Mike Parsons
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First love at the very centre
We are tripartite beings, made in the image of God to be in union with the Father, Son and Spirit. We have gateways that connect our spirit, soul and body, facilitating the flow of abundant life within us. Most of you will probably be familiar with the gateway diagram. Usually, it consists of four concentric circles, each one inside the other, representing body, soul, spirit and the glory of God— that place of first love at the very centre of our spirit.
Discernment is essential
The body is how we experience world consciousness. The gates of our body—our five physical senses—include the eye gate, nose gate, ear gate, mouth gate and feeling gate. These are designed to help us interact with the world, but not to interpret what we experience from the outside in, without spiritual discernment. If we rely solely on what we see, hear, smell, taste or touch, those things can deceive us if not interpreted correctly.
Our soul represents our self-consciousness, how we become aware of who we are. It too has functions that help with this self-awareness, but again, it’s not meant to function based only on external information or independently of revelation from our relationship with God. The soul gates include conscience, reason, imagination, mind (conscious, subconscious and unconscious), emotions, choice and will. If these operate independently, they can lead us to create an identity based on what we do and the programming we receive from the world.
The River of Life flows
Our spirit also has senses or gates that are meant to work together with the flow from that place of first love, where God’s glory dwells. This is where the River of Life and the life energy of the Spirit flows, to touch the soul and engage our whole being—so that we interpret the world only through the lens of the spirit. That was how Adam lived originally. He experienced the physical realm through the discernment of the spirit, because he was clothed with the spiritual glory of his identity in the union of relationship with God.
Now, instead of walking with God in a garden, we have His presence within. Our spirit is within our body, and our body relates to the world. This is the picture illustrated by the four concentric circles. We have spirit gates such as the communication gate, prayer gate, fear of God gate (which is not about being afraid, but about awe), intuition, revelation, worship, hope, faith and reverence. Each of these relates to a corresponding soul gate. For example, reverence and fear of God engage our conscience. Communication may flow through intuition or revelation. Worship helps us to engage with the world around us from a place of relationship with God, echoing how Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing.
Three spheres
So it is helpful, but that image doesn’t fully capture the reality. It’s more accurate to think of three spheres—spirit, soul and body—that overlap and connect. So rather than seeing these interactions as two-dimensional, we can see our spirit, soul and body as spheres in quantum entanglement—connected in such a way that our spirit can be anywhere and still instantly relate to our soul. There is a place – our innermost being – where all three are connected. That is our core, the centre of our being, where our union with the Father, Son and Spirit takes place.
This video and blog post are taken from Mike’s current teaching series, Restoring First Love. Get the full-length videos every month, ad-free and with many extras, only at eg.freedomarc.org/first-love
Only a trickle
At the core, in our spirit is the glory of God’s presence within the first love gateway. God dwells within everyone, but often that gateway is closed or restricted, with only a trickle of life flowing through—like the stream under the threshold in Ezekiel’s temple. But that flow can increase: ankle-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep—until it becomes an overwhelming flood. This is God’s desire: that we be saturated with His love and presence.
We have the choice to open that gate. It’s a daily decision. In my experience, this daily opening of the first love gate led me into deeper intimacy with God. Often, Father, Son or Spirit—or all three—would embrace me, and that hug would lead me further. The flow would often carry me into my soul.
I walked with Jesus
When I first started engaging with these gates, I walked with Jesus through each one, asking Him to help me understand how I function. We are all different, and the interaction between our gateways is unique. I learned why some of mine were blocked or inactive. For many, the first love gate may appear chained or overgrown, seemingly impossible to open. That image is often a projection of fear or trauma—a deception of the soul. But in truth, the handle is on our side. We can open it.
When opened, the first love gate releases an increasing flow of life—no longer a trickle, but a flood. Most of us have lived on a trickle for too long. This flood can energise us at the core of our being, through the energy gates and the merkabah, leading to a state of immortal life.
Mike’s latest book, Unconditional Love, is out now as an ebook on our website and is available to pre-order in paperback from your local or online bookseller.
More details at eg.freedomarc.org/books
Sons of Issachar 