37. Physician, Your Testimony Matters. Even the Unseen Parts

Think your story isn’t dramatic enough? God says otherwise.

 Ever felt like your testimony isn’t “big enough” to make a difference? I used to feel that way too until God showed me that my story isn’t just about what I’ve been through, but also what He’s protected me from.

In this episode, I’m sharing a revelation God gave me at a recent revival service that completely changed how I see my story, and it will encourage you, too. Your testimony is not only about what you’ve walked through, but also about what God has protected you from. Some of the greatest miracles in your life are the disasters that never happened because His hand was on you.

Together, we’ll walk through scripture, give you tangible reflection points to help you see your story with fresh gratitude. By the end, you’ll realize your testimony is a weapon, no matter how ordinary it may feel.

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Questions about 1:1 coaching or spiritual mentorship? Email inga@ingahofmann.com with subject “mentorship.”

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Transcript

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Felt like your testimony isn't dramatic enough to make a real difference. I used to feel this way until God showed me the unseen ways he has protected me, guided me, and spared me from a bunch of stuff. Today I am gonna share an inside I received at a recent revival service that we really will help you to see your own story, refresh eyes. And just activate that gratitude towards God from where he has brought you from and what he has kept you from. So stay tuned for after the music and we will be right back. Hey there friend. Welcome back to another episode of Heal the Healers. I'm your host, Inga Hoffman, and I love to mentor Christian physicians to be filled with the word of God, to be led by the Holy Spirit and just making a deeper impact in medicine. And today we're gonna talk all about. Your testimony matters and why Every believer story reveals the goodness of God, even all the unseen parts that maybe only you can imagine or only, you know. So let's dive right in. So this episode today is part of our spiritual growth and discipleship pillar because really learning to value and share your testimonies, one of the most powerful ways we can strengthen our own faith and also encourage others around us in their faith. So let me tell you how I came to this revelation and this really interesting aha moment of appreciating my testimony more because if you have been a, a physician and a Christian, a fil believer for a long time, we sometimes tend to forget all that God has done in our journey and we kind of just keep on moving forward. And that's certainly how I felt. And a lot of times I tend to forget all these little wonderful moments. But let me just tell you, when I had this real deep encounter with the Lord and it actually quite moved me. And this is exactly what led to this episode. So it was over the summer, so now probably a couple months ago I went to a different church. Back then it wasn't even a formal church as you and I know it in a traditional sense. I went to a revival meeting just down in Florida and there were some. Fun things going on. And I just felt like I needed a moment to just step away from everything at home and rejuvenate myself. And that was really the purpose. And I also sense that there was really a move of God going on. I was just curious and I wanted to check it out more. So I took a few days and went down to Florida. And all in all, it was an amazing experience and an interesting experience, but I don't wanna digress, just travel delays and those kind of things. So I got there I think at 3:00 AM in the morning, but I went to one of the services and I was just so number one, amazed of the diversity of the body of Christ. Most of the people in that service. Were probably nothing like me. They had a very different background. A very different story came from all walks of life race, ethnicity, background, socioeconomic status. The wide range of pretty much everything, which is what I love about the body of Christ. I'm so done with the division and segregation between different groups and different belief systems. As long as we stick to the Bible, of course the word of God is our foundation. But all the. Divide and divisiveness and that's a whole nother topic. But this is really frustrating and I think griefs the Lord. So I was just standing there and, and praising and worship, which is so different than my own church. And and moving, and just being moved by the Lord. I suddenly was like, wow. I think there was maybe a moment where people shared their testimony, what the Lord brought them out of, and many of them had some remarkable testimonies. People that been really in, in the ditch of life whether it's on, on drugs, on the street, homeless in terrible situations, perhaps experiencing tremendous amount of trauma, which I have so much compassion for, and so honored that these brothers and sisters who the Lord touched and their life has been completely transformed. By the power of the blood of Jesus, by his sacrifice and by the power of the Holy Spirit. And it just always leaves me in awe and just trembling before the Lord and being so grateful. But then I caught myself in this very moment and feeling a little less than because to be honest, my testimony isn't this remarkable story of. Tremendous tragedy and, and tremendous trauma and difficulty. I was sort of the average kid growing up in Germany and became a believer in high school through a classmate, and I should share that story in detail another time. But what I felt like I wasn't, like pulled from the brims of hell and from death door into. The Kingdom of God. I