Author: Freedom ARC

Freedom Apostolic Resource Centre, Barnstaple, UK.

405. Angels Explained | Embracing Our Royal Identity in God

Mike Parsons

Angels

Where you get the terminology often comes from how angels are described in Hebrew. They’re usually called angels, or they might be called seraphim or cherubim, but some of the others aren’t named—they’re just described as angels as a general term— but in reality, they are different orders of angels that people don’t commonly connect with. For instance, there are references to ophanim, chayoth, and others.

The Merkabah

There is an external perspective related to the Throne of God and the Merkabah (divine chariot); however, there’s also an internal aspect which operates within us. The Merkabah represents the core of our being and embodies God’s identity within us. It brings about the focus of spirit, soul and body in union with Father, Son, and Spirit at the core of who we are. And actually, it’s probably more important to grasp that than it is to understand the canopy of angels around the throne of God, the four living creatures and all of those fascinating things, mentioned in Revelation and elsewhere. There is a canopy of angels, and they do have functions, rising up from the throne of God all the way to some of the more unusual ones—the chayoth, which are living creatures that aren’t necessarily humanoid but are living nonetheless. It gets pretty weird. And some of it, does it really matter what all that is about?

God will give us insight when we need it, when we encounter it. Do we need to understand it all? When I first started hearing about the canopy of angels, the ten thousand times ten thousand angels, the myriad of angels, I thought, “What are they all about?” It seemed overwhelming—like, whoa, this is a little more than I can take in. And actually, that’s what God is like in his majesty, the throne of God, and all of that—it’s supposed to be awesome. It’s supposed to be somewhat of a mystery. It’s meant to inspire awe at the amazing things around the throne of God. But it’s also meant to help us engage with the angelic realm ourselves, in our own sonship. When I get to the throne of God, I just want to fall on my face. I want to honour him, to be in awe of him, to totally yield and surrender.

Order of Melchizedek

There are so many different levels of revelation towards each one. Take the four living creatures, for example. They’re connected with what Ezekiel describes as a four-headed being with the cherubic nature of man—reflecting the four living creatures, which, in turn, reflect the order of Melchizedek.

Now, do I literally have the head of an ox, an eagle, and a man? No, I don’t. I have the face of a man. But do I have a cherubic nature, which is how God designed us to function in the order of Melchizedek as a priest, king, oracle and legislator? Yes. There are aspects of who I am that are eagle-like, figuratively speaking. I don’t soar around in the sky, but I carry legislative, governmental authority in terms of my identity. I am an oracle, so I have characteristics of the ox, reflected in being a voice of God—speaking his oracles from his heart. There’s the king, the government, and the priest. So, my nature as a royal priest and an oracle and a legislator is connected to the four living creatures, the cherubic nature, and the cherubim themselves, which carry those characteristics.

I don’t totally need to understand all the symbolism, because some of it is quite weird. I embrace it as part of my identity within the order of Melchizedek. I’ve engaged with the four faces of God, stood in each face, and stood within the name of God. That represents my authority and power of attorney—to use my identity as a son to speak his heart, his intentions, and his purposes, creating reality around my life.

I sort of understand how it relates to those aspects. But do we really need to fully understand how it all relates to the throne of God and the glory and majesty of God? No, because that’s supposed to be an awe-inspiring mystery.

In relation to our sonship

What’s important is how we engage with the angelic realm and the canopy of angels in relation to our sonship. I’ve engaged with the different angelic canopies to see if there was something I need to know to help me in my sonship. That’s how I relate to the angelic canopy—not in terms of their function for God, but their function for me.

If I’m seated on a throne, as we all are in heavenly places, then that canopy comes around me when I’m in that position of identity. They’re designed to help me in my sonship identity, in ruling and reigning from that position. So I engaged with the different angelic beings, to see if there was anything I need to know to help me in my sonship. I have also engaged with the court of angels, participating and sharing there. That drew angels to support, encourage and help, because ‘they are ministering spirits for those who are inheritors of salvation’.

Do I understand all the terminology and functions associated with God’s throne and glory? No, but I do have some insight into how they relate to us, our throne, our position of authority, and our identity. Our glory is our identity, and creation itself will one day be liberated into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. This refers to us, living fully in our identity as sons and daughters of God. There are aspects of these heavenly realities that help us grow into that identity.

Names and functions

Do angelic beings have multiple functions and titles? Perhaps. Some people may relate to them in different ways or use varying names depending on their functions. This is likely where some confusion arises. For instance, who are the twelve ambassadors of the ages? What order of angels are they from, or are they from separate orders? Who are the court of judges or the 24 elders? There are so many questions one could ask that it might seem overwhelming, as though a great deal of knowledge is required. However, I don’t believe such knowledge is essential for day-to-day life. There’s certainly more to discover, but people often describe these realities differently based on their own experiences and where they are in their journey. Just because someone describes it differently doesn’t mean their perspective is definitive or universal—it simply reflects their personal engagement.

For example, have I engaged with cherubim? Yes. Seraphim? Yes. Ophanim, Elohim, and Ben Elohim? To some degree, yes. Each of these has different names in different positions, or functions, and their roles vary. Take the twelve chancellors, for instance—some refer to them as high chancellors, as there are many other chancellors, and we can also function as chancellors ourselves. Wisdom once gave me a seal and staff representing a chancellor’s authority, and I’ve engaged the Chancellors’ Court. I’ve functioned at the bench there to facilitate scrolls and mandates being released and accepted, and other heavenly matters. That said, I’m not someone who pays much attention to details, so I couldn’t describe exactly what the others looked like. My focus was more on their functions and what I could learn to do in cooperation with them. For all I know, each chancellor could be from a different order of angels, and my interactions with them might differ in another type of experience.

