This topic is to build on the previous topic titled: “God has invested too much in you, so you cannot remain silent.” Therefore, you can consider this Part 2 if you wish.
It wasn’t until I worked at a beauty supply store that I realized how terrible my advertising skills were. Advertising is not my strongest suit. For example, if you were to choose me to advertise a product for your company, especially if I have not used it, I would be useless to your company because the customers would not be convinced. However, by the grace of God, I’m improving in my advertising skills little by little. I recall a time when I needed a job, and I found a part-time job at a beauty supply store. And each time I had to go to that place, it felt like misery. Most of the things sold at that store, I have not tried. Therefore, when customers asked for my opinion on certain products, I found myself telling a pack of lies, and still, the lies were not convincing enough because I had no proof that these products were indeed good. So, eventually, I had to switch to a general store. Nonetheless, I’m eager to expand my skills in advertising for the Kingdom of God because I have more than enough evidence to validate that it is real and that it does work. As I often say, I believe God is such a loving and caring Father; everyone needs to experience Him. Therefore, with His help, I will do my best to advertise His Kingdom because He is that good.
One thing I have discovered is that the more I share my past experiences of God with others, the more testimonies God gives me. God is interested in building a relationship with us so He can reveal to us who He is. The revelation we receive from God is also our evidence; thus, this is all about evidence.
For instance, when we consider the fall in Genesis chapter 3, we can see that Satan’s words were not the only thing that caused Eve to be deceived. The Bible says in Genesis 3:6, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” First, she heard the serpent, then she saw, and it wasn’t until she saw that she took some and ate it. Unfortunately, the evidence was presented in a misleading way, which led her to disobey God.
And now, when we consider the story of the Israelites, we see that from their time of slavery in Egypt to their deliverance by the power of God, everything revolved around evidence. God started preparing Moses for his mission in Exodus 3 with a burning bush experience. The Israelites didn’t simply hear Moses talking about the “I AM WHO I AM,” but they also witnessed the power of the “I AM WHO I AM.”
It is important for you and me not to forget that we serve a God of evidence. I used to think that as a Christian, I had to come up with my own evidence to prove that God is real and good. And quite frankly, I spent a big chunk of my life trying to preserve God’s reputation for Him. I know I’m not the only one who would go out of my way to prove to others that God is real and make Him look good, especially in the Church. And please understand that we are called to do our best to honor God with our lives, which means to do what is right. However, we are not called to manipulate situations or create evidence in our lives to make God look good. I believe that is one of the reasons why God often reminds us that vengeance is His or He will repay. I grew up in certain congregations that support self-righteousness, a perfect lifestyle, and sinless Christians, where nothing can look bad because it affects God’s reputation, until God confronted me about it. You see, I wanted to prove to the whole world that God is all-powerful. But God was like, “How about I prove, you testify/witness.” While I was trying to create evidence in my own life, God was already ahead of the game, but in His timing, because He is the God of evidence. While I was focusing on proving to others, God was like, “How about I prove to you first that I Am all-powerful (THAT I AM WHO I AM). Next, how about I prove to those around you, all your haters, doubters, and even some of your family members, who pretend they believe in you but secretly think you’ll amount to nothing.” It is as if God says, “Let Me take care of the evidence, but you do the witnessing, the shouting, the praising, and the testifying.” That’s why the more we praise God and the more we testify to His goodness, the more He blesses us.
There are several instances in the Bible where Jesus told people not to say anything after He had helped them. However, there are also several instances in the Bible where He told them to go home or to show themselves to their priests. For example, when we consider the story of how Jesus restored a demon-possessed man who lived in the tombs. After the man got delivered, he begged to go with Jesus, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you” (Luke 8:26-39). The evidence of this man’s restoration was crucial, not only for his surroundings and the entire village but also for you and me. There was also a woman named Mary Magdalene, out of whom He (Jesus) had driven seven demons (Mark 16:9). The reason we believe God can cast out many demons at once is because of stories/testimonies like these found in the Scripture, and they are there as evidence.
We believe that God can raise people from the dead because Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. And most importantly, Jesus Himself rose from the dead without human assistance. Therefore, this is all about evidence. There wasn’t a case that was presented before Jesus, in which He couldn’t demonstrate His power. God loves to demonstrate His power to His people. That’s why He will often take us to uncharted waters and then says, ‘I want you to trust Me.’
