Some people may not fully live out their intended destiny, but encounter purification at the Judgment Seat of Christ, where that which is of lasting value is distinguished from what is not. The Lake of Fire symbolises purification rather than eternal damnation, a place of refining in God’s presence, not the end of the world or the fate of the devil and fallen angels. In context, it relates to the persecution faced by early Christians, particularly at the hands of non-believing Jews in Jerusalem.
Entering the realms of heaven involves engaging with the Father, who comforts and purifies. Regrets are addressed, tears are wiped away, and the scroll of your life is cleansed. This leads to an ongoing relationship marked by unfolding knowledge, truth and engagement as part of the cloud of witnesses.
I do not subscribe to the concept of Purgatory, but I do believe in the Judgment Seat. I have experienced it personally, engaging with my scroll under the fire of God’s scrutiny. However, there was no guilt, shame, or condemnation – only love and a process of addressing missed opportunities and wrong motives. Our sins are forgiven through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and every accusation against us is nullified. From God’s perspective, He always sees us as innocent, justified and righteous.
When we engage with God relationally, we begin to understand our true identity and undergo transformation through the renewal of our minds. I encourage you to spend time with the Father, seeking to discover the truth about Him and yourself. This understanding frees us from negative thoughts about our imperfections: perfection, to God, is simply being who He made us to be. It’s not about striving or achieving but about resting in our identity as His children.
Unconditional love and forgiveness are in God’s nature, freely given without the need for works or religious practices. As children of God, we already enjoy His love; and our Dad delights in us. Drawing nearer to God’s heart unveils the depth of His boundless love, liberating us from guilt and performance-driven mindsets. This freedom allows us to rest in our identity and embrace life fully.
Jesus promised complete joy, and left us His transcendent peace. He loves us without conditions, empowering us to love Him and others in return. The key is to allow Him to shower His love upon you, revealing it in ever-deeper ways, leading you into true freedom. The truth that you know will set you free: not mere intellectual knowledge but personal experience. Encountering the Truth embodied in Jesus renews our minds, enabling us to embrace our true selves, live abundantly, and flourish in every aspect of our being.
Key Takeaway
Perfection, from God’s perspective, is simply being who He made us to be.
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I find joy in spending time in God’s presence. I have moved beyond the need to only meditate on the Bible, because interpreting it can be complex and subjective. Instead, I allow God room to speak to me in various ways. I relax, clearing my mind and focusing solely on the Father or on Jesus. I open my heart and mind, ready to receive communication from Him.
This can take various forms, whether it’s a thought, a picture, a vision, or simply a knowing. I have had visions that were vivid encounters, although they weren’t visual in the traditional sense. When we perceive spiritually, it’s not about light bouncing off objects into our eyes; it’s about tuning into a different wavelength and interpreting the impressions received by our spiritual senses. Just as different tastes or smells can be unfamiliar until we learn to recognise them, spiritual experiences require us to train our spiritual senses to filter out distractions and focus on what the Father is communicating. Whether it’s ascending into heavenly realms or standing before the Arc of the Presence or whatever else it may be, I am not seeing any of it with my physical eyes because I always journal these experiences with my eyes open. Yet, I am there. I am an active participant, but I am also translating my spiritual perceptions into descriptions of my experiences.
I have found that it’s more about enjoying being in the presence of God. Instead of focusing on visualising or hearing something in a specific way, simply relax and see what unfolds. Talk to God and listen for His response, asking Him to reveal something to you in His own way. For me, understanding doesn’t always come through visual or auditory experiences.
Even the word ‘see’ can refer to more than just visual perception: it can also mean to perceive or understand. The main idea is to grasp the concept, regardless of the method. In the early days, there was often a strong emphasis on ‘seeing’ as a prerequisite for spiritual experiences. Ian Clayton, for one, was quite insistent about this. But no-one else knows what exactly he sees or how he sees it. He shares what he has seen, just as I too share my own experiences! For me, it is about a deep knowing – an intuitive perception that comes from engaging with God repeatedly over time. I sense and feel His presence, and my emotions are often deeply intertwined with these experiences, with moments of intense emotion when I feel the waves of His love rolling over me.
