A Frail but Honest Testimony — Carter Conlon

Thank God, thank God, thank God for the presence of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit doesn't show up, it's hardly worth having church. He is the one who quickens the Word of God, gives us the ability to believe and the desire to go forward.

Moses’ Frailty and God’s Commission

I want to speak to you today about a frail but honest testimony. I know that some of you are saying, well, Pastor, you're talking about me already. Exodus chapter 4, please. Again, greeting to all of our visitors.

And we do hope you'll avail yourself of the hospitality that's prepared for you after the service today. Exodus chapter 4. Father, I thank you with all my heart for the touch of your Holy Spirit. I thank you, Lord Jesus, for strength, for power.

I thank you that you override our frailty and you speak through us. Give me the ability to speak this word today and give us the ears to hear it. Let your kingdom come. Oh, Jesus, let your heart be satisfied today.

Father, I thank you for this in Jesus' precious name. Amen. Exodus chapter 4, beginning at verse 1. And Moses answered and said, but behold, they will not believe me nor hearken to my voice. For they will say, the Lord has not appeared unto thee.

And the Lord said unto him, what is that in thine hand? And he said, a rod. And he said, cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground and it became a serpent. And Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, put forth thine hand and take it by the tail.

And he put forth his hand and caught it and it became a rod in his hand. That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has appeared unto thee.

And the Lord said furthermore unto him, put now thine hand in thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, put thine hand into thy bosom again.

And he put his hand into his bosom again and plucked it out of his bosom. And behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, nor hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take the water of the river and pour it upon the dry land. And the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore nor since. Thou hast spoken unto thy servant, but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth?

Or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. Incredible story. This is one of the most profound stories, I think, in the Old Testament, of God taking a man who's past his natural strength.

He no longer has access to the throne of earthly kingdoms. He has no army, no entourage, no power. Nothing but a commission and a command of God to go into a foreign nation, and by the power of God alone, bring out 3 million people that have been held captive for 400 years.

And Moses said to him, to God, in verse 1, They will not believe me, nor hearken to my voice. They'll say, The Lord has not appeared to you. Moses was, as you and I are today, sent by God. We are sent by God to bring a people out of captivity, into what God has both provided and prepared for them.

And we battle the same fears that Moses did. Oh Lord, I'll go, but how will they believe that you've spoken to me? How will they believe? How will people believe in this generation? People who are literally enslaved by the forces and powers around them.

If I go to them and say, God has sent me to bring you out of this captivity and into the freedom of Christ, how will they believe me? And that's a fear that we all have to fight, isn't it? The sense that if I walk up to a stranger or a co-worker or somebody in my apartment building, and I start telling them about Jesus Christ, why would they believe me?

What would be the reason that they would believe me? This is what Moses was saying to God, and this is what you and I have to say sometimes, and this is the very reason that many people are silent in a season where the Lord wants to bring about a great victory, a great freedom.

But the dilemma we find is much of the Christian, not all, but much of the Christian church is silent, is quiet. Yes, we sing our songs in church, and we testify freely in our testimony meetings, and these things are good and wonderful in themselves, but our voices grow strangely silent when it comes to walking among those that are in captivity, who are crying out.

There is a cry in this generation. God knows it, and God hears it, and the Holy Spirit reveals it to the hearts of those who are seeking Christ. There is a cry, there is a weariness in our society today.

People are starting to not be able to see a way out. They looked to deliverers from every quarter, but it just seems like the dilemmas upon our world and our societies are increasingly abounding, and there doesn't seem to be anybody with any natural ability to find a solution.

There's a baptism of filth has come upon this generation. It's hard, literally, to just even watch the news now, or to go down the street. It's as if the whole society has been immersed in filth. But folks, in spite of it, there's a groaning in many people, a cry for freedom in our generation.

And God takes us in our frailty, takes us in our nothingness, He takes us in our ordinariness, and sends us to do something that is absolutely impossible, unless God chooses to do it through us. And the Lord said to Moses, He said, I'm going to be a voice in you, but the voice that I'm going to speak will be signs in you.

