Strategic Discipleship

March 23, 2026
Overcoming Sovereign Self
Chapter 1: Overcoming All Things "Self"

What Is Sovereignty, and Why Does It Matter? (Part 1 of 2)

Sovereignty is an important concept for understanding how our ISS is expressed in experience. Notice, we did not say “expressed in our life,” since as believers, we have died—been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20)—and our “life” is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). We no longer have a “life” that is our own—we have been “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20), and when we continue to use the words to refer to “my life,” we both reveal and reinforce an underlying attitude that is steeped in Independent Sovereign Self (ISS). Contrary to popular opinion, words do not just reveal underlying attitudes; they are just as effective in establishing and shaping attitudes as well by repeated assertions. Like “Self-propaganda,” our “my life” casual declarations establish new attitudes and reinforce existing. That is what the concept of “confessing the truth” is all about. Each time the words “my life” roll off our tongue, we are effectively countering and calling the Scripture untrue, Jesus’ claim of possession over us illegitimate, and declaring again our sover-eignty over the carved-out space of “my life.” Each time we claim “my life,” we are speaking by the same motivation and attitude that powered Lucifer’s Self-based Rebellion. In effect, we declare that, though the Blood of Jesus paid for my sin, it did not cover the full value of “my life” in terms of the right to direct all activities and choices, and therefore we retain the “deed of ownership” and the “lien of possession.” Words have power, and the negative impact of these words on our independent, entitled attitude must be driven from our vocabulary!

Despite our ill-advised declarations, believers retain no ownership of “my life”—it is an illusion—yet we have a T/S/M experience and are effectively writing a story of our transformation into the Image of Christ progress with our choices and His salvation Life in us. That story is what we call our "testimony," and when we are successful, it is intended to be the account of our pursuit of Him with our whole heart. It is, in effect, our customized love story as the Shulamite maid in Song of Sol-omon runs after her beloved (not vice versa!). In that sense, Papa has granted us limited, delegated sovereignty to make the choices that shape our discipleship development into His Image.

Sovereignty is defined as “The rightful/entitled expression of supremacy in power and authority.” His Sovereignty is one attribute of God’s Divine Nature. As Sovereign LORD, He works all things after the counsel of His own Will. God’s Sovereignty is a fact of existence—not by our perception, but rather by definition and independent of our perception—and as such does not depend on my permission, concurrence, or even acknowledgment to be actual. The atheist does not in any aspect thwart the Sovereignty of God; he will, however, manifest it in due time. His Sovereignty is not subject to our actual ability to usurp, preempt, supplant, or in any way infringe upon His Divine prerogative to act Sovereignly. We are the ones suffering the illusion/delusion of control of “my life,” but our deception does not shift His Divine Supremacy even infinitesimally; nor do childish tantrums, incessant whining, pouting, or outbursts of anger aimed heaven-ward budge His Sovereign Will and Purpose. However, as with the sin of mankind and its just and deserved redress, He has acted in His Divine Patience and Longsuffering as an expression of Divine Mercy on His children, patiently willing that all men be saved (not justified), as we have previously cited from Romans 9:22-23: “22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory.” Nahum 1:3 elaborates on the theme, “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked.” Impending retribution for sin/rebellion demonstrates His absolute Sovereignty; the fact that He is longsuffering demonstrates His Mercy; and His Grace extended to His believing children flows from His Kindness and Goodness. Still, without the inevitable and timely ex*****on of His Justice, the rest of His “softer” attributes become meaningless.