How can martyrs lay their lives down when given the chance to save themselves? How have God's people throughout history known joy while being wrongfully persecuted by the powers that dominated their societies? They knew God. They knew Him and nothing less would ever be good enough again. In John 6:68-69 Peter speaks some of my favorite words in the Bible to Jesus, in childlike honesty. When many people who had been following Jesus began to turn away from Him, He turned to the twelve disciples and asked if they also wanted to leave. Peter answered "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Those words sound like the words of a man who might have wanted to leave, except that he couldn't now, not knowing what he knew.
Now, in all honesty, there came times when Peter faltered, but through those and other trials his faith was strengthened like James 1:2-4 tells us will happen for us too when our faith is tested. And, ultimately Peter lived out those words that he said to Jesus on that day. Love and fear are ancient rivals, each seeking to drive the other out. The Lord has told us that "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear", in 1 John 4:18. We have seen and known perfect love, and nothing else will ever be good enough again.