There'll be signs that follow you. And these signs will be a voice to the unbeliever that I'm actually with you. Now, of course, I'm taking an Old Testament story, and I'm superimposing it to today, because the principles of God remain the same, in spite of the fact this was thousands of years ago.

You're going to see something about it that really applies, because God called these signs voices. In verse 8, it says, If they'll not believe thee or hearken to the voice of the first sign, they'll believe the voice of the latter sign.

These signs will be a voice. There will be a statement of God that I am actually with you. And these apply to you and I today as well. And the Lord said to him, What is in your hand? And he said, A rod.

And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent. And Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said to Moses, Put forth your hand and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand.

Verse 5, That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared unto you. What this speaks to me about is the promise that God gives us of authority in prayer.

Prayer, Spiritual Authority, and the Kingdom of God

He wants us to pray. John 16, 23, 24, Jesus said, Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Hitherto have you asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy might be full.

He wants to answer prayer, but keep in mind, this is prayer that you and I pray according to the will of God. Now Jesus said in John 3, 16 and 17, it's simply this. The will of God is that none should perish, but all should come to everlasting life through Jesus Christ.

And verse 17 says that the world through him might be saved. When you and I are moving in that realm, when Moses, in a sense, in his weakness, is moving towards the release of people who are held in bondage and captivity, that's where God says, I'm going to give you spiritual authority.

I'm going to give you power to take up serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. That which you used to flee from is now going to flee from you. The only way you can pick up a snake by the tail, it has to be going the other way, folks.

Immediately as Moses takes that rod of God and throws it on the ground, this thing becomes a serpent. He's afraid of this serpent. It must have been a poisonous serpent. And it's a type of the devil himself.

And God says to him now, pick it up by the tail, because the only way I can understand this, it's already going the other direction. He has to run after it and catch it by the tail. And there's an authority comes into the hand of Moses because he's moving to the release of human need that's suffering under captivity.

There's no authority, folks, when our prayers are just focused on our own needs. That's why Jesus said in Matthew 6 and verse 33, seek first the kingdom of God. In other words, the advancement of the kingdom of God, that which God is doing in the earth.

And we know the work of God is always and has always been the release of that which he lost because of sin in the Garden of Eden. So seek first the kingdom of God. Seek first that which you need to be walking in the footsteps of the one who has called us to represent the cross in the earth.

Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things, clothing, shelter, food, will be added to you. That's the promise of God. I've lived through this. I know this is true. As I've begun to seek first the kingdom of God, all these things have been added.

I remember when my house burned down. I was preaching actually a campaign in Eastern Canada and my house burnt to the ground back in, I think it was about 1990 or so or 89. And I remember coming home and we had lost absolutely everything.

And I was staying at a friend's house, Pastor Glenn Steven actually spoke here last week and with my wife and three children. And I remember going out for a jog in the morning. And I said, Lord, according to your word, I have been and I have sought first the kingdom of God and your righteousness.

I've abandoned my life to the cause of seeing people come to the freedom of Christ. And your promise to me is that all these things will be added unto me. So I'm not setting my own hand to anything. And folks, I saw God literally open heaven.

I wish I had time to tell the whole story, but it was amazing what he did. Amazing how he supplied and continues to supply. As I've made the choice to seek first the kingdom of God, to ask for those things that are a benefit to eternity, that really do manifest the life and the love of God to people who need to find out that Christ died for them and loves them.

The greatest soul winners I've ever known have been people who've understood this. I remember Jack West, a great evangelist that used to preach in this pulpit several years ago. He told me once, he said, the most people I've ever won to Christ is in prayer.

He was always looking for opportunities. The moment somebody just poured out a complaint or how are things going? Oh, not too good. My kids are struggling or I'm having... He would always, no matter who it was, he'd say, can I pray for you right now?

