Rooting and grounding your life in the testimony of Jesus to withstand persecution

There is a scripture in 2 Timothy that I've been thinking about today. it is in the first chapter. I am using the New King James Version:

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,9 who has saved us and called [us] with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, [who] has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

This has been motivated by a desire to be a Son of God and to model my life based on the teachings of Jesus. There are many incredible traits to this glorious passage but I only want to look at one today. That is what I have already described.  I used to look at this passage and say, what I need to do is remember the way that Jesus called me, (from verse 9) but if you look at the make up of these verses it says first off "do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord" what testimony is that? well I can tell you one thing, it is living and active, it comes from an active participation with the hearer. In other words, it is coming from a relationship.

The reason I reject the second clause as being the primary motivator, that is "according to the power of God" because it doesn't line up with my experience. Those who know God will be trusted with His power. The active power to live out the lifestyle of Jesus comes from a knowing of who He is first, which then empowers you to live for Him. If I was to expand on this passage there would be many things I could say.

A question I ought to say is: are you ready to withstand persecution today? are you ready, like David, to cut off Goliath's head because of His undermining the armies of God and blaspheming God's justice?