Tag: Cardiognosis

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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390. The Essence of Wisdom: Living in Union with the Father

Mike Parsons

 

When we think of wisdom, we often consider it as insight into what to do in a particular situation. However, wisdom is more about understanding the heart of the Father in that situation. We are then motivated by the Father’s heart, not by a set of actions we feel we must take. The expression of the Father’s heart can be revealed in many different ways, as there isn’t just one prescribed way to act. There are multiple ways that people might respond to a situation, all in line with the Father’s heart.

‘Cardiognosis’ refers to the heart-to-heart relationship in which the Father constantly reveals His heart to us, in every situation we face. We are called to be an expression of that heart in every dynamic of our lives. Wisdom, therefore, is the expression of the Father’s heart through us. It is being who we are in each moment, reflecting the heart of the Father. To understand the Father’s heart is to know Him intimately. It is through this experiential knowledge that we are guided and directed. Wisdom is the outworking of the Father’s heart within us, shaping our actions.

Many people seek to know their purpose, their scroll, or their destiny—what they are supposed to do. However, God doesn’t reveal to us what we are supposed to do; rather, He reveals who we are. When God shows us who we are in relationship with Him, He also reveals His heart. This allows us to outwork His heart through our own identity.

The scroll is, in fact, a revelation of who we are, not a list of tasks we must accomplish. This mindset challenges the common view, which often revolves around a works-based mentality—what do I need to do, what is God’s will? But God does not necessarily reveal His will in specifics; He reveals His heart, and from that place of intimacy, we act.

Jesus exemplified this perfectly: He only did what He saw the Father doing. This wasn’t about seeing a specific action; it was about the revelation of the Father’s heart. Jesus lived in constant union with the Father, expressing this oneness throughout His life. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one. If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father,” and this is how God wants us to be too. When people see us, they should see the Father because we are His sons and daughters.

Knowing the Father’s heart frees us, allowing us to express ourselves in line with His heart without rigid formulas. The Father’s heart is expressed differently through each of us because we are all unique. When we engage with others, we do so from our individual perspectives, which are shaped by our redemptive gifts and the way God made us.

This diversity is essential. If we all engage in the same situation, each of us will express the Father’s heart differently based on who we are. This is why we need more than one person to reflect the Father’s heart—it’s not about performing an exact action but about being the person God created us to be.

This understanding of wisdom brings freedom. We don’t need to strive to do things “the right way” or fear doing something wrong. Instead, we are free to be an expression of God’s heart—expressing His love to those around us. When we engage with others, we are sharing God’s love and passion for them. This creates a deep connection where people feel how much God cares for them.

In every situation, I can be an expression of the Father’s heart. It doesn’t matter if I know exactly what to do or if I am following a specific set of actions. What matters is that I am being me—an expression of God’s heart. My scroll isn’t a checklist of tasks, but the freedom to live as God designed me.

This freedom is rooted in intimacy. To know the Father’s heart, we must be close to Him; we cannot engage from a distance or through mere intellectual understanding. Cardiognosis is a heart-to-heart union with God, where His heart is continually revealed to us, and we receive it deeply, not just in our heads, but in our hearts.

As we grow in intimacy with God, we will begin to experience the illumination of our hearts. This deeper, instinctive understanding will guide us in outworking the Father’s heart. It’s not always about doing something specific—it’s about being the person God made us to be, reflecting His love and wisdom in every moment.

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