And he said, most often they would bow their heads. I would just maybe put a hand on the shoulder or just pray for them. He said, in most cases, I was able to win them to the Lord right at that moment.

There's something about prayer that opens the heart. His focus was about people. It was about eternity. He was not focused on his own needs. One of our elders in this church looks for opportunities in the workplace to pray constantly when there's a fellow employee that's sick or struggling or has issues in their life or at home.

And he's always, in spite of the fact that there's been opposition and even laughter and rejection. And as he prays, now God's beginning to answer the prayer. And workers are beginning to come now for prayer on a regular basis.

I heard that you're a man of prayer. Would you pray for me? I remember it was with a fellow pastor one time in a restaurant. And we were sitting there waiting to order our breakfast. And this is probably one of the more intelligent times of prayer I've ever seen.

Young waitress came over and she really, really didn't look like she was doing good. And he just asked her a question. He said, how's everything going? And the next thing you know, there's this barrage of wool was poured out upon us as we sat there with our menus at the table.

And he said to her, he said, now listen to me. I'm going to pray for you right now. He said, now I don't want you to close your eyes. Stand there with your pen and your pad like you're taking an order.

And I'm going to pretend I'm reading from the menu. And he said, I'm going to pray for you. That's probably one of the most intelligent times of prayer I've ever seen. And we didn't bow our heads. We sat there like we're ordering.

And the manager would have thought we're asking for bacon and eggs and home fries and jam and toast. And he said, oh Jesus, would you show this precious young lady how lovely she is in your sight? Would you show her who you are?

Would you reveal to her what you did on Calvary? And as he's looking at her reading from the menu. And it was an intelligent time of prayer. And suddenly you can feel the shackles beginning to break in this young lady's life.

And you could see her whole countenance change. And I remember at the end of that meal, coming back to the table and just profusely thanking us. For the time of prayer and the gladness that it brought into her heart.

Remember that God wants to answer these prayers as proof to those in captivity that he's with you. That was the first evidence. That was the voice. In other words, God says, I'm going to give you a voice that is proof.

And that voice is spiritual authority. It's not just about listing off a bunch of scriptures to somebody who's in trouble. But it's saying, I'd like to pray for you. Even on the street, I'd like to pray for you right now.

And you can ask God for innovative ways to do that. Some people are embarrassed if they're not saved and you bow your head and start speaking in tongues suddenly. Folks, I'm serious about this. You have to use some discretion and wisdom in this.

But there's a great opportunity because God will answer our prayer. That's what the scripture says. Jesus said, you've not asked me for anything up to this point. Now I'm asking you to ask that your joy might be full.

That you can walk away and I can walk away and say, God, you truly do answer prayer. That person didn't know what they were going to do. And I prayed now, they've come back to me and said, it's a miracle what God has done.

And it's an evidence that God wants to present, that Christ himself wants to present through his church. Now, secondly, in verse six, he said, the Lord said furthermore unto him, put your hand into your bosom.

And he put his hand into his bosom. And when he took it out, his hand was as leprous as snow. And he said, put your hand into your bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again and plucked it out of his bosom.

And behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. And it shall come to pass. This is God speaking out of Moses. If they will not believe you, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

The Testimony of Transformation

It's just simply the word of your testimony. Only God has the power to take the issues of our heart, the rottenness, as I might call it, the corruption of our inner nature and change it. And make it into something else.

That was the sign, in a sense, as far as it applies to you and I. You have a testimony. You have something to say that other people don't have. We had a prayer meeting one time in this church. And a Muslim man came to me after the prayer meeting on a Thursday night.

And he was infuriated. And he said, how dare you infer that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life. He said, what gives you the right to infer that? And I said, would you give me five minutes to tell you a story?

And he said, yes. And I told him in five minutes what Jesus Christ had done for me. Now I said to him, now tell me what your God has done for you. And he stood there and he started to weep. Because what he was serving had done nothing for him.

