No one shares a testimony anymore.

I'm not THAT old, but I seem to remember a time when we as Christians were taught to share the experience of being born again.  When did you get saved?  When were you born again?  People would have some kind of answer, even if they did not remember the exact time.  Nowadays, when asked if a person is a Christian, the answer is:

"Oh, yes, I'm a believer. "

or

"I believe."

???

Believe in what? God? Jesus? Heaven?  That's all well and good if you "believe" but the Bible says the devils believe in God too, and it scares them out of their Satanic shorts !

"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."  - James 2:19

The Bible also says that we are supposed to share the fact that (and how) we came to know the Lord.

2Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; 3And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.  4They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.  5Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.  6Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses.  7And He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.-Psalm 107:2-7

Jesus told the man who had been possesed with the "Legion" to tell others what had been done for him:

18And when He was come into the ship, he that had been possesed with the devil prayed Him that he might be with Him. 19Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee.-Mark 5:18-19

Tell what gloious things the Lord hath done for thee.  How hard is that?  When did you realize you needed Jesus as your Saviour?  When did He enter your life? That's all a testimony is.  Yes, some people can say Jesus saved them from a life of alchoholism, or they were about to kill themselves when they met Jesus, or whatever...but every person's testimony is spectacular, regardless of the story behind it.  It was the day you met the LORD !  Why do you think that shouldn't be spoken of???

For those who may wonder what a testimony sounds like, here:

When I was a kid, my mother would always send my brother and I to Vacation Bible School.  It was a week where we got out of the house, and weren't sitting around moaning about how bored we were.

I always enjoyed these weeks, and were sad when they were over.  On top of that, they had an age limit. :(  It broke my heart when I was "too old" to go to VBS. 

On my last day, the kindly old gentleman who drove the church bus invited me to Sunday School.  I begged my mom to let me go, and she did.

I went to Sunday School for several years.  I don't remember a lot about it, save for the "Bible Tic Tac Toe" games and the songs we sung (still remember most of those).

One day, when I was around 14, I was up in the main sanctuary when my pastor was preaching.  They always gave an invitation afterward.  I don't remember what the sermon was about, or the words he said, but I knew I was a sinner in need of a Saviour.  I stepped out into the asile, crying, and made my way to the altar.  My Sunday School teacher knelt across from me, and led me to the Lord.

When I got up, I do not ever remember feeling so "clean" inside--not EVER.

Now, life as a Christian has not all been a "bed of roses" or "smooth sailing" or "sunshine and lollipops" or however you want to put it.  God never said it would be.  However, through studying His Word, prayer and attending church, I have learned that He holds my hand through the rough spots and yes, like the poem says, carried me.

I am not perfect.  Sure, I've backslidden, turned my back on Him.  When I realized my mistake and asked Him to forgive me, He did.  He said He always would.  

So, the next time someone asks if you are a Christian, and you say "Oh, yes, I believe."  Think about it, and tell them what the HECK you "believe" in and why !!