Not all Christians are completely free of fear but it's no secret that having faith can help us overcome them. Someone who is well-known for his fearless persona is adventurer Bear Grylls. But even the man who has scaled great heights without safety equipment, swum naked in freezing Siberian waters and eaten live snakes has had to confront fear from throughout his life. Grylls' recent comments about fear were shared as part of the Alpha film series.
In the clip he reveals that his faith is now stronger than his fear of what others might think of it. This admission will be one that many Christians can relate to. Fear is something all of us encounter in our lives regardless of whether we're journeying through similar terrains to those of Grylls in his shows or just navigating our way through every day life.
But it shouldn't be an emotion that we let control us, and having faith is a remarkable remedy for addressing and overcoming our worries. Throughout the Bible we're told not to be afraid, and Matthew 6:25-34 is one passage from which we can find several tips on how having faith can help us overcome our fears.
It helps us realise that there is more to life
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?" (Matthew 6:25)
It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day stuff of life and think that if something isn't falling into place from our perspective, then we should be worried. But as Christians we know that there is more to life than this, and not just in the sense that our measure of success and contentment will vary from the standard world view but also in the sense that there is literally more life than life here on earth.
It opens our eyes up to how much we are loved and valued
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:26)
Just like Grylls, our preoccupation with what other people will think about our decisions, our opinions and our actions can scare us into not fully embracing our faith or cause us to recoil from doing things which we believe in. But our value isn't determined by what other people think of us, instead a much better and more accurate way of understanding our worth is by accepting what God's love for us reveals.
It enables us to have access to a more fulfilling life
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)
Worrying doesn't prolong our lives but having faith in God gives us access to a full and everlasting life. Through faith we can accept that although we face struggles today, working through them with our great God will enable us to experience a life which puts our worries into perspective.
