John articles

My pastor once said something that has stuck with me:

“No matter how blessed you are, there are some testimonies you should never share.”

At first, I thought about how strange that sounded because we are always encouraged to testify about the goodness of God. We are told to tell people what God has done for us, and rightly so. A testimony can strengthen someone else’s faith and remind them that God is still working. But the more I thought about what my pastor said, the more I began to understand that he was not saying we should never testify. He was talking about wisdom. .

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:7 that there is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” I think many of us understand the second part better than the first. We know how to talk about what God has done, but we don’t always know when to keep quiet about what He is doing. Sometimes we get a breakthrough and immediately want everybody to know. We get a new job, we announce it. We start a relationship, we announce it. We have a business idea, we tell everybody. We receive a financial blessing, we want people to see it. We tell people what we are praying for, what we are planning and sometimes even what God has shown us about our future. But Scripture reminds us that wisdom is not only knowing what to say; it is also knowing what not to say.

Think about Samson. God had given Samson extraordinary strength and a specific assignment. There was something unique about his calling, and there was a secret connected to his strength. But Samson fell in love with Delilah, and she kept pressing him to reveal the secret of his strength. Eventually, Samson told her everything that was in his heart and revealed the secret behind his strength. Judges 16:15–21 tells us what happened afterwards. His hair was cut, his strength left him, and the Philistines captured him. What strikes me about Samson’s story is that something so powerful in his life was also something that had to be protected. He revealed the secret to the wrong person, and that secret became part of the story of his downfall.

That makes me think about our own lives. Sometimes people only need to know that God has blessed you; they don’t need to know every detail of the blessing. They don’t need to know how much you make, how the opportunity came, what you are planning next, who helped you, what you are praying about or what God has placed in your heart. Some people will genuinely celebrate you, and there is nothing wrong with having people like that around you. But not everybody who is curious about your life needs access to your life. There is a difference between having people who know you and having people who know everything about you.

Joseph’s story gives us another perspective. Joseph had dreams from God concerning his future, and he shared those dreams with his brothers (Genesis 37:5–8). His brothers did not celebrate what he had seen. Instead, they became jealous and angry, and eventually they sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:18–28). Now, I don’t believe Joseph’s suffering happened simply because he told them his dreams. God’s purpose for Joseph was much bigger than what his brothers could do to him. But the story still teaches us something important: not everyone has the capacity to carry what God has shown you. Sometimes you can tell someone something that God has placed in your heart, and instead of helping you carry it, they begin to question it, mock it, compete with it or even work against it.

Maybe you have experienced this yourself. You tell someone about a business idea, and suddenly they give you ten reasons why it will never work. You share something you are praying about, and instead of encouraging you, they make you doubt whether it is even possible. You tell people about a relationship that is still growing, and before you know it, everybody has an opinion about it. You announce plans before they have taken shape, and suddenly you feel pressure to prove that those plans will succeed. Sometimes people are not necessarily evil; sometimes you simply gave them access to something before it was ready to be exposed.

This is why Proverbs 12:23 says, “A prudent man conceals knowledge.” That verse does not mean a wise person has nothing to say. It means they understand that knowledge has to be handled carefully. There is a difference between secrecy and discretion. Secrecy can come from deception, but discretion can come from wisdom. You don’t have to announce every move you make. You don’t have to explain every blessing. You don’t have to tell everybody what you are praying about. You don’t have to show people the seed while it is still underground.

Think about a seed. When you plant it in the ground, you don’t keep digging it up every few days to show people that it is growing. You cover it, water it and give it time. For a while, nothing is visible above the ground, but that does not mean nothing is happening. Something is happening beneath the surface. I think some seasons of our lives are like that. God may be doing something in you or preparing something for you that does not need an audience yet. You may not need to explain it. You may not need to defend it. You may simply need to let God finish what He started.

Even Jesus understood the importance of timing. There were occasions when He instructed people not to make certain things known (Matthew 8:4; Mark 5:43). His ministry shows us that not everything has to be announced immediately. There is a time for revelation and there is a time for silence. There is a time to testify and there is a time to quietly walk with God. Sometimes we want to announce something because we are excited, but God may be teaching us patience. Sometimes the best thing you can do with a blessing is simply enjoy it, pray over it and protect it.

This becomes even more important in the world we live in today. We have become accustomed to sharing almost everything. Something happens in the morning, and by afternoon the whole world knows about it. We post the new job, the relationship, the engagement, the business, the money, the house and the holiday. There is nothing inherently wrong with sharing these things, but we should remember that just because you can share something does not mean you have to share it. Sometimes we announce things before they have matured, and when circumstances change, we find ourselves having to explain to everyone what happened. The relationship ends, the business struggles, the opportunity disappears, the plans change, and suddenly something that was supposed to be a blessing becomes a source of pressure because too many people were already watching.

This does not mean you should live in fear of people or assume that everybody is jealous of you. That is not the lesson. The lesson is discernment. Scripture does not call us to paranoia; it calls us to wisdom. Proverbs 13:3 says, “Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life.” There is power in knowing when to speak, what to say, how much to say and who needs to hear it.

So yes, testify. Tell people what God has done for you. Encourage someone with your story. Give God glory for the doors He has opened and the prayers He has answered. Your testimony may be exactly what another person needs to hear to keep believing. But while you are learning to testify, also learn to discern. Ask yourself, Is this something God wants me to share, or is this something He wants me to protect? Is this the right time? Is this the right person? Am I sharing this because it will encourage someone, or because I need validation?

Sometimes the most mature thing you can do is keep something to yourself. You can be grateful without making an announcement. You can be blessed without displaying everything. You can be excited without telling everyone the details. You can have a dream without immediately explaining it to people who may never understand it. You can have a relationship without giving the whole world access to it. You can be building something quietly while everyone else thinks nothing is happening.

There are testimonies that should be shared because they glorify God and encourage others, and there are testimonies that require a season of silence because they are still being formed. There are things God has entrusted to you that require not only faith to receive but wisdom to protect. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts because everything we do flows from them. Sometimes guarding your heart also means guarding your words.

So perhaps the question is not simply, “What has God done for me?” Perhaps the better question is, “What has God entrusted to me, and how should I handle it?” Because not everything God gives you needs to be announced. Some things need prayer. Some things need time. Some things need maturity. Some things need to grow quietly until the right season comes.

And when that season comes, you won’t have to convince anybody. The fruit will speak for itself.

Sometimes, the blessing is not in telling everyone what God is doing in your life. Sometimes, the blessing is having the wisdom to protect it while He is doing it.

Not every testimony needs an audience. Some testimonies need a season of silence.