Day 1: When Courage Feels Like a Tiny Bat

Revelation 2:8 “Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last, the one who was dead and came to life.”

I grabbed the tiniest baseball bat you’ve ever seen. That’s how I was going to protect my family from the intruder at 2:00 in the morning. It turns out the “intruder” was something Velcroed to something else that had fallen off the counter. But in that moment, walking down those dark stairs, my heart pounding, I realized something: my courage was only as big as my resources.

Here’s the honest truth about following Jesus: sometimes our faith feels like that tiny bat. We know we’re supposed to be bold. We know we should share the Gospel with our coworker. We know we shouldn’t shrink back when our beliefs are mocked. But the courage just isn’t there. It evaporates the moment we need it most.

This is exactly why Jesus introduces Himself to the suffering church in Smyrna the way He does. He doesn’t say, “I’m the one who will make your life easy.” He says, “I am the First and the Last, the one who was dead and came to life.” Do you see what He’s doing? Before He asks them to be courageous, He reminds them who stands with them.

Your courage cannot come from within yourself. It was never supposed to rise from your personality, your grit, or your ability to white-knuckle your way through hard situations. Real courage flows from knowing who walks beside you. The One who conquered death Himself now lives in you.

You don’t need a bigger bat or more confidence. You need a deeper awareness of the risen Christ who calls you His own. When you see Him clearly, courage comes easily because He has overcome sin and death.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I want to be more courageous. Let me keep my eyes on Jesus so that my courage would be real. In His name I pray, amen.

Day 2: The Suffering Has an Expiration Date

Revelation 2:10 “Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience affliction for ten days. Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Nobody likes that shot at the dentist. The needle, the sting, the strange numbness spreading through your jaw. It’s uncomfortable. But here’s why you sit still and take it: you know it’s temporary. You know that in a few seconds the pain will fade, and then you won’t feel anything at all during the procedure.

The Christians in Smyrna were experiencing real suffering. Not metaphorical discomfort; real pain. Friends had turned their backs on them, family members cut ties, some were thrown in jail, others were beaten, and some were even killed for refusing to worship the emperor instead of Jesus.

And what does Jesus say to them? “You will experience affliction for ten days.” Ten days is a symbolic phrase meaning “just a little while.” Jesus is essentially telling them: your suffering has an expiration date.

Maybe your suffering feels endless right now. Perhaps you’ve been mocked by family for years because of your faith. Maybe colleagues have made you feel like an outsider for so long that you’ve forgotten what acceptance feels like. Maybe the loneliness of following Jesus in a world that doesn’t understand weighs on you every single day.

Hear this, friend: it will not last forever. Not the rejection. Not the isolation. Not the pain. One day, Jesus will place on your head the crown of life, and every tear will be wiped away, every wound will be healed, and every loss will be swallowed up in eternal gain.

The suffering is real, but so is its limit. You can endure what is temporary when you know what is eternal. So take heart and be faithful. Your affliction has an expiration date, but your joy in Christ never will.

Prayer: Lord, sometimes my suffering feels like it will never end. When that’s the case, help me remember that it won’t last forever. Remind me that life with You in a perfect world is eternal. Amen.

Day 3: There’s More Than What You Can See

Revelation 2:8-9 “Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last, the one who was dead and came to life: I know your affliction and poverty, but you are rich.”

We have a strange habit of only believing in what we can see. If it’s visible, it’s real. If it’s invisible, well, we’re not so sure. We trust the balance in our bank account more than the promises of God. We believe in the pain we can feel more than the future we cannot touch yet.

Notice something strange about this letter to Smyrna: Jesus writes to the angel of the church. And then He mentions the devil throwing some of them into prison. Angels, the devil– Jesus talks about the unseen world as casually as we talk about the weather. Because to Him, it’s just as real.

And here’s where it gets personal. Jesus looks at these believers who have lost everything— their businesses, their reputations, their freedom— and He says, “You are rich.” From an earthly perspective, they were bankrupt. From an eternal perspective, they possessed more than any emperor ever could.

There is a world beyond what your eyes can see. There is a reality deeper than your current circumstances. And in that reality, if you belong to Jesus, you are wealthy beyond measure. You have an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.

If you think about it, this changes how you face difficulty. You’re not fighting alone in some random, meaningless universe. You’re part of a biggest story, surrounded by unseen forces, held by an unseen Savior, headed toward an unseen but very real eternity.

So when life feels small and hard and hopeless, lift your eyes. What you see is not all there is. The First and the Last sees your affliction and your poverty, and He calls you rich.

Prayer: God, I know that I focus on the things I can see. But You tell me there is more. Help me find hope in the fact that my future is in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 4: Ice Cream at the Bottom of the Playground

Revelation 2:10-11 “Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will never be harmed by the second death.”

My kid climbed way up on the playground— twenty-five feet in the air— and then promptly discovered that they had inherited my fear of heights. They were paralyzed, terrified, and unable to move. And, of course, this happened exactly when we needed to leave.

I tried coaching from below. “Be brave! One step at a time! Don’t look down!” Nothing worked. And then I pulled out the nuclear option: “If you come down, I’ll get you ice cream afterward.”

Suddenly, courage appeared. The promise of something sweet waiting at the bottom melted away the fear that had frozen my child in place.

