96. How to Let Go of Control and Trust God Wholeheartedly

In today’s episode, we’re talking about one of the most challenging—but freeing—aspects of the Christian journey: letting go of control. From early messages about strength and performance to the pressures of adulthood, many of us were conditioned to believe that control equals safety. But Scripture invites us to surrender—to trade anxiety and striving for God’s peace.

You’ll discover:
• What the Bible says about surrender and trust
• How cognitive dissonance affects your walk with God
• Real encouragement for the moments you feel anxious, afraid, or stuck
• Practical ways to daily release control and receive God’s peace

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Key Scriptures:
1. Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV) – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…”
2. Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV) – “Do not be anxious about anything…”
3. Matthew 11:28–30 (NIV) – “Come to me, all you who are weary…”
4. Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) – “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast…”
5. Psalm 46:10 (NIV) – “Be still and know that I am God.”

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What You’ll Learn:
• Cognitive dissonance is the emotional discomfort you feel when what you believe clashes with what God is asking. It’s that moment of tension between “I need to be in control” and “God is asking me to let go.”
• Letting go is not weakness—it’s worship.
• God replaces what you surrender with His peace, presence, and purpose.

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Reflection Questions:
• What early messages taught you that control was necessary for safety or love?
• Where in your life are you trying to manage what God is calling you to surrender?
• What would it look like to trust Him with that today?

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Practical Steps to Let Go of Control:
1. Pray a Daily Surrender Prayer – “God, I trust You with this day. Help me release what I can’t control.”
2. Pause When You Feel Anxious – Ask: “What belief is clashing with God’s truth right now?”
3. Practice Stillness – Create quiet moments to let God’s voice be louder than your fear.
4. Lean on Scripture – Meditate on the verses shared to realign your heart with God’s promises.

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Call to Action:
- Join the Community: Don’t walk this journey alone! Become part of the Curious for Christ community. Join us on Facebook:
bit.ly/curiousforChristcommunity

- Get Weekly Encouragement: Sign up for my free newsletter to get devotionals, tools, and bonus content straight to your inbox:
curiousforchrist.kit.com/insider

- Share This Episode: If today’s message encouraged you, send it to a friend who’s struggling with anxiety or control. Let’s help each other walk in God’s peace.

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Thanks for listening, friend.
God isn’t asking you to carry the world—He’s asking you to walk with Him, one surrendered step at a time.

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Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Welcome to Curious For Christ,and for those who have been here
for a while, welcome back.
Today we're talking aboutsomething we all wrestle with.
Control.
It's natural to want to manageeverything in our lives, but
true peace comes when we learnto surrender and trust God
fully.
We'll look at what Scriptureteaches about letting go, why

(00:22):
trust can feel so hard, and howGod meets us with peace.
When we finally release ourgrip, let's go welcome to
Curious for Christ.
Do you ever find yourself lying,awake at night wondering about

(00:43):
God's plan for your life?
Maybe you wake up with bigdreams, but feel unsure where to
start or what your next stepshould be.
If you're curious aboutexploring your faith and finding
purpose, then you've come to theright place.
Hi, I'm Alexandra.
I too felt lost and sure of thedirection my life was taking.

(01:04):
I yearned to understand mypurpose and have someone guide
me, but I kept telling myself Iwas too busy.
The timing wasn't right, and mylack of clarity prevented me
from being consistent until Ifound Christ.
He brought peace into my lifeand revealed the way to find
purpose by anchoring myself.

(01:25):
In him.
In this podcast, we'll journeytogether exploring the Bible to
gain a deeper understanding ofhim and cultivate your own
personal relationship withChrist.
So open up your Bible, put inthose earbuds and listen up
because God is speaking to you.
He's making everything new andyou don't wanna miss it.

(01:46):
Let's get started.
Scripture number one, Proverbsthree verses five through six.
Trust in the Lord with all yourheart and lean not on your own
understanding.

(02:06):
In all your ways, submit to himand he will make your path
straight.
I love this scripture and thisverse lays a powerful foundation
for what it means to trust God.
It reminds us that control isn'ta way forward.
Submission is the world tells uswe need to have all the answers,

(02:26):
but Proverbs calls us to lean onGod's wisdom instead of our own.
Have you ever experienced peaceafter surrendering your plans to
God?
Maybe it came during a personalcrisis, a difficult season in
parenting, or a job loss or somekind of conflict in your career.
God is inviting you right now totrust him more deeply.

(02:50):
He's not punishing you.
It may not be comfortable, butit's not a punishment.
It's an invitation.
His ways are higher and his planis always good, even when it
doesn't make immediate sense.
Scripture number two.
Philippians four verses sixthrough seven.
Do not be anxious aboutanything, but in every situation

(03:12):
by prayer and petition withThanksgiving, present your
request to God and the peace ofGod, which transcends all
understanding, will guard yourhearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.
For those of us who battleanxiety or fear, especially when
we feel out of control, thisverse is a lifeline.

(03:34):
It calls us to bring ourconcerns to God and promises
that his peace will protect ourhearts and minds.
God's peace is supernatural.
It doesn't make sense by humanstandards because it comes from
above.
So ask yourself, what am I stilltrying to control?
That God is asking me tosurrender.