Not for intellectual curiosity

It’s not set in stone, a fixed or rigid concept—it’s a dynamic, fluid reality in the heavenly realms. Their roles might vary depending on the situation. For example, the angel who sits behind my throne—though I suspect it might be one of the Ben Elohim—I don’t know for certain, and I haven’t been especially curious to find out. The point is not to engage with these realities for intellectual curiosity or the sake of knowledge but to discern how they relate to our journey, so we can cooperate with them as they help us grow into greater maturity. That’s how I approach these things. They’re about my growth and ascension into deeper levels of maturity, not about creating rigid definitions that apply to everyone universally.

My engagement with cherubim or seraphim has been deeply personal. I’ve encountered seraphim when I was on the altar. I’ve also engaged the seven spirits of God. Are they separate beings? From my perspective, they are. They seem entirely distinct from any other heavenly beings I’ve encountered. To me, they are seven created beings that reflect the fullness of God’s Spirit. Some people might argue they are simply aspects of one Spirit, and while they may reflect aspects of the Spirit, when I engaged them, they were individual personalities—beings embodying specific aspects like wisdom, knowledge, understanding… all seven.

The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord, for example, engaged with my scroll and led me to the Judgment Seat. Each spirit revealed an aspect of my growth in sonship, guiding me in my journey. For me, these encounters aren’t about intellectual pursuits or acquiring knowledge but about learning to cooperate with these heavenly beings in my journey toward maturity.

I agree—it can be confusing to try to understand all the different names, titles and roles of these beings, especially if we attempt to fit them into a fixed, rigid framework—I don’t believe they’re meant to be understood in that way.

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404. Framing Hell in a New Light

Mike Parsons

 

That’s what happened with me. My eschatology got deconstructed, and then the same verses led me to a view where hell doesn’t exist in the form I thought it did. In fact, hell doesn’t exist at all, because it’s not even in the Bible. But it does talk about Gehenna, it does talk about Hades, it does talk about Sheol—the grave. So, it talks about those things, but it also talks about them in a restorative way, not in a punishment way.

I know it’s hard because I’ve been through it. But I’ve been through it, and I’ve continued the process of realising that a lot of what I was taught was referring to the period of transition—out of the old and into the new—until the end finally came. And that is the end. No prophecy came after that. It was all fulfilled.

Jesus actually said that. He said, “Unless this comes to an end,” and, “Unless every ‘i’ is dotted and every ‘t’ is crossed,” and all that, you know—then the end won’t come. Well, the end did come. So that is the end: all things were fulfilled. It says in Luke that all things were fulfilled; every prophetic statement was fulfilled. All the promises of God were fulfilled in Jesus. It says in Corinthians, all the covenants were therefore fulfilled, because covenants are promises. So, they all got fulfilled. And I think that draws a line under it.

So, let’s listen to God and Jesus and the Spirit every day, because they’re speaking to us—not through a book, but in an inner, small voice as they dwell in us. There are a lot of people who aren’t listening to that voice, and a lot of people, obviously, who don’t even know that voice exists in them yet. But God is not going to stop until they do, in revealing the truth of their inclusion in Christ, their reconciliation in Christ, and their forgiveness through what Jesus did on the cross—which is an amazing, good-news testimony that the world needs to hear. But, “They’re all going to be cast into hell if they don’t accept Jesus”—that’s not a good-news testimony. No, that’s bad news. Let’s give good news!

And I think the world will begin to find God—who is a God of love and who loves them too much to let them be lost eternally for punishment. He loves them too much for that. He loves them, and according to Ephesians 1:4 he’s already made sure—predestined them to become restored to face-to-face intimacy. It’s predestined, even before the foundation of the world, that everyone would eventually be restored. People can resist that restoration. But people cannot resist God’s love forever.

I don’t believe God’s love will ever fail. It will never stop until everyone is fully restored back into relationship with him. Because he loves us.

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403. So you think the ‘Word of God’ is the Bible? Think again!

Mike Parsons

The Bible, the Word of God?

I couldn’t move beyond, as long as I was restricted by my mindset and belief system, which was deeply rooted in evangelicalism. For years, I held the absurd notion that certain Bible verses referred to the Bible itself as the “Word of God.” But none of those verses mean the Bible, even though my deceptive sola scriptura programming led me to believe they did. I read the text and interpreted it in the way I had always been taught.

The Bible is a collection of writings, compiled over centuries, that wasn’t formally assembled until around AD 385. It couldn’t possibly refer to itself as the “Word of God” because it didn’t exist in its current form. Those who wrote its books had no idea they would one day be gathered into a single volume called The Holy Bible. That title was given by man—not by the Bible itself, and certainly not by God.

Misunderstood verses

Here are some examples of verses I misunderstood because of my conditioning:

Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” I immediately assumed ‘word’ referred to the Bible.

Ephesians 5:26: “That He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.” Again, I thought ‘word’ meant the Bible—it doesn’t.

Ephesians 6:17: “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” I thought of the Bible as the ‘sword of the Spirit.’ But in reality, Jesus is the Word of God, and the words He speaks are the Word of God. This verse doesn’t refer to the Bible. My children even played a computer game where you would ‘draw your sword,’ which was portrayed as the Bible. You’d take it out from under your arm and use it as the ‘Sword of the Spirit.’ That just reinforced the idea that the Bible itself was the weapon, which was completely inaccurate.

1 Timothy 4:5: “For it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.” To an evangelical, as soon as ‘word of God’ and ‘prayer’ are mentioned in the same sentence, it automatically means the Bible and prayer—because that’s what we were taught.

2 Timothy 2:15: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” Again, I was conditioned to interpret ‘word of truth’ as the Bible. In the King James Version, it even says ‘study to show thyself approved,’ which led to the belief that studying the Bible was what made you acceptable to God. But that’s not what it means at all.

We need to embrace a deeper understanding. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and they follow Me.” He didn’t say, “By reading the words in the Bible.” It’s about hearing His voice and following Him. Of course, some of the words Jesus spoke might speak to us today, but not all of them were meant for us. Many were directed to the people He was speaking to at the time.

Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit.” I thought this meant I had to use the Bible to separate my soul and spirit. When I heard teachings about soul and spirit separation, I believed this was something I had to do. Thankfully, God had a completely different way. Jesus, as the living and active Word of God, was able to separate my soul and spirit and reintegrate me into wholeness.

2 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with unveiled faces, look as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” When I read this, I had no idea it meant I could look into God’s face and see Him directly—face to face—and be transformed by the image reflected back to me. I thought it meant looking into the Bible and trying to identify the image of God in it so I could imitate it. I was so caught up in this evangelical belief system.

Hebrews 6:5: “And have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come.” Again, I interpreted ‘word of God’ as the Bible. But I don’t see it that way now.

1 Peter 1:23: “You have been born again, not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” Once more, I could only see this as referring to the Bible, rather than to Jesus—the living and enduring Word of God in me, bringing life.

1 John 2:14 says, “I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God remains in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”

When preaching on this, I would have said something like, “You need the Word of God! You need to feed on the Bible! You need to read it daily so that it’s in you, and then you’ll overcome the evil one and grow strong.” But the reality is that the ‘Word of God’ in this verse refers to Jesus, who is in us. He has already overcome the evil one, and we overcome through Him. At the time, I would have thought John’s letters—now included in the Bible—were the key to their strength. However, their strength came not from intellectual knowledge, but from their personal, experiential knowledge of Him.

Titus 2:5, which instructs women “to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, and subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonoured,” was another verse I misunderstood. I was taught this meant wives needed to submit to their husbands to avoid bringing dishonour to the Bible. But let’s set the record straight. This isn’t about women submitting to their husbands in some rigid hierarchy. Instead, it’s about being in a mutually respectful and loving relationship. It’s about mutual submission in the context of Christ’s example. The focus is on living in a way that honours God, not enforcing roles for the sake of protecting a book. Jesus is the Living Word of God, and He calls us into relationship with Him.

When we talk about the ‘Word of God,’ it’s essential to recognise that this primarily refers to Jesus, not the Bible. God’s words, whether spoken directly to us today or recorded in Scripture, can be meaningful. But the emphasis must remain on Jesus, the Living Word, who is still speaking and guiding us. He wants us to hear His voice and follow Him.

All God-breathed writings

Now, let’s address 2 Timothy 3:16, a verse often quoted in evangelical circles: “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness.” This verse is frequently used to argue that the entire Bible is inspired, infallible, and inerrant. However, there are several issues with how this verse is traditionally interpreted.

First, the word ‘all’ doesn’t mean everything indiscriminately. Second, the term ‘scripture’ is often mistranslated with a capital ‘S,’ implying it refers to the entire Bible. The original text doesn’t imply this. In fact, when this was written, the Bible as we know it didn’t even exist—it wouldn’t be compiled for another 300 years.

Let me read this verse from Young’s Literal Translation, which translates it as: “Every writing God-breathed is profitable for teaching, for conviction, for setting aright, for instruction that is in righteousness.” Notice the difference? It says every God-breathed writing is useful—not that every part of the Bible is God-breathed, nor that it refers specifically to the Bible at all.

This means that writings inspired by God—whether ancient or modern—are profitable and beneficial. God is still breathing inspiration into people today, and those writings can be just as useful for teaching, guidance and correction as any ancient text. This isn’t about elevating the Bible to an infallible status but recognising the broader scope of God’s inspiration.

God is still breathing inspiration into people today, and those writings can be just as useful for teaching, guidance and correction as any ancient text.

Unfortunately, I was conditioned to believe that this verse proved the Bible was infallible, inerrant and the ultimate authority. The evangelical mantra reinforced this: “The Bible is inerrant, infallible, and inspired.” But when you take a closer look, 2 Timothy 3:16 doesn’t say anything about the Bible being inerrant or infallible. It simply states that inspired writings—those breathed by God—are beneficial.

We must break free from the deception of assuming these verses mean something they don’t. God is still speaking today, and the Living Word—Jesus—continues to guide and transform us through His voice and presence.

This video blog is an excerpt from Mike's current teaching series, Restoring First Love. Get the full length videos every month, only at eg.freedomarc.org/first-love

Activation

So let’s take a few minutes to engage with God, with unconditional love.

Close your eyes,
begin to still your heart,
and still your mind.

Start to slow down your breathing.

Focus your thinking on God.
Focus your thinking on engaging unconditional love.

Breathe in deeply.
And as you breathe in,
you are breathing in
the unconditional love of the Father for you
as his child.

Wait in that place.
Be still.
Let the love of God,
that unconditional love,
rest on you.

Let Him reveal Himself
as pure, unconditional love.

Perhaps now,
you want to ask Jesus, as the Truth,
to speak something specific to you?

“You have heard it said,
But I say unto you.”
Maybe some belief system,
maybe the way you’ve looked at God,
maybe the way you have been programmed
with religious thinking, 
some mindset or belief system.

Open up your heart.
Ask Jesus, as the Truth,
the Living, Active Word of God,
to show you something
where is He saying,
“You’ve heard it said, you believe this
but I am saying unto you… this.”

Listen to His voice,
revealing something at this moment
that will bring truth to you.
Just let that frequency of his voice engage you.

Related posts by Mike Parsons

402. Check it Out with the Father!

Mike Parsons

 

Be open to shifting

If you have a particular mandate and you’re with a group of people who don’t understand it and are almost hindering it, there might be others who could join you and enhance that mandate. That’s when we’ve really got to be open to shifting—and not get stuck. We shouldn’t feel obliged to stay in a situation even if others might not understand why we’re moving on. That’s their issue, not ours.

We should definitely be open to new relationships and to discovering others who are on the same path. At the same time, I can have relationships with people at a certain level without needing to be on the same page with them in terms of what they’re doing. That’s true of the people I’m in relationship with. I rejoice in what they’re doing—it’s great—but I don’t feel any desire to do it myself, and I’d never feel pressured into it.

