Growing up, I would get nervous when people asked me to share my testimony. I had my own little speech that I practiced in my head and pulled out only when necessary. It started with a long “ummmm” and the phrase “raised in a Christian household” would be in there somewhere. A few awkward minutes later it would end with “So, yeah, that’s me.” You see, I worried and got nervous about sharing my testimony because my vision of a testimony was all wrong.

When I was asked to share my testimony, I immediately thought, “I have never done anything worth sharing.” And, I was right. I have never done anything worth sharing. Not to this day and, probably, not ever. But, here’s what a few years and lots of deeper thinking has taught be about a testimony: a testimony isn’t a story about how good we are or how bad we were, testimonies are stories of how good God is. My testimony was never supposed to be a story about me; my testimony is a story about God and how I get to be a part of His story.

My testimony and your testimony speaks of the goodness of God as revealed in the land of the living and is a powerful weapon proven to defeat the enemy. Testimonies are displays of God’s splendor, not trophies of our accomplishments. I was once lost in sin, BUT NOW, I am a new creation. My testimony of how God worked in my life to take me from lost to found is a powerful witness of His faithfulness and love for me. It is the very thing that someone else needs to hear to help them move from lost to found. Not because it’s my story, but because it’s His.

And the same is true with you and your story. Your testimony could be the very thing that sets someone free and increases their faith to step beyond comfortability and complacency. It could be the very thing that God uses to break the chains of fear tied around another’s ankles. Chains that hold them hostage to lies the enemy tries to speak in their ears. It could be the very thing that lets someone else know they can do it too. Whatever it is. Every testimony matters.

• You used to gossip, but now you don’t.
• You used to find your identity in what others thought of you, but now you’ve found it in Jesus.
• You used to lie, but now you’re honest without having to be asked.
• You used to be selfish, but now you put others needs and feelings above your own.
• You used to constantly compare yourself, but now you know that you are like no one else God created.
• Somebody broke your heart, but now you know God is your comforter, healer, redeemer, and sustainer.
• You used to be addicted to drugs, but now walk in complete freedom.
• You used to use alcohol as an escape, but now you turn to God because you know that He is the only one that satisfies your soul.
• You used to sleep around to feel loved, but now you know the treasure that you are and hold yourself to a higher standard.
• Your parents didn’t love God, but now you do and get to be the one who changes things generationally for your family.

All of these testimonies matter.

I didn’t use the words ‘but now’ so many times to simply repeat myself, but to show you that every God story has a “but now.” I’m here to tell you that your current situation has a “but now” coming. The “you” that you are now is not who you’re supposed to be. There is always more. God is always after our hearts. He is in the business of refining hearts to make them more like His own. If you are in a season of struggles or uncertainties, I want to encourage you to take heart because God is on the way with your “but now” journey.

Friends, if you are someone who has been changed by God, then you have a testimony to share. The fact that you are not who you once were, in the small things and in the big things, is a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit in you. The fact you have turned your heart, your eyes, and your affections towards God instead of whatever it is you once did, matters. Every single thing matters. There’s not one testimony too small, or too simple. There’s nothing that God has done in you that doesn’t speak of Him and His mighty power. It doesn’t matter what your testimony looks like, it matters that it brings glory to God.

I love this passage in Revelation 12. It’s titled “The Dragon Defeated.”

A terrible war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the great dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back. But the dragon did not have the power to win and they could not regain their place in heaven. So the great dragon was thrown down once and for all. He was the serpent, the ancient snake called the devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole earth. He was cast down into the earth and his angels along with him.

If we keep reading, we discover what power allowed Michael and his angels to be victorious. Read this carefully.

They conquered him completely through the blood of the Lamb and the powerful word of their testimony.

They conquered the great dragon, which is the same as any trial or struggle you or I might encounter, by partnering with Jesus and by sharing their testimonies. They knew the power of Jesus and the authority His blood carries and they understood the power of the testimonies that speak of His great works.

In our day to day life, it’s important that we walk in knowledge–not just head knowledge, but heart knowledge– the revelation-light-bringing kind of knowledge of who He is and His power to defeat the enemy. The cross has the final word… through Jesus it is finished. Testimony partnered with the blood of the Lamb will set people free.

No testimony lacks power.

No testimony is too small.

Every testimony matters.

Your testimony speaks of the goodness of God. He’s always been good, He’s being good to you right now, and He’ll be good forevermore. Don’t hold back your testimony.

Gracie Tucker is a model with Wilhelmina Miami, and also works alongside her sister at Imago Dei in Franklin, TN! She loves spending time outdoors, traveling, hanging out with her friends and family, and is also known to make a mean milkshake (wink, wink, exciting things to come!)

Follow Gracie on Instagram @hannahgracetucker