The Power of A Testimony
In yesterday’s post, I shared some testimonies of healing from Tommy and Miriam Evans’ book Decrees that Activate the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. I found it interesting that some of those healings occurred during testimonies of other people being healed. Here are a couple of those testimonies from yesterday, quoted from the book:
“Another woman who was deaf for 15 years had her hearing completely restored while I was ministering in South Carolina. I simply said to the crowd, ‘You have permission to be healed while we worship!’ When she was able to hear, she ran up to the pastor, and they interrupted the service for her to share. A woman in the crowd was healed of severe tinnitus just by listening to the testimony. The woman with tinnitus shared her story with a woman at a restaurant later that day; that woman was also healed of tinnitus in the middle of the restaurant!
“While preaching in Indiana, I began to share testimonies of how God healed people through a group of believers praying over a handkerchief (Acts 19:12). While speaking, a man in the back was in a wheelchair, and he stood up and began to shuffle around the room. His wife and daughter began to cry. I asked for a report, and they said he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and normally could not walk. He walked out to his car that night as his wife pushed his wheelchair and loaded it in the trunk. God is so good!”(1)
Several years ago, I had an interesting experience with the Lord that eventually led to an understanding of why testimonies of healing produce healing. While in worship, I heard Holy Spirit say, “I am bringing you full circle.” I knew the “you” was plural - not just me, but we, the body of Christ. As I continued meditating on this, Holy Spirit gave me a vision; I was looking down from heaven to Earth and could see what appeared to be a circle being drawn on the ground. In the vision, I was then moved from above to a side view. From this perspective, I realized I wasn’t seeing a flat circle on the ground, but rather an upward spiral, like a giant coil.
Using this as a visual aid, the Lord said to me, “Full circle, higher level. I have now taken the church to a new level. She will do once again works she has done before, but at higher levels of effectiveness. Another season of miracles will be released…revelation will be imparted…revival is coming…all at higher levels. The church is coming full circle, but at a higher level.”
I mentioned this in a message a short time later, and a man approached me after the service. “I am a Spirit-filled, Messianic Jewish rabbi,” he said. “I found your vision and comments regarding the circle interesting. This is very similar to what we Jews believe regarding time, and a related word in the Hebrew language.” Continuing, he said, “Do you know what the word ‘testimony’ means in Hebrew?”
I answered, “Well, I assume it means to give an account of something that occurred in the past.”
“Not exactly,” he said, “the root Hebrew word for testimony means ‘to repeat, to do something again,’ or ‘do time again.’ It does not mean only to tell about or give witness of something.” What an interesting phrase, I thought - do time again.
He continued, “We believe that when one declares what God did in the past, a testimony, it is in some ways like coming full circle - back to when He first performed the act, the beginning point. And when we do so, the same power released at the beginning is released now to ‘do it again.’ We’re ‘doing time again.’
“That’s why we believe it’s so important to tell our children what God did in the past, and why God was angry with Israel when they neglected to teach them Israel’s history. By failing to tell the story, they were not only failing to educate them about God and their history, but they were also failing to re-release His power. We believe that when we tell our children about the Exodus, relating how God delivered Israel from Egypt at Passover through great signs and wonders, the same saving power is released again. Our children receive the benefits of Passover and deliverance. We believe this power can be released again, and again, and again, and again.
“We have actually begun acting on this principle,” he said, “by repeatedly sending believers who have been supernaturally healed to share their testimony over and over with others who are ill. They don’t pray for these individuals; they simply repeat their testimonies of healing. And people are being healed!”
I was just, well…speechless. Testimonies don’t just encourage us or inspire faith; they release power? But he wasn’t finished!
“It’s as though time becomes pregnant with God’s words and, therefore, His power. The Eternal God declares His eternal, living, and powerful words (Psalm 119:89; Hebrews 4:12) to accomplish something, and those words and the power they release are deposited in time. We can tap into this power by speaking His words and by declaring what He has done in the past.”
To say this rabbi launched me on a quest would be an understatement. I set out to discover if these things were true. I’m still not certain I understand all of it, but I have at least been able to confirm some of what he said. In studying the Hebrew word for testimony, eduwth/eduth, I found that the root word (ud or uwd) means “repeat or do again.” The lexicon said It refers to “the continuance of a past event.” For this reason, the Arabic words for “return” and “habit” come from this same root.(2)
As I considered all of this, I realized we have had elements of this concept in our Christian faith, but haven’t fully understood it. The best example is the preaching of the gospel, which Scripture says is “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). We know power is released when we re-tell the gospel story, the same power to save, deliver, and heal that was generated at Calvary 2000 years ago. God’s power is in the story, just waiting to be released in the telling.
Many believe, and I am one of them, that when we eat the bread and drink the cup of Communion, the same power and provision generated at Calvary should be received by us again. We are to “partake of” it, which is what the word for communion actually means (koinonia)(3). Sadly, many have not been taught this and therefore, do not activate their faith to receive it. But the power of the Cross remains in this covenantal act, and when we “eat this bread and drink this cup…retelling the story, proclaiming our Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26 TPT) power is available.
As I pondered this, I found myself wondering: maybe this is why the Bible says, “We overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of our TESTIMONY!” (Revelation 12:11). Perhaps this is why it is important that “The redeemed of the Lord SAY SO!” (Psalm 107:2). Tell the stories!
Pray with me:
Father, what a fascinating thought - testimonies of healing produce healing. You release power to heal in several ways: touching or laying hands on someone, the spoken Word, anointing people with oil as a symbol of Holy Spirit, the prayer of agreement, acts of faith, intercession, anointed prayer cloths…and testimonies.
We are hungry for Holy Spirit’s manifestations and gifts. As we move into a season where His gifts operate at increased levels, remind us that we must never formularize how He works. You resist “boxes,” religious routines that we turn into formulas. At times miracles will simply occur as we talk about miracles. Give us childlike faith to believe, obey, tell the story, and come full circle. In Jesus name, amen.
Our decree:
We decree that we will go to new levels of God’s power and glory, as we testify of His greatness.
You can find out more about Tommy and Miriam Evans at RevivalMandate.org. You can find their book, Decrees that Activate the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, on Amazon.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
Tommy and Miriam Evans, Decrees that Activate the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Destiny Image Publishers, Inc.: Shippensburg, PA), pp. 146-147.
R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1980), p. 648.
James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 2842.
Be sure to check out the Greek word for "fellowship" in the words that Paul uses in II Corinthians 13:14 when he says "may the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you". Yup. the word for "fellowship" here is koinonia and in this case it means "partnership", another understanding of the word "communion".
How can we intentionally incorporate the power of testimonies into our daily lives and church communities to release God’s power and encourage faith? Slope Game