Analysing or dissecting spiritual experiences can make it more challenging to receive them. If you rely heavily on logical, analytical thinking, you may struggle with this. It’s understandable to want to understand and control the process by seeking a set protocol or method to follow. However, spiritual connection is inherently relational, and it’s best to allow the relationship with God to unfold naturally.
I made a conscious decision to let go of my own agenda and simply ‘be’ in God’s presence, with no particular expectation of seeing or hearing anything specific. Every night before I go to sleep, I intentionally connect with God in the garden of my heart; surrounded by green pastures, beside quiet waters, with the Shepherd by my side. As I drift off to sleep, my spirit remains open and receptive to experiences in the heavenly realms, while my soul is restored as I rest securely in the Father’s embrace. When I wake, I may sometimes retain memories from my time in God’s presence. But if there are mornings when nothing comes to mind, that too is perfectly okay.
Key Takeaway
Find joy in spending time in God’s presence, and allow your relationship with Him to unfold naturally.
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Note: Mike was asked a question about how he views the fact that some prophetic voices seem not to be accurately representing the good news of the gospel at all, and what might be the way forward. This is his response.
Deception often starts with small distortions of truth, leading people astray gradually. These initial deceptions can lay the groundwork for larger falsehoods to take root. The enemy doesn’t usually present outright lies immediately; instead, the truth gets twisted bit by bit. Any prophetic individuals who now spread complete falsehoods likely fell into deception gradually. Minor deceptions accumulate over time, dulling people’s sensitivity to truth and making them susceptible to further deception as they operate outside of love.
This is what has led to recent political and judgmental ‘prophecies’. Eschatological beliefs, particularly those of impending judgment (invariably understood to mean ‘punishment’), exacerbate this; leading to prophecies of judgment on nations or individuals through catastrophes such as earthquakes and tsunamis. When I come across such messages, I always look to express mercy instead. My desire is for all to experience God’s love for themselves, which reveals His true nature of mercy, grace and love, so contrary to this kind of judgment.
Signs along the way, such as the excommunication of the Toronto Vineyard, marked a departure from values of love and acceptance. Judgmental attitudes infiltrated the prophetic movement, leading to further divisions and exclusions. This led to an increased focus on spiritual warfare and a judgmental mindset, causing the movement to drift away from its roots in love. Prophets began to pronounce judgments in alignment with their perception of God’s impending judgment on the earth – a mindset that has drawn some into extreme political views and conspiracy theories.
It is important we measure everything against love to avoid deception. Instead of engaging aggressively, let’s approach everyone with love and restoration. Embracing and loving perceived threats (rather than fighting against them) can lead to transformation. Restoration, not separation, aligns with God’s desire to reconcile all things. So, instead of getting into conflict, it will be better if we focus on helping individuals – even fallen heavenly beings – get back on track with their original purpose. I’m not going to fight against someone or something and so give them an opportunity to fight against me. All I will look to do is come in the opposite spirit: remind them of their true identity, that God has forgiven them, and that they have an original higher purpose which is so much better than what they are doing right now.
Even though there may be deception within the prophetic movement, understanding God’s original intent for it can help us move forwards. When we receive a revelation, we often interpret and implement it based on our own understanding. I believe in the importance of embracing principles like foundational government, but my approach has shifted towards viewing government as an intrinsic aspect of our identity as children of God, rather than merely a set of roles or tasks to fulfil. Our aim is to discover and express God’s kingdom and governance in our lives, so that we can each contribute according to our abilities and opportunities for growth and expression within a given blueprint.
So, rather than fitting people into predefined roles, it is more effective to allow their identities to naturally express themselves within a relational framework. Heavenly government is an expression of individuals’ identities coming together, not a rigid organisational structure. Initially, there might be a tendency to impose organisational structures, but the essence lies in organic development and honouring each person for who they are. The principles remain valid, but the way they are worked out evolves organically within the dynamics of relationship. Sometimes, we embark on journeys to discover better ways, learning from experiences along the way. If I had known then what I know now, I would not have taken the church here along the path I did; but ultimately it is God who takes us all through doing, to becoming, to being – that is our journey.
Key Takeaways
Let our desire be for all to experience God’s love for themselves, which reveals His true nature of mercy, grace and love.
Ultimately it is God who takes us all through doing, to becoming, to being.
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I am not against miracles, and God still does them: He works to bring people into a relationship with Him. I have experienced all sorts of amazing things, like rolling around on the floor and laughing, being translated in the Spirit and more. These experiences were part of my journey, part of my coming of age, or maturing; but they did not change me in any dimension compared to encountering God face to face.