(03:55):
Let's pause and talk about whythis is so hard.
From a young age, we're taughtto hold things together.
Be strong.
Why are you crying?
Make him happy.
It's your dad.
It's your mom.
She's crying.
If it's meant to be, it's up tome.
Often these messages come frompeople who love us, parents,

(04:15):
coaches, teachers, but theycreate deep beliefs that letting
go means failure, weakness, ordisobedience.
So when God calls us tosurrender, we're not just
disobeying or it feels likewe're disobeying our parents,
but we also are unlearning yearsof what we believed made us

(04:39):
lovable, safe, or good.
And sometimes surrender meansdisappointing people who we care
about.
It means choosing God's pathover their approval.
And that can be scary, andpainful too.
But here's the truth.
God doesn't ask us to let goalone.
He walks with us and when wemake space by letting go.

(05:02):
He fills it with his presence,with his peace, with a new way
of living.
Let me give you a psychologicalperspective.
When we try to release control,we feel cognitive dissonance.
That uncomfortable clash betweentwo beliefs.
Such as I have to stay incontrol to be safe and loved,
but God is asking me tosurrender.

(05:24):
That inner tension sparksanxiety, fear, and even shame.
Why?
Because control has always feltlike the safe path.
Letting go feels like free fall,but this is where self-awareness
and scripture work together.
When we recognize our falsebeliefs or our old beliefs, I
would say that are.

(05:45):
Incomplete beliefs.
They're not the truth we canbring them into God's light and
pray.
Lord, I've been trusting inmyself more than you.
Help me to learn a new way.
Romans 12 calls thistransformation the renewing of
your mind.
And here's the good news friendagain, God does not leave you

(06:05):
alone in the letting go.
He studies your heart.
He replaces all beliefs with histruth, and he gives you his
peace in exchange for pressure.
Because letting go creates roomfor joy, for clarity and
freedom.
You never knew were possible.
So if you've been asking, whydoes this feel so hard, it may

(06:27):
be because you're wrestling withold loyalties as well from your
upbringing or culturalexpectations.
Your old sense of identity is ajeopardy.
You're not dishonoring your pastby releasing them.
But you're honoring your futurewith God, and I can feel scary
because you have never walkedthat walk.

(06:47):
This is new for you, so allowyourself to receive God's grace
during this process.
Scripture number three, Matthew11, verses 28 through 30.
Come to me, all you who areweary and burdened, and I will
give you rest for my yolk iseasy and my burden is light.
Jesus offers us rest, but wemust come to him.

(07:09):
Control weighs us down.
Trusting him.
Lightens the load.
Are you carrying something Godnever asked you to carry?
What do you need to lay atJesus' feet today?
Those are great questions toreflect on Scripture number
four, Isaiah 26, verse three.
You will keep in perfect peace.
Those whose minds are steadfastbecause they trust in you.

(07:32):
Perfect peace isn't fleeting.
It's steady.
It's unshakeable and rooted intrust, not circumstances.
Does your peace disappear whenthings go wrong?
Ask God to help you anchor yourmind in his promise.
And last but not least,scripture number five, Psalm 46,

(07:54):
verse 10.
Be still and know that I am God.
Stillness is hard in a culturethat prizes hustle, but peace
comes in the quiet when weacknowledge God's sovereignty.
When was the last time you werestill before God?
What could he reveal to you inthat stillness?
So three practical steps.

(08:15):
Number one, daily surrender.
And I would say moment by momentsurrender.
But let's do daily right now.
Start your day with a simpleprayer.
God, I trust you.
Help me release what I cancontrol.
Number two, trust his timing.
Let go of your schedule andbelieve he's never late.

(08:37):
And you are exactly where youneed to be to start this process
now.
Number three, rest in his peacewhen anxiety creeps in, pause,
breathe, meditate.
On today's scripture, I will putthem in a show note.
So as a conclusion, letting goof control.

(08:58):
As we know isn't easy, but it'sthe path to true lasting peace.
That's the way my friendsurrender opens the door for God
to work in ways you can'timagine, and he never leaves you
to walk it alone.
So if today's message resonatedwith you, consider subscribing
to my free newsletter.

(09:19):
You can go to Curious forchrist.kid.com/insider.
And if you're not yet part ofThe Curious For Christ Facebook
community, come join us.
We are better together.
Go to BT ly slash Curious forChrist Community.
Let's pray.
God, thank you for reminding usthat we don't have to carry

(09:39):
everything ourselves.
Help us to trust you more fullyand surrender every area where
we are holding on too tightly.
Show us where our loyalties needto shift and fill us with your
peace as we walk with you.
In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.
Bye my friend and I will see younext week.

(10:05):
Hi, I hope you enjoy today'sepisode.
If so, would you like to take 30seconds and share it with a
friend who may also strugglewith knowing God and his purpose
for their life?
Also, leave a review on ApplePodcast and let me know what
topics you'd like to hear aboutin the future.
Your voice matters.

(10:26):
I'll meet you back next Friday.
For another episode.