was just kind of living my life not realizing actually that's a wrong theology, right? Because we all shall perish. We all have fallen, short of the glory of God, and therefore our eternal punishment with our Jesus is condemnation and departing and be removed from God which we call, eternal suffering or hell or whatever you want to call it. So I was feeling. Like I'm less worthy because my testimony wasn't as dramatic as other people's, especially in the company of brothers and sisters. I was in that moment and suddenly the Lord spoke to me and he began to show me. Images basically rolled the movie of my life in front of my eyes and highlighted various moments even before I became a Christian, where he kept me, where he protected me. Many moments that I had totally forgotten, and it almost was as if. You know, I, I went a certain route and I only knew the outcome of the decisions and the path I took in life, not knowing what could have happened. But there were a few moments he highlighted where I was like, oh, wow. I could have ended up on a different path. You know, I was a regular teenager in Germany. With no concept of God. I mean, I grew up in a Catholic church, but that was sort of a more on paper thing. I did believe in God, but I certainly didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus, so that didn't come until I was 18, 19 years old, ready to graduate from high school. Certainly I did all the things that typical. Kids in the eighties and nineties did Right. You know, had a boyfriend. I lived a life that was certainly not set aside. And, and all these kind of things. And I realized in the moment, wow, God kept me, I could have gone down a bad road, like could have had a teen pregnancy, could have just chosen a different career, could have. Being involved with the wrong people over my course of high school, all sorts of. Things. And then even when I became a Christian where I was like, wow, I really screwed up. I did some stupid stuff, even as a believer, but the Lord was gracious and good. And in that moment when I saw that movie play and really saw the Lord's hand on what looked like a picture of, there could have been an alternative path in my life or an alternate path of my life without God's intervention. But he kept me. And wow, I was moved. I just bursted in tears. I wept before the Lord in gratefulness, in just a duration of the Lord and thankfulness how much he has kept me. And really how much he has protected me. And I wanna share this because you might feel a similar way. You might feel, you know, I didn't have this radical testimony of I was one way and then another. But actually you probably were, maybe it wasn't a one day 180 turnaround. But likely there are many things the Lord did in your life and I want you to just reflect on them because all of our testimonies matter, revelation says. They overcame him by the blood of the lamp and by the word of their testimony. And that is Revelation 1211. And the other verse to remember as I was looking at my timeline as Psalm 91 11 for he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways. So the Lord is watching over our life and all these moments, they matter and they mattered to him. Even we didn't see them quite as drastic and significant chances are He kept you through medical school and through a lot of grueling years of training where you could have just. Drifted away, and perhaps you even did, or perhaps you're finding yourself now in this situation. And I just wanna encourage you, turn around to the Lord and say, Lord, thank you for having kept me for all these years, for having your hand on my life, for watching over me. And I surrender yet again, to your goodness and to the arms of the father. So a couple points I wanna make. Number one, your testimony matters and it is your weapon, whether it's big or small, whether it was dramatic or very simple, like baby steps towards a different life that is aligned with Jesus and transformed. By the Holy Spirit into the image of Jesus. All of these carry the story of you and your relationship with Jesus. However, that story looks like and that testimony is a weapon like that verse and revelation actually tells us it glorifies. God and disarms the enemy and we ought to tell the story, and you have a story to tell. So do not be shy and speak out loud. Your testimony in front of others. The goodness of God, what he has done, no matter how big or small, it does matter because he is working in your life. Number two, God protects in seen and unseen ways. Some of the testimonies you might hear and see, just like I was in that worship service, all these loud miracles like, wow, God really did a massive intervention. I never had this kind of experience. You might think, and perhaps you are one of those people like me where you feel like my testimony is pretty. Ordinary. You don't need to make more trouble by the way for God to rescue you to make it a bigger testimony. Now some will be just loud testimonies, meaning loud, like amazing miracles, tremendous. Like unbelievable stories. But I would say the little changes are just as dramatic in so many ways because God is working in each and every one of those. So they are other stories like mine. It's these quiet mercies where you just see where I saw, when I looked back, when the Lord showed me my life, my timeline. Whoa. This could have ended up in a disaster, but he actually kept me because he is a good and wonderful and loving father. Thank you, Jesus. So acknowledge that and thank him for that, that for whatever reason, at least up until this point in your life. You hadn't had this drastic encounter, drastic testimony from, you know, great hardships to a turnaround story, but nevertheless, the Lord turned you around and worked in little miracle after little miracle