The revelation of the Lord’s love began to fade and in its place emerged His joy. It was so light and effervescent. This joy bubbled up with life. I said to Him, “When I see and feel Your joy, it's light like the helium in a balloon. Lord, how could You keep Your feet on the ground?” Again, He chuckled. He too thought that was funny. To this day I do not understand how He could have touched the ground as He walked, with all that rapturous joy that He possessed.

Then His joy began to diminish to my understanding and His peace came to the forefront. He said that He would give a peace that was beyond worldly peace. (John 14:27) I am sure that many of you have experienced this peace when you are thrust into a major trial. The minute the trial makes its’ impact, this peace comes upon you. No matter what is going on about you, you are okay. Everything is okay. You feel peace, not as the world gives, but as only God can give. That is the kind of peace He walked in.

Sequentially He had allowed me to see His love, then His joy, then His peace, gentleness, kindness and so on, until He had opened my eyes to see each respective virtue listed in the nine fruits of the Spirit found in the book of Galatians. Each of these fruits has a different look and obviously a different feel. I was amazed and in awe.

Galatians 5:22-23a Amp. But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence).

Then He said, “Nita, come and stand next to Me.” When I stood at His side, He stretched out His arm and wrapped it around my waist. As He did so, everything inside me went down, down, down, and out from my feet until I was totally emptied of self. I felt it drain out like water out of a bottle. When I was completely void of self, everything that was in Him began to fill me until I was saturated with His living truth, divine love, divine joy, divine peace, divine goodness, divine gentleness—all of the nine fruits of the Spirit. He then spoke to me saying, “Nita, what you were feeling and experiencing was what John wrote about in My Word.”

John 1:14 Amp. And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.

He said, “This is what it means to be filled with grace and truth—living truth, the Spirit of truth. What I have shown you, one after another, were the fruits that are living-- alive, and exuberant in the Spirit of truth that overtakes and overcomes you. What you were experiencing was what John wrote about.” Then He spoke the Scripture in John 1:16:

John 1:16 Amp. For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.

So what did He teach us through the revelation? That out of His abundance of grace and truth, He lets us appropriate all this power, according to verse 16, exactly as I had just experienced it. He looked at me, and asked, “Nita, would you like to live here?” I was stunned. I replied, “Live—here? Here?” I thought that until now I had already been experiencing the full heights of Christianity. Yet, I had just experienced my sin-nature being emptied out through my feet, only to be replaced with the life of His soul-filling Nature.. It was no longer I that lived, but Christ was living in me. (Gal 2:20) I was so shocked and stunned because this felt like I was living right in the middle of the Godhead. It was as if the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were all holding hands, encircling me within their Presence. This was a completely different existence, unlike anything we feel here. I knew I was not the same person that I had been just a few minutes before. That person was gone. Feeling like I had been placed right inside the Godhead was just amazing to me. This was not to say I had become a god, but rather surrounded and filled with Him!

He had asked if I would like to live in that place with Him. “Was it even possible for me to live in such a blessing?” I pondered. You have to understand that when God gives you these outstanding revelations, you think you expect to react one way, but find that, instead, you act so human, usually saying stupid things. Of course, He was sure of what He was offering me. However, I could not, as the youth of today would say, “put my head around it.” The experience itself was something so high, so holy, and so other-worldly, I could not comprehend it even as I was experiencing it.

Graciously, He asked once again, “Nita, would you like to live here?” I said, “Lord, if it is possible for a human being to live here in this place with You—” Do you hear the doubt? I was so full of doubt! I know you would never go through that, right? (smile) I said, “If it is possible, You know me, and You also know that I want it so badly that I'll go through anything to have it. Whatever You require of me, I will do.” Whatever you demand of me I will give. He simply responded, “Alright then, you shall have it.” Isn't that simple? Isn't that incredibly awesome? Isn't that so amazing?

But I want to tell you something. What I am sharing with you is the way He intended for normal Christianity. Anyone can go therein. This is how He said it, “Anyone who will can have this place in Me.” So, this is the criteria, not that you want, but rather that you will to have it. That means that you are going to submit your will to His. He will be the Divine Owner of your will from that point on. You will to yield up whatever you must yield up. When He starts requiring that deep rudiments of sin be turned over to Him, you are not going to balk. You are not going to get angry, offended, and turn away. You are not going to complain that it is just too much or too hard. You are not going to whine, “Why do you make it so hard, Lord?” You must put your will into the race now. You must will to have that life in Him.

To be continued next week…

In His love,
Nita Johnson