(emphasis mine)
REMEMBER those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So DO NOT THROW AWAY your CONFIDENCE; it will be richly rewarded. You need to PERSEVERE so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” But we DO NOT belong to those who SHRINK BACK and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

I imagine a missionary family, alone in a foreign country, who has committed to serve the Lord, but the trials and obstacles are hard. They were full of joy and excitement when they started, but the years have gone by and excitement has waned. They are getting discouraged and frustrated at the obstacles put in their way, it seems at every turn.

Or maybe this might be a place you or I are at in the recent past or today? Life was planned out, our careers well established. And it suddenly evaporated. The marriage we counted on has changed; the family or friends we thought would always be there, are not so much there for us anymore.

What the Christian Jews were experiencing here was another round of intense religious persecution. They had been through it before. And they were worn down, defeated, and feeling like life was seemingly without purpose. Some of their family or friends might have been tortured or killed. And many had likely come to a breaking point of sorts.

God, through this writer, is reminding them of their past victories over the challenges, and the past fruit of those victories — souls saved and lives changed.

His charge is simple:
1) Remember
2) Don’t Lose Your Confidence (and Hope)
3) Do Not Shrink Back, But Surge in Active Faith

When I think about this rallying cry, taking it to heart, it is so very powerful! I can remember all of the multitude of ways God has come through for me. I take confidence that the God of yesterday is also the God of today and tomorrow. He has a plan, and I need to redouble my resolve and act in faith.

Lord, thank you for the strong call to continue to press on in the challenges and trials of life. You desire the best for us, and we learn how to be closer to you and rely on your power and strength in trials. But we can’t do it on our own. I am excited to see what you are going to do out of my current challenges and trials, which pale in comparison to the persecution and torture that the Jews experienced in the church. Help me to trust, believe, and be confident in you.