I can do anything I see the Father doing, and if that’s a miracle or a healing, then that’s great. However, I wouldn’t do it just because I thought it was something I should do. I am only going to function out of what I know the Father’s heart is expressing. I will ask Him and be directed by Him on every occasion, rather than just doing something.
I am not trying to put you off ministering healing or other miracles to people. I would not say you need to do it as ‘gifts of the spirit’: your spirit is quite capable of operating in those things. Discernment comes through training our senses to experience how to see in the spiritual realm, and obviously I am not against engaging in the angelic realm or any of those activities. I just feel we have to be careful that we don’t create another mediatorial system which people need to enter God’s presence.
Let’s bring people directly to God and let them experience God for themselves: then they will find the power of His presence and His love transforming their lives. There is no need for a mediator or a third party. We have to be careful that we don’t become the third party that other people become dependent on.
The prophetic movement has created a “you need to come and have us prophesy over you” mentality, rather than teaching people how to prophesy themselves. We mystics need to teach people to be mystics, to be able to live in intimacy with the Father, to have an experience of Heaven and Earth. In that way they can demonstrate God’s power and love in that way to others by leading them into an experience of Him, rather than doing things for them.
There is a real a danger in mixing the covenants, and mixing what was in the transition (between the old and the new covenants, in the first century AD) with what God wants for today: which is that Heaven is open, Jesus is the door; anyone can walk through that door at any time and experience God for themselves. Therefore they don’t need faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen: I have seen God, therefore I don’t need faith. I experience Him. It’s His faith that I am living in, His faith in me. I live by the faith of the Son of God: who He says I am as a child of God. I don’t live by my faith in Him – that is all about works!
and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NRSVUE).
How much faith do I have? And some of the healing ministry, especially the Word of Faith movement, was about generating faith. I live in an awareness of my sonship; therefore I don’t need to have faith. All those people in Hebrews 11 died in faith, having not seen the promises. You don’t need faith when you have experience. When I encounter God, that experience brings a realisation of what is true. That generates faith, if you like; but in what is true, not how much faith I’ve got in something.
Key takeaway
I live by the faith of the Son of God; I don’t live by my faith in Him – that is all about works!
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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!
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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.
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.
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Mike Parsons reads from his latest book, ‘Into the Dark Cloud’. –
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Only the truth that you know will set you free. How are we going to know the truth? Not by reading someone else’s book or doing someone else’s course – not even mine! What that can do is stimulate us to find it for ourselves by engaging God, who will reveal the truth to each of us so that we can live in it.
Desire, discipline, delight
So when this book gets into some tough areas, please do not tune out, switch off or walk away. If it gets difficult, surrender to God. Again, I am not saying that you have to take my word for anything: be still and wait in rest, and see if He has something to say to you about it.
That was the process God took me through: learning to be still and wait in rest. For two years I had loved being still, waiting and resting; until He told me to, and then I could not do it anymore.
That sometimes happens because it challenges the whole dynamic of what works for us! Generally it is our soul becoming uncomfortable in facing what it needs to face.
I went through various stages and processes of transformation, such as dealing with trading floors in my own heart, its motivations, thoughts and intentions. It was not at all pleasant for my soul because I had to admit that I was not very nice in some ways, and that my motivation was often not entirely pure. It was not easy, but because I knew the love of God it enabled me to trust Him, so instead of becoming defensive, I learned to surrender.
It was horrible to think that I was really like that: that my motives really were driven by my soul’s need or desire. But I realised that God loved me anyway so I was able to let it go. If I had gone with my feelings I would have stopped right there and never made it through to transformation.
If you get to a crisis point, try not to back off. Personal desire and pursuit will take you through the discipline to the delight. Stick with it. It can require fortitude and discipline to press on through but when you come out on the other side, I can promise you it will have been worth it.
Key takeaway
Instead of becoming defensive, I learned to surrender.
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We saw last time that God’s love to us is unconditional, and that when we are able to truly experience that unconditional love for ourselves, then our love towards other people can also be unconditional.
Should I?
