Called but Scared: What to Do When Fear Clouds Your God-Given Vision
Fear isn’t a sign you’re off course—it’s often the very proof you’re stepping into your calling.
For Christian entrepreneurs, launching a business in faith often means navigating a strange paradox: you’re confident in your purpose, but terrified by the path. You feel called, but scared. Equipped, but overwhelmed. Passionate, but plagued by doubt.
If that tension feels familiar, you’re not alone.
In a recent Emboldened Entrepreneur podcast episode, Whitney Hooper and Penny Pereboom explored what it really looks like to build a business when clarity is cloudy, courage is hard to hold onto, and fear feels louder than faith. What emerged was a powerful, practical conversation on how to press forward when fear follows your God-given vision—and why clarity is your best tool for overcoming it.
Fear Will Come—But It Doesn’t Get to Drive
One of the most powerful metaphors that emerged in the episode was the analogy that Penny shared of fear being a passenger in your journey—not the driver.
She said, “Imagine you’re in a car, headed toward your dream. Love is beside you. Joy is hanging her head out the window. And in the back seat? Doubt, fear, and worry are buckled in and backseat driving the entire way.
They shout:
“You missed your exit.”
“You’re too old to start now.”
“You don’t know enough.”
Their voices are loud. But they don’t get to hold the wheel.”
Here’s the truth: fear doesn’t disappear because you’re walking in faith. It often gets louder. The goal isn’t to banish fear—it’s to know what to do when it shows up. As Penny shared, “You’re never going to overcome fear. It’s always going to be there. The best thing you can do is learn to manage it.”
Clarity: The Antidote to Fear
The way to manage fear isn’t perfection. It’s clarity.
We often think we need to know the full path in order to take the next step. But God rarely gives the whole map—He gives instructions one step at a time. That’s why clarity is such a critical tool. Not clarity on everything, but clarity on the next right thing.
Whitney shared how she gets paralyzed wanting to see the full picture. But the Lord is teaching her to swing the hammer. One step. One action at a time.
When you're building something in faith, you won’t always have certainty. But clarity helps you act with courage. It’s what turns big vision into small, obedient steps.
Faith-Based Business Means Purpose Over Performance
Christian entrepreneurs often wrestle with performance-driven thinking. We want our efforts to be fruitful. We want to be validated, seen, and supported. But the kingdom mindset reframes that pressure.
You are not called to outcomes. You are called to obedience.
My job is obedience. His job is to bring results.
Penny echoed this with a hard-earned insight: “God didn’t say I’d have a million people sign up. He just said: Produce it. Put it out there.”
This is the heartbeat of faith-based coaching and purpose-driven business—it’s not about numbers, accolades, or the highlight reel. It’s about being faithful with what you’ve been given, even when the results aren’t immediate.
Patience Is the Price of Purpose
As Penny shared, it took her two years to write her course. But when the final piece clicked into place, it was worth the wait.
That’s how God’s timing works.
Sometimes the delay isn’t about readiness—it’s about alignment. It’s God protecting, preparing, and positioning you.
Penny put it this way: “Whatever you’re going through, it’s necessary. It’s part of your growth. Be patient, as this is necessary. Trust that this is temporary.”
Faith doesn’t always feel like fire. Sometimes it looks like sludging through mud in a fog. But when the fog lifts, you’ll be able to look back and see how it was all connected.
You Don’t Have to Do It Alone
One of the lies fear tries to sell is that you're alone in the journey. But community—especially one grounded in faith—is a powerful antidote to isolation and impostor syndrome.
We often think we’re the only ones sludging through, but if we’d just look left or right, we’d realize others are right there in the trenches with us.
Business was never meant to be a solo mission. You need people who will champion your purpose and remind you that rejection isn’t a reflection of your value—it’s God’s redirection.
Do It Messy. Just Start.
The pressure to be polished keeps too many entrepreneurs from stepping out.
But the truth? It’s going to be messy. Do it anyway.
Start the podcast even if you stumble over your words. Launch the course even if your first landing page isn’t perfect. Show up even when you're not sure who’s watching.
If you wait until it’s perfect, you’ll miss the opportunities that come when you’re simply faithful to begin.
The Role of Rejection in God's Protection
Rejection hurts, but sometimes it’s God hiding your value from people who aren’t meant for your future.
As Jamie Kern Lima says, “They didn’t reject you. God hid your value from them because they’re not part of your destiny.”
This applies to clients who don’t sign up. To communities where you don’t feel accepted. To opportunities that slip through your fingers.
Trust that if it didn’t go your way, it was part of the way forward. Rejection may feel like loss, but in the kingdom, it’s often redirection.
Final Encouragement: Clarity Over Chaos, Trust Over Timeline
If you’re walking through a season where fear feels louder than faith, here’s what you need to know:
👉🏻 You are not failing. You are becoming.
👉🏻 You don’t need all the answers. You need clarity on the next faithful step.
👉🏻 You don’t have to silence fear to act. You just have to decide it doesn’t get to lead. Do it scared. Do it messily. Just do it!
👉🏻 You are equipped, called, and capable of building something remarkable, not in your own strength, but by walking closely with the God who gave you the dream in the first place.
The journey may feel foggy now. But clarity is coming. Just keep going.
👇 Want to hear the full conversation that inspired this post?
🎧 Listen to the podcast on The Emboldened Entrepreneur and get practical encouragement from two women walking out their callings—fear and all.
OPEN NOW!
Join a community of Christian entrepreneurs and small business owners who are acting in bold courage and leveraging their Kingdom purposes for greater impact here.
You can also check out Penny’s Dreamweaver Course here.
