Personal testimonies, particularly, testimonies of salvation, are powerful.
A salvation story is never simple, however. People reach the point of believing in Jesus over a period of months and even years. Usually many people are involved in the process. How they realized their need for Christ may not be just one in a single occasion.
So, if you try to tell all of your salvation story, it can be long, complicated and hard for listeners to follow. For this reason, it is important for you to take one theme in your story and follow it. It is okay not to cover every detail in your story.
The length of your personal salvation testimony should depend on your audience and various situations in which it is shared. It is helpful to have both a longer and a shorter version of your testimony, using the five main elements (and the closing) of a personal testimony.
Remember, your testimony is not about you. It’s all about Jesus and what he did for you.
Possible Personal Testimony Themes
| THEMES/PROBLEMS | HOW CHRIST ANSWERED THIS NEED |
| EMOTIONAL THEME | |
| Worries/Anxiety | Inner Peace |
| Grief | Comfort and Joy |
| Stress/Burnout | Power & Energy for life |
| Lack of Emotional Support | Faith & Hope to face life |
| Bitterness/Resentment | Forgiveness and love |
| Anger/Temper | Patience and Love |
| Loneliness | God’s contentment & peace |
| Depression | Joy and freedom |
| PSYCHOLOGICAL THEME | |
| Guilt and shame | Forgiveness and Freedom |
| Low Self Esteem | Feeling valued to God; significance |
| Pain of Rejection | Sense of fulfillment |
| PURPOSE IN LIFE | |
| Lack of purpose/emptiness | Meaning & Purpose in Life |
| Boredom with life | Sense of hope and purpose |
| Missing something in my life | Fulfilled and Adventure with God |
| PHYSICAL | |
| Poor Health | Strength for each day |
| MARRIAGE & FAMILY | |
| Marital problems | Transformed marriage |
| Broken family | Belonging to God’s family; adopted in His family |
| FEARS or FEARFUL | |
| Fear of Dying, etc. | Lasting Peace and Contentment |
| FINANCIAL/WORK | |
| Stress, over worked | Trust in God, Positive changes |
| ADDICTIONS | |
| Sexual, drugs, habits | Victory and Freedom |
| MISCELLANEOUS | |
| Discontent | Confidence & Security |
| Self-Centeredness | Serving in a local fellowship |