Notice that I do not say that our love ‘should’ be unconditional. On my journey God has really challenged me about that word and I am trying to eliminate it from my vocabulary. I do not want to do things because I ‘should’ do them. Who said I should do them? Did God say I ‘should’ do them? If so, what is the consequence of not doing them? That implies a condition: if I do not do what God wants me to do, then what will He do?
I should go to church; I should pray; I should read my Bible; I should witness: God challenged me over these things. Obedience: should I be obedient? Of course I should! Why would I not want to be obedient to God? But He challenged me on it and showed me that my thinking around that issue was old covenant thinking because obedience implies that there is a ‘law’ of some kind to be obeyed. God does not want us to obey Him, He wants us to have a relationship with Him in which we share heart to heart and in which we cooperate with one another. Then, of course, we only would want to do the things that we see the Father doing, not because we ‘should’ but because it is the desire of our heart to be in relationship with God who loves us in such a wonderful way.
So then do I have an obligation or do I have a duty to do certain things? Am I trying to please God by the way I live? If I am, then again I am operating in an old covenant mindset. That again was something the Father said to me: “Are you trying to please me?” and of course I said “yes” because I was! He said, “Well, you’re already pleasing to Me. Why are you trying to be something you already are?” and I realized how my mind had been conditioned with ‘should’.
God really wants us to be in a deep, intimate relationship in which heart to heart sharing reveals how we can be – and then we can move away from all the doing. Religion revels in doing. Trying to please God, trying to be obedient, trying to love other people and trying to do the things God wants us to do: we get worn out trying. So why not just rest and just be? He is happy to accept us as we are but we are often less happy to think we are acceptable the way we are because we have been conditioned to think we need to change.
Change
Now, I do want to change, because I want to be more like Him. But do I think I have to change to be acceptable to Him? No, because I am loved unconditionally. So my motive for wanting to change is a positive one, not a negative. I love to be like Him who I behold, so if I am face to face with Him, living in the light of His presence, then that will transform me and change me without me trying.
Years ago I was very systematic in how I approached (and taught) things because that is the way I am wired. However, recently I have become much less systematic and much more relational, so that rather than trying to fix myself, or renew my mind, or sort myself out, or deal with my DNA, genetic lines or generational lines, I just let the Father deal with it. He sets the agenda of what He wants to deal with when He wants to deal with it and I just have to agree with Him and cooperate with Him. Most of the time that means just getting out of the way. I remember He shocked me one day when I was questioning some things about changing and He said “I don’t require your help, just your surrender.” That was a huge challenge because I wanted to help. I wanted to do something, but that again is just the programming that makes love conditional: we are programmed to think we have to do something.
Circle of conversation
But if we are ‘living loved’ then we can be fully secure in our identity within the relationship that we have within the perichoresis – the circle of the conversation that Father, Son and Spirit (who are family) are having about us all the time. They are having a conversation about you right now, and that conversation is good. They are smiling and enjoying talking about you; because they are talking about who they know you to be, rather than who you think you are. We tend to think that God may think something about us or know something about us that we would not want anyone else to know; well, He does – He knows everything about us and He loves us unconditionally!
Maturity
The Father said one day, “I’ve laid a true foundation that can carry the weight of all mankind so all can become fully mature sons of God.” That intrigued me. All mankind can become fully mature sons, not just some, because God is so unconditionally loving that He leaves nobody out of the ‘all’.
Then the Father said, “The ages to come are to be times of wonder and awe, where I will take my sons on an amazing journey of creative discovery”. I believe we are on a journey to discover just how creative we are: we know that we are co-heirs but how much do we know that we are co-creators and what that creative ability will be?
And the Father said, “Knowing the depth, height, breadth and length of my unconditional love multi-dimensionally is what this age is designed to accomplish. There are 12 ages of man and 12 ages within each age: all are opportunities to become mature sons in relationship and responsibility.” I am not going to go into that statement because I have only delved into it a little bit myself. I am aware that God does things in cycles and seasons but it is not that one ends and another begins, they are more overlapping processes which will bring us to a state of maturity as sons. So look out for all the amazing things that are coming!
“The ascent of man is a slow process from a creative perspective, hindered by the false images of me that religion has made.” So we really need to know what God is really like, who He really is: otherwise we are filtering Him through what we think He is like.
