February 2024 – Sons of Issachar

313. The Eternal Record of Our Identity

Mike Parsons –

The dance floor is where we begin to take on the image of sonship
by engaging with the character, nature and essence of God.

On the dance floor we get to know Father, Son and Spirit intimately,
experiencing their fragrance, frequency, and unique characteristics. They are indeed all God, but they also display distinct qualities that create a personal and intimate connection. Through engaging with each of them, we become intertwined with their light in a beautiful, transforming dance.

[This is an excerpt from my book, Into the Dark Cloud. If you are looking for transformation in an intimate relationship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit, this book is for you.]

On the dance floor of our hearts, we can engage with the eternal record of our identity, the song of all songs. This record describes who we are in God’s eyes.

I find great joy and delight as the light of God surrounds me and initiates transformation. I am being transfigured and transformed by the light, which effectively brings my two human strands of DNA into alignment with my third light strand, the one that carries my eternal record. I am being conformed to the image of who I truly am, my new creation self, aligning with the characteristics of God.

Through engaging with the nine characteristics of God I become aligned with His image, and this alignment profoundly impacts and changes me.

We can be immersed in the depths of the Father, Son and Spirit, taking us to a whole different level of connection. We can be clothed with Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with the armour of light, of righteousness, and the whole armour of God. Such experiences help us become who we truly are in Him.

The dance floor is not a one-size-fits-all formula that guarantees specific experiences at certain times. Rather, it is a journey that continually unfolds according to the seasons and circumstances of our lives. Sometimes we instantly connect with a revelation or experience, while at other times it may be released to us gradually.

We cannot impose a fixed timeline or try to rationalise everything cognitively. It is better simply to receive and allow the experiences to unfold in their proper season. Even if we do not fully comprehend what is happening in the moment, we can trust that deeper levels of revelation and transformation will be made available to us as we progress.

Experiencing God’s presence is not limited to a specific set of actions, reactions or sensations. Whether we see, feel, or sense anything, our spirits will receive what God imparts to us.

Key takeaway

We can begin to take on the image of sonship as we engage with the character, nature and essence of God.

Mike’s latest book, Into the Dark Cloud is now out in print, and can be ordered from all good booksellers worldwide, and amazon. Or you can get the ebook delivered instantly right now!

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312. How We Are Wired To Restore Creation

Mike Parsons –

Our redemptive gift is the particular way we are wired that enables us to engage effectively in restoring creation. God intends us to be involved in that restoration as sons and co-creators with Jesus.

[I am reading from my book Into the Dark Cloud]

My redemptive gift is prophet/teacher. When I look at the world, I am looking to see how things work. In every situation I want to understand how it has come about and what has occurred. What can I learn? How can I explain that? What is behind that event?

As a child, I was always inquisitive and loved taking things apart to discover how they worked. Of course, at five or six years old, I couldn’t put most of them back together again. My mum was always pulling her hair out:

“You’ve broken it.”
“I wanted to see how it worked.”
“Well, now it doesn’t work at all!”

Later, when I discovered movies, I was always drawn to tales of quests and adventures of discovery, because that is how I am made.

Our redemptive gift shapes the way we see and interact with the world,
and therefore helps to determine the course of our lives. I may see things one way: someone else will experience the same situation or event and consider it through the lens of their own redemptive gift.

Jesus is the fullness of all the redemptive gifts, and we would all say we desire to become more Christ-like. In that case, we may sometimes feel limited or defined by our redemptive gift, but that is just our soul’s natural thinking.

As we become conformed to His image, we will demonstrate more of the gifts; but initially each of us has a primary and a secondary gift, shaping how we think, feel, and act by default. We did not have to learn it; it is just how we are. This gift is put into us at conception, into our soul. When Adam became a living being or a living soul, he was created with a redemptive gift.

All of us are creative in some way, whether we recognise it or not, since we are all made in God’s image. Some will express creativity in art, poetry or music, some in science, industry, commerce or other ways. That creativity within us derives from the image of God in us – but ultimately, He wants us to be doing the things that Jesus did (and greater ones).

Key takeaway

Jesus is the fullness of all the redemptive gifts; as we become increasingly conformed to His image, we will demonstrate more of the gifts.

Mike’s latest book, Into the Dark Cloud is now out in print, and can be ordered from all good booksellers worldwide, and amazon. Or you can get the ebook delivered instantly right now!

Thank you!

