In the past three years, God has continued to show me over and over again how he can take my story and use it for his plan and his purpose. For the longest time I struggled believing this. I thought there was no way that God could use my broken life in any positive way. My freshman year of college, I was sexually abused. Immediately, the feeling of shame entered my heart.
I thought my story was filled with too much pain to bring God glory. Have you ever thought your story was too shameful to share or help anyone?
We all have a story, and we all have parts of our story we don’t think will bring the world any good. We all have been through challenges in life. We all have faced heart ache, anger, sadness, struggles, but if you are a believer in Christ and have a personal relationship with him, God can and will use your story to bring him glory.
Romans 8:28 states, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
God has a purpose and a plan for your story. He knows that it will be used to further his kingdom, impact eternity, and bring him glory.
Why, you ask?
Because our stories are powerful.
Revelation 12:10-11 says, “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”
These verses take place in the middle of a battle between God and Satan. “They” refers to Christians, and the verses explain the two ways that Christians can triumph over Satan.
The two reasons are:
- By the blood of the Lamb – Jesus’s death on the cross and his resurrection.
- By the word of our testimonies – our stories.
Our stories have so much power that they are in the same sentence as the power of Jesus’s death!
Why do our stories have this power? Because if you are a Christian, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is inside of you. The power of the Holy Spirit is inside you.
Your story is an extension of God’s power.
God has shown me how my story is powerful. He has used it to bring him glory. He has brought many women to me who have similar stories and used my story to help these women find power in their stories. He has used my story to impact others eternities. He can and will make a beautiful thing out of all your pain and suffering.
Never let Satan convince you that your story has no purpose. Never let him convince you that your story is too shameful to share with others.
Allow God to use your story to bring him glory.
Check out: The Power of Your Story (Part 2) and The Power of Your Story (Part 3)
I hope this post has been encouraging! Be sure to add me on social media and share my blog with your friends! Thanks!
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[…] Our stories have as much power as Jesus’ death on the cross, and are extensions of God’s power! (Click here to read the post.) […]
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[…] My freshman year of college I was in a very dark place. Rape can destroy a girl. It takes her heart and makes it feel used, broken, worthless, and disgusting. During the heart ache, I believed God could never heal me. […]
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[…] leader grabbed my hand, looked me in the eyes and said, “Joy, God has given you a powerful story. He is here with you and he will be there with you while you lead the study. I will be there too. […]
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[…] The Power of Your Story […]
Tina Bowling
at (11 years ago)My email. Wonderful inspiring beautiful woman thank you for sharing
Joy Skarka
at (11 years ago)Thank you again Tina! You are awesome!
lrbeatty
at (11 years ago)Joy,
What a wonderful blessing that your blogs and posts have been. Still remember your bright shining smile as a summer camper at Jumonville. I would love to have you come back to Jumonville to speak sometime.
Joy Skarka
at (11 years ago)Thank you so much! I wish there was a college age camp at Jumonville. I would sign up in a heart beat. Speaking at Junmonville would be a dream come true. Let me know if you ever need a speaker! That would be a phenomenal opportunity!
lrbeatty
at (11 years ago)I would love to have you serve on summer staff. You would be awesome.
Joy Skarka
at (11 years ago)I’ve thought about it, I’ve just never been able to give a full summer 🙁 I’m either interning or taking classes. I graduate this December.
lrbeatty
at (11 years ago)You should have let me know. We have hired some staff for just part of the summer.
lrbeatty
at (11 years ago)We actually do have a Creative Arts Thing Camp that is for adults, families and youth. So you no longer have an excuse not to come back to Jumonville.
Joy Skarka
at (11 years ago)haha Awesome! I will be back then! =]
Jacqueline F. Holmes
at (10 years ago)Joy, I thank you for following me on Twitter because I was able to find your blog and it’s a blessing. I loved this article. YES, we all have a story and there is so much power in sharing it. I am so thankful you are sharing…….Blessings to you
Joy Skarka
at (10 years ago)I’m glad I found you on twitter! Thank you for your encouraging words =]