in your life. And you know what? A little miracle is still a miracle, and none of it would have happened without the Lord. The last part I wanna share with you. Number three, your testimony strengthens others, so that's why your testimony matters. Different people will relate to different stories. Now, while I am. All in all about these amazing big turnaround stories. You know, I was on the streets and on drugs and homeless and what was a witch or whatever, and now I turned into a different direction. That's amazing. And there's a place for that because there's people that need to hear that. But there are many people out there that need to hear your testimony, so sharing your story releases courage and faith in others around you that are listening to that might say, wow, Christians aren't all that weird. She's just a normal girl. He's just a normal guy. A regular physician, one of us. But God is working in his life or has encountered him and, that's really important to remember that each and every story we have and we share matters in the kingdom of God because they will attract somebody else to Jesus if we live in the right way. And if we humble ourselves and if we share our story and what God has done, and if we don't share our story. Others might think that they don't exist. Others might think, you know, people that become Christians are those that are just desperate and out in the ditch of life, and that would be false picture of the gospel, right? If you look at the disciples, yeah, they were arag attack kind of a group of people. They all came from different walks of life. You know so I think we, we have to remember that even the disciples were very unique in their backgrounds and their calling. And God used each and every one of those stories and he can do the same with you. And if we hold back and think our testimony is less than, guess what? We might be worth holding a breakthrough for somebody else. Was perhaps in a similar situation than yours. So I just wanna leave you with that encouragement to say, Lord, thank you for my testimony. Thank you, how you have lifted me up. Thank you, how you kept me during this journey. Lord, I praise you for everyone even listening, how you working in their lives and how you're taking care of them. Thank you for all the. Places, times and seasons where you have kept me as well as everyone listening from perhaps disastrous outcomes because your protective hand was holding back things that could have come against us. Even out of our own stupidity and our own poor actions, and we praise you for that. Lord, let us be more bold to share our testimony with others and share the good news of Jesus and the gospel and I hope that encouraged you. I did actually not plan to go right into prayer, but here we are. What I want you to do at the end of this, I want you to really reflect perhaps you're driving right now. So then just reflect, thank God loud and, and just start praising the Lord. If you are driving the car, then let loose and say, thank you, Jesus, for keeping me, and list the moments that he brings to your memory. There might be stuff you have not thought about in years that. Actually, that's exactly what happened to me at that worship service. If you are at home, or if you have time later or tomorrow during your quiet Time journal and write down maybe two, three things where you're like, wow. I have taken this for granted, but the Lord kept me here. Thank you Lord Jesus, maybe you grew up in a Christian family, praise him for that. So I want you to reflect on those moments. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal some of those moments that you might have. Forgotten, taken for granted, and maybe even show you how he protected you because there are big lessons to be learned from this. And then I encourage you, go out, share your testimony, share the testimony of Jesus because that's the best we can do. Friend, your testimony is not too small, and as I mentioned, it is a weapon in the kingdom as a declaration of God's goodness. And some of you have most powerful parts of your story in our chapters you never had to live through because God's hand was on you. And some of you say, wow, this is amazing. I like how I'm stirred up here. And if you are feeling like, wow, I'm looking for a spirit led group of believers, Christian physicians that are just like me, kind of struggling, plugging along, feeling perhaps a little lonely. Not sure how to even live up their faith in this very hostile medical environment. Then I encourage you, if you are ready to take the next step and want to be in community and mentored by me and do a spiritual walk, then join the Hi Laila mentorship program where we just do life together. We do weekly teachings and mentoring on topics relevant for Christian physicians. And then I also do a coaching sessions once a month. We get together and we do physician coaching whether that's related to your role as a physician on productivity, leadership, those kind of things. Whether you wanna go deeper in some of the spiritual disciplines, or need spiritual mentoring and coaching through maybe things that you're facing, then I'm here for you. So if that sounds exciting to you go to inga homan.com. Heal the Healers Mentorship Program. That has a dash between each of the words. Go check that out. I put the link in the comments, in the show notes that you can easily find it. There's also a way to submit questions just by clicking. The link on top of the podcast episode usually you can get in touch with me, leave me a note or a question, or you can just email me at inga@ingawolfman.com. That's also in the show notes. So with that, I'll leave you. Have a wonderful day, and make sure you subscribe and share the show with others. Be blessed and I will talk to you next week.