It’s possible to be a believer in Jesus (born again) and still not believe Him in their daily life and practice. That sounds strange at first, but it happens more than we realize. There are many Christians who have placed their faith in Christ for salvation, but day to day, they live like everything depends on them. Their minds agree with the Word of God, but their emotions still place heavy burdens on themselves.
I’ve seen this happen in the lives of people who genuinely love God, who read their Bibles and pray, but who can’t seem to find peace. Maybe that’s you? They’re anxious, discouraged, or constantly wrestling with feelings of failure. It’s not always because they’re doing something wrong or sinful. Sometimes it’s because they’ve never fully trusted the Lord and believed him in those moments.
They’ve believed Him with their heads, but not with their whole hearts.
The Bible speaks to this. Jesus didn’t just ask if we know the truth; He said He is the truth, and He invited us into a relationship with Him. That relationship involves trust. Not just mental agreement, but emotional surrender. When we try to follow Jesus without surrender, without day-by-day abiding, we end up working hard to please Him instead of walking with Him. We put pressure on ourselves to fix everything, help everyone, and carry burdens we were never meant to carry. That’s where fatigue and condemnation take root.
An unbelieving believer is someone who is genuinely saved, but still lives as if the outcome depends on them. They may talk about grace, but inside they’re still striving. They may teach the gospel, but emotionally, they haven’t rested in it. And in churches today, this can happen to both pastors and people. Sermons are often shaped around the themes of effort and guilt. Ministry becomes performance. The soul gets tired.
So what do we do?
We return to faith. Real faith. Faith that takes God at His word. Life is lived out in practice, not never-ending philosophies and theories. That means when Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” we actually go to Him. We trust that He will carry what we can’t. We stop trying to make ourselves pleasing to God, and we remember that we are already pleasing to the Father in Christ.
Faith is not just for the beginning of our walk with Jesus. It’s the foundation of every step. We don’t grow by trying harder. We grow by trusting deeper. And as we trust Him with not just our minds but with our emotions, something changes. The burden lifts. The fear fades. And the peace we’ve been longing for starts to return.
Let’s be honest. It’s easy to fall into unbelief while still calling ourselves believers. But today, we can ask the Lord to meet us in those places where we’re still trying to carry things on our own. He’s not asking for perfect strength. He’s asking for simple faith.
“Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.”
Advice For the Weary and Faithful Servant
