John 14:12 NKJV
Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father”
When I first read John 14:12 I was bewildered to think I could ever do the same works Jesus did and then it took awhile wrap my head around that those works would be even greater than the works He accomplished. When I thought back then and even think today about what Jesus accomplished while He was on Earth I find it mind blowing to think that you and I could accomplish the same things He did and even more. It definitely takes faith and believing that it can and will happen.
When I take verse John 14:12 and pair it with the following verses the reality of the promise Jesus made becomes much more attainable in my mind. Even though this isn't the reason(s) in there entirety, it helps to understand the possibility.
Psalms 107:2
“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy”.
This verse highlights the importance of sharing our stories of redemption with others, proclaiming what the Lord has done in our lives. It emphasizes that our testimonies have power to glorify God and encourage others who may be going through similar situations.
1 Peter 3:15
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear”
This verse instructs believers to always be ready to share their testimony when asked, and to do it with gentleness and respect towards others. It emphasizes the importance of respectfully sharing our testimony as a witness of Christ and the hope we have in Him.
Acts 22:15
“For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard”
Here, Paul is being commissioned by Ananias to share his testimony of what he had seen and heard from the Lord. This verse emphasizes that we are called to be witnesses for Christ, sharing what we have personally and witnessed of His work on our lives as a testimony to others.
Psalms 9:1-2
“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High”.
This passage expresses the psalmist’s heart of gratitude and praise towards God for His wonderful deeds. It emphasizes that giving testimony is not only about sharing our past experiences, but also actively living a life of gratitude and praise to God for His continual work in our lives.
October 6, 2019
This brings to part of my own testimony and the reactions of many people when they hear it. On October 6, 2019 I experienced a hemorragic stroke. I felt it come on as what felt like a tingling sensation in my right shoulder, much like a pinched nerve. In fact, I thought it was a pinched nerve and began to shake my arm just as I had many times before to make it go away. However, this time it did not go away, it got exponentially worse as the seconds ticked by. It got so bad that I actually stood up from the dining table I was sitting down at and started to vigorously shake my arm as I walked a few feet into the living room. At that point my right leg started to tingle like my right arm was now doing and I called to my wife, “Babe, call 911 something is wrong”. I was very calm but to the point. Kim, my wife, said, ‘What’s wrong, I don’t see anything?” As she looked at me, behind me and searching for something that was wrong. I said a bit more firmly, “The right side of my body is going numb, call 911! It was then that she took ahold of my upper arms and led me back to dining table to sit down and then she dialed 911. My plan was once the 911 operator was on the phone I would explain in more detail what was happening to me. However, the few seconds that it took to get her on the phone was enough time for the brain bleed to take away my speech and control of my bladder. It might have been 90 seconds from the time I felt my right shoulder start to tingle until I was fully paralyzed on the right side of my body and unable to talk coherently. Kim even had to hold up my head so I could breathe. It seemed like an eternity for the volunteer Fire Fighters to respond but is was more like 6 minutes. When they arrived they picked me up off of the dining room chair I was draped over and laid me on a stretcher in the living room. It was then that God literally talked to me and He told me three things. First He said, “First of all you are going to be alright”. The second thing He shared was a vision showing me what was going on with me and some of the things I would go through. At that point all fear was gone. The third thing He said was, “A lot of people are going to come to Me because of your testimony and the things you go through”. Then I was waiting for thr ambulance. when it arrived I was taken to St Pats Hospital Emergency Room in Missoula. They conducted a brain scan and confirmed I was having a hemorrhagic stroke and the staff made arrangements for me and Kim to be life flighted to Seattle foe emergency brain surgery and we left within 20 minutes. I was induced into a coma for the flight so I don't remember it at all. But Kim was there and as soon as we landed and made to the hospital in Seattle another brain scan was done. And guess what? It was the same as the scan in Missoula which meant that bleeding stop on its own. What was the first thing God told me? I'll remind you. He said, “First of all you are going to be alright”. God always lives up to His promises. So I didn't undergo emergency brain surgery. I like to think God just reached inside my head and pinched the blood vessels to stop the bleeding. We arrived in Seattle either real late of October 6th or real early October 7th either way I was brought out of the coma the afternoon of the 7th. When I came back to my self snd was fully awake I knew it was my turn to talk to God. This is what I said, "I know what kind of shape I'm in, not very good. And apparently you have a job for me. what ever it is I'm all yours". I also, figuratively, ran to Jesus' arms because I knew that no matter how strong I thought I was, I was in no way strong enough to deal with the stroke without Him. I knew that I needed His strength to accomplish what God had planned for me. That was the first time in my life that I 100% submitted to God's and Jesus' will and with no questions asked. I believe those two encounters drastically changed the course of my and my family's lives for the better. There is much more and as the days continue to come and go then turn into years and my testimony continues to expand. But since this part of my testimony was the beginning of the stroke ordeal, I’ve told this part to easily over 10,000 people face-to-face. The responses I get range from, “Wow, you should be a motivational speaker” or “That is so inspiring” or “That is exactly what I needed to hear today” or “That is so motivational” all great things but what I like to here the most and that I hear often is this, “Wow! Let me share what God has done for me, I’ve never shared it before because I didn’t think anybody would believe me.” The reason I like that comment the most is because if they can open to me with their testimony then the door is open to share with others as well.
What's it mean to you?
The moral of the story is not to be shy about telling others what God has done for you. You never know whose life it will have a profound effect on. It may be so much so, that it affects their entire life. So it is vitally important to share with others the greatness of God in your life. It might be the only time in their life that they get to see God at work and hear how great He is. In fact, it could mean the difference between Hell and Heaven for some. So don't be shy!
One last tidbit about my stroke. A hemorrhagic stroke is a bleed in the capillaries inside the brain. It’s fatal 85% of the time and the 15% that don’t die recover very little. It’s been just over 5 years since my stroke and I can talk, I can walk with a pronounced limp, my face no longer droops on the right side and I continually gain feeling on the right side of my body. I still suffer from aphasia but even that has improved and even though the right side of my face feels like I just finished at the dental office I can pronounce most words nearly perfectly. There are two things I know, I am without a doubt extremely blessed, and if it wasn’t for God, I would not be here today. In short, this experience has opened my eyes and my heart and today I know that I am solely here to glorify God in whatever I do.
May You Always Walk in the Truth!
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