Does Fear Mean You Don’t Have Faith?

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for” (Hebrews 11:1-2).

When you look back at our heroes from the Bible, one thing the Bible commends them for was their faith. Reading about them becomes a source of inspiration, as you consider many of the challenges they faced, yet they maintained their belief in God. As inspiring as these stories may be, sometimes they can seem like a hurdle because you may feel your faith fails in comparison.

While we celebrate faith, and we should, what about the times when your faith feels small or even non-existent? Reading the stories of those with great faith can make you feel small in the moments when you feel you have no faith. How do you deal with those moments?

We have all been fearful, anxious, or worried, but what does that mean in relationship to your faith? You might think your fear disqualifies your faith, but is that true? Today I want to consider that one thing and ask this simple question: Does fear mean you don’t have faith?

All Our Heroes Had Moments of Doubt

One thing to love about Scripture is it doesn’t just tell us the good side of the stories of faith, it tells the entire story. For example, the Bible praises Abraham for his faith, yet even Abraham had his moments where his faith wavered. The biggest one we know about happened with Hagar.

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, ‘The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Abram agreed to what Sarai said” (Genesis 16:1-2).

After receiving the promise from God of a son and descendants as numerous as the sand on the seashore, a decade had passed and there was still no son. This means that Abraham and Sarah were trying to have a child, but they were not having any results. In this moment, Abraham’s faith wavered. Sarah made a proposal and Abraham agreed to what she said.

I am not trying to disparage the faith of Abraham; I am simply trying to highlight his humanity. Simply put, Abraham was a man like you and me, and he had moments where his faith wavered. This was not just true of Abraham, look at most of the heroes in Scripture and you will likely find a moment when their faith was small.

I do not mean this to tear down our heroes of the faith, but to give you hope. These men and women were recognized for their faith despite their momentary lapses. That should encourage you. You should not think it is strange or unusual when you have some fear or uncertainty in your heart.

One mistake we often make is we think faith is the absence of fear. I have found that really is not totally true. Fear is a natural human response, and it does not automatically mean you don’t have faith. It just means you are afraid. Fear only translates into a lack of faith if you allow it to stop you from doing what God is instructing you to do.

Your Actions Are the Measure of Your Faith

There can be moments when fear overtakes your faith and paralyzes you. One great example of that is the nation of Israel. When the Israelites first reached Jericho, they sent 12 spies into the land. The spies came back and said the land is flowing with milk and honey, but there are giants in the land. Ten of the spies spread lies about the land because their fear overtook their ability to believe God would give them the land.

This is a potential challenge we may all face. It's possible you may experience moments in life where you must consider your situation and what God has promised in his word. In those moments, you must decide whether you will allow your faith or your fear to win out. In these situations, the actions you take will be the determining factor of whether you are walking in faith or walking in fear.

Sometimes Faith Means You Do It Afraid

If there is one story of God using a man who had faith and fear, it was Gideon. When we are first introduced to Gideon in Judges, he was hiding from the Midianites threshing wheat. He did this because they were so oppressive, and he was afraid of them. Yet when God first spoke to Gideon, he didn’t call him a cowering wimp, he called him a mighty warrior. God told Gideon he would be the one to strike down all the Midianites.

Here is where this gets encouraging to you and me. Even though Gideon believed, he was still afraid. In case you don’t believe me consider this. After that initial encounter, God gave Gideon an instruction.

“That same night the Lord said to him, ‘Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering’” (Judges 6:25-26).

That instruction was clear, and I want you to notice how Gideon responded to this instruction.

“So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime” (Judges 6:27).

I hope you see it. Gideon was afraid, yet he did it anyway. I hope this helps you see that having faith does not mean you won’t be afraid. There may be things God requires of you that are far greater than your natural ability to accomplish, and it is normal to be afraid. Don’t let that stop you. Sometimes if you don’t do it afraid, you may not do it at all.

It is okay to do it afraid. Allow me to reiterate. Faith is not the absence of fear. Faith is the courage to obey God and do what he asks even when you are afraid. This is exactly what Gideon did.

God Responds to Our Faith Even When We Are Afraid

Perhaps the best part of the reality of faith and fear is this: God responds to your faith even when you are afraid. God knows we are flesh. He knows we are limited and he knows there will be times when we are nervous or afraid. That fear does not mean you don’t have faith. You can have fear, but as long as you do what God is telling you to do, you are acting in faith.

The reality of your walk with Jesus is that there are going to be times you are afraid. In these moments, do what he is asking you to do anyway. If you must, then act when you are afraid. Believe when you are afraid. Trust when you are afraid. Your fear is not an indicator you don’t have faith, and as Gideon has shown us, even mighty warriors can be mighty and still operate in fear.

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.