​Your personal testimony comes in handy when...

Scripture:
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. Acts 22:3 (NIV)
I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison... “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.
Acts 22:4, 6 (NIV)

Application:
All those "I's and me's" can sometimes be big turn offs if used the wrong way.
Our past sometimes is the biggest stumbling block for people to believe us. We've lied, stolen, gossipped, cussed out, and failed, failed, and failed to keep our word so many times. 

But those failures may help others, too.

When the message of Jesus is not accepted by those who hold onto their skepticism because of our past, we may not be the best messenger to deliver the Good News of the Gospel. But, if we are sure that God wants us to minister to a person, it may be the time to "address the elephant in the room." 
Only after prayer and leading by the Holy Spirit should we put our history on display and declare "that's the old woman/man, and that old person is dead." Romans 6:6. Even our good deeds and worldly accomplishments are like filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6.

We may be surprised when our personal testimony may break down the walls that kept our listener from accepting Christ's message of salvation. But that's a key distinction: it's Christ's message, not ours. We are humble servants. We must resist the temptation to put our lives front and center, whether it's our successes our failures. A proper testimony is to show how Christ reached out even for us, and He is doing the same for everyone else.

Prayer:
Guide us, Jesus, on how to reach the people You want us to reach. Amen.