised him to “work on his age” so he could fit in. By that, he was told to falsify his age to meet the requirement. He refused to compromise. As things turned out, he got the position. When people give testimony, they teach vital lessons about processes. The process is as important as the final product. We live in a world that believes that the end justifies the means. For children of God, the means is equally important. God wants us to win only by righteousness.