The secret to making Jesus Lord of our lives is acknowledging that Jesus is already the Lord of our lives—whether we accept it or not. Jesus is Lord, and He 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 knows best.
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. By doing the things God commands, we can truly show that Jesus is the Lord of our life.
We cannot obey God on our own. It's not possible to simply say you're going to obey God through the power of your own desire or will. The Holy Spirit's power makes it possible for believers to submit to Jesus’ Lordship. A person becomes a believer by acknowledging Jesus as their Lord 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.
You'll be filled with the Holy Spirit when you make room for His guidance in your life. When you choose to remain calm 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 the Spirit to fill more of your spirit. We can make space for the Holy Spirit work in our lives by reading the Bible, talking to Him in prayer, and obeying Him (John 14:16-17).
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 or shame. 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 someone else. Rather, being filled with the Holy Spirit means you're giving the Spirit more space in your life! You can be filled with the Spirit at times and struggle to allow the Spirt to have control at other times. Your struggle is valid and a common one among believers. Give yourself some grace and allow yourself time to develop healthier practices when it comes to obeying God.
We all mess up (Romans 3:23). Nobody is or has ever been perfect—except for Jesus. When realize we've made unhealthy choices, God is ready and willing to forgive us (1 John 1:9). We can always start over, trying better 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
We don't really “make” Jesus the Lord of our life because He already is the Lord of our lives (Romans 10:12). The secret is acknowledging that Jesus is the Lord of our lives. We can show Jesus is the Lord by obeying God’s commands in the Bible and listening to guidance from the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17). The Holy Spirit will convict us about actions that will hurt us. We'll all mess up at times, but Jesus our Lord is always ready to forgive us (1 John 1:9). Jesus is our wonderful and loving Lord.
Vivian loves learning, studying the Word of God, and helping others in their walk with Christ. She is dedicated to helping people learn more about Jesus and is ready to help in any way she can. Her favorite things to do are spending time with her family and friends, cooking, drawing, and spending time outside. When she is not writing, you can find her soaking up the sunshine or going on an adventure.