Seemed like a good idea

For example, late last year, we were discussing doing a Restoration of All Things 4 conference. I got swept along with the idea because I have a desire for the restoration of all things. But then I realised I had no energy for it—not even the desire to think about it. When I talked to the Father about it, He said, “Well, you didn’t even really check it out with Me, did you?” And I had to admit, no, I hadn’t. I’d just gone along with it because it seemed like a good idea. But when it came down to it, I realised I had no energy for it at all.

So, I had to say to the others, “Look, I really don’t feel like I want to be involved in doing that.” They said, “Well, we don’t want to do it without you,” and I told them, “That’s fine, but I just don’t feel it’s for me.” So, we decided to shelve that and started talking about things we were all passionate about. As we discussed, we all felt a real energy and connection with something else entirely. When we checked with the Father, we all agreed this was where He was leading us. It was the same group of people, but this time there was energy in it because we really felt it was the Father’s heart.

Life & Immortality

Looking back, I think the original idea felt more like something we ought to do, rather than something we had a deep desire and passion for. It’s okay to be upfront and honest about that. I did feel a bit guilty for saying yes to something that I later realised I wasn’t passionate about, but I had to own up to it. If the others had decided to carry on with the original idea, I would have fully supported them. I would have said, “That’s great—anything I can do to help behind the scenes, let me know.” But I wouldn’t have gone to speak at it because I just didn’t feel I had anything to say.

It’s not that I couldn’t have spoken on the subject—I could have—but there wasn’t any energy for it in me. However, when the right subject came along, it was a completely different story. My heart was fully in it, and I knew I wanted to share around that topic. That’s what we’re going to do!

[Note: this was the Life & Immortality conference with Justin Paul Abraham and others, held in November 2024 – click the image below for details of the audio recordings available from Company of Burning Hearts]

Relationships are important

Even if the others had decided to continue with the original idea, I would have stayed relationally connected to them because relationships are important to me. But I don’t think relationships can ever be used to manipulate someone into doing something. In this case, they weren’t doing that—I was the one who hadn’t taken enough time to reflect and check with the Father. I should have stepped back and thought it through rather than just jumping in. They did nothing wrong, but my response wasn’t the right one initially.

It’s always important to know if the Father is leading you into something. When I reflected, I realised He wasn’t. I should have been more open to that from the beginning. We should never feel obliged to do something just because others ask us or think we should. As soon as we’re doing something out of duty or obligation, we lose the passion for it.

If you enjoy these videos, please take a moment to like, comment, and subscribe—it really does help. Thank you very much.

401. Cardiognosis: Expanding Your Heart

Mike Parsons

A deeper knowing

I think cardiognosis is often perceived as being connected to the Father’s heart and, therefore, the knowledge of his heart. That is true, and a heart-to-heart relationship with him will give us an unfolding knowledge of his heart. However, it’s not necessarily a cognitive process where he tells us things directly. Rather, it’s about knowing—a deeper knowing.

To truly feel the heart of God, our own hearts must expand. We cannot contain the fullness of God’s heart if our own is fractured, damaged or broken. Wholeness is essential. Beyond that, our hearts must grow in their capacity for compassion and love as we grow and mature. This level of love requires an expansion of our heart.

We also have a choice—we can open our hearts towards certain things, or we can close them. To open our hearts means giving access to those things God is working with or for. When we feel his heart, God desires that we respond out of his heart, motivated by his compassion, rather than out of duty or obligation. It’s not about thinking, “Oh, God has shown me something, so I suppose I’d better do this.” Instead, it’s about being moved by his desire and compassion as we come to know and discern his heart. This process is an intimate cardiognosis—a heart-to-heart revelation.

Engage with creation

We can also open our hearts towards other things. For example, there have been times when I’ve engaged with creation, and my heart has expanded. I’ve felt the sadness, loneliness and disconnect of creation, which stirred a deeper desire for its restoration and freedom. Engaging with a situation in such a way allows our hearts to expand and to develop a greater love, compassion and connection than we might have experienced before.

As we operate in sonship and the desires that come with it, we begin to see, feel and sense things differently. This awareness prevents us from becoming oblivious to what’s happening around us. Instead, we engage it. I can reach out to creation and engage in cardiognosis with it. I can open my heart to feel what creation is experiencing.

Similarly, I can open my heart towards others. When I speak at conferences, I choose to open my heart and spirit to the people there. I surround the space—wherever it might be—with my spirit to create a safe environment where people could engage with me. In doing so, I become more aware of their needs and am drawn to speak about what is most relevant to them.

In the past, I engaged my spirit to create a safe place, but I’ve since learned to engage my heart as well. It’s not just about creating a safe space but about making it a place of real connection. This requires a willingness to feel.

Open our hearts to experience

Years ago, empathy was often encouraged. Some would intercede for others by empathising with their pain, sometimes expressing this through wailing or outward emotional displays. I don’t think that is really what it is talking about. It is not about feeling someone’s pain and becoming emotionally broken. Instead, I would focus on relating to where someone is and being motivated to engage with them for their good, rather than simply sympathise with them. Some of what I saw in intercession didn’t sit well with me. Perhaps it’s because I’m not mercy-gift oriented, but I felt that all they were doing was wailing without actually achieving anything. Did it achieve anything? Maybe it did. But it didn’t feel like where I was, and I certainly didn’t respond in that way very often.

But I do feel I can choose to open my heart. I can choose to engage my heart and my emotions to feel and sense and be more connected to a
person, or a situation, or creation itself; and this is what I believe cardiognosis to be. It’s not about intellectual knowledge but experiential knowledge—knowing through experience. If we don’t open our hearts to experience something, we won’t truly know it; we’ll only have information about it. True knowledge comes through personal testimony and encounter, not just information.

Engaging heart-to-heart

I believe God calls us to be holistically involved in situations. Sometimes, even our physical bodies can react or sense the dynamics of a situation. It’s about engaging with the whole of who we are—spirit, soul and body. In the past, I relied more on engaging with my spirit because I was more comfortable with that. Over time, however, I’ve allowed my emotions and heart to become more involved, engaging heart-to-heart in a way I hadn’t before.