311. Death Has No Hold Over Me

Mike Parsons –

Through communion, death has no hold over me.
The wages of sin is death, and Jesus has already dealt with sin.
But if there are still remnants of death within me,
inherited through my generational lines and encoded in my DNA, they are still able to manifest.

I embrace the truth that Jesus is the living bread that came from heaven; by eating that bread, I will not die.

This is an excerpt from my latest book, Into the Dark Cloud. If you have ever wondered what Jesus meant when He said we could eat His flesh and not die, that is what I am writing about in this excerpt.

“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” (John 6:48-51).

Jesus really did say “and not die.”

There are people who have not died and are still alive, hundreds and hundreds of years old. They are often called hermits, or ancient ones, and they are somewhat changed by the process of living that long with God.

I do not intend to die either; therefore I want everything in me removed that could cause me to do so. I take communion so that there is no death operating in me. The plan of God is not for us to die and go to heaven; it is for us to have age-enduring life, living from the Kingdom of God within us.

If we have unknowingly made a covenant with death,
believing that we can only truly experience heaven after we die, let us break those agreements and mindsets. We can encounter God face to face, now, and become transformed into His likeness. The death and resurrection of Jesus have already overcome death, so we do not need to die. Jesus died our death on the cross, so that we would not have to. Now, all of us who believe in Him have the life of God at work within us.

We have spiritualised it to avoid believing it.

Not dying does not simply refer to life after physical death, but to a life that transcends death in this age and for all ages to come.

The resurrection changed everything. Jesus made it possible for all of us to have a relationship with God and experience exactly the same quality of life that He has.

Key takeaways

Jesus really did say “and not die.”
His resurrection changed everything.

Into the Dark Cloud is now out in print, and can be ordered from all good booksellers worldwide. Or you can get the ebook delivered instantly right now!

310. Embrace Vulnerability, Find Affirmation

Mike Parsons reading an excerpt from his latest book, Into the Dark Cloud, which is out today! Get it in print or as an ebook.
More info https://eg.freedomarc.org/books

We need a process of restoration, and only God can restore us. We can meet God as our Father. We can have encounters with Him, and He wants to meet us in that way. But let’s go beyond just seeing it as an exercise.

I encourage you to think about it ahead of time and give God the opportunity to show you if there are any areas that need resolution.

Are there any unmet needs within you?
Are you still seeking affirmation from others, because you have not fully received it from the Father?

We will run into trouble if we keep seeking approval from others because they will inevitably let us down. Nobody is perfect. And then we might feel betrayed, wounded, and hurt, causing us to build walls around us.

There were times when I could be surrounded by people, even in a small group, and still feel alone; I would have my barriers up, protecting myself from getting hurt. Despite being in the presence of others, I felt isolated. But when those barriers finally came down and my wounds from my father and from betrayal were healed, suddenly I was free to be myself. I no longer had to compare myself to anyone else. I could embrace vulnerability, be open, and freely share.

Now I know that other people’s opinions and judgments do not define me: it is what God says about me that matters. I know how deeply He loves me. I know the beautiful things He has spoken over my life and the revelations He has given me. That is how I measure my worth and purpose.

So, let others say whatever they want, positive or negative, neither have any effect on me. I have learned to forgive and release people, especially when they are acting hurtfully. My identity and confidence come solely from God, my Heavenly Father, who has lovingly shaped me into who I am today.

So here is what I urge you to do: allow God to uncover any unresolved areas in your life. Maybe there are still some lingering scars that need healing and restoration. God cares for you more than you care about yourself, more than anyone else could possibly care about you.

He also wants to help you and to fulfil every need you have. He put those needs for acceptance, approval, affirmation, and significance in you because He wants to meet them. So if you are trying to find fulfilment for them from your spouse, friends, children, or anyone else, they will never be able to give you what God can give you. If you are seeking fulfilment elsewhere, you are looking in the wrong place.

Let Him reveal who you truly are and show you where you came from. Let Him take you back to that wonderful place of security within His embrace, where you can truly shine and understand your purpose in life. But beware: do not rush into chasing your purpose without truly knowing who you are. Otherwise, you can easily fall into the trap of striving and trying to discover your purpose through endless activity.

These are deep questions we all face. Take some time to let these things sink in. Find somewhere quiet where you are or go for a walk if you prefer. Give yourself that space now to ask the important questions: is there anything still unresolved in my relationship with God as Father, or in my relationships with my earthly father or others?

Key Takeaway

Do not rush into chasing your purpose, without truly knowing who you are.