Religious veils
“Revealing just how good I AM is has not been easy, as all that I do to unveil the truth of love is being twisted into lies and deception.” Now I have discovered this myself when I have been talking to people who really want to pick an argument. Online, particularly, some people twist what you say; and even if you go back to them with “I didn’t say that, and I didn’t mean that”, they carry on insisting you did, no matter what. In the end I just gave up doing that. Now I discern when someone is genuinely asking a question from those who just want to pick an argument or a fight. The reason they are trying to pick a fight with you in the first place is because of their own understanding of what you might believe. In reality I do not want to be labelled with a one particular set of beliefs because that is so limiting and restricting. God wants to open up a whole different understanding of Him so that we really know how good He is and do not get caught up by deception.
And the Father said, “Religion has placed dark veils over the eyes of so many (even those who don’t believe anything, it’s the same deception) so they can’t see Us as pure love, only wanting to do good by blessing everyone and everything.” So there are people who are religious, and they have a whole load of religious veils, and then there are people who don’t believe in anything and are atheists – and they have a veil as well! But the nature of God is to want to bless everyone and everything and bring about good in their lives. That is how good God is.
Love wins
“Even the attempts to show the extent and power of Our consuming fiery love that reaches beyond the grave has been twisted into a chamber of horrors, the hell illusion and delusion.” So when people experience what they call hell, it is because they are conditioned to think they know what fire means. Between 2005 and 2010 I went into that fiery place about four or five times and each time I described it as ‘hell’ because I had no other reference point. A supernaturally dimensional reality where there is fire and there seem to be a whole lot of people who are unhappy there – what else was I supposed to think?
That conditioning can be really strong: on my journey of enlightenment and deconstruction that was probably one of the hardest things for God to challenge and to break. Although He told me what the nature of that fire was, I really did not believe it until I went there again and He showed me – not only what was going on there, but also what I could do about it – which then totally changed my whole understanding.
The Father said “Son, we will never give up on even one of those who are Our sons as We cannot deny Ourselves.” God cannot deny Himself because He is love. “Love cannot and will not fail as We will never give up and cannot be denied or resisted forever.
“Love wins.”
Each of this series of blog posts is adapted from Mike’s latest FREE video series on ‘Unconditional Love’.
Click the image or link above for the whole series, or scroll down to watch the video of the talk this post comes from. Better still, become a patron and join us live for the next recording – they are normally on the second Sunday of each month at 6pm UK time.
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I am really excited that more people are joining us on this amazing journey of discovering our sonship: who we are as sons of God, in relationship with Him, both the relational aspect and the governmental. It is a journey, not a destination. We are walking with God, not going ahead of Him nor getting behind Him; not going left or right, not running, but just walking closely with Him in intimate relationship. The path is not always straight and you cannot always see ahead but God knows where we are going: to a place of restoration and a deeper place of intimacy and creativity in our sonship.
It has been a wild ride so far and it shows no sign of slowing down! I believe you are probably reading this because you know there is more and are hungry for more; and you are probably willing to push the boundaries and go further and higher because of that. The Father desires that all the limitations and restrictions placed on us by religion are removed; everything that hinders us from going to the places God wants us to go and actually outworking our destiny. He does not want us to be limited or restricted in any way: therefore there are some challenges on the journey of deconstruction that challenge what we thought was true about God and about ourselves, and which will change our thinking.
My journey has been one of deepening intimacy which has revealed who God is as my Father, Mother, Brother and Friend. God is not male or female – God is a spirit, and encompasses everything because He is infinite. He knows all things and He is everywhere. So knowing the reality of the true nature of who God is can only come in an intimate face-to-face encounter; it cannot be intellectually known, it is relational and therefore we get to know God by experience. When we do encounter Him, then he reveals our true identity as sons.
So the God I thought I knew 20 years ago – or even 12 – is now a distant memory. He is not what religion taught me He was; He is not what I was conditioned to believe by church; He’s so much better than that. He is so good, so loving, so kind, so thoughtful, so passionate, beyond what I could have ever imagined until I met Him face to face and began to experience Him as He revealed Himself to me.
Now thankfully He did not do that all in one go because it would have completely shattered my mind (which is why the Father has therefore deconstructed my thinking and greatly expanded my consciousness).