This change has come as I’ve connected more deeply with the heart of God. That connection inspires and moves me in a way it never did before. I believe this is part of growing in true knowledge.

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400. Living in Union with God: Embracing Our Original Design

Mike Parsons

God wants to take it deeper

As individuals and as humanity as a whole, all we, like sheep, have gone astray, following our own path of independence. But God proactively came to seek and save that which was lost. The Good Shepherd sought out the lost sheep—and still does. He is continually seeking those who are living in lost identity. And a lot of Christians are still living in lost identity, even though they have a relationship with God at a certain level. Whatever level of relationship we have, God wants to take it deeper. He doesn’t want us to remain in the same place.

Mankind may have turned away from God to live in that lost identity and independence, but God never turned away from us. God, as Father, has always seen us as His children through the lens of love. He has always desired that we all return to our first love—our origin. This is the key, and there are a number of Bible verses that speak about this love and its depth. , For example,

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, neither things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing [including ourselves] will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

That’s quite a statement, but it’s based in God and not in us. It’s not based on our ability to maintain a certain standard. It’s purely a statement of God’s grace, mercy and love. The Mirror Bible puts it like this:

This is my conviction: no threat—whether it be in death or life, be it angelic beings, demon powers, or political principalities, nothing known to us at this time or even in the unknown future, no dimension of any calculation in time or space, nor any device yet to be invented—has what it takes to separate us from the love of God demonstrated in Christ Jesus, our ultimate authority (Romans 8:38-39 Mirror).

Relationship

When we go back through Romans 8, we see there are a number of things that lead up to that passage which are talking about our relationship with God. Romans 8:14 says:

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons and daughters of God.

As we come into union with Him, joined to God—not separated from Him in our own understanding—we become one spirit with Him. This union enables our spirit to mature, to grow, and to develop into who we were always intended to be. It helps us discover who we were before we came here.

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again… (Romans 8:15a).

Yet how many people became Christians and, through the church or religion, ended up back in fear—living in works of appeasement to an angry God? But God is a loving Father. He wants us to know the truth: we are sons and daughters.

… but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters, by which we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ (Romans 8:15b).

This was impossible under the old covenant. Crying out “Abba, Father” is a new covenant reality. Jesus came to reveal His relationship with His Father so that it could become our relationship with our Father too.

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16).

This is what happens in this union: the Spirit testifies to our innermost being, confirming that we are children of God. Not only that, but we always have been; we always will be—we will never, ever not be children of God.

And if children, heirs also—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:17).

Now, this is where the way this is written may challenge some people because it uses the word ‘if.’ However, this ‘if’ is not conditional, as though we need to do something to make it happen. Instead, it is a declarative statement, affirming that something has already taken place: because we are children, we are heirs. Heirs of what? Heirs of God Himself and fellow heirs, co-heirs with Christ in the whole of creation. And “if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him,” is not suggesting that we must endure suffering to earn glory. Instead, it means that we identify with His sufferings because He went through them for us. We don’t have to go through it, other than by identifying with Him.

We originate in God

So if we go back again and read those verses in the Mirror Bible:

The original life of the Father revealed in His Son is the life the Spirit now conducts within us.

So the spirit is now looking, with the Father and the Son, to reveal our original origin and identity, the original life that He intended us to
have as children of God in relationship.

Slavery is such a poor substitute for sonship. They are opposites. The one leads forcibly through fear, while sonship responds fondly to Abba, Father.

This is what God desires: for us to engage with Him as Abba, Father, Daddy, without fear—resting instead in wonderful peace and intimacy.

Verse 16:
His Spirit resonates within our spirit to confirm the fact that we originate in God.

Through this process, God is showing us our origin—who we really are, from the beginning, so that who we are now will be in alignment with who we were in the beginning, not as a product of our lives up to this point.

Because we are His offspring, we qualify to be heirs. This isn’t something we earn—it’s purely by grace. God Himself is our portion. We co-inherit with Christ, since we were represented and included in His suffering. This is very different than us going through suffering. We were already included in His suffering, and we equally participate in the glory of His resurrection. This isn’t something that happens in ‘Glory’ (as they used to call heaven); this is something that can happen now—because as He has been resurrected, so also we died with Him and we are now alive with Him, to fully embrace the glory of that resurrection power that reveals who we really are. You could say that ‘who we really are’ is our glory. It is our true identity, the clothing of that glorious nature we have as children of God.

This video blog is an excerpt from Mike's current teaching series, Restoring First Love. Get the full length videos every month, only at eg.freedomarc.org/first-love

Activation

Close your eyes,
come to a place of rest.
Begin to think of living loved,
being loved in that first love way.

Again, start to focus your breathing,
just begin to slow down, relax,
focus your thinking as you
breathe slowly,
and breathe deeply,
thinking about God,
who is love,
who loves you.

As you breathe in slowly,
you breathe in that unconditional love of the Father.
You’re breathing it into your very being.
Every breath that you take
is a life-giving force of energy,
of love.

That unconditional love,
as you breathe it in,
flows through your being.
Start to feel it flowing through you.
Breathe deeply.
Be still,
as God releases that love
in you,
on you,
through you.

You are cocooned in unconditional love,
filled to overflowing.
Unconditional love flowing through you
as God demonstrates to you how much He loves you,
how valuable you are to Him.

You are the apple of His eye,
the treasure of His heart,
the object of His desire.
He calls you into union and oneness.
He’s calling you
into this union of relationship.
Be filled with love.

Stay in that place of intimacy and love.
Just embrace it.

The music in this activation is by Samuel Lane. 
Stream or download more of his soundscapes at linktr.ee/SMLMusic

399. Become Acquainted With Perfection

Mike Parsons

Acquainted with perfection

Become acquainted with perfection. To accommodate yourself to the delight and good pleasure of him will transform your thoughts afresh from within (Romans 12:2 Mirror Bible).