Into the Dark Cloud is out in print today, and can be ordered from all good booksellers worldwide. Or you can get the ebook delivered instantly right now!

309. Experience love – and be free!

Mike Parsons reads from his latest book, ‘Into the Dark Cloud’.

Engaging in love, joy and peace within the eternal heart of God has transformed my entire life. God has challenged my understanding of who He is, my mindset and my beliefs about Him. He has shown me love, love, and more love in ways I could never have imagined.

At this point, all I desire is a deep relationship with Him.
The way I look at and engage with the world has changed as a result of that.

I am beginning to experience what it means to live loved. It changes everything. Life takes on a whole new perspective: I do not feel obliged or bound by anything, I am free to be myself within the context of a loving relationship with my Father.

God is love, and He wants me to experience that love and be free within it.
Because of that, I can live a life filled with love and demonstrate that love to others. After all, “God so loved the world that He gave…” and Jesus told us to love one another just as He loved us.

In order to do that, we must be able to receive love ourselves. How can we love, if we have not received His love? It would be superficial, limited to a mere physical or emotional affection. But God desires to take us deeper into a love that surpasses that between friends, romantic partners or spouses,
into agape love, unconditional love. To love in such a way, we must first receive it ourselves. That is why God wants us to receive and experience His love.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).

This Word, Jesus, came to reveal love to us. In His earthly life He fully expressed the image of the Father. He even said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.”

So, what do we think God is like?
Do we see Him as being like Jesus?
Or as a distant figure from the Old Testament?

It can be confusing to have a divided perception of God, as if He were somehow two-faced, so that we could never be sure which face we would encounter. My view of God used to be more aligned with an old covenant perspective; but Jesus was awesome, so I focused mostly on Him.

But there is no difference between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in their nature of love. They are all expressions of love, and they want us to experience that love.

Into the Dark Cloud is out in print on 14th February, but you can get the ebook – suitable for kindle – delivered instantly today!

Key Takeaway

God is love, and He wants you to experience that love and be free within it.

308. Energy Systems Within Our Being

Mike Parsons

I wouldn’t want to deny the ‘righteous real’ of the energy gates within our being.

We have a blood system, a nervous system, a lymphatic system—systems that the body was created with, or has now, even if not in the original creation. I have no problem with there being an energy system, energy Gates within the core of our being—rivers of living water flowing from our innermost being. I’ve learned to activate those energy gates, and the abilities that God created us to have as sons of God, made in His image and likeness. So I have no issue with any of that. But it’s when it gets mixed with Eastern mythology and religion that the problem arises.

Of course, they believe in a kundalini spirit, a serpent-like energy that rests within the coils of the human spine and all of this stuff. They believe that through spiritual techniques, this energy stretches out and awakens to an awareness, leading to out-of-body experiences, physical sensations, hallucinations, and more. Some associate demonic oppression with the Kundalini, referring to it as a demonic entity linked to spiritual experiences. They criticise the charismatic movement for manifestations like holy laughter, drunkenness in the spirit, and being slain in the spirit, attributing these to the Kundalini Spirit. Others connect the Kundalini spirit with yoga, Eastern mysticism, Buddhist meditation, acupuncture, and similar practices.

While some of these things are neutral, I personally wouldn’t engage in practices like yoga or Eastern mysticism because I can engage with God without resorting to those methods. There’s a mixture of different views out there, some from Christians arguing against other Christians, warning about ‘new age’ practices. Just because these practices are associated with energy, chakras, or similar concepts doesn’t negate the possibility of a true reality, which is what I believe I’ve discovered.

God took me on a journey to understand that I am spirit, soul, and body—a unified being, whole. In my spirit, connected to heaven, flows the River of Life. At the core of my being, there’s an energy centre often described as the Merkabah, linking spirit, soul, body — and heaven. It’s a portal for travel and communication within me. I can be one with Heaven and Earth, and one with spirit, soul and body. Spirit, soul, and body are connected at the core of my being; the River of Life flows, energised through the Merkabah, focused into different energy gates.

I’ve activated these energy gates as needed—for creativity, discernment, and so on—learning to function in an energised state, doing what I see the Father doing. I don’t need more energy than necessary; I never run out because I have all I need for my designed purpose. I’ve lived through periods without needing food or sleep, drawing from a different energy source, but I also appreciate normal natural activities like eating and sleeping.

