維爾瑪（Vilma）是尼加拉瓜的人權捍衛者，幾十年來一直為該國飽受虐待的人們聲援奔波。她的行動曾讓她遭監禁和酷刑，而再次入獄的威脅，也始終籠罩著她。她承認這令人沮喪：「沒有人傾聽，也沒有人採取行動，這會讓人深陷無力感。」但她選擇了勇氣，並說：「恐懼一直是獨裁政權最具威力的武器之一，然而我不會讓它控制我。」

邪惡會利用恐懼來壓制反抗者，這見解與保羅給提摩太的教導相呼應。保羅知道持守信仰會帶來逼迫，因此他勸勉提摩太說：「與我為福音同受苦難。」（提摩太後書1章8節）

上帝藉著耶穌的死和復活，賜給保羅和提摩太一份偉大的禮物──救恩。正如保羅所說：「上帝救了我們，以聖召召我們，不是按我們的行為，乃是按祂的旨意和恩典。」（9節）

上帝已經在基督裡賜給我們新的生命，對於這份禮物，我們不應該以渺小、膽怯的方式來回應，而是需要全心全意，用整個生命來回應，甚至是要付出代價。

要抗拒恐懼的壓制並非是易事，但上帝還賜給我們另一份禮物，那就是勇氣。藉著聖靈，我們可以領受基督的復活大能，使我們能活出「剛強、仁愛、謹守的心」（7節）。

A group of twenty-two Christian leaders traveled half a day to secretly meet and learn from a pastor who came from another country. If caught, the pastor would be deported, and the others would spend three years in prison. Eighteen of the twenty-two had already been imprisoned for their faith in Jesus.

After the pastor handed out fifteen Bibles he’d brought with him, one woman gave hers to someone else. Like many others, she’d memorized chapters of Scripture so she would have its wisdom secured in her heart if she were to go to prison. She later asked the pastor to pray that their church would be free to gather just like his. Instead, marveling at how they sacrificed, suffered persecution, and risked imprisonment, he prayed that his church would be just like theirs. 

Believers around the world are persecuted for their faith in Christ, some more severely than others. And all believers can be tempted to cower when the stakes of living for Christ are raised. But the Holy Spirit enables us to use our God-given gifts with “power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). God will help us share the gospel with boldness and compassion, wherever He leads. Because of all He did for us (vv. 9-10), we can embrace the sacrificial cost of commitment to Christ and preserve “sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus” (v. 13).