“Become acquainted with perfection…”
That can be challenging for many, as they struggle to see themselves as perfect. This is often because they view themselves through the lens of their present circumstances rather than seeing themselves as God sees them—as who He created them to be.

When we accommodate ourselves to his delight and good pleasure, it transforms our thoughts from within. By agreeing with who he made us to be and with who he is, our thinking is renewed. This transformation is not by an external but an internal process, where we embrace the life of God in us.

The word for transformation—also translated as transfiguration or metamorphosis—comes from the Greek word metamorphoō. It combines meta, meaning “change after being with,” and morphoō, meaning “changing form in alignment with inner reality.” True transformation happens after being with Him, as we are changed to reflect our authentic selves.

It’s important to realise that we don’t need to change ourselves through our own efforts. Instead, it’s intimacy with him that brings about change. This change flows from our inner reality—who we are, our true nature, our scroll, and our authentic real self. This is what will bring about the external transformation: realising that inner scroll of who we were made to be.

Jesus demonstrated this transformation in the Transfiguration.

And six days later Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them (Mark 9:2-3).

This wasn’t about his physical garments; it was a revelation of his true nature as a spiritual light being. There aren’t any particularly high mountains in or around Jerusalem, so this could signify the heavenly Mount Zion that Jesus was introducing them to. Jesus was showing them who he really was. The word transfigured here is the same as transformed—metamorphoō. He gave them a glimpse of his true glorious identity, his true majesty in light. Seeing Jesus as he truly is also helps us see ourselves as we truly are—as sons of God. If we are willing to embrace this metamorphosis from lies to truth, we’ll understand that we’re not meant to remain earthbound caterpillars. We’re meant to be like butterflies—able to soar in the heavens and live in both realms (a butterfly can both land and fly). We are destined to live in a totally different dynamic, a spiritual dynamic that goes with the physical. Jesus demonstrated this reality to show us what is possible.

After being with God in an intimate, face-to-face relationship, we are transformed. And it is face to face: we are not going there hiding, walking backwards or afraid to face him. [Now, I was afraid to face him, and literally I couldn’t face him until I had gone through my Dark Cloud experience; but I did engage him in a relationship that brought about transformation.]

This relationship brings about inner change, aligning us with our true origin and who we are at our core. The third strand of our DNA reflects this inner reality, and when it comes into alignment, we are transformed through encounters with God.

This video blog is an excerpt from Mike's current teaching series, Restoring First Love. Get the full length videos every month, only at eg.freedomarc.org/first-love

Agreeing with God’s mind

Agreeing with God’s mind (metanoia) brings transformation through the renewing of our minds. This renewal allows us to know our true origin, aligning us with it. We are made in the image and likeness of God, which means we are designed and created to be Godlike—that is our true identity. Renewing our minds is key to transformation so that how we think about ourselves aligns with how God thinks about us.

The Greek word for renewing is anakinosis. Ana means “up” or “completing a process,” and it intensifies kainos, which means “make fresh and new.” Properly understood, this renewal refers to a new development—a transformation achieved by God’s power, not by our own efforts. It is not by self-help, self-improvement, or a makeover. Instead, it is allowing him to transform us through encounters that renew our minds.

But we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).

This means we don’t need to approach God with a covering—whether that covering is self-righteousness, offerings, or sacrifices. We come with unveiled faces, without fear, doubt, or unbelief. We can go and engage God as he is. When we look at the essence and character of God, we are being transformed into the image of what we are looking at. We look into the mirror of his face and look into his glory, so that we can see our glory reflected back. Through this, we are transformed from glory to glory and embrace who we really are.

This process happens gradually because if God showed us the full truth of who we are all at once, we wouldn’t be able to handle it. It would overwhelm us. So, he reveals it bit by bit, glory to glory.

To experience this transformation, we need face-to-face encounters with God. When we look into the mirror of his face, we see our reflection in his love. During these encounters, relax—don’t get tense or try to make something happen. Just allow God to do whatever he wants to do. Whether you feel it or not, God loves you and wants you to know that love. He wants you to know it in relation to who you truly are.

Face to Face with God (Activation)

I’d encourage you to begin now to relax as we enter into a short activation. Close your eyes and slow down your breathing. Start to focus on your breathing. Let it slow down. Begin thinking about God as love. Focus your thoughts on him loving you, wanting to show you his love.

Start breathing deeply. As you breathe in, know that you are breathing in the unconditional love of the Father. Breathe in, and breathe out slowly and deliberately. Consciously engage with what you are breathing—you are breathing in his essence, his love.

As you breathe in this unconditional love of God, feel it flowing through you, touching your innermost being. It moves in and around you, creating an atmosphere of rest. Rest in his love. Rest in his work. Rest in what he has done and in who he made you to be.

You are in a safe place—this is a safe place. In that safety, you have the choice to step out of the boat, to abandon yourself, sinking into the vast ocean of his unconditional love. He is there. Sink deeper, and deeper, and deeper.

As you sink deeper into his love, the Father longs to meet you. He wants to embrace you. Fix your thoughts on the Father’s embrace, on meeting him face to face, even in the depths of his love. The Father will draw near to you. You may sense it, feel it, or see it. He wants to hold you, to breathe his life into you so you can receive his living words, his living breath. He desires to be face to face with you in the intimacy of this wonderful relationship. You are safe in the Father’s arms of love. Secure. No fear. Perfect love casts out all fear.

As you are embraced within the depths of his love, listen. The Father may communicate his thoughts to you—those wonderful thoughts he has for you, his original desire for you. Allow yourself to be entwined with him, with the Father, in love.

Activation music is by SML Music

398. Embrace Transformation and Renewal

Mike Parsons

Twelve High Chancellors’ houses

On my fourth engagement with the fire stones, I engaged with Wisdom regarding my sonship, identity and governmental authority. Wisdom began taking me on a journey, revealing deeper aspects of sonship. This relationship with Wisdom prepared me to go deeper with the Father.

