A faith-building testimony of the power in Jesus' Name

I don’t know why we as a church—both individually and corporately—have all but forsaken the glorious practice of testifying. Maybe it’s because we’ve been deceived into believing that the supernatural invasions that produce testimonies are ultimately all about us and improving our quality of life on earth. Wrong. God has been instructing me on this subject quite a bit lately, so allow me to briefly share our personal experience and His purpose in producing a testimony.

You may or may not know this but in early February my wife and I voyaged to a pastor’s conference in Jacksonville (for my work). Unfortunately, while we were there, Mercedes came down with a rather nasty flu bug. Ah, let’s call it what it was—swine flu. I cannot make light of her bout with the illness. It was so intense that it landed us in the Jacksonville emergency room until 3 in the morning.

Well, testimony number one is that God healed my wife and supernaturally protected our unborn baby from the potentially dangerous effects of swine flu. The next situation demanding the miraculous was paying the rather costly hospital bill. Even though we have health insurance, it’s never fun (and convenient) to receive a bill for $700+

Here came my potential hurdle to seeing revelation made manifest. Like I said, God has been teaching me lately about the power of praying in Jesus’ Name, not to use it as a magic “name it, claim it” formula to get what we want from God, but rather, seeing God testifying to the invisible realities of His Kingdom in our midst through that Name and that Name alone. Kingdom dominion is not released through any other name under heaven as no other Name possesses Kingdom power.

So finally, after being a stubborn, “I’m not going to ask for directions or help” stereotype, I called upon the Father to release a financial miracle in our situation. We prayed specifically in Jesus’ Name, so that the testimony would authenticate the power in that Name, not necessarily just the cool thing He would bring about in our lives. Not more than three days later, I called our insurance company and behold, I discovered that we didn’t owe any of the money the hospital initially projected.

Cool? Absolutely! But remember a few things. First of all, a testimony is not about WHAT happens, but WHO is revealed. God healed Mercedes and provided for us, and that’s worth a hearty shout, but all the more exciting is what this testimony reveals about OUR Father: His compassion, His love, His concern for His beloved, and ultimately, His desire to deposit foretastes of glory on earth (that’s what happens when the miraculous collides with our realm). Secondly, a miraculous invasion is not about obtaining “health, wealth, and comfort;” it signals the reality that the Kingdom of God is near and is experienced only through the God-man, Jesus Christ (released through praying in His Name).

Finally, a testimony brims with prophetic, faith-building power. Other believers hear what the Father has done through the Name of His Beloved Jesus and those accounts build their faith in this miracle-working, Kingdom-releasing Christ. I share this for your encouragement. If God did it for us, He can and will do it for you! Just remember, it’s not about us getting something; it’s about Him revealing Someone and oh, how awesome it is to behold that magnificent Someone as He makes the Father’s Name manifest by coming through on your behalf.