One of the most powerful tools you have in your religious tool bag is your personal story of transformation by Jesus. This is often referred to as your testimony or conversion story.

The power of this story comes from two places. One, it is a tale that you know intimately, so you do not need any special reminders or notes; therefore, it never sounds like a canned speech. Second, your current life serves as a reference point as to how far you have come as a believer.

Since this is such a magnificent tool, I get to hear people share their stories all the time. The problem is that most of them have never been instructed on how to share their testimony in a way that brings maximum impact. Let me give you a three-step plan to share how Jesus has changed your life.

1. Here is where my life was before Jesus. Tell people about your struggle without faith. This should be less than one-third of your entire presentation. The biggest mistake I hear people make when sharing their life story is they talk about all the evils of their life before Jesus, but they do it in a way that makes me think they miss it. For example, “Every night before I was a believer was just one party after another and nothing but fun. I stayed up late, ran around with wild women, drank too much, and had way too much fun.” Does that sound like life was bad or good? You are better to share stories of the emptiness after the fun. Share about the void in your soul that kept you chasing unfulfilling pursuits.
2. Here is how Jesus found me. Tell people about who shared Jesus with you the first time. Talk about why you went to Church after all those years. Tell me about how the gospel was explained to you in detail and why it made sense. I rarely hear this in a conversion story, but I believe it has the most impact of all that you say.
3. Here is how my life is different. It is easy to talk about life before Jesus, but the challenge comes with sharing the transformation since you started following him. Talk about what you do differently now. Tell me about how your feelings have changed. Even share your struggles with this new life. This should be a little more than one-third of your testimony. Many times, I hear it added to the end as an attempt to cut your speech off rather than deliver the final truth of the gospel.

That is it. If you are willing to share these three parts of your life, you will never lack in conversation about your faith.

This week someone is watching you. Your life is bearing witness to Jesus, his salvation and transformation. When someone asks you about it, I believe you are equipped to share the gospel simply by using your own story.