Wisdom gave me a staff and a seal on a chain, placing it around my neck. These symbols of authority granted me access to the Twelve High Chancellors’ houses. I didn’t even know about these houses until Wisdom brought me there. Because of the seal and staff, I was recognised as having authority to enter. The staff also gave me access to Satan’s trophy room through a fiery door on Wisdom’s Heights, where I discovered my lost heritage and identity, as well as mantles and scrolls stolen by the enemy through deception, guilt, condemnation and shame. These weren’t just my scrolls; they belonged to many others. We can claim these back and have them restored.

Eventually, this led me into the consuming fire of God’s love, where I could preach to those in that place of refining love and help them come into a relationship with God. All of this unfolded as I embraced my authority as a son to operate in God’s love. Wisdom continued to guide me, unveiling a fuller understanding of my role as a son of God and showing how all of us share that same role.

As I embraced transformation, Wisdom guided me through the Twelve High Chancellors’ houses. These experiences tied closely to the Dance Floor mysteries, which facilitated the transformation of my life back to my origin. Cycles of change began to unfold as I engaged with God, transforming my thinking to align with His. When I entered the Chancellors’ houses, they felt familiar—almost like déjà vu, as if I had been there before, though I hadn’t. But I had danced in the mystery of those experiences, and there was a recognition of that within me, providing a sense of comfort and security.

The first of the twelve houses was the House of Precepts. This experience was deeply symbolic, designed to help me engage with and understand God’s revelations without needing every detail. The house was filled with countless windows, and each window represented a facet of God. Opening these windows allowed me to glimpse into the perichoresis of God in the Eternal Now, in which I discovered deeper aspects of His nature and character. Each precept of God gave me greater understanding of who He is and, in turn, who I am. Every encounter became a catalyst for metamorphosis – change and transformation.

Looking back, I realised that cycles of change had always been part of my life. Now, however, I understood them and could actively participate in the process. By embracing these cycles, the transformation accelerated. Through encounters on the fire stones and within the Twelve Chancellors’ houses, my identity and sonship were progressively unveiled. These experiences facilitated the process of transformation, bringing me closer to my origin.

I didn’t transform myself; I participated in the transformation process. My mind was renewed as I experienced the unconditional love, limitless grace and triumphant mercy of God. These encounters deconstructed old patterns and reconstructed my thinking in alignment with His love.

This video blog is an excerpt from Mike's current teaching series, Restoring First Love. Get the full length videos every month, only at eg.freedomarc.org/first-love

Living Sacrifice

Now, in those days, this was all really new to me. It wasn’t easy, but God made it easier for me because He gave me a reference point and an anchor for the process of transformation I was going through. That anchor was Romans 12:1-2.

Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

God used those familiar verses to help me understand and proactively cooperate as I chose to be a living sacrifice and then embraced the deconstruction and renewal of my mind that would take place. At that point on my journey, I still needed biblical confirmation to give me a sense of security. Later on, God Himself became my confirmation, and love became my place of security. But God was gracious and merciful, and He used what He knew would give me a sense of safety in this process.

Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brethren.” Paul is clearly encouraging them strongly. “I urge you” is a really strong phrase—stronger than we might think today. It’s a very strong injunction. “By the mercies of God” means we don’t present ourselves in our own strength, for our own purpose, or with our own motivation. It is by the mercies of God that we can do this: to “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, your spiritual service of worship.”

In other words, this is about our relationship with God. It’s about acknowledging who God is and surrendering to Him as God in our lives—letting go of the idea of being the god of our own lives. I presented myself as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God.

The verse goes on: “Do not be conformed”—pressed into a mould—”to this world.” That could mean the religious world, the cultural world, the political world, or anything else. But then it says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It’s the renewing of our mind that brings change, transformation, or metamorphosis.

“So that you may prove what the will of God is.” What is the will of God? It’s not a list of things we’re supposed to do. It’s about who we are. We are called to prove who God chose us to be—who He created us to be. That is “good, acceptable, and perfect.”

You are perfect. People often think, “Oh, the will of God is perfect,” and yes, it is. But the will of God is also good and acceptable when we embrace it. What this verse is really saying is that how God created you is good, acceptable, and perfect because you were made in the will of God.

So, every day, I presented myself as a living sacrifice to Jesus, my high priest, and let Him prepare me to be who I am. I didn’t approach this thinking, “Okay, I’m a living sacrifice, so what do I need to do to change? How do I renew my mind? Should I go on some program or course to fix my thinking?” Instead, I gave myself completely to Him and trusted him to prepare me.

Activation

When we do activations, many people ask, “How do I feel God’s love? I can’t feel God’s love—what does it even mean to feel God’s love?” Often, when I say, “Feel God’s love over you,” people respond with, “I don’t know what it is” or “I’m struggling.” Whatever your love language is, be open to experiencing it in some way. You might not immediately feel or fully understand it, but your spirit will engage with it. God will love you through a language that resonates with you and lets you know you’re loved. Maybe it is just through His presence. Maybe you’ll feel an emotional connection—or perhaps you won’t feel anything at all. But that doesn’t mean nothing is happening.

Don’t try to analyse it; just relax. You don’t need to figure out what the words mean or strive to understand them. Instead, let them resonate with you. You may feel an emotion, or you may not, but I can guarantee that God is doing something good in you. Allow yourself to relax. Don’t tense up or try too hard; simply let God do what He wants to do. Whether you feel it or not, God loves you, and He wants you to know his love. He wants you to know His love in relation to who you truly are.

So now, I’d encourage you to relax as we move into a short activation.

Close your eyes and slow your breathing.
Focus on your breath and begin to slow it down,
turning your thoughts to God as love.
Concentrate on the truth that He loves you and wants to show you His love.

Start breathing deeply.
As you breathe in, you are breathing in the unconditional love of the Father. Breathe in, and breathe out, slowly and deliberately.
Consciously engage with what you’re breathing –
His very essence, His love.