It had made him angry. It had made him confused. It had brought him to a place where God couldn't be touched, felt or found. And it was simply the testimony. I didn't argue scripture with him because everybody has an argument.

But you have a testimony. Folks, I don't care who you are or how frail you are, you have a testimony. You can say I once was blind, I was bound, I was imprisoned, depressed, lonely, dishonest or just ignorant of my need in God.

Whatever it is, the Bible says if anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things are passed away, all things have become new. So if you are in Christ, you have a testimony. It may not be profound, it might not be a Sunday night forehead slapper, but nevertheless you have a story.

Something has happened in your life. Something that you can give God glory for. Something that you can say He changed me. You have a testimony. I want more people to Christ in the early years as a Christian just telling the story of what God had done.

It hadn't even been very long. It was only a matter of months or maybe a year after I came to Christ. I just was telling the story of the changes that were happening. How these inner corruptions were changing, were being made whole.

I was becoming a different man than the one I had been for 24 years and I knew only God could do this. And so I began to share the story only to find out that others were very, very interested. That there was an inner hunger in others that I wasn't aware of.

And just telling the story brought it to the surface and led into many times of prayer and many opportunities to receive Christ. Now there's certain ways to share your testimony and certain ways not to share your testimony.

For example, if you're trying to get somebody to drink a glass of water, here's what not to do. You hold up the glass of water and you say, this is two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. It's a substantial percentage of your body.

You must hydrate or perish. This is all true, but that's the way some people present Christ. Hydrate or perish. You can hear them out on the street, hydrate or perish, hydrate or perish. And some people present their testimony that way.

You're doomed, you're damned, you're lost. Now here's what to do. I've found some water. I've touched it. I've tasted it. I've smelled it. I've swam in it. It has satisfied the deepest longings in my heart.

Won't you taste some with me? That's the voice of the second sign. Your testimony. Verse 9 of Exodus chapter 4. And it shall come to pass, if they'll not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice.

Thou shalt take of the water of the river and pour it upon the dry land. And the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. Now historically, you and I know that Israel rejected the leading of God into the fullness of that which could have been hers.

There was a leading of God out of captivity into the promised land. And ultimately it was leading to a personal and intimate relationship with God himself in the form of his son. And Israel rejected this.

And so God took a portion of the river. Now that river that passed in a sense through Egypt was considered the source of life. It was the source of nourishment. It was the source of, it was everything actually to the Egyptian people.

God took a portion of the river that represented his life and supply to them. And in the form of his own son, he poured out his own blood on the dry ground. It is phenomenal when you begin to see the scriptures in the context of Calvary.

When you begin to see it in the context of Jesus Christ. These are not just random signs that the Lord's coming up with on the spur of the moment because Moses is hesitant. No, he's talking way down into the future.

He knows that all that will make a difference, all that will really bring about full redemption, is when God takes a portion of that which is of himself, puts his own son on a cross and pours out his blood on dry ground.

Psalm 46 verses 4 and 5 says,. The voice of the third sign is not only the story, but it's the expression of God's love for people through you and I. It's the expression, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

We are called to pray for people. We're called to believe God for people. We're called to have a testimony of what God has done in us and through us. But we're also called to love people. Love them with the love of God, with the love of Jesus Christ.

And folks, if this is not a sign to this generation, nothing else will be. It's something I pray in the street every day. God, you have to help me to love people here. You have to help me to love these that are doing unspeakable things in the street corners, that are living in immorality.

Their conversation is as if it was lifted out of a sewer. You have to help me, God, to love them because this is a sign to this generation. Where there is a love in my heart and in your heart that does not come from natural feeling.

It comes from the spirit of almighty God. There is a river. Revelation 12, 11 talks about overcomers in the last day. And it says, they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, the word of their testimony, and they loved not their own lives unto the death.

And that's these three signs you see in Exodus chapter 4 fulfilled in Revelation chapter 12 and verse 11. The blood of the lamb, the word of testimony, and their prayers in a sense of their focus was not about themselves.

