In I Peter 3:13-17, Peter moves his readers into a place of enduring suffering through submission. The hard truth is that submission is a decision of trust, it makes us vulnerable and it can lead to suffering. Peter knows that his original readers are already suffering for the gospel and I’m sure the Holy Spirit had prepared Him to know that their suffering was only going to increase. He teaches them about endurance through two specific points: believing that we are blessed and knowing that God is good. Those two points have not changed, they are not just things that are true, they are truths that we must believe, declare and stand firm upon. When we are sure we are blessed we don’t look for blessing; when we are convinced that God is good we don’t fear things that we call bad; when we believe that God is sovereign our hearts are filled with hope and it is hope that holds us in submission.