Top 5 Things I've learned in my relationship with Jesus in the Last 5 years

A dear friend of mine asked me this question the other day. It was really good to think it through. This is what I came up with.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Hmmm, top five things in the last five years? It was about five years ago that I was really, really introduced to the Presence and Person of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead who is alive within us. So for number one, I have to say that being filled with the Holy Spirit on a daily basis, whether you want to term it baptism, filling, walking in the Spirit, Spirit filled, has been the most drastic transition in my relationship with Jesus. In coming to know the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit in my life, I have found that I can TRULY have the RIVER OF LIVING WATER flowing from within me as Scripture says. It was only five years ago that I felt alive for the first time though I had loved and followed Jesus since childhood. It is the Spirit of Jesus that brings the Life of Jesus into reality in our lives. And this is what has affected every other change and thing I have learned in my walk with Jesus in the last five years.

2. Jesus died to bring us FREEDOM. Religion came to bring us bondage and to control us. In any area where I continually feel condemnation, self examination, shame (not true Holy Spirit conviction) is probably under the heavy hand of religion and not the life giving Spirit of Jesus who heals, frees, and empowers us to live out the life of Christ we are newly created to live out. It was in the Garden of Eden we see Adam and Eve who are not sin conscious at all. They have authority over the world they were given to care for, they have intimate communion with God, and they are full of life and joy. That is God's heart for us still. It was when they chose sin that sin consciousness dominated. They/we shrunk back in fear and hid from our intimate Father and our God given authority to rule the earth. Ruling was no longer ours, it was given to the enemy. They/we handed it over to him. BUT when Jesus died on the cross and rose again, he took our sin and made it so that truly, we need no longer be sin conscious any more!!! Instead, we have the right and privilege of living once again as innocent and RIGHTEOUSNESS conscious. Jesus became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God in Christ. If we really lived out Christ consciousness (we ARE righteous through Christ), then I am totally convinced that we will stop being so introspective, sin conscious, self centered and be able to do the good works God prepared in advance for us to do . . . to bring the Kingdom of Heaven and push back the Kingdom of Darkness . . . to take our place again as ruling authorities over the earth commissioned by Jesus to bring His Kingdom to reign again.

3. That the gifts of the Spirit that some commonly say have ceased to be in existence today actually DO exist. Not only do they exist, but we have seen them, demonstrated them, and are teaching others to walk in the fullness of their giftings (many of whom are now displaying the gifts of healing, prophesy, tongues, interpretation, and the other "controversial gifts" with great humility and power for the edification of the body and for the testimony of Jesus being ALIVE and active in our everyday life, bringing the body to full maturity as Jesus longs for).

4. This has been a recent deep understand for me. Though I have heard it often of God, I finally KNOW it intimately. Jesus is never angry at me. God is never angry at me. Even when I make mistakes, sin, miss the mark, he is not disillusioned by me, angry with me or ready to punish me. He doesn't expect me to pay some penance until it is rectified. I FINALLY feel, know and fully believe that ALL God's wrath was poured out on Jesus and He has no more left over for me or any other person who is In Christ.
I finally believe that even when I totally lose it with my kids or Heath and have an outburst of anger or harsh words, I don't need to hide from the Lord, apologize excessively, or make it up tomorrow by being exceedingly kind and in control. No, instead, I finally know that I can still, at that very next moment, come boldly into the throne room of grace knowing I will receive a loving, glad welcome because my sin . . . all of it, past, present and future, is not only covered but punished. I am no longer punishable. Jesus took that for me.
Now, I get all the privilege of being a dearly loved daughter! (Yes, I still feel his guidance, correction, and sometimes discipline, but it is always out of love and gentleness not anger or disappointment.) Jesus is never disappointed in me because he already knows what to expect (he can see who I am and who I will be, what I do and what I will do). This new understanding of just how fully Jesus has taken my punishment has brought me more freedom than I can remember in years. I am not a cowering, fearful slave or abused child. I am the King's daughter!!!

5. Ultimately, the last five years can be wrapped up in Ephesians 3:14-21 (NLT is my favorite reading). I feel that my last five years has been a living out of this passage. I have been and am being strengthened in my inner being with the Holy Spirit. I believe I am trusting Him more now than ever and in turn, my roots have gone deeper into the soil of his marvelous love. I believe that I have received the power (through my new relationship to the Holy Spirit) to grasp greater revelation and understanding of the height, width, breath and depth of his love. I have truly and in actuality experienced and continue to experience the love of Christ, though it is so great I will never fully understand it. And THEN and NOW I am being filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God!!!
Though it all sounds neat and tidy in 5 bullet points, this has been an arduous and messy process with ups and downs, victories and seeming defeats, glory and well, whatever the opposite of glory is! Do I walk out these five points minute by minute, day after day, never to slip back into old patterns of thinking or fear or condemnation? No, but the longer I am living these out, the more consistently I am able to stay swimming in this glorious relationship and truths and less frequently climb out on the hot sand to burn my bare feet on the barren shore of my own ideas of God and what he can and can't do, who he is and isn't. It's much more fun in the water!

Thanks for asking me these questions. I hope it isn't too wordy, or overwhelming. I hope it helps a bit in whatever you are looking for, growing in, pursuing in your own relationship with Jesus which I KNOW is alive and real! In having to think through and articulate these five things, I feel encouraged in retrospect of all that has changed in my life for the best!! Jesus loves moving us forward!