Letting go is often one of the hardest things that we have to do in our lives. Whether it’s letting go of a loved one, letting go of the past, or even letting go of a bad relationship that you know is leading you away from the right path, it’s never easy.
However, with God’s help and with some biblical encouragement, you can learn to move on and let go. Here are 25 verses to help you do just that.
Bible Verses About Letting Go of Someone You Love
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3 [ESV]
Letting go of someone you love is always difficult. Especially if you’ve physically lost a loved one to death, recovering from that can be devastatingly hard and it may feel like you can never let go of that person.
However, even through that difficulty, if you stay your mind on the Lord, He will keep you in perfect peace, despite your negative emotions.
Peace is an undervalued thing. To have peace when you have to let go of someone you love makes all the difference. God can and will give you peace if you stay your mind upon Him and trust Him for it.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 [ESV]
As you go through the process of letting go of someone you love, God is the ultimate Healer that can heal your wounds. In fact, God goes a step further and He heals your broken heart. There is nothing else and no one else in this world that can heal the human heart, but God’s love does.
God heals the brokenhearted and as you go through letting go of someone you love, He will heal you too. He will bind up your wounds and restore your heart.
“A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;” Ecclesiastes 3:6 [ESV]
In our lives, we go through seasons. We go through seasons of gain and loss, thriving and surviving, moving on and letting go. Ecclesiastes reminds us that this is normal and that there is a time for everything, including a time to let go of someone that you love.
Trust that God is working, even in the hard times of letting go. Remember that God knows all things and when you follow Him and love Him, He works all things for your good. Simply let God work.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 [ESV]
During your time of letting go of someone you love, the devil is bound to try to tempt you and lead you astray from keeping your eyes on God. This is one of God’s promises that we have in the book of James and it’s a huge deal as it tells us that when we submit ourselves to God, we have the ability to resist the devil and he will flee from us.
Remember this in your struggle, that when the devil comes and tries to play with your mind and lead you astray from God, you can resist him and he will flee if you submit to God.
“When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” Psalm 94:19 [ESV]
Even when your heart feels like you can’t take any more, God’s consolation can brighten up and cheer your soul. There is no peace and help like the peace and help that God provides and brings to our souls. Who could better repair the soul than the one who made it?
Remember to always run to God. The cares of your heart may be many, but His consolations will cheer and heal your soul.
Bible Verses on Letting Go of Past Hurt
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15 [ESV]
The Scriptures seem to imply here that God forgives us to the degree that we forgive others. This is because it is only the realization of what you have been forgiven that helps you to then forgive other people more freely.
When you consider the debt that you owed to God because of your sin and the suffering that Christ went through on the cross to forgive you of that debt, it becomes a lot easier to forgive others!
Those who have been forgiven much love much because they realize that they too should forgive others of their trespasses. Let go of past hurt and forgive those who have hurt you.
“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” Proverbs 4:25-27 [ESV]
Even though it’s very easy to set your eyes on the things of the past, we are encouraged to rather look directly forward and to be set on what is in front of us, not is what behind us. When we look at where we are going rather than where we’ve been, we can clearly see the way.
When you are tempted to hold on to the past and the hurt that was done to you, remember that it is much more beneficial and vital to focus on the future and what’s ahead. It is better to rather let go of the past and focus on what’s ahead of you.
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:2-3 [ESV]
We can be easily tempted to set our minds on all the things that have happened to us and let those things overwhelm our thoughts. Instead, we are called to set our minds on the things that are above.
We are called to have an eternity mindset, meaning that we should focus on the eternal life that Christ paid the price for us to have, not the past hurt that we struggle to let go of.
Keep your mind on the things of God and your past hurt will slowly fade away. You can let go when you focus on the right things and doing the right thing instead.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 [ESV]
It may seem good to you to focus on the past. It may seem good to you to get retribution for things that happened to you in the past and to maybe even seek revenge. However, we are told in the Scriptures that we shouldn’t trust in our own understanding, but rather in God’s.
Proverbs says to trust in the Lord with all your heart, not only some of it. Sometimes, parts of our hearts are being given away to the past. However, if you give your heart to God instead, it becomes easy to let go of past hurt and do as He has called you to do.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 [ESV]
When letting go of past hurt, prayer plays a huge role in successfully doing that. The apostle Paul says in Philippians that in everything, we should pray and make our requests known to God. When we do this, the peace of God guards us against the things that desire to harm us, including our past hurt.
Give up your past hurt to God through a powerful prayer and ask Him to overwhelm you with His peace. He will be faithful to help you to let go of that past hurt so that you can move forward in your walk with Him.
Bible Verses About Letting Go of the Past
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 [ESV]
Take Paul’s advice here. When you run a race, they always tell you that you should be focused on the prize, not necessarily the obstacles ahead of you or even behind you. When we hold on to our past and let it define us, we are still stuck in that past and have an inability to move forward towards the prize.