It was about others. This is how they overcame. This is the mark of the overcoming church in the last days. That we are doing the work of God in the earth. That we are asking the Holy Spirit to manifest the very heart of Jesus Christ in us for lost humanity.

We're not playing a social game in the house of God. We're not coming into the house of God to see what new thing we can add to our portfolio and our resume. We are doing this for the glory of God and for the souls of men.

There is no other reason. There's no other reason to live. There's no other reason I want to even be on the earth anymore. There's no other reason but to see people brought to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

To enter into the work of almighty God. To trust that God will not only give me spiritual authority, but increase the word of testimony in my heart and in yours. And increase the love of God. That measure of God.

That measure of life taken out of the river of God. That caused his son to be poured out to the last drop of water and blood on the cross. I'm called to follow in those footsteps and so are you. Which now brings us to the voice of the fourth sign.

God’s Strength Made Perfect in Human Weakness

Exodus chapter 10 again. Chapter 4 rather, verse 10. And here's what happens to all of us when we're confronted with these simple truths, folks. These are not complex. This is simple. This is Christianity 101.

It's what we're called to be as a church and as a people. But here's our response. And Moses said, Oh Lord, I'm not eloquent. I'm not a good speaker. Neither before nor since you've spoken to me. But I'm slow of speech and of a slow tongue.

Oh God. The immediate response that we often have is that we look at our frailty. We look at our inability. We look at our insufficiency. We look in the resume box and we're not up to this task. Lord, you're sending me to confront something that is deeper than I am.

It has more power than I know. And this is a world that is used to flash and dance. Who's going to listen to me? Why would they listen to me? I'm not strong. And the Lord said, Who made your mouth? Who makes the dumb or deaf or seeing or blind?

Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you will say. Go. A simple commandment. Go into all the world. Go and tell them about Jesus Christ. Just go. That's as simple as it gets.

Now, Moses was aware of his own frailty. Now listen to what Paul says. I'm going to read it again to you. You see your calling, brethren. Do you actually see your calling? Would be the question. Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.

There's a few, I suppose. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And base things of the world and things which are despised that God chosen.

And things which are nothing to bring to nothing things that are. That no flesh should glory in his presence. These are the ones God has chosen. So wouldn't you say with me this morning, it leaves me without excuse.

That suddenly my excuses dissipate. They vanish. They vaporize in a sense. Because God says, well, if you understand, if you're willing to order your steps in my word. I don't choose the mighty. I don't choose the overly intelligent in themselves.

I don't choose those that are noble. I don't choose those that have royal power. I choose people who are aware that without God, this can't be done. This is the fourth sign. The fourth sign is the willingness of Jesus Christ to walk with us in partnership.

In spite of our frailty. We have no perfection of ourselves. That's why Paul says, but of him are you in Christ Jesus. Who of God has made to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. That according as it is written, he that glories, let him glory in the Lord.

We have no perfection. We have no strength in ourselves. We are not perfect apart from Christ. The only perfection I have is Jesus Christ. Now I'm going to tell you something. I feel that the Lord has given me this week that many people here don't speak of Christ.

Because those close to you have seen your weaknesses. In the workplace, you've lost your temper. You got caught gossiping when you shouldn't have in the lunchroom. It happens. It happens to everybody.

You were, people are just aware. A word slipped out that shouldn't have come from your lips. And all around you, people are aware of these things. And you say, I can't speak. Why would they be interested in hearing me?

Because they're very aware of my weaknesses. Now have you ever thought. Now hear me on this. That this might be the most attractive part of the voice that Jesus has given about you. You about him and the earth.

Have you ever thought that this might be attractive to the unsaved? Many unsaved people feel they can't rise to the level of perfection. That they wrongly feel is necessary for God to consider having to do anything with them.

Do you ever thought that most of us in the world are not looking for superstars? Just real people? Just ordinary people who make mistakes? I'm speaking as if I was an unsaved man, for example. If somebody came to me and they were perfect.

