How do I make Jesus Lord of my life?

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." —Romans 10:9

A "lord" is someone who has power, authority, or influence. Making Jesus our Lord is a way of surrendering our control to Him and His authority. Since He is trustworthy, wise, and loves us immensely, we can feel safe to live under His Lordship.

One of the secrets to making Jesus Lord of our lives is acknowledging that He is already the Lord of our lives—whether we accept it or not.

Jesus is the only Lord (Romans 10:12). In the future, Jesus will literally have “King of kings and Lord of lords” written on Him (Revelation 19:16b). Acknowledging Jesus’ Lordship is like acknowledging that Jesus deserves to be Lord and that He knows what's best for us.

Acknowledging Jesus as Lord

Submitting to Jesus’ Lordship means we obey Him and live our lives knowing that His way is the one that leads to true joy. When Jesus tells us to love others as we love ourselves, this means we are to care about others' wellbeing as much as we care about our own wellbeing (Mark 12:31). Likewise, the Bible commands us to be honest (Colossians 3:9-10). We acknowledge Jesus' way is best every time we tell the truth.

These are just a couple ways to acknowledge and submit to Jesus’ Lordship. Basically, by doing the things God commands, we can show the watching world that Jesus is the Lord of our life.

The Power of the Holy Spirit

We cannot obey God on our own. It's not possible to simply say we're going to obey God through our own power or will. It's the Holy Spirit's power that makes it possible for believers to submit to Jesus’ Lordship. A person becomes a believer by acknowledging Jesus as their Lord, receiving the Holy Spirit, and submitting to Him (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Reading the Bible and obeying what God says are also good ways to allow the Spirit room to work. You can ask God to help you be filled in the Spirit. Ultimately, these things are evidence that you understand Jesus is the Lord of your life. We can do our best to follow God by asking Him for help and guidance (James 1:5), and when mess up, God sees our efforts and knows we're trying.

Listening to the Holy Spirit

"The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." —John 14:26

You'll be filled with the Holy Spirit when you make room for His guidance in your life. When you choose to control your temper rather than get angry, when you choose to be kind when someone is mean, or when you choose to be patient even if you're in a hurry or tired (Psalm 37:18; Romans 12:17), then you are allowing God's Spirit to fill more of your spirit.

Conviction from the Holy Spirit is when the Spirit tells us, deep down, that we have done something that goes against God's will for us. Sometimes that results in feelings of guilt, shame or regret. Guilt and regret can be a motivator for change, but God will not use shame to hurt you. Personal shame is a result of our sinful, self-condeming hearts.

The Holy Spirit convicts us to help prevent us from doing something that will hurt us. When we listen to the Holy Spirit’s conviction in our lives, we're acknowledging Jesus’ Lordship. Responding to convictions from the Holy Spirit helps us live in obedience to Jesus (Ephesians 5:18b).

Being filled by the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean that you have more of the Spirit than another believer. Rather, being filled with the Spirit means you're giving God more space in your life. We can also make space for the Holy Spirit work in our lives by reading the Bible and talking to Him in prayer (John 14:16-17).

What if I mess up?

It's important to note that you can be filled with the Spirit one day and struggle to submit to God on another day. Your struggle is valid and a common one among believers. No one is perfect. Give yourself some grace and forgiveness. Allow yourself time to develop healthier practices. Spiritual maturity is more like a marathon—not a sprint!

We will ALL mess up (Romans 3:23). When realize we've made unhealthy choices, God is ready and willing to forgive us (1 John 1:9). We can always start over, try to do better the next time we're faced with that temptation or decision.

And hey, good news! Asking God for forgiveness is part of making Jesus Lord of our lives too. If you're struggling with something, don’t worry...tell God about your struggles and ask Him to help you.

"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin." —Romans 6:6

ALSO SEE:

• Is Jesus God?
• How should I live my life as a Christian teen?
• What does it mean to surrender to God?
• How can I learn to trust God?
• What does the Bible say about obedience?
• What does it mean to be "in the world but not of the world"?
• Who is the Holy Spirit?
• What does it mean to walk in the Spirit?
• What is the conviction of sin from the Holy Spirit?
• What's the difference between conviction and conscience?
• How can I stop feeling guilty?