I live with a conscious awareness that I am energised and equipped for my calling. It’s become part of my unconscious, like breathing. However, the association of these concepts with Hinduism and other religions, and their terminology, can be a distraction. I don’t have a serpent or python spirit; I only have the Holy Spirit and my spirit working together. I’ve had out-of-body experiences, physical sensations, and visions, but not through Eastern practices. Some experiences, like laughter and drunkenness in the spirit, may be criticised and labelled as a Kundalini spirit, but I see them as positive, even if they never came close to what I now experience in encountering God face to face. They are no longer necessary as we grow in maturity.

God does such things to get our attention and draw us back to intimacy. Bob Jones prophesied about ‘Joel’s bartender’, emphasising the pouring out of the spirit to bring attention to intimacy.

We can live in a state of peace and rest, not needing external manifestations.

So, while I wouldn’t be afraid of it, I also wouldn’t choose to engage in Eastern mysticism, because I don’t need to. Instead, I believe in focusing on our relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit in intimacy.

Key takeaway

Don’t be fearful of Eastern mysticism, but you do not need to engage in it: focus on your relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit in intimacy.

307. God’s Unconditional Love For You

Mike Parsons reads from his latest book, ‘Into the Dark Cloud‘.

God knows everything there is to know about you, even many things you do not know about yourself, and He loves you. He loves you as much as He could possibly ever love anyone, and His love will never change. It is totally unconditional. There is nothing you can do (or not do) which will ever change His love for you.

Once we really accept the truth of that, it gives us the confidence and trust to be completely open with Him, not fearing that if we are honest with Him He will be angry or disappointed with us. He is always smiling upon us; His countenance is always fair towards us. He may be stern and fiercely opposed to whatever is robbing us, hindering us or putting stumbling blocks in our path, but never towards us.

He loves us, and when we really know His love it allows us to say: “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Put me on trial and see if there’s anything in me which is a hindrance and a stumbling block to me.” (see Psalm 139:23-24).

In the Mirror Bible it says this:

The message God spoke to us in Christ, is the most life giving and dynamic influence in us, cutting like a surgeon’s scalpel, sharper than a soldier’s sword, piercing to the deepest core of human conscience, to the dividing of soul and spirit; ending the dominance of the sense realm and its neutralizing effect upon the human spirit. In this way a person’s spirit is freed to become the ruling influence again in the thoughts and intentions of their heart. (Hebrews 4:12).

We want the living word to penetrate and impact us. When God speaks to us, He speaks life and truth: He opens up revelation to us. Before we can change the atmosphere around our life by flowing from the inside out, an inner transformation needs to take place. We want our spirit to be free to become ‘the ruling influence in the thoughts and intentions of our heart’, so that we are no longer ruled by our soul: the directive comes from the spirit and our soul is in complete agreement.

Our surrender, our yielding, invites and enables God’s action.

The whole time we are trying to do it ourselves, God is waiting for us to stop and give up.

In all we are embarking upon in this book, there may be points where we have to give up. When we have been used to fighting for things all our lives,
or been taught that we should always be actively trying to do something,
giving up is not always easy!

Into the Dark Cloud is out in print on 14th February, but you can get the ebook delivered instantly today!

Key Takeaway

Nothing you can do (or not do) will ever change His love for you.

306. Reflecting on My Journey with God

Mike Parsons

Reflecting on my personal journey, I found immense joy in being led by God rather than following a rigid set of practices. It wasn’t about ticking off tasks but allowing my senses to be trained, within the relationship I shared with God. If I were to offer advice, I would suggest a less systematic and more relational approach, emphasising the importance of being led, enjoying the journey, and avoiding unnecessary stress.

Our journey with God isn’t a duty; it’s a dynamic relationship. Whilst the Engaging God programme can be a useful guide, it’s showcasing possibilities rather than dictating a routine. I wouldn’t change my journey, as it uniquely unfolded based on my relational connection with God. However, I’ve added basic meditation and rest at the beginning of each day to enhance the experience of simply being, not doing.

It’s about enjoying the journey, and I encourage others to be led by what resonates with them rather than adhering strictly to a predetermined order. Following God’s guidance is paramount, since every individual is at a different stage in their journey. I stress the importance of being led to what personally resonates, acknowledging that everyone’s path is unique. One size definitely does not fit all, and that’s perfectly fine.

Key takeaway

Approaching the journey from a place of rest, enjoying the process rather than fixating on the destination, leads to the unfolding of identity and the revelation of destiny through a deep and relational connection with God.