How to Have Fellowship with God

Before you start todays devotional, ask the Lord to use it to grow you up in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God intends your relationship with Him to be the sweetest experience of your life. He calls it “walking in the light,” that is, in His presence.

But how can we—sinful and ungodly people—have fellowship with God? To get over this seemingly impossible hurdle, we try three different ways; two are wrong.

First, if we say we have fellowship with God but walk in darkness, we are liars. John says it bluntly. We need to deal with the wrong things in our lives, or we can’t walk in the light. Go to God and allow the Word of God to shine upon your heart. Is there sin there? Look, honestly, since you can sometimes get too comfortable in your sin to notice. You can’t bring God down to your level.

But we try sometimes to bring ourselves up to God’s level. Some won’t admit they are sinners. “I just make mistakes.” Anyone who says this isn’t fooling God, their family, or friends, but they sure do deceive themselves. They rationalize and explain their sin away in hopes of bridging the gap between them and God; they bring themselves up above others.

These won’t work, so what are we going to do?

The only way to have fellowship with God is to freely admit we have sinned. God will then absolutely forgive our sins (1 John 1:9). Go to Him privately and get clean. Tell Him about your sin. He wants you to come to Him. Show Him you’ve turned from that sin. God hates it, and now so do you. Get His help.

This is the message of the gospel of the grace of God that takes the hell-doomed sinner and, by simple faith in Christ, brings him into the family of God, where he becomes an heir and joint-heir with Jesus Christ. What a gift.

Jesus is not only our Savior, but He’s our advocate—a parakletos (translated “comforter”). The Holy Spirit is our Comforter on earth, and Christ is our Comforter in heaven. An advocate is one who will come to your side to help in every time of need.

Before we even repent of that cruel or brutal word we said or the very moment we had that evil thought, or the moment we did that wrong act, Jesus Christ was there at the throne of God to represent us as Satan was there accusing us.

Then, because of Jesus’ faithful advocacy, the Holy Spirit convicts us of the sin, and we confess it to the Father.

If you are a child of God, you are in the family of God, and He wants to have fellowship with you. You can talk to Him honestly and openly without fear. He knows you better than you know yourself and loves you more than you can understand.

1. In your own words, what is fellowship, whether with God or other people?

2. Be honest about the times you walk in darkness. What do those times tell you about yourself and people in general?

3. What does it mean for us that Jesus advocates for us to the Father?

Additional Resources

Listen to Dr. J. Vernon McGee's complete audio teachings of 1 John 1:5-7, 1 John 1:7-10, and 1 John 2:1-3.