In the midst of COVID-19, the world right now is living in fear. Hoarding toilet paper, or anything else, is living in fear. That’s not God. However ignoring the danger, like some churches are doing and meeting in large groups anyway, is not God either.

Fear, in and of itself, is not bad. Fear is a God given, sanctified emotion.

Fear and faith are not mutually exclusive. We can walk in faith and still use fear to our advantage. Like so many things in the Kingdom, they are two truths that hold each other in tension. In fact, problems arise when we obsess on one to the neglect of the other.

When it gets out of balance—either by dwelling on it (all fear and no faith) or by ignoring it (all faith and no fear)—that’s the problem.

Here are 3 steps to keep fear and faith in balance without being stupid.

1) Collect the Information

The fear is trying to tell you something. Listen to it. Fear heightens our senses when we need them most. In a time of danger, we need all the information from the environment around us we can get. And we need it now. Fear makes that possible.

Fear is like the oil light on your car’s dashboard. Say you’re driving down the Interstate in the fast lane, and your oil light turns on. Your car is giving you critical information you need right now to deal with a situation you otherwise would not have known was serious.

So listen to what it’s telling you, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. Don’t let the fear-mongers in the news media drive you into panic. Realize they have a business model: selling fear and outrage. They are not trying to inform you; they are trying to stir you up. So before you tune in, decide up front that nothing they say is going to steal your peace, your joy, or your trust in God.

You have to read or listen to some news to find out what’s going on. Personally, I prefer reading the websites because then I don’t have their tone, body language, or background music to stir me up. I mute my computer before going to their sites, so the auto-play videos can’t hook me before I have a chance to click pause.

So be informed. Get the information. But if you feel your anxiety rising, turn it off.

2) Don’t Panic. Don’t Be All Fear and No Faith.

When your oil light turns on, you don’t pull onto the median of the Interstate, half blocking the fast lane, and jump under your car to drain the oil onto the pavement.

One, that would be extremely dangerous. You’ve got a great chance of getting killed.

Two, it would be totally fruitless. It’s the wrong action completely. You don’t need to drain the oil your car still has; it needs more! Acting in fear is like that. You do completely the wrong thing.

Our emotions should not be driving this boat. For the world, their spirits are dead and hence their emotions aren’t anchored to anything. But as Christians, our emotions are connected to our spirit that Jesus has given life. And our spirit is connected to his spirit, the Holy Spirit.

Having said that, we all are in different places as we walk out our salvation in fear and trembling. If you find yourself panicking, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad Christian. It just means God wants to show you another aspect of his character you haven’t discovered yet, and it’s just what you need right now.

If you find fear getting the better of you, do two things.

First, ask God who he wants to be for you right now. And second, call a trusted friend to pray with you, or even just chat. Sometimes just talking it out with another person helps tremendously.

If you have chronic panic attacks, talk to both your pastor and a professional counselor. Sign a release so they can talk to each other, work as a team, and help you. There’s no shame or anything un-Christian about getting help when you need it.

3) Process It. Don’t Be All Faith and No Fear.

Back to our oil light example. While you don’t stop in traffic, you don’t ignore it either. That would be equally disastrous. Taping over the light so you don’t see it only works until your engine blows up. And it will—guaranteed—if you don’t heed the light.

But my engine won’t blow up, I’m trusting God! Gag a maggot! Who do you think turned on the oil light early enough so you could deal with it? Don’t ignore the signs and warnings God is sending you through your fear.

In the midst of COVID-19, don’t be stupid. Practice social distancing. Don’t gather in large groups. Being wise is not a lack of faith.

Don’t ignore your fear. Instead, process it. Take it to the Holy Spirit. What does it mean? God knows. Ask him. In particular, ask him what it means for you personally. What a situation means for one person may not be what it means for another. God has a different calling for each of us.

The Psalms are a perfect example of processing fear with God. David takes his fears and anxieties to the Lord and dumps them on him. (Read Psalm 13.) God’s the one who can, and wants to, take all your anxieties and fears. He wants to do an exchange with you. Your fears and anxieties for his peace and joy. Pretty good deal.

4) Decide and Act

Once you’ve spent enough time with the Lord to get his heart on the matter, ask him what to do about it. Sometimes I hear his strategy for action clearly in my spirit. Other times, not so much. In those times, I take my best guess, and trust that he’ll correct me if I need it.

Decide. Make a measured, wise decision, as best you can. Don’t make any decision out of panic, but use the information your sanctified fear has brought to your attention.

So what do you do when that oil light turns on? You make a measured, wise decision to get off at the next exit, go to the first gas station, buy some oil, and add a quart. You trust God that you’ll make it to the first gas station before your engine blows up. But you also take the most reasonable action you can.

God has a part, and so do we. He’s designed life that way, because he loves partnership with us.

How about You?

How do you handle fear? How have you found balance in your life, or are you working on it? We might have perfect balance in one situation and be off the charts in the next. Tell us your story of balancing faith and fear in the comments. And please share if this post would bless someone else.