His unconditional love, flowing through your entire being,
just as the breath you take in is transported from your lungs to your blood, and then to every part of your body.
As you breathe in His unconditional love,
it will touch your innermost being.

Be still and let God love you, whatever that looks or feels like for you.
Relax and begin to sense, feel, or receive His love.
Let His love, joy and peace –
those precepts, those characteristics of his nature –
touch you.

Maybe make you feel peaceful, or joyful.
Maybe make you feel content, or safe, or secure.
Whatever it is, as His love flows through and around you,
you will begin to be in an atmosphere of rest –
resting in His love, resting in His work, resting in what He has already done.
Resting in who He made you to be.
Resting.

397. God’s Love Remains

Mike Parsons

What has happened and what God has done—he is the same God, and he hasn’t changed. He remains a God of grace, mercy and love. If Adam hadn’t followed Eve, God’s grace, mercy and love would still have applied to her, and she could have received that if she had chosen not to continue on her own path. God would have made a way for her to be restored because his desire is always for relationship. He desires us to come into that relationship, but it requires us to let go of our own way.

Adam wasn’t deceived, though; Eve was. She was deceived into letting go of what she already had to try and attain something she could never achieve. That striving, born of separation, left her and the rest of mankind worn out, trying to become something God already saw them as. The idea of “you can be like God” was redundant because she already was like God. But now, this had to be done independently of him.

Adam chose to follow her. Perhaps it was out of a desire to see her redeemed, though he didn’t understand what would come from that decision. In doing so, both lost their identity, and the struggle to regain it brought a flood of emotions: “Who am I? Why am I here? What is all this about?” This separation affected how Adam engaged with God, no longer able to connect with him as he once had. Yet, even then, God met them. While they hid in the bushes, feeling guilty, naked and ashamed, God came to them.

Throughout history, God has continued to meet us, drawing us back into relationship with him. If Eve had chosen to turn back, would she have had to wait for Jesus? No. The fiery sword was there, and she could have chosen to enter. Perhaps Adam might have helped her to do so. But, in the end, they didn’t. They chose otherwise, setting humanity on this independent path that so many still follow today.

Jesus came to fully undo everything lost through their choices. God has remained consistent—a loving, merciful God who has always worked to restore us. This is why I don’t believe Eve would have been banished forever or left without the opportunity to return. God’s grace and mercy would have triumphed over her mistakes.

Their choice, however, shaped human history. Their line brought forth the promise of redemption in Jesus, as prophesied. He overcame, undoing the enemy’s deception. The same enemy who had deceived Eve tried to deceive Jesus in the wilderness, offering shortcuts and power apart from God. But Jesus resisted, succeeding where Adam and Eve had failed.

Through Jesus, we now have the opportunity to experience what Adam and Eve were originally designed to enjoy. God’s loving kindness never changes or fails, and whatever it would have taken for Eve to be restored would have been possible. His grace, mercy and love would always have been sufficient. Although they didn’t make that choice, Jesus came to undo the damage, restoring our vision of who we are so we can live in that truth.

396. Finding Balance: Spirit, Soul and Body in Union

Mike Parsons

It’s an interesting thing when you look at the Merkabah, the energy gates, the Sephiroth and the Tree of Life, and how they all relate to spirit, soul and body being fully in union and oneness. It’s not about being pulled one way or the other. I think being out of balance is where the soul is in control and starts taking energy, applying it for its own ends. You could call that a DIY perspective.

God’s built certain basic needs into us—needs He wants to meet, things He wants to provide. But when we’re not looking to Him, we start looking to other people to meet those needs. That’s when we start drawing from them instead of from God, which is out of balance. When the soul is dominant, it can even draw on the energy of the spirit to outwork its own humanistic perspective.

Spirit – Soul Balance

When spirit and soul are balanced, they’re not in tension or pulling against each other; they’re in relationship. Within the body, they work together. Then, when you look at someone else, you’re not looking at them from a selfish or physical perspective. Instead, you see their beauty—that is, who God created them to be. And that beauty could be physical, spiritual, emotional or about their character. There are so many aspects to it.

God wants it all balanced so that spirit and soul are in harmony, not competing. When they’re in balance, the energy flowing between them isn’t corrupted or perverted. It’s not being drawn off independently of our relationship with God. Beauty then becomes about seeing people the way God sees them, not based on what they can do for us or just their physical appearance.

Seeing People Through God’s Lens

When we’re in a balanced place, we can see people as God sees them—looking at their whole being, their aura, even the energy around them. It’s about honouring the person for who they are, who God made them to be. That includes encouraging them, nurturing them, helping meet their needs and seeing beyond the physical.

God meets our five core needs—purpose, security, significance, love and acceptance. But as sons of God, we can also encourage others in their purpose, give them security in our relationships with them, affirm their significance, love them unconditionally and accept them as they are.

A Kingdom Culture

So many people, especially women, feel pressure to look a certain way to gain acceptance. Some even go to extremes, like plastic surgery, to meet those expectations. But in the kingdom, we need a different culture—one where we see beyond the physical to the spirit and soul. We need to demonstrate what it means to honour people for who they really are.

This is where the energies within us—living water from our innermost being—come into play. Spirit and soul need to be in harmony and balance. If they’re off-balance, whether spiritually or emotionally, it affects how we live. You can’t be so spiritually focused that there’s no practical outworking in everyday life. Heavenly things need to be demonstrated on earth—“on earth as it is in heaven.”

Living in Oneness

When spirit, soul and body are in union and harmony, we have the energy we need to be ourselves. That balance comes through renewing our minds, healing our hearts and focusing our energy with the right motive—one of union and oneness with God. It’s about doing things from that balanced perspective, not from a soul-driven or selfish motivation.

When we’re balanced, we can look at someone and see the whole person—their frequency, their aura, their being—and honour who God created them to be. We can bless them with our attitude and approach, seeing them with love and respect. It’s about recognising the beauty and wholeness of the person, just as God intended.

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