Philippians 3:13-14 is the verse most people turn to for letting go: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal.” Isaiah 43:18-19 pairs well with it, telling believers to stop dwelling on the past because God is doing something new. Together, these verses frame letting go not as losing something, but as making room for what God has next.
Letting go rarely feels like a single decision. It’s usually a daily, sometimes hourly, choice to release a worry, a grudge, a plan, or a version of the future you’d already pictured. The Bible doesn’t use the phrase “letting go,” but it speaks constantly to the posture underneath it: trust, surrender, and forgiveness.
This collection gathers 40+ Bible verses about letting go, organized around what you’re actually releasing, whether that’s fear, the past, control, hurt, or things you’ve been holding onto too tightly.
What Does the Bible Say About Letting Go?
Scripture frames letting go as an act of trust, not defeat. Proverbs 3:5-6 calls believers to lean not on their own understanding but to trust God with their whole heart, and Psalm 55:22 instructs us to cast our cares on the Lord rather than carry them alone.
The consistent thread through these verses is that letting go isn’t about pretending something doesn’t matter. It’s about handing it to someone who can actually carry it.
Bible Verses About Letting Go of Fear and Anxiety
Fear convinces us to grip tighter, not release. These verses offer a different response, trading worry for prayer.
1. Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Anxiety is met here with a specific action: prayer paired with thanksgiving, not just willpower.
2. 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” The word “cast” implies a deliberate, physical letting go, not a slow fade.
3. Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” A reminder that most anxiety is borrowed from a day that hasn’t arrived yet.
4. 2 Timothy 1:7 “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” Fear is named here as something outside God’s design for His people.
5. John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my Peace I give you… do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” A peace explicitly different from anything the world offers.
Bible Verses About Letting Go of the Past
Dwelling on what’s behind- a mistake, a loss, a season that’s over- keeps you facing the wrong direction. These verses call for a turn forward.
6. Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” God pairs the instruction to forget with a promise, not just an empty demand.
7. Philippians 3:13-14 “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal.” Paul describes this as active straining, not passive forgetting.
8. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Identity in Christ is described as genuinely new, not a patched-up version of the old.
9. Hebrews 12:1 “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” Some things aren’t sin, just weight, and this verse makes room for releasing both.
10. Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Letting go of the past is easier once the wound behind it has actually been tended to.
Bible Verses About Letting Go of Control
Surrendering control is often the hardest form of letting go, since it means trusting outcomes you can’t predict or manage.
11. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Trust here is described as full, not partial or backup plan trust.
12. Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.” Stillness is presented as its own act of faith, not just an absence of action.
13. Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Job’s words after immense loss, a reminder that surrender can coexist with grief.
14. Romans 8:28 “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This doesn’t promise every situation is good, only that God is working within it.
15. 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Letting go of control often means admitting weakness first.
Bible Verses About Letting Go of Hurt and Forgiving Others
Forgiveness is one of the clearest, hardest forms of letting go, releasing someone else’s debt so it stops weighing on you.
16. Ephesians 4:31-32 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger… forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Bitterness is treated as something to remove, not manage actively.
17. Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.” Grievances are assumed here; forgiveness is the expected response anyway.
18. Matthew 6:14-15 “If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Forgiveness of others is tied directly to receiving forgiveness yourself.
19. Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged… Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” A reciprocal principle that makes forgiveness less about the other person and more about your own freedom.
20. Romans 12:19 “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge.'” Letting go of the need to settle the score is framed as trusting God with justice.
Bible Verses About Letting Go of Material Things
Holding tightly to possessions or wealth can quietly replace trust in God. These verses loosen that grip.
21. Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” A direct comparison between what fades and what lasts.
22. 1 Timothy 6:7 “We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” A blunt reminder that ownership was always temporary to begin with.
23. Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.” Contentment is presented as the antidote to the love of money, not poverty itself.
24. Luke 12:15 “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” A warning that applies regardless of how much or little someone has.