Instead, God is calling you to forget what lies behind you and instead press forward to the prize that He has set before you. Keep your eyes on God and His calling and let go of the past behind you.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 [ESV]
When considering our past, we can sometimes feel like there is no way that it could have been for our good that various things happened in our lives. However, we know from Scripture that God works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
If you trust in God, you begin to trust that He is working and that He does have a plan for each thing that comes up in our lives. Even with the things in your past that you can’t let go of, God worked through those things. Trust God’s plan and let go of your past, knowing that it worked for your long-term spiritual benefit.
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19 [ESV]
Even though we go through seasons of darkness in our lives, we are rather called to look forward and see the new things that God causes to spring out of them. God does not ordain bad things to happen to us, but He does ordain good things to always come out of them.
Instead of focusing on your past and holding onto it, rather focus on seeing what God has done through it or is about to do through it. Let go of your past and instead cling to these promises of God that He will fulfill.
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:10-11 [ESV]
When you find yourself getting stuck in the past, just take a moment to be still and remember that God is sitting on the throne of the universe. He has decreed that He will be exalted in all things and that He will be a fortress to His people.
It’s time that you let go of your past mistakes and instead focus on exalting God in your life. God is not exalted in the past but rather exalted in the present. Be still and know that He is God. Let go of your past.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 [ESV]
Have you ever thought about the fact that your past actually weighs you down? The Bible compares the lives that we live with a race that we are running. It says to throw aside every weight and sin so that you can run with endurance the race that has been set before you and do good works.
Your past is keeping you from properly running that race. It’s time to let go of it and press forward toward the kingdom of God.
Bible Verses About Letting Go of a Relationship
“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” 1 Corinthians 15:33 [ESV]
The Bible is clear. Bad relationships ruin those who have good morals. Are there relationships in your life that are causing you to ruin your good morals? Maybe it’s time to let go of those relationships in your life.
Even though it’s difficult to let go of relationships, God promises that He will work those things for your good if you simply follow what He says.
“Yet the righteous holds to his way, and he who has clean hands grows stronger and stronger.” Job 17:9 [ESV]
If you are trying to be righteous in your life and live in a way that pleases God, it is detrimental to have relationships with people who aren’t concerned with righteousness or the things of God.
Instead, you should let go of the relationships that damage your walk with the Lord. God calls you to keep your hands clean and to hold to your way of righteousness. Therefore, it may be necessary to let go of bad relationships in your life that are affecting your walk with Him negatively.
“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 [ESV]
We’ve all heard this idea before, that you become like the people that you spend your time with. Walking with the wise makes you wise and walking with fools will bring harm. However, how many of us actually implement this wisdom in our lives?
Take a look at the people that you are allowing to affect you and ask yourself, are they wise or foolish? Maybe you need to let go of some relationships in your life to move forward with your own character. Trust that God is going to work in that and be obedient to the will of God.
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Romans 8:13-14 [ESV]
If you feel that the Spirit is leading you to get out of or let go of a relationship in your life, God’s Word challenges you to live by that spirit and follow it. If you allow yourself to be led by the power of the Holy Spirit, even though it is difficult, you can count yourself as a son or daughter of God.
“Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.” Proverbs 22:24-25 [ESV]
Take a look at your friends. Are they given to the Spirit or are they given to their own fleshly desires? These verses in Proverbs say that if you become friends with the wrong kinds of people, you are entangling yourself in a snare. Instead, you may need to let go of those relationships for your spiritual health.
Bible Verses About Letting Go of Guilt
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2 [ESV]
Remember that once you are in Christ, you are no longer under condemnation for your sin. If God doesn’t condemn you for your sin any longer, why should you? The devil will try to convince you otherwise, but God does not call you to live in shame under Jesus’ name.
Instead, you have been freed to a life of freedom from guilt. You are a new creature. Let go of that guilt and live anew.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 [ESV]
Believer, you are an entirely new creation! You may still struggle with sin, but the Bible says that the old things have passed away and the new has come. Do not let yourself get caught up with old guilt or guilt creeping in from the old self. Let go of guilt and live in the new and better things, not in the old.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” Ephesians 1:7 [ESV]
When we consider the blood of Christ that has washed us clean from our guilt, shame, and sin, we simply have to let go of those things. If we don’t, why should we want Jesus Christ to wash us at all? According to the work of Christ on the cross, let go of your guilt that keeps you from Him.
“For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12 [ESV]
God has forgotten your sins. Due to His mercy and grace through Christ, He doesn’t even remember the sins that you have committed against them because He counts them as non-existent.
Why then, are you still remembering them and causing yourself guilt over them? If you’ve confessed and repented, let go of that guilt and don’t live in it.
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 [ESV]
God’s grace is sufficient for you in all things. Do not let your guilt get the better of you and convince you of things that you are not. Instead, relish in the grace of God and remember that His power is made perfect in your weakness.
Trust in Him and He will wipe away every stain of guilt from your life. Let go of it today and let Him take it away.