When Jesus was on earth, He didn’t help people simply for the sake of helping them, but He also helped them as evidence of who He is. In John 11:41-42, this is the prayer Jesus prayed before He raised Lazarus from the dead: “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” In other words, Jesus was saying to His Father, “Father, I don’t need evidence, but these people do.”
Have you ever wondered why Jesus had to wait until baptism to receive the Holy Spirit, even before He began ministering? Let’s consider that for a minute. If Jesus’ ministry was about Him giving a great speech on Mount Olive, then why did He have to wait that long? Why did He have to go through a process, or even through a moment of isolation? Was it so that He could learn to preach/teach better than everybody else in town with the most convincing words? If evidence was not needed, why did He need to come and dwell among us and perform miracles? He could have done everything from heaven; After all, He is God.
I am not a theologian or a Bible scholar; however, I have not read anywhere in the Bible so far where Jesus spoke in tongues, yet His mission was accomplished. If great speeches and speaking in tongues were the requirements that He needed for His ministry, then why, after He waited to receive the Holy Spirit, did He not speak in tongues, not even once? Therefore, we can say that He waited to receive the Holy Spirit to be the True Witness, or the evidence that the Kingdom of God (Greater Power) had arrived on earth through Him.
In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Everything Jesus said in that statement was backed up by evidence.
And this is no different from the way that you and I operate in life. For instance, the only way to show someone that you remember their birthday, or the only way for a husband to show his wife that he remembers their anniversary, is through actions, such as birthday cards, text messages, and gifts. These actions are evidence that he/she didn’t forget about their special occasion because it’s all about evidence.
Someone might say, ‘Well, I have never seen any evidence in my life that God is real.’
Sometimes, when the outside noises are too loud and when the enemy has us blind by the false evidence in our lives, it’s difficult to see God’s hands at work in our lives. However, if we look deeper, we’ll see that God never stops proving our doubters wrong, and He does it every day.
Do you know how many people bet their money that you wouldn’t live past 2025? You may or may not even know who your haters are, and at times, they are the ones who are right under your nose. Yet each day you wake up, and each day your children and husband wake up, is evidence that God is a keeper. You see, we tend to complain or see our day as just another day, but in the spiritual world, the devil is furious because this is yet another evidence that he doesn’t have the final say over your life and that of your loved ones.
And when you thought that losing your job made God look bad, God is still in the business of proving your doubters wrong. He makes sure your haters watch you eat every day without begging for bread. Each day, you have more than enough. There is food on the table for your family, and you can even fix a plate for your haters. God blesses you intentionally because this is evidence that He is your Provider, which means you will have no lack.
You might see it as just another day or another meal, but in the spiritual world, it is another win. And here you are, God is using you as a witness to His power, and you don’t even realize it.
Sometimes, God allows us to know who our enemies are, what they think or say about us, and sometimes He doesn’t. And even when we don’t know how many enemies we have, that’s alright because God knows them all. He sees and hears things that we don’t know or wouldn’t know unless He reveals them to us. God is using your life to prove to these people who are under the influence of the enemy who He is. And God uses one stone of evidence to kill two birds, so to speak. The first bird is the people who allow the enemy to use them, and they realize that God has no match. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:7, “When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, He causes their enemies to make peace with them.” So, your enemies will even consider joining your team because they’ve realized that your God is undefeatable. And the second bird is the enemy, who is reminded each time that he is and will always be a loser. That’s why sometimes God would allow some things to appear dead in your life, or God would even help your enemies to prepare a funeral service concerning your life, and right after, He would throw a grandiose resurrection party to prove to your enemies that they have toiled in vain. And that is exactly what God did for His only begotten Son, Jesus. God even facilitated the enemy in his plan of crucifying the Messiah, only for him to see Jesus right back in the game as evidence that the Messiah is unshakable, unbeatable, and that His Kingdom reigns forever.
Let God work out His plan for your life even when things feel painful. Even when the doctor’s report is not looking good, the divorce papers came in, the circumstances are beyond your control, and you feel confused about God’s plan for your life. Lean on Jesus, keep hoping, and do not quit because sooner or later things will make sense, and you will be His witness. Once you release your matters into God’s hands and you praise and testify to His goodness, He will handle the rest. Partner with Jesus and suffer with Him for a little while. He took the shame of the cross on our behalf, so that we too can be evidence that He can do anything.
So, don’t be afraid to let Him use you as His witness because this is all about evidence.
SCRIPTURES
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
“You will be His witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.” Acts 22:15
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