Question 1

How can I learn to let go and trust God with every area of my life?

Accepted Answer

Exodus 1:22; 2:1-9Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live.” . . . About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him. Soon Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her. When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said. Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked. “Yes, do!” the princess replied. So the girl went and called the baby’s mother. “Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him.Pharaoh’s threat meant that all male children would eventually be in danger. Moses’ parents cared for Moses as long as they could, so that he had some strength; but then they literally had to let him go and put him into God’s care as they placed him in the basket in the Nile. They showed us how to let go and trust God to care for situations that are beyond our control: We must do what we know is right to do for as long as we possibly can; then we trust God to take it from there. The more we hold onto the situation ourselves and try to control everything, the less we hold onto God. Letting go means that sometimes we serve God when we obediently stand back and watch. Moses’ mother let go of her baby’s basket on the water, but she did not let go of her care and concern for him. Because she was alert and prepared, God gave her the opportunity to do more than she ever could have hoped for. Letting go does not mean giving up. It means watching for God’s next move. So if God says to stand and watch, then we should stand and watch God at work. If he says move, then we should move with him. Both are equal in obedience and service.Matthew 6:19-21“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”Matthew 13:44“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.”Luke 18:22When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”James 1:17Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.Sometimes we cling to the money, prestige, and power we have accumulated here on earth. Like a child who has found a shiny piece of trash, we cling to earthly wealth with our tiny fists, refusing to let go. Even when our heavenly Father offers a far better gift, we refuse to open our hands to receive it for fear of losing our trash. God delights in giving us good gifts, including the glorious gift of his Kingdom. In order to receive these gifts, however, we must first learn to let go.

Question 2

What are some things that I need to let go?

Accepted Answer

Mark 1:15“The time promised by God has come at last!” he [John the Baptist] announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”The Good News is that Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth to die for our sins and that by trusting in him alone and by faith committing our lives to him, we can have eternal life. This act of trust has two parts: We need to repent and believe. Repenting involves confessing our sins and turning away from our old self-centered lives. Believing involves turning our lives completely over to Jesus and following him. Repent and believe simply means to let go and follow.Matthew 19:21-22Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the young man heard this, he went away very sad, for he had many possessions.Fully following Jesus involves letting go of everything that stands between us and him. The wealthy young man in this Scripture could not do that because his possessions meant too much to him. Despite the man’s assertion to the contrary, he had an idol. In not being willing to let go of his wealth, he missed the Savior and his eternal treasure in heaven.Matthew 16:24Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.”We must be willing to let go of our self-centeredness and humbly submit to our Lord.Luke 14:33“So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.”We must be willing to let go of everything to be fully devoted followers of Jesus. Nothing may come between us and our Savior.Ephesians 4:31Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.Colossians 3:8-9Now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.Paul was writing here to believers. Even Christians can fall into the evil behaviors listed in these verses. But we must completely let go of all such sinful attitudes and actions.Hebrews 12:1Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.We must “strip off” or let go of anything that hinders us from fully living for Christ.Philippians 3:13-14No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.We must let go of the past. Instead of looking back with regret and guilt, we must look ahead in the race of our life, trusting Christ to guide and enable each new step.Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.1 Peter 5:7Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.We must let go of our worries and cares, trusting the Lord who cares for us and guides our way through this life.

Question 3

Why is letting go of certain things so difficult?

Accepted Answer

Matthew 10:37-39“If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.”Following Jesus sometimes means breaking away from family members and friends who do not share our beliefs and values. This can be difficult because we love them. But Jesus must be Lord of every part of our lives; we must not “cling” to anything in this life.Matthew 19:23-24Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”Jesus said that rich people find it difficult to become his followers because they often want to hold onto their money and possessions. In effect, money is their idol, their god, so giving up their riches and their determined pursuit of wealth requires that they turn their lives upside down. As a result, they miss the Kingdom of God and the eternal riches that come with it.Philippians 3:19They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.Many people cannot give their lives to Christ because they are enslaved to their physical appetites and believe that life on earth is all there is.

Question 4

What are some benefits of letting go?

Accepted Answer

Matthew 16:25-26“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”When we let go of the control of our lives and all the pleasures on earth, we gain lives in God’s Kingdom and the eternal pleasures that come with it.Matthew 6:19-21“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”Letting go of the desire for earthly treasures and pleasures helps us store eternal treasures in heaven.Luke 18:29-30“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.”Letting go of anything we love for Christ’s sake can be difficult, even painful, but God promises to repay us “many times over in this life” and “in the world to come.”

Question 5

What should I never let go?

Accepted Answer

Hebrews 10:23Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.We should never let go of the hope and trust we have in God’s promises. He is faithful and true, and he loves us!Hebrews 4:14So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.We should never let go of what we know to be true: God’s word and the reality of our salvation in Christ.2 Timothy 1:13-14Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.We should never let go of good theology—“the pattern of wholesome teaching.” We have been entrusted with this precious truth, which we can and must share with the world.1 Thessalonians 5:21Hold on to what is good.We should never let go of goodness in our speech, relationships, lifestyle, and service for others.Revelation 2:24-25“I will ask nothing more of you except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.”God has given us so much: his truth, new life, and hope for the future. We should never let go of what we have, because Christ is coming soon.Jude 1:3I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.Revelation 3:3“Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly.”The truths we embraced when we let go of our self-centered lives and trusted Jesus to save us are still true. Despite troubles, conflicts, and challenges, we should never let go of these things and must “defend the faith” when false teachers arise.

Letting Go