By Andrew Williams
The Living Gospel (Week 3: Crafting Your Testimony)
Opening Prayer
Lord, make us quick to listen and slow to speak. Help us to earn the right to share our story by first hearing theirs.
Today’s Scripture (NLT)
James 1:19
“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”
We are often so eager to share our story that we forget the most crucial first step: listening to the other person’s story. Effective witnessing is rarely a monologue; it is a dialogue. This verse gives us the divine ratio for healthy conversation: be “quick to listen” and “slow to speak.”
Listening well is an act of love and respect. When you genuinely listen to someone’s hopes, hurts, and questions, you are communicating that they matter. You are building a relationship of trust, which creates a natural and open context for sharing your own story. Often, in the course of listening, people will tell you exactly what they need to hear. They will reveal the very emptiness or struggle that the hope of Jesus in your story can speak to.
Don’t look for an opportunity to interrupt with your testimony. Look for an opportunity to listen. Ask good questions about their life. Be present. In doing so, you are earning the right to be heard, and you are gaining the wisdom you need to share your story in the most impactful way.
Disciples’ Life Tip: In your next significant conversation, make it your goal to listen more than you speak. Ask at least two follow-up questions for every statement you make. See what you learn and how it deepens the connection.
Closing Prayer: Father, forgive me for being so eager to speak that I fail to listen. Cultivate in me a heart that is genuinely curious about others, so that I can love them well and share Your hope effectively. Amen.
