Declaration!!!

The Apostle Peter said we should always be ready to state the reason for the hope people see in our lives (1 Peter 3:15). This suggests making an account or declaring the cause. Simply put, we need to articulate what happened to us and why that event has such a powerful affect on our outlook.

While meditating on this scripture I talked myself through a series of questions that helped me clarify and chronicle my experience with God. These questions helped me actualize my Pentecostal story more comprehensively. They helped me rediscover meaning, find more substance, and measure the impact of my Pentecostal experience.

I have turned the questions I asked myself into open-ended statements and listed them below. I encourage you to take some time and finish each sentence. Whether you have lived for God 30 days or 30 years, you have a story to tell and these statements will help you tell it. Afterwards, I encourage you to find someone in your life who does not know your tale and make a declaration.

• I received the Holy Ghost on…
• I received the Holy Ghost at…
• I was baptized on…
• I was baptized at…
• I was baptized because…
• When I received the Holy Ghost I felt…
• When I was baptized I felt…
• When I got the Holy Ghost I…
• The important people with me that day were…
• Since that time God has…
• I am different now in that I…
• My life is different now in that…
• Since that day I have…
• When I think about my future with God I…
• Since that day God has changed…
• Each day the Holy Ghost…
• Every day God becomes…
• Everyone should have an experience with God like mine because…
• The greatest thing that has happened to me since I was born again was…
• The most important thing I have learned while living for God is…
• If I could I would change… about my experience with God