25. Proverbs 11:28 “Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.” Trust misplaced in wealth is described as inherently unstable.
Bible Verses About Letting Go of Sin and Old Habits
Some things aren’t meant to be carried forward. These verses call for release, not management, of sin and destructive patterns.
26. Romans 6:6 “Our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with.” Freedom from sin is described as already accomplished, not just hoped for.
27. James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Resistance follows submission, not the other way around.
28. Galatians 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again.” A warning against returning to what you’ve already been released from.
29. 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us.” Confession, not hiding, is what opens the door to release.
30. Hebrews 12:14 “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy.” Holiness here is framed as effort paired with Peace, not perfectionism.
Bible Verses About Finding Peace After Letting Go
Once something is released, what fills the space matters. These verses point to the Peace that follows genuine surrender.
31. Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Peace is tied directly to where your mind stays fixed.
32. Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Comfort promised specifically in the aftermath of loss, not just before it.
33. John 16:33 “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Peace here doesn’t depend on the absence of trouble.
34. Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… and be thankful.” Peace is described as something to let rule, not passively hope for actively.
35. Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you… the Lord turn his face toward you and give you Peace.” A blessing worth speaking over yourself after a season of releasing something hard.
36. Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Letting go doesn’t mean going forward alone.
37. Lamentations 3:22-23 “His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Whatever was released yesterday, mercy meets you fresh again today.
38. Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.” A verse that reframes what’s ahead as purposeful, not just uncertain.
39. Psalm 55:22 “Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you.” A direct instruction that pairs well with any of the verses above.
40. Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” A reminder that letting go often means recognizing a season has ended.
A Simple Practice for Letting Go
Reading these verses is a start, but letting go usually takes repetition, not a single moment of decision.
- Name it specifically. Write down exactly what you’re holding onto, a fear, a grudge, a plan, rather than a vague sense of stress.
- Pray it out loud. Speaking a verse like Psalm 55:22 or 1 Peter 5:7 as a prayer makes the release feel active, not just internal.
- Expect to repeat it. Letting go is rarely one and done. Philippians 3:13-14 uses ongoing language, pressing on, not arriving instantly.
- Fill the space intentionally. Replace the released worry with a specific truth, like Isaiah 26:3, rather than leaving the space empty for it to creep back in.
FAQ’s About Bible Verses on Letting Go
What is a good Bible verse for letting go?
Philippians 3:13-14 is the most commonly used verse, encouraging believers to forget what’s behind and press forward toward what God has ahead.
What does the Bible say about letting go of the past?
Isaiah 43:18-19 directly instructs believers to stop dwelling on former things because God is doing something new, a theme echoed in Philippians 3:13-14.
How do I let go and trust God according to scripture?
Proverbs 3:5-6 calls for trusting God with your whole heart rather than leaning on your own understanding, while Psalm 55:22 instructs believers to cast their cares directly onto Him.
What Bible verses help with letting go of anger or hurt?
Ephesians 4:31-32 and Colossians 3:13 both call for releasing bitterness and forgiving others as God has forgiven you, framing forgiveness as the path to letting go of hurt.
Is letting go the same as giving up, biblically?
No. Scripture frames letting go as an act of trust in God’s plan, not resignation. Romans 8:28 and Jeremiah 29:11 both point to a God who is still actively working, even in what’s being released.
Final Thoughts
Letting go, whether it’s fear, a grudge, control, or a version of the future you’d planned on, is rarely a one-time decision. It’s a practice, repeated as often as the worry or hurt tries to creep back in, and scripture meets that practice with real tools: prayer, trust, forgiveness, and the promise that God is already working in whatever comes next.
You don’t have to release everything at once. Start with the one thing you’re gripping tightest today, hand it over in prayer, and let these verses remind you that you’re not doing it alone.
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I’m Stephen Jordan, a faith-based writer and the voice behind FaithBloom. I share carefully selected Bible verses and heartfelt prayers to help you find comfort, hope, and strength in God’s Word every single day.