September 20, 2026
”But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus, the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” Acts 20:24 (NLT)
”No, 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.” Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)
Over the past several weeks, I have shared the challenge to “LET IT GO!” Whatever is keeping your heart tied to yesterday, “LET IT GO!” Whatever is keeping you from your divine assignment and walking in your purpose, “LET IT GO!” Whatever God is asking you to release, release it. Whatever is competing with the assignment God has placed before you, lay it down. However, perhaps the question we need to ask as we close this part of the journey is, WHY? Why does God keep calling us to LET IT GO – to release it, lay it down, what we have carried?
Sometimes letting go isn’t losing; it is making room. Making room for healing. Making room for peace. Making room for obedience. Making room for what God wants you to do next.
You cannot fully embrace what God is placing in your hands while tightly holding what He told you to release.
But release was never the destination. Release was preparation. LET IT GO because There Is Still Purpose Ahead! God is calling us to something deeper than simply moving beyond the past!
God does not heal us simply so we could feel better. He is healing us so we can become whole for His assignment.
The Apostle Paul brings us right back to the heart of this Let It Go journey in Acts 20:24 – finish the assignment. Don’t allow the weight, wounds, distractions, opinions, or delays to keep you from completing what God has called you to do.
People’s approval is often conditional; however, God’s approval is rooted in our identity in Christ. When you stop living for applause, you become free to live on assignment.
God is saying, my child:
LET IT GO ~ not because it didn’t matter.
LET IT GO ~ not because it didn’t hurt.
LET IT GO ~ not because you have forgotten.
LET IT GO ~ because you cannot allow what is behind you to keep you from what God has placed ahead of you.
Have we learned enough Christianity to sound transformed without allowing God to transform us?
Matthew 13:5-9 describes seed that fell on shallow soil. It sprang up quickly, but because there was no depth and the roots could not grow deeply, the plants withered. Other seed was choked by thorns. But the seed that fell on fertile soil produced an abundant harvest. (NLT)
Notice, the problem was not the seed. The seed had the power to produce. The difference was the condition and depth of the soil receiving it.
God’s Word has not lost its power. The Holy Spirit has not lost His power to convict, teach, sanctify, empower, and transform. The question is: How deeply are we allowing God’s Word to penetrate our hearts and change the way we live?
We can attend church and remain shallow.
We can quote Scripture and remain shallow.
We can take Bible classes and remain shallow.
We can learn Christian terminology and remain shallow.
Information alone is not transformation. God’s desire is not simply that we know more, but that through His Word and the work of the Holy Spirit, we are continually changed from the inside out.
And allow me to be clear: “shallow” is not a condemnation of Christians who are still growing. Spiritual maturity is a process. The concern is becoming comfortable with remaining shallow when God is calling us deeper.
HEART 
ASSESSMENT: What Is This Examination Revealing? Perhaps God is saying: LET GO OF SHALLOW CHRISTIANITY. Ask yourself
- Am I satisfied with church attendance without transformation?
- Am I reading Scripture without allowing Scripture to read me?
- Am I accumulating biblical information without biblical application?
- Am I asking God to change circumstances while resisting His desire to change me?
- Do I know enough of the Word to counsel and correct others while refusing to confront myself?
Don’t just ask, “How much Bible do I know?” Ask, “How much of what I know is changing the way I live?”
HEART 
CHALLENGE: How deep are you willing to allow God to go in you so that He can accomplish what He desires to do through you?
♥ God is calling you beyond surface Christianity into lives that bear evidence of His transforming work.
♥ Healing the Heart helps you release what wounded you.
♥ Restoring Hope helps you believe there is life beyond what happened to you.
♥ Releasing Purpose moves you forward into what God has called you to do.
♥ You have spent enough time looking at what you need to let go. Now ask God to show you what He is calling you to reach for.
There is still purpose ahead. But before asking God, “What’s next for you?” perhaps you need to ask: “Lord, what still needs to change in me so I am prepared for what’s next?”
GOD’S STANDING ORDERS ~ The Master Physician’s Prescription For Life. God’s Word is the prescription; our obedience is the administration. We must take a daily dose, never skip doses, and apply it consistently!
Standing Orders For The Heart: The Master Physician’s Prescription for Self-Confrontation and Transformation!
Order #1: GO DEEPER IN GOD’S WORD. Don’t settle for merely reading the Word. Study it, meditate on it, obey it, and allow it to examine you. “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105 (NLT)
Order #2: ALLOW THE WORD TO TRANSFORM YOUR THINKING. Stop allowing the world’s patterns to determine how you think and live. Let God’s truth renew your mind. “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Romans 12:2 (NLT)
Order #3: DON’T JUST HEAR THE WORD—DO THE WORD. Biblical knowledge without biblical application will not produce spiritual maturity. “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.” James 1:22 (NLT)
Order #4: ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CHANGE YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT. Transformation is not accomplished through human effort alone. Yield to the work of the Holy Spirit. “The Lord, who is the Spirit, makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:18. (NLT)
Order #5: LET YOUR ROOTS GROW DEEP. Don’t build your spiritual life on feelings, circumstances, or convenience. Become rooted and established in Christ. “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him.” Colossians 2:7. (NLT)
Order #6: MOVE FORWARD IN YOUR GOD-GIVEN ASSIGNMENT. Release what God tells you to release, receive what He is teaching you, and keep moving toward the purpose He has placed before you. Acts 20:24 “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus.” (NLT)
REMEMBER! “Don’t just ask, ‘How much Bible do I know?’ Ask, ‘How much of what I know is changing the way I live?’”
LET US PRAY: Father God, thank You for Your authoritative, inerrant, and inspired Word! Father, thank You for showing us what we need to release. Forgive us for the places where we have become comfortable with shallow living. Take us deeper in Your Word and help us yield to the transforming power of Your Holy Spirit. Change our hearts, renew our minds, deepen our roots, and prepare us for the assignment You have placed before us. Give us the courage to let go, the faith to move forward, and the determination to finish our course, knowing there is still purpose ahead, in the Precious, Powerful, and Preeminent Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
REFERENCES: Logos Bible Study, WORDsearch, Life Application Series, Various Commentaries, and Study Bibles.