“And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.”

Mark 14:30-31 ESV

Peter was genuine. He would die with and for Christ. No question. His mind was made up. We know of course that he didn’t have the Spiritual goods to follow through. This is the essence of the 10 virgins and the oil and lamps. You may and you can declare in peacetime that you will have the chutzpa to die with Christ. But the real ability to follow through requires a real nature inside. A true life that genuinely is not afraid of death. Cultivating that Life inside of us is the key to good martyrs and eternal crowns.

The end of the age is a dying season. Prepare to take on babies and widows. Prepare to care for the broken homes. But do not prepare for sadness. The open murder of the enemy is his last chance to get what he wants, and it is the proof of his soon demise.

But above all, prepare your inner heart. From it flow the wellsprings of life, and martyrdom.