🔥🕊️ We Are Not Our Own: Sons, Daughters, Servants — When Jesus Christ Is Truly Lord

In the last devotional, we learned that oil sustains fire. 🫒🔥

But oil runs dry quickly when we are fighting for control.

Why do we struggle so deeply when we do not understand what God is doing?

Because surrender requires lordship.

And many of us rejoice in Jesus Christ as Savior…
while quietly resisting Him as Lord.

Savior rescues.
Lord governs.

Savior comforts.
Lord commands.

Savior delivers.
Lord directs.

To call Jesus Christ “Lord” is not poetic language.
It is a declaration of governance.

And governance under a righteous King is not oppression.
It is peace.

The Weight of the Word

For some, the word lord carries historical tension.

Black history bears scars of authority abused, where sin reigned.
Women have been treated as property, with no rights.
Power has often meant control and abuse, without protection.

So when we hear the word, something inside may recoil.

Not because we reject Christ —
but because history has distorted authority.

But Jesus Christ is not a cruel master.

He is not domination.
He is not exploitation.
He is not insecure power.

He is the righteous Lord who purchased us with His own blood — not to diminish us, but to redeem us.

Scripture declares:

“You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”
(1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

Belonging to Him is not captivity.

It is covenant.

Sons, Daughters, and Servants 👑

In the beginning, God created Adam and entrusted him with work.

Name the creatures.

Adam did not experience that as slavery.
He received it as assignment.

A son entrusted by his Father does not feel oppressed.
He feels empowered.

We are sons.
We are daughters.
And we are servants.

Servanthood in the Kingdom is not humiliation — it is alignment.

Jesus Himself said:

“No one is good—except God alone.”
(Mark 10:18)

And Scripture declares:

“God is love.”
(1 John 4:8)

When we acknowledge God the Father as our Father, surrender fully to Jesus Christ as Lord, and walk in step with His Holy Spirit, obedience is not oppression. It is alignment with the Master Creator—the sovereign God who formed us, redeemed us, and governs us in perfect goodness and perfect love.

The Ancient Deception 🐍

The serpent whispered:

“You will be like God.”

They reached for knowledge.
They desired to be like their Father — not realizing they were already made in His image.

The deception was not merely disobedience.

It was identity confusion.

And that deception continues today.

It sounds like:

“Your life is your own.”
“You answer to no one.”
“You determine truth.”

It even echoes the infamous creed:

“Do what thou wilt.”

Autonomy enthroned.
Self-rule exalted.
Desire crowned as law.

But that is orphan-thinking.

It is the ancient lie repackaged.

Because when self becomes sovereign,
God is displaced.

And when God is displaced,
peace erodes.

Created in His Image ✨

Being made in the image and likeness of God was never about our physical form.

It was about authority and reflection.

God spoke — and creation responded.

And Scripture reminds us:

“Life and death are in the power of the tongue.”

We speak — and consequences follow.

Jesus Christ declared:

“I have given you authority… to tread on serpents and scorpions.”
(Luke 10:19)

God gave humanity dominion over every living thing on the earth.

We were never created to be powerless.

But our authority is secure only when rooted in relationship with God Almighty through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Authority disconnected from God becomes pride.

Authority surrendered to Christ becomes righteousness.

Perfect Love and Sufficiency 🕊️

Why do we resist full surrender?

Because fear lingers.

Fear of loss.
Fear of control slipping.
Fear of trusting completely.

But Scripture declares:

“Perfect love casts out fear.”
(1 John 4:18)

And again:

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
(2 Corinthians 9:8)

If Jesus Christ is Lord,
we are not abandoned.

If He governs,
we are not lacking.

Under His lordship there is provision.
Under His direction there is sufficiency.
Under His authority there is peace.

Not Orphans

We do not belong to ourselves.

We were bought at a price.

Not to be diminished —
but to be restored.

Not to be enslaved —
but to be secured.

Not to lose identity —
but to recover it.

We are sons and daughters of God the Father.
We are servants of the Most High.
We have authority through Jesus Christ.
We have dominion by design.
We live and move and have our being in Him.

When Jesus Christ is truly Lord,
waiting does not weaken us — it steadies us.

Surrender does not diminish us — it aligns us.

Governance does not crush us — it covers us.

A Declaration and an Invitation 🙏🏾

Jesus Christ is not only Savior.

He is Lord.

And that is not a threat —
it is an invitation.

An invitation to stop striving.
An invitation to stop self-governing.
An invitation to stop carrying what was never ours to carry.

If you are a believer, this is a call to deeper surrender.

If you are not yet a believer, this is a doorway.

You were not created for chaos.
You were not created for isolation.
You were not created to be your own god.

You were created for relationship with God Almighty.

And the One who calls you to belong
is the same One who bled to purchase you.

He is righteous.
He is trustworthy.
He is good.

Under His lordship,
you are not an orphan.

You are home.

🔊 Prayer of Salvation / Rededication

(Do not read this silently. Say it aloud.)

Father God,

I come to You honestly and in the most humble way I know.

I confess that I have tried to govern my own life.
I have sinned, and I have fallen short of Your glory.

I believe that Jesus Christ is Your only begotten Son.
I believe that He died for my sins.
I believe that You raised Him from the dead on the third day.
I believe that He is alive and seated at Your righteous right hand.

Today, I declare with my own mouth:
Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life.

I surrender my life to Him — fully, willingly, and without reservation.

Forgive me.
Cleanse me.
Restore me.

Fill me with Your Holy Spirit.
Teach me to live as Your son or daughter.
Establish me in truth.
Anchor me in Your Word.

From this day forward, my life is not my own.
I give it to You completely.

I belong to You.

In the Mighty and Holy name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.

If you have just confessed Jesus Christ as Lord — whether for the first time or as a return — know this:

God hears.
God receives.
God restores.

You are not an orphan.

You are His. 🤍

Now take your next step.

Begin reading the Scriptures daily.
Seek baptism as a public declaration of your faith.
Connect with a Bible-believing community where you can grow in truth and fellowship.

👉🏽 If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior for the first time, or if you are rededicating your life to Him, please visit our Prayer Request page and let us know. We would be honored to celebrate with you and pray for you as you walk forward in this new beginning.

You were never meant to walk this alone.