I wouldn't be able to attain to it. So I wouldn't even entertain the idea. Ordinary people. Honest people. That's why God sent Moses. Not a superstar. Not a muscular warrior in a chariot with an army.

But an 80 year old man. With a stick. An 83 year old brother. And a one line sermon. Let my people go that they can worship me in the wilderness. Frail. Weak. Nothing in himself. But yet the knee of the most powerful ruler in the world at that time bent before almighty God.

If you and I can lay hold of these truths again in our generation. If we can look away from all the committee room suggestions of what a Christian should be and look like. And begin to realize, as Paul said, God said to me, my grace is sufficient for thee.

My strength is made perfect in weakness. Paul had appealed to the Lord and said, please God, just take this away from me. Whatever it was in his flesh that kept him in a state of dependency. And the Lord said, no, my grace.

My favor on you. My strength being given to you. Being all about me, Paul, and not about you. It's sufficient because my strength is made perfect in your weakness. Paul says, most gladly, therefore, I will rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul said, I'm not going to boast in myself. There's nothing in me to boast about, but I'm going to boast in my Christ. I'm going to boast in the one who gives me strength. I'm going to boast in the one who answers my prayer.

I'm going to boast in the one who's given me a testimony. Now, Paul was a brilliant theologian, folks. One of the most brilliant, perhaps of all time. Yet, when he was called into the arena to answer for himself, you look at his answers.

I was on the road. I was an angry man. I was, I met a blinding light. It threw me to the ground and a voice said, Paul, why do you persecute me? He just shared his testimony, folks. In spite of the brilliance he had.

In spite of his academic background. He simply loved the people, prayed for the people and shared his story and changed the whole known world. Right up until our time. Now, I'm not speaking about hypocrisy.

A lot of people are apparently weak just simply because they're not serious about the things of God. But I'm talking about honest weaknesses. That you and I are trusting Christ to cover. While he brings about the changes in our lives that we desire.

Honest weakness. A frail but honest testimony is very attractive. To people who are looking for spiritual reality. So don't let your own weaknesses stop you from speaking. The things of God. Just be honest in your walk with God.

Don't play the hypocrite's game. Yes, people will rightly turn away from a hypocrite. But they will not turn from an honest person. I knew some people before I was saved. I knew some cops that were Christians.

And they weren't perfect by any stretch. But they were honest. And I could not write their testimony off. In spite of the fact there were some things. There were evident weaknesses. But they were sincere.

They were honest. They could be spoken to. They were changing. They were growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. I found it to be a very, very attractive testimony. Because I was not looking for superstars.

I was looking for reality. And people are not looking for superstars, folks. They're looking for reality. And that's where you and I come in. In our generation. I want to remind you. That three million people.

Followed Moses. Out of captivity towards the land of freedom. Three million people. Followed the leadership of an old man with a stick into the desert. Because he prayed. And had authority. Because he had a testimony of an encounter with God.

Because he loved them. And was patient with the people. As Christ was. Because he was frail. But in his frailty. Yes, he even went through doubts. Times of doubt and unbelief. Where he had to go back to God.

And said you sent me to deliver these people. And it's just gotten worse since I've come here. He had to deal with all the frailties. That you and I have to deal with. But the people ultimately must have looked at him.

And said this man loves us. He prays for us. There's spiritual authority in his life. He has a testimony of encountering God. And yes, he is frail. But he seems to really know the God he speaks about.

Let's get the blood on the doorposts of our house. Let's eat the lamb. Let's get our neighbors together. Let's go. Let's follow this man into a wilderness. He speaks of a place of promise. He speaks of something coming.

Beyond what we've learned. And see and know for the last 400 years. Thank God that Moses went. When you get to heaven. Folks, I'm telling you. If you take seriously this word this morning. There are going to be people.

That are going to approach you at the throne of God. And they're going to say thank God you came to me. Thank God you opened your mouth. Thank God you lived a real Christian testimony before me. Thank God you were honest.