How can I make Jesus my Lord?

TL;DR:

Making Jesus the Lord of your life means fully surrendering to His authority, trusting Him, and living to honor Him. This begins at salvation and grows as you continually obey and follow Him.

Making Jesus the Lord of your life begins by trusting Him as Savior and acknowledging His authority over every part of who you are (Romans 10:9; Colossians 2:6). It means surrendering your desires, decisions, and priorities to Him and living according to His will rather than your own (Luke 9:23; Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 2:20). God the Father has exalted Jesus over all creation, and every authority, whether earthly or spiritual, is subject to His lordship (Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 1:16-18). Even after salvation, living under Jesus’ authority is an ongoing process of faith and obedience, guided by the Holy Spirit, as we grow in Christian maturity and sanctification (Galatians 5:16; Philippians 1:6; 2 Peter 3:18). This includes everyday choices like forgiving others, loving sacrificially, speaking truth, and reflecting Christ in service and witness (Ephesians 4:32; Matthew 5:16, 6:12). Abiding in Jesus and confessing sin when we fail are practical ways to honor His lordship and maintain fellowship with Him (John 15:5; 1 John 1:9). Making Jesus Lord is a lifelong journey of trust and obedience, living our lives according to His purposes (Proverbs 3:5-6; Ephesians 2:10).

from the old testament

Proverbs repeatedly calls for listening to God and walking in His ways (Proverbs 3:5-6), which prepares the heart to submit to Jesus’ authority over all areas of life.

from the new testament

To make Jesus your Lord, you must be a child of God—one who has called on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from your sins (Romans 10:13).
Romans 10:9 says, “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.”
As a child of God, you acknowledge that Jesus is Lord and lovingly submit to His authority over your life (Romans 14:8-9).
We can recognize that God the Father has made Jesus Lord, not only over our lives, but over all of creation. The Father has highly exalted the Son by giving Him the name that is above every other name (Philippians 2:9).
As the apostle Paul states in Colossians 1:15–20, "He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." All authorities, whether earthly or spiritual, are subject to the lordship of Jesus Christ. In the end, when Jesus has destroyed “every rule and every authority, and power” (including death itself), He will deliver the kingdom to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24).
It is by faith that we acknowledge that Jesus is Lord and it is by faith that we live our lives under His lordship. In the end, every knee will bow and “every tongue confess that Jesus Chris is Lord” (Ephesians 2:8; Philippians 2:9–11).

implications for today

Making Jesus “Lord of your life” means recognizing Him as the ultimate authority over every part of who you are—your thoughts, decisions, priorities, and actions—and choosing to submit fully to His will. It involves trusting Him not just for salvation but also allowing Him to guide your daily life, obeying His teachings, and aligning your desires with His purposes. This means recognizing you are not in control of your life. It means not living for yourself but living according to God’s plan. It means surrendering to the One who made you and has what is best for you. It is recognizing your sin and turning to the One who can bring salvation and forgiveness. It means allowing God’s Word to shape your choices, behavior, and relationships. It also means living your life to reflect Christ in service, love, and witness to others. Making Jesus Lord begins at salvation and continues for the rest of your life, allowing Jesus’ authority to shape everything.

You can make Jesus Lord of your life by growing in Christian maturity. This is the process of sanctification, by which we learn to obey God more and more and become more like Jesus. We acknowledge Jesus as Lord of our lives in everyday decisions like forgiving those who sin against us (Matthew 18:21-25; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13), loving others (John 13:34-35; Colossians 3:12–17), and building others up (Ephesians 4:29), standing for truth (Ephesians 4:15). Ultimately, the Holy Spirit accomplishes this, but we can cooperate with His work in our lives and actively submit ourselves to God (James 4:7-10). We know Jesus is Lord of our lives when we seek to honor Him rather than to fulfill our own desires and when we trust in Him rather than in ourselves. Jesus talked about the importance of abiding in Him in John 15. Abiding in Him is one way of saying He is Lord of our lives. We will fail, but when we do, we can submit to God by confessing our sins (1 John 1:9) so that we can remain in fellowship with Him. Confession is another way of acknowledging Jesus' lordship over our lives.

understand

Making Jesus Lord starts with trusting Him as Savior and submitting to His authority.
Living as if Jesus is Lord is a lifelong process of obedience and spiritual growth.
Actions like love, forgiveness, truth, and confession reflect Jesus’ authority in your life.

reflect

In what areas of your life are you fully submitting to Jesus’ authority, and where do you struggle to surrender control?
How do your choices—like how you speak, forgive, or serve—reflect that Jesus is Lord of your life?
When you fail or sin, how do you respond in a way that honors Jesus’ lordship and restores fellowship with Him?

engage

What makes Jesus worthy of being Lord of our lives?
How do we help others grow in recognizing Jesus as the ultimate authority in every part of our lives?
What does it look like to live under Jesus’ lordship faithfully?