Here’s a surprising truth: You can have faith and doubt at the same time.

In Mark 9, a man brought his sick son to Jesus. Jesus told the father that he could heal the boy—if the father would believe. The man replied, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NIV).

You can have faith in God and, at the same time, be nervous—or even terrified—about something he wants you to do. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is when you go ahead and do something in spite of your fear. This man was filled with faith and doubt. He went to Jesus with his honest doubts, and Jesus did a miracle.

You don’t need a lot of faith to be a great Christian—because it’s not the size of your faith that makes the difference. What matters is where you put your faith. You just need a little faith in a big God.

Someone once asked me, “I want to be baptized and join the church, but don’t you think I should have all my questions and doubts resolved before I’m baptized?” Of course not. I’ve been a Christian for nearly 60 years, and there are still a lot of things I have questions about. You don’t have to figure everything out in advance. You begin with the faith that you have. 

Matthew 17:20 says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (NIV).

No matter how weak or frail you think your faith is, it’s enough to get you through. Why? Because God is able to accomplish far more in your life than you could ever imagine. It’s not up to you anyway! God wants you to have faith. But he also wants you to trust him. 

Every little step you take toward Christ moves you further away from doubt, discouragement, and despair. Take a step forward in faith today.