Jesus does something similar with the church in Smyrna. He doesn’t minimize their fear or dismiss their suffering. He acknowledges it. Then He makes a promise: “Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.“

There is something waiting for you at the end of this climb. Not just relief from pain, but an unimaginable reward– the presence of glory, a crown, life that never ends, and joy that never fades.

This is how courage works for the Christian. You don’t have to pretend things aren’t scary. Instead, know what waits for you on the other side. We can face the fear because we know the Father who has promised us something better than ice cream– He has promised us Himself, forever.

So whatever has you paralyzed today, whatever fear is keeping you from taking the next step of obedience, remember: this isn’t all there is. There is life beyond death. There is a crown beyond the cross. And your Father is calling you down from that place of fear with a promise that changes everything.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the promises that give me courage. Let me not be paralyzed by fear. I want to serve you courageously today. Help me in the name of Jesus, amen.

Day 5: The Worst Is Already Behind You

Revelation 2:11 “The one who conquers will never be harmed by the second death.”

Like me, I bet you know what it’s like when you exercise for the first time in months. You don’t lift much weight. You work out for maybe thirty minutes. You feel pretty good about yourself. Then you wake up the next morning and feel like you tried to bench press an elephant. Everything hurts.

But you keep going back. Why? Because you know this temporary pain is nothing compared to the permanent damage that comes from doing nothing. You choose a suffering that won’t last to avoid one that will.

Jesus makes a staggering promise to those who belong to Him: “The one who conquers will never be harmed by the second death.” The second death is the lake of fire. It is eternal separation from God and everything good. It is the ultimate suffering with no expiration date.

And you will never experience it. If you are in Christ, the worst is already behind you. Not ahead of you, behind you. Jesus absorbed the full weight of God’s judgment on the cross so that you would never have to face it.

Someone once said it this way: “If you are a Christian, this life is as close to hell as you will ever get.” Let that sink in. The hardest things you will ever face are happening now, not later. Every step forward is a step toward more joy, more peace, more of the presence of God– never less.

This truth should make you fearless. It makes you free to speak when others are silent. Free to stand when others compromise. Free to love boldly because the worst possible outcome— eternal judgment— has already been taken off the table by Jesus.

So be courageous because the One who freed you from hell now walks with you through everything else.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for Jesus. Thank You that He took the worst so that I don’t have to. When I suffer now, let me remember that is the worst it gets for me, and let that give me courage. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 6: Courage That Outlasts the Locker Room

Revelation 2:8 “Thus says the First and the Last, the one who was dead and came to life.”

Maybe you feel courageous right now. Maybe something has stirred in your heart, and you feel ready to live boldly for Jesus no matter what anyone says or does. You feel like an athlete after a powerful locker room speech– pumped up, ready to charge onto the field, convinced that nothing can stop you.

But here’s what every athlete knows: that feeling fades. By the fourth quarter, when your legs are burning and the crowd is screaming and the opponent is relentless, the memory of that speech feels very far away. Feelings of courage come and go. They disappear when you need them most.

This is exactly why Jesus doesn’t just call us to be courageous. He grounds our courage in something– Someone– who never changes. “I am the First and the Last,” He says. “The one who was dead and came to life.“

Jesus had the greatest courage in the history of the world. He courageously left heaven, where everything was perfect, to enter this sin-wrecked place. He courageously walked toward a cross He didn’t deserve. He courageously absorbed the weight of sin that would have crushed anyone else. And then He rose again, proving that courage rooted in Him leads to victory.

Your courage will be tested, and the grit you feel today will fade tomorrow. But if your courage is rooted in the risen Christ– not in your feelings, not in your personality, not in your circumstances– it will outlast every trial.

You don’t need more motivation. You need a deeper connection to the One who has already overcome. Fix your eyes on Him, and you’ll find courage that doesn’t expire when the feelings fade.

Prayer: Father, I want a courage that lasts no matter what. So help me root my courage in Christ. I ask this in His name, amen.

Day 7: Fear Not, For I Have Redeemed You

Isaiah 43:1-2 “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and the rivers will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, and the flame will not burn you.”

God makes a lot of promises in the Bible, but notice what He does not promise here. He doesn’t say you won’t face waters or that rivers won’t rise or that life will be free from fire. What He promises is something far better: when you pass through them, you will not be destroyed.

This is the courage that sustained believers in Smyrna as they faced prison and death. This is the courage that has carried Christians through every century of persecution. It is God’s presence in the middle of all kinds of trouble.

And notice the reason God gives for this courage: “I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.” Before He tells you not to fear, He reminds you who you are. You are redeemed– bought back at an unimaginable price. You are called by name– known and loved personally. You are His– belonging to the Creator of the universe, held in hands that formed the stars.

When you know whose you are, you can face what’s ahead. The waters may rise to your chin. The flames may lick at your heels. But you belong to Someone who is greater than every flood and stronger than every enemy.

Fear loses its grip when identity is secure, and your identity in Christ is the most secure thing in the universe. He paid for you with His own blood. He knows your name. He calls you His own.

So walk forward into whatever today holds. The waters will not overwhelm you. The flames will not consume you. Because the One who redeemed you walks with you through it all.

Prayer: My God, thank You for being with me through everything. No matter what I face, help me to remember that You are here. Let that give me courage. In Jesus’ name, amen.