Limited Imagination
Never underestimate the power of your testimony—your story carries the potential to reveal God’s love in ways you may never imagine. The ways God has worked in your life is a powerful tool to illustrate His love for all of humanity. Your story may be deeply personal, but I urge you to never shy away from sharing it. You never know who will be encouraged, what seeds might be planted, or whose life might be completely changed.
Recently, I heard a man’s testimony that was exactly the encouragement God knew I needed. Now in his sixties, he shared that he came to Christ about a decade ago. While serving on a military tour in Afghanistan, he interacted regularly with locals. It didn’t take long for him to realize that every conversation involved questions about his faith. The Afghan people were passionate about their beliefs and were unafraid to ask questions that have become taboo in much of the Western world. Shortly after introductions and basic demographic questions, the discussion always turned to faith. What we might consider invasive or too personal for a new acquaintance, they saw as an essential part of identity.
This experience led him to reflect deeply on his own beliefs about God. He had always assumed he believed in God, but his faith was vague and undeveloped. While still stationed in Afghanistan, he began searching online for answers to questions like, "Is God real?" At the top of his search results, he found World Bible School and connected with someone in the U.S. to study the Scriptures. He was hungry for the good news and longed to answer the Afghan people’s questions with conviction. Through this journey, he was baptized and began sharing his newfound love for the Lord.
Now that he is back in the United States, he works tirelessly in his hometown to be the hands and feet of Jesus. He readily testifies to anyone who will listen. I have met visitors he has brought to our church simply because they were his cashier at Dollar General. His fervor and love for the Lord remain fresh and strong.
Hearing his story filled me with joy and challenged my own assumptions about who is open to the gospel. My limited imagination might have written off a fifty-year-old man as someone who had already made up his mind—someone who had heard the gospel and didn’t "need me" to evangelize to them. But I would have been tragically wrong. It makes me wonder how many people I have assumed were unchangeable or a lost cause. How could I possibly know whose heart God has been working in?
This reminds me of the healing of Legion in Luke 8:26-39. When Jesus arrived in the region of the Gerasenes, He was immediately greeted by a man tormented by demon possession—not just one demon, but an entire legion. Jesus cast the demons into a herd of pigs, delivering the man from his torment. After experiencing this miraculous healing, the man begged to travel with Jesus. But instead, Jesus gave him this command in verse 39: “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And the man obeyed, proclaiming throughout his city all that Jesus had done for him.
Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you. Declare it! Jesus specifically commanded this man to share his testimony in his hometown. Why? Because those who knew him before would be the most stunned by his transformation.
Our God is a miracle-working God. He changes hearts and minds. No one is too far gone. Open your imagination to the workings of the Lord and the Holy Spirit. Pray expectantly, believing in the transformation of hearts and minds, regardless of age or circumstance. Don’t limit God to your own imagination.
Who in your life have you written off as unreachable? Pray for them today, and trust that God is at work.
