I feel like most of us when we are born again and choose Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are ready to experience a beautiful personal relationship with Jesus. I never hear anyone ready and eager to go through persecution because of their choice to follow Jesus. I think that experiencing persecution because we are Christians catches us off guard. It is seen back in Peter’s time as well as today that persecution for being a Christian was a big reason for many Christians to consider going back to their sinful ways. Peter explains that the suffering experienced due to persecution as a Christian is not like the suffering experienced due to sinning. That you should consider yourself blessed for suffering in the name of Jesus and not be be ashamed to bear His name (1 Peter 4:14-16). We will be greatly rewarded by our Father in Heaven if we hold steadfast with our feet planted and our eyes focused on Jesus Christ.
