How to Restore Fellowship with God
Confession brings forgiveness, cleansing, and a fresh start with God.
God’s Reset Button
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
We moved to a different house a few years ago. We had only been in our new home a few days when the garbage disposal stopped working. So I got on my knees and peered under the kitchen sink until I found a little red reset button. I pushed it, and the garbage disposal worked once again.
Most appliances can be restarted by simply pressing the reset button.
Unconfessed sin, like the garbage disposal, can stop us from being joyful and living productive lives. King David says in Psalm 38 that he suffered because of his sin and was separated from God until he confessed it.
That is what we must do to restore fellowship with God. When we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, we become His child forever (John 1:12), but sin can interrupt our fellowship with Him.
We can use the reset button and have fellowship with God again. When we confess and turn from our sin, we can be sure that God will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). He gives us a clean beginning and restores our fellowship with Him.
I encourage you to take a moment and ask God whether there is anything in your life that displeases Him. Listen carefully. If He brings specific things to mind, admit them as sin and receive His forgiveness.
When my brother, at the age of 40, understood for the first time that his sins—past, present, and future—were forgiven, he jumped up and down, shouting, “I’m free, I’m free!”
By Katherine Kehler
Used by permission.
A Prayer for a Fresh Start
Dear Father, I need You. I acknowledge that I have been directing my own life and that, as a result, I have sinned against You. I thank You that You have forgiven my sins through Christ’s death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to take His place on the throne of my life again. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded and promised. I thank You for directing my life and filling me with Your Spirit. Amen.
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