Grace and peace to the heirs of promise.  

We continue with the reasons many Christians lack a testimony. 

WHY MANY CHRISTIANS DON’T HAVE A TESTIMONY

1. SIN

This is the primary reason. The Bible says, 

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18 ). 

If we are living in sin, then God will not hear our prayers. And if God will not hear our prayers, then God will not answer our prayers. If God will not answer our prayers, then we cannot receive help from Him and cannot therefore testify that God is “an ever-present Help in time of trouble.”

A good example of this is King Saul. When King Saul sinned and rebelled against God, God withdrew from him and would no longer answer his prayers. When we sin unrepentantly, God will also withdraw from us.

-With regard to our testimony of persecution, again, God allows us to pass through trials and tribulations because our life is a picture of Jesus’ life. As Jesus suffered persecution, so we must also suffer persecution. However, in that Paul said that because of persecution, we will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, then it stands to reason that if we are not suffering persecution, it is because we are not counted worthy of the kingdom of God. It means we are not walking worthy of the cross of Christ.

If we are not counted worthy to suffer on the Lord’s behalf, then we will not have a testimony of overcoming trials for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. GENERATIONAL CURSE

Many Christians don’t have a testimony because they are in bondage to sin through a generational curse.   A generational curse is a curse that God places on a person’s descendants when that person is guilty of committing a sin that is so offensive to God, that He considers it an abomination.  An abomination is something that God really hates. The Bible teaches that all unrighteousness is sin (1 John 5:17 ).  However, there are hierarchies of sin.  At the low end are sins that God just winks at.  At the high end is the unpardonable sin.  And, in the middle, are abominations, sins that God absolutely hates.  Only the unpardonable sin will not be forgiven.  All other sins will be forgiven.  HOWEVER…Abominations, in that God specifically hates these sins, must be confessed outright by name, in order to receive forgiveness for them.  

It is important to understand that God hates abominable sins so much that before Jesus paid the blood at Calvary, God destroyed those who were guilty of those sins.  God wiped the Canaanites off the face of the earth because of the sins that they were guilty of (Deuteronomy 18), which sins included witchcraft, child sacrifice, and pornography.  God obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah and also all the cities of the plain (except Zoar) because they practiced the sin of homosexuality.  

Under the Old Testament law, people who were accused of committing abominations were stoned.  But since Jesus paid the blood, we are now living in a period of mercy.  God no longer automatically destroys those guilty of committing abominations.  But, because God said that He would “by no means clear the guilty,” those who are cursed with the sins of their forefathers will be punished in this life.  

1 Timothy 5:24 says this:  

“Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment, and some men they follow after.”

This means that, though God will no longer destroy those who are guilty of abominations, they have already been judged and been found guilty.  Therefore they will be punished in this life, rather than only at the Judgment.  Generational sins fall into this category.  This is the reason why those who are under a generational curse have such terrible problems.  These sins are particular grievous to God.  Therefore, unlike other sins, which are forgiven when one accepts the Lord Jesus as his Savior, generational sin–abominable sins–must be confessed outright.  Some sins that fall into this category are idolatry (which is the number one sin), homosexuality, witchcraft, and pornography.

Because abominations are sins that are particularly loathsome to God, and, therefore, must be confessed outright by name, a person can be saved and still be under a generational curse.  It is important to understand that salvation and deliverance are not the same thing.  Salvation is deliverance from original and personal sin (Romans 5:12 , Romans 3:25 ), while deliverance means being set free from a generational curse (1 John 1:9).  Many believe that when they got saved, all their sins were forgiven, and thus, a generational curse should have no affect on them.  They fail to realize that, because of the seriousness of generational sin, it must be confessed outright in order for a person to be delivered.  

A Christian living under a generational curse will eventually have his testimony destroyed by Satan, if he does not confess the sin that brought about the curse to the Lord Jesus and have it forgiven.  A person will know what sins he needs to confess, because the Word of God teaches that those under a generational curse will be cursed with the sins of their forefathers.  

3. THANKLESSNESS

Because many Christians are living in sin, they aren’t experiencing the victory over sin and temptation that they should. This has caused them to be unthankful, because the more the Lord Jesus delivers you from something, the more grateful you will be.  Conversely, if Jesus hasn’t done anything in your life (because you haven’t asked Him to), you will not be very grateful to Him. Lack of gratitude is the manifestation of 2 Timothy 3:2, wherein the Apostle Paul says that men in the last days would be “unthankful.”

4. UNEQUALLY YOKED

The Bible says, 

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 14:6).

In today’s feel-good climate of “oneness” and world harmony, Christians have been swept up in a “cumbaya” moment.  The Roman Catholic Charismatic Movement has thoroughly infiltrated the Protestant church and essentially reduced it to little more than one of the many orders of the Roman Catholic church. Protestant churches are becoming more Catholic with each passing day, as many pastors wear the collar of a Roman Catholic priest and many churches celebrate Roman Catholic holidays such as Lent.

God hates idolatry, and the Roman Catholic church is an idolatrous institution. Christians, therefore, who align themselves with Rome, become the enemies of God (James 4:4). And an enemy of God has no testimony.

There are also many Christians who are members of secret societies such as the Freemasons. Freemasonry and Christianity are irreconcilable, as the God of Freemasonry is, in fact, the great Rebel, Nimrod, and the the patron saint of Freemasonry is a demon called Baphomet—a pagan deity. A person, who has taken any of the many blood oaths Freemasons are required to take, has yoked himself to Baphomet, and has brought not only aa world of spiritual darkness upon himself and his family, but also a generational curse upon his descendants.

5. WORDLINESS

Though we live in the world, we are not of the world, and cannot, therefore, do as the world does.  We can’t talk as the world talks, we can’t dress as the world dresses, and we can’t behave as the world behaves.  God has called us to sanctification.  We must, therefore, separate ourselves from the world. Unfortunately, most pastors no longer preach sanctification, and many in the Christian community see separation from the world as divisive and exclusive.

If we ally ourselves with the world with all it’s fleshy lusts and desires, the Holy Spirit will depart from us. When we lose the Holy Spirit we lose not only the ability to discern good and evil, but we also lose the ability to reason. With the loss of reason we become easily prone to the deceptiveness of sin. One who is living in sin is living in defeat, and one who is living in defeat has no testimony. This truth is not restricted to lay Christians, as many, if not most, pastors are also living in the world. Consequently, whole churches have been compromised and have become unfruitful and altogether useless to God.

6. IGNORANCE OF THE WORD OF GOD AND OF GOD’S PROMISES

Many Christians don’t have a testimony