Discipleship 101: It's a Matter of Control

by Veronica Navarro

If we want to be successful in our walk with Jesus, we must give him full control of our lives. How do we do that? Well, you will be successful if you complete these three steps: 

1. ​Listen intently to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  
Ultimately, the root of the human problem is that we will always have the desire to just do whatever we want, but if we are going to follow Christ then we must learn to give Him control! Our desires in this world could never outweigh His desire for us to have everlasting life.

Essentially, he who wants to save His life will give it up for Jesus.

He will follow everything that Jesus wants him to do. 

2. Submit fully to the authority of God’s Word.
The Word of God is available to us, and it's written for us! It is a perfect resource for our faith and it can be used to strengthen our relationship with Him. It can also be used for reassurance that we are doing the right thing.

​So what does the Bible give us? Why should we read it?

• It tells us how to live. 
• It tells us the difference between right and wrong. 
• It gives us reassurance from God. 
• It teaches us to forgive. 
• It teaches us to resist temptation. 
• It teaches us to love Him and to love our neighbor. 
• It teaches us to be good moral beings.

Essentially, we must allow His word to lead us in order to be a disciple.

If we say we know Christ, we should also be seeking his commandments and trying to understand them. 

3. Surrender completely to the Lordship of Christ! 
"What is a 'Lord'?" 

A Lord is a master, a chief, a ruler, or a boss.

​Jesus is our Lord, so we must give Him the authority to lead and guide our lives. We must trust that He will keep us from going down the wrong path. If we truly loved God and thought of His as Lord, we wouldn't ever tell him “no,” whether this applies to sharing the Gospel, giving up bad habits, or simply being kind or forgiving to others.

Following Jesus is a matter of giving up control of our life. Want to be a disciple of Jesus? You must let Jesus be boss of your life.