They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death (Rev. 12:11)
In Revelation 12, John spoke of those whose names were written in the book of life. He spoke of the devil, who accuses the brethren both day and night before our God, finally having been cast down. Speaking of the believers around the throne of heaven, he declared they overcame this accuser by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.
The Greek word translated as “testimony” is “martyria.” In this context, it is translated as “testimony,” but in other texts it is translated as “witness.” Our word martyr is usually associated with those who have died for their faith like Stephen in Acts 6-7. They did not die because they lived quiet lives of peace and good deeds. They died because they testified about the truth revealed in God’s word and about righteousness and judgment. They also declared that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins, was raised on the third day, and ascended to heaven where he now sits at the right hand of the Father as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
“Testimony” is defined as the verbal (or written) evidence of a witness (usually an eyewitness) that something is true. Speaking to his disciples, Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The word witnesses in this text is also “martyria.”
Shortly after Jesus ascended, Peter was speaking to the disciples in Jerusalem about another man taking the place of Judas as an apostle. He said, “Therefore, it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection” (Acts 1:21-22). Notice the emphasis on this man being one who personally saw and heard everything from the time Jesus was baptized by John to the resurrection. The strongest witness is an eyewitness. In Luke’s gospel. He assures us that what he wrote came from eyewitnesses (Luke 1:2).
So how does our testimony enable us to overcome Satan, the accuser of the brethren? First of all, our personal testimony legally aligns us with Jesus. When we speak God’s truth and God’s truth about Jesus, we align ourselves with God in the spiritual realm. Satan is constantly accusing us of missing the mark, rebelling against God, unbelief, and agreeing with Satan. He takes his accusations into the courts of heaven, seeking a legal right to attack us. We know we still sin, even as believers, but as we continue to acknowledge Jesus in our lives and declare who he is, his blood continually covers our sin.
John announced, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7). Walking in the light does not mean perfection, but that we are still continuing to seek Jesus, even when we stumble from time to time. It means our heart is still turned towards him. The word purifies in this passage is a present tense verb which denotes continuous action. As we seek Jesus, even imperfectly, his blood continually washes away our sins. Our testimony affirms that we are still seeking Jesus and following him.
Our testimony enables Jesus to intercede for us whenever Satan launches his accusations. Jesus said, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven” (Mt. 10:32) and John tells us our goal is not to sin, but if any believer does sin, we have an advocate with the father – Jesus Christ the righteous one “ (1 Jn. 2:1). An advocate is one who speaks on our behalf. Our testimony, then, that Jesus is Lord and Savior, is a powerful weapon in the spiritual realm that disarms the accuser because it enables Jesus to speak on our behalf in the courts of heaven.
Our testimony, however, also requires a personal witness to the truth of who Jesus is. What is our eyewitness testimony? What is our personal evidence that what scripture says about Jesus is true? Not only should we declare what scripture says about Jesus, but we should also be able to share our personal experiences that demonstrate the truth of what scripture declares.
In other words, how have I personally experienced the resurrection, the love of God, the life changing power of Jesus, the freedom I have experienced in Christ, healings I have received, powerfully answered prayers, unexpected provision, prophetic words coming true, the hand of God in my life, supernatural moments of protection, etc. If you think about scripture, it is filled with stories of God’s provision, protection, and deliverance. The stories are testimonies of how God’s people experienced him and knew he was the true and living God who fulfills every promise.
In addition, our testimonies increase our own faith in God and his son Jesus and contribute to the faith of others. Paul told the church at Rome, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Rom. 10:9-10). God has designed us so that the more we speak something, the more deeply that truth is written on our hearts. Not only is it a declaration to men and to the spiritual realm about what we believe and where we stand with Jesus, but it is a declaration to own hearts.
Personal testimony is essential to a renewed mind. Our memories, beliefs, emotions, attitudes, perspectives, etc. are stored up in neural pathways in our brains. These pathways, when stimulated by people, events, and other experiences in our lives, produce our “automatic response” to what is going on. When the word of God and our experiences with God dominate our neural pathways, then faith, forgiveness, compassion, etc. are our first response to our circumstances. That is a renewed mind and one of the most powerful ways to establish these neural pathways that possess our first thoughts and feelings is speaking the belief, the truth, the insight, or the experience verbally, as well as writing it and sharing it with others.
In other words, the more we express who God is and our personal experiences with him, the more that truth becomes part of us and Satan’s lies have a diminishing effect. We should give more thought to our testimonies that affirm what scripture says about God is true and that Jesus is alive and at work within us. To do so keeps us aligned with Jesus, enables him to acknowledge us before the Father so his blood can be continually applied to our sin, and deepens our own faith. It also contributes to the faith of others since what God did for one, he will do for another. And, perhaps, most importantly, our testimonies glorify God which is ultimately the highest calling of man.
Giving consistent thought to our own testimony about the reality of Jesus helps us see his hand in our lives in all the obvious and not so obvious ways. I once led a small group in which our opening question was always, “How did you experience God in your life this week? When we first started, half the group could not identify God’s activity in their lives. Within weeks, however, they began to notice the hand of God in both big and little ways. Their faith grew, their joy grew, and their testimony grew. Remember, we overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. Keep your testimony fresh and share it.