How’s this for a life of obedience to Christ? “Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea.” (2 Corinthians 11:25 NIV)

Beaten, stoned and shipwrecked. Such was the life of Paul, constantly suffering for his faith.

But wait. There’s more!

“I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.” (2 Corinthians 11:26-27 NIV)

The other apostles weren’t immune from suffering for their faith either. It was a normal part of their lives. They were detested by Jewish leaders, often hated by the Romans and rejected by the Gentiles. Almost every one of the apostles died as a martyr for his faith.

I’m humbled to the core when I ponder that my own conversion is traced back to the apostles. If it weren’t for their tenacity and endurance, the church wouldn’t have blossomed. Since then, the Christian faith has spread for centuries because courageous believers have told non-believers about Jesus.

How can you have the courage of the apostles? Not only to represent Jesus, but to simply keep going when life has a strangle-hold on you? When discouragement hits? When resistance and hardship press in from all sides? When Coronavirus season keeps wears you down?

Every believer has seasons of strength and weakness, joy and heartache, ease and difficulty. None of us lives each day on the pinnacle of spiritual bliss. 

The apostles possessed unshakeable courage. It gave them boldness to stand for Christ all the way to their martyred deaths. Most likely, you won’t face such a brutal ending as theirs, but you can learn from these faithful followers. How did they courageously move forward in their faith walk?

Paul describes their secret: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV)

They did not lose heart. Their courage wasn’t crushed. They may have looked like they were empty, but not so inside.

Here’s the zinger: “Yet inwardly we are being renewed every day.” That’s why the apostles could stand courageously in a world of intense persecution. They were made new by God in the depths of their souls.

It all came back to Jesus. Deeply rooted in their Savior, they endured the terrible, constant opposition to their faith. No cowering for these men. They spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to all the world.

Just as the Holy Spirit renewed the apostles, he is renewing you.

Whatever you’re facing, courage to keep going starts with an inner renewal when you turn to Jesus. His Holy Spirit will do the miraculous in you.

(Explore courage in my devotional Your Life With God: 30 Days of Courage. That’s where this post was born. Available on Amazon).