Religious programming
Like most people, I was conditioned to believe you only went to heaven when you died. In fact, so many of the things I believed about God were programmed into me by religious doctrines and theological understandings which I know now were never true. But I believed they were true because that is what other people believed, at least in whatever stream I was in at the time. I started off in the Methodist church, went on to the Brethren and eventually started a charismatic church, so I had been on a journey of discovering things in a way, but that was nothing compared to engaging God face to face in the realms of heaven, or within me in a place of intimacy.
So all of the doctrines that were programmed into me about who He was – the angry God, the God who needs appeasing, the Old Testament God as opposed to the New Testament God – all of these confusing things – I finally realised I only believed they were true because I had never actually met Him. One day, He said to me “How much of what you know about me comes directly from Me and how much of it has come from reading, listening to sermons and other people?” And I had to admit that probably 99% of what I thought I knew was actually not from personal experience and therefore was only information, not true knowledge.
Unconditional love
The truth that God is love – and that His love is unconditional – is so difficult for people to grasp because of the way we have been programmed. And all of us have been programmed by what we have been taught, it is not restricted to religion: you could be brought up in an atheist household and programmed to believe that God does not exist or you could be brought up in religious settings which determined what you believe about God and the Bible (and everything else).
So for me this has been a long, sometimes arduous journey to come to the knowledge of the truth and come to a realisation that God really is love; that His love is unconditional and He wants us to experience it so we can come into a reality where we love as He loves. This programming has taken a long time for me to be free from and I’m sure there are things I still believe which may not be true but I do not yet know to be false. You only know what you know, but the more you spend time with Father, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, then what you know changes. And it always changes for the better: everything that I have experienced of God has only ever been better than I ever thought it could be.
The God that I now know is so much better than the previous one I thought I knew. Even the experiences I had, and some of them were good experiences on my journey, which were really fun at the time, but now I realise how limited it all was and that it was only drawing me to go further into something new and greater.
I believe actually this is probably the most important and the biggest key truth that has made the most impact in my life though over the last 10-12 years. The reason that this truth has been attacked and twisted in many different ways is because it is so important that we understand and experience it, because when we experience that unconditional love, it brings freedom. It releases us to be ourselves and it stops us from believing we have to perform to earn it or deserve it.
Live loved, love living, live loving
A phrase that I quote very often (because the Father said this to me so many times) is “Live loved, love living and live loving.” He said it as an encouragement and a motivation that this is simply how we can live. We can live loved: that does not mean live trying to be loved, or trying to earn love, or to deserve love, or to be good enough for love. Just live loved, accepting that we are loved in a completely unconditional way: that is the key to this understanding and this experience. And if we are living in that place of living loved, then we can love living. Life is joyous! I look forward to every day because there is more to experience, more to explore, more to just rest in and to just be.
And then we can live loving. This is where the rubber really hits the road because to live loving means we demonstrate the love that we have received to others. Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you”, and so people strive to love others, because it is hard sometimes when they are perhaps not very nice to you. When you look at how they are behaving, you may well think “I don’t want to love them. Look how they have treated me! Look how they hurt me!” If you have been involved in church for very long, you know how easy it is to be hurt by people, whether deliberately or by accident: in relationships it is hard to maintain a loving attitude to someone all the time. And to everybody? That is really difficult: but it is possible, because that is the way God has loved us and He wants us to love other people in the same way.
Reflect
So just take a moment to reflect and ask the Father: is there anything in your programming that hindering you from receiving and experiencing unconditional love as He really wants you to experience it? Then I encourage you to hand all those things over to Him so that you’re no longer holding onto your beliefs or any other thing which is contradictory to the reality that God loves you unconditionally. Only when you experience that unconditional love for yourself will it be possible for you to love others unconditionally too.
Each of this series of blog posts is adapted from Mike’s latest FREE video series on ‘Unconditional Love’.
Click the image or link above for the whole series, or scroll down to watch the video of the talk this post comes from. Better still, become a patron and join us live for the next recording – they are normally on the second Sunday of each month at 6pm UK time.
Our Patreon patrons give a small amount each month and can join us for our monthly group Zooms, get exclusive or early access to Mike’s teaching and enjoy further patron-only benefits. Or you can use the blue button to support our work with a one-time gift*. Thank you!
*Note: This donation is securely handled through PayPal but you do not need to have a PayPal account yourself to make a one-time donation.
For repeating donations, if you do not have (or want) a PayPal account please support us through Patreon instead.
Sons of Issachar 