Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve step programs have often used the method of personal testimony as a means of advancing the process intended.
The intended process for an alcoholic is to stay sober and the same is true for over-eaters, gamblers, sex addicts, workaholics, etc. The basic idea of this therapy is in helping others.
All of these addictive tendencies come from a totally self centered personality.
So there is a bit of behavior modification involved in the process to nurture the self centered guy into a more outward and people loving mindset. In AA it is called “working with others”. That comes in more advanced AA. The early steps in the process of getting out of self come early in the process or quickly after cleaning up and getting sober. The thinking is that even if you have only been sober for one day, you still have a lot more sobriety than the drunk you are addressing.
Initially we must tell our story and it comes in three parts.
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1.) How it was: we lived a sorry unmanageable life.
2.) What happened?- a man came to me and told how he sobered up and his life was changed.
3.) How it is now? —I have two days of sobriety living one day at time and now I have hope.
That is the very simple way to tell your story. It is your story and yours alone and no one can argue with it or say it is not true. It belongs to you.
There is a correlation between AA and evangelical Christianity and this particular process holds true for both movements.
The way to develop your faith and confidence as new Christian or long term Christian is to learn to tell your story.
If you don’t think you have one to tell, you might need talk to you pastor or some person you know is saved and is walking with Jesus. We either have a time when when we came to know Christ or we don’t.
When you realize that there was a time when you started to change spiritually, then you have the basis for your story. It simply telling about how your life used to be before you came to Christ; what happened as you accepted Jesus as your Lord, God, and Savior; and then let the listener know how your life is today.
None of have a life on this earth that is a bed of roses.
What we do have with our new faith is knowledge of the unconditional love of Jesus Christ, knowledge of total forgiveness of Jesus Christ and the hope of the future with Jesus Christ. That is the basis of evangelical Christianity. The key is we grow in our faith and keep our faith by giving it away. That is why we tell our story or give our testimony.
Telling your story is explained in detail in the book How to be a Child of God at howtobeachildofgod.com
David Howell
Prison Evangelism, Inc.
510 Bering Drive Suite 300
Houston, Texas 77057
713-623-0690
www.prisonevangelism.com