relationship

419. Jesus Saves Us From The Father’s Wrath? NO!

Mike Parsons

Wrath? Whose wrath?

Another wrong interpretation of the Bible paints the picture of a God who is angry, full of wrath, and ready to torment and punish. But unconditional love does not fail or give up. It is faithful, persistent, and wins in the end. So, God has no reason to be angry. People often struggle with this concept, but the Bible clearly says that Jesus came to take away the sins of the world—in other words, our lost identity. He also nailed every accusation against us to the cross. They were defeated and finished. It also says that God was in Christ, in 2 Corinthians 5:19, reconciling the world to himself, not counting their sins against them—not counting their trespasses against them. So, if there’s nothing to hold against anyone, why would God be angry, and what wrath would he have to punish anyone with? He wouldn’t. He doesn’t. He hasn’t. Love keeps no record of wrongs.

Romans 5:8 in the NIV says: “But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Which is absolutely true. Even when we were in our lost identity, Jesus died for us. He didn’t wait for us to recover our identity, sort ourselves out or be good enough. He died for us—as us. We died with him while we were still in that lost state. Then verse 9 says: “Much more then, having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him.”

So this is saying, quite correctly, that we’ve been justified by his blood… but how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him? Jesus came to save us from his Father’s wrath? No. That isn’t the truth. In fact, this verse does not say that. If you look at the original Greek, it does not say we are saved from God’s wrath.

So what is the wrath we’ve been saved from?

Not God’s! Does God store up his wrath to pour out on his children? Absolutely not—because he has no wrath to pour out. So does “the wrath” here have a different meaning? Because it’s talking about the wrath—a very specific wrath. Does it come from another source? Yes—and we’re going to look at what it is.

(A clue to this is found in who Jesus says comes to rob, kill and destroy. The thief. The accuser. The devil. And who is it that desires to give us abundant life? Jesus—the Good Shepherd. That comes from John 10:10.)

Romans 5:9 does not actually mention anything about God’s wrath. In fact, there are two Bible versions that include the phrase “wrath of God”, but put of God in italics, admitting that it was not in the original Greek: it was added to help the reader understand (or so the translator thought) but it has actually created a deception. They assumed it meant God’s wrath, since they didn’t know the love of God. They assumed that’s what it meant—but it wasn’t there at all.

For example, the NASB says: “Much more then, having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him.” But “of God” is in italics—because it’s not in the original. It was added. The NTE doesn’t put it in italics. It says: “Much more, because we’ve now been declared righteous by his blood, we shall be saved through him from God’s wrath.” But it does put a note: “Greek: the wrath (referring to God’s wrath as in verse 10).” So, what does verse 10 actually say?

For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, shall we be saved by his life? (Romans 5:10).

Where does it mention “God’s wrath” there? We needed to be reconciled to God—God did not need to be reconciled to us. He has never, ever turned from us. It’s we who turned from him. It was our wrath that God in Christ endured—not God’s wrath waiting to crush us. Because God has no wrath and no desire to crush anyone. He is a loving, restoring God.

So what is the correct translation?

Well, in this case, the King James Version actually gets it right. It says: “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” It doesn’t add “God’s”—just “wrath”. The Young’s Literal Translation says: “Much more, then, having been declared righteous now in his blood, we shall be saved through him from the wrath.” That’s what it actually says.

If the wrath we’re saved from is not God’s, then whose is it?

Paul was using the Septuagint translation, which also included a book called The Wisdom of Solomon. That book was in all Christian Bibles until the 1500s, when it was removed from most. It’s still in some. The Wisdom of Solomon—which Paul would have known and read—gives us insight into the wrath, and whose wrath it is. In writing what he did, Paul would have known this verse:

So he overcame the destroyer, not with the strength of body nor force of arms, but with a subdued him that punished, alleging the oaths and covenants made with the fathers. For when the dead were now fallen down in heaps one upon another, standing between them, he stayed the wrath and diverted the way to the living. (Wisdom of Solomon 18:22-3).

In other words, this was describing what God was doing to the destroyer—the one who was punishing—so that the wrath would be stopped, and people wouldn’t be killed.

So what is “the wrath” that God’s servant overcomes? The wrath—another name for the destroyer—who, by this point, the Jews no longer associated with God, but with Satan. (Remember, they had previously had an undifferentiated view of God in which they thought ‘the destroyer’ was God even though Satan may have been doing the work.)

Jesus saves us—not from his loving Father—but is sent by the Father to save us from the wrath. The destroyer. The accuser. Satan. That has a totally different connotation.

Which translation should I trust?

Revealing these differences in translation—where some words have been mistranslated—can cause confusion. People often ask: “Which translation should I read? Which should I trust?”

The answer, really, is to trust the Good Shepherd—Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life—who said we can hear his voice and follow him. Follow Jesus. Don’t follow your interpretation of what you think the Bible might say. Yes, the Holy Spirit can bring us revelation of truth. But it’s difficult when we’ve already been programmed to believe we know what the truth is. We’re all confirmationally biased, which means it’s really hard to be deconstructed.

For me, it was such a hard process for God to deconstruct my mind from the things I thought were true—things I had never really questioned. I had some struggles, but I hadn’t questioned deeply enough to seek the real answer. It took experiences of unconditional love to bring that change. I believe we can use unconditional love as the plumb line to discern what is true. The gospel is good news—not bad news. If we know the true good news, we’ll be free from the deceptions that misrepresent God, misrepresent us, and misrepresent how God treats and loves us.

An “unbiased translator” is an oxymoron. In reality, everyone is biased by something. The question is: are you biased by love or by theology? Take the Mirror Bible, for instance—translated by Francois du Toit. His bias is love. He sees God as a mirror of who we are. I don’t mind that bias. But I struggle with a bias that translates things through a belief that God is angry and will punish his children forever.

Your ability to judge a translation doesn’t come from your linguistic skills or academic credentials—some people have those and some don’t. It comes from your personal knowledge of who Jesus is—the nature of God as revealed by him—and the gospel of unconditional love that he preached.

Unconditional love is the reality. God loves us in such an unconditional way that he continually seeks us out to reveal we have been saved from our lostness. In the YouTube video, The Gospel of the Chairs, by Brad Jersak, which I’d encourage everyone to watch, God never turns away from us—he always turns towards us—so that we can be restored to relationship.

God’s love is so unconditional that he designed us to be immortal—to have a continual, unbroken relationship with him. Death was the result of Adam—representing mankind—walking in independence, away from life. Jesus came to undo what Adam did, and undo the consequences brought by the enemy, including death—by taking back the keys of death and Hades, and revealing what was hidden—who we really are.

Mike’s latest book, Unconditional Love, is out now as an ebook on our website and will soon be available to order in paperback from your local or online bookseller.

More details at eg.freedomarc.org/books

243. Not Counting Their Trespasses
284. His Love Never Fails
283. Love Wins
368. No, Your Heart is “Not “Deceitfully Wicked”
357. Faith IN Christ, or Faith OF Christ? What’s the difference?
262. Life and Immortality

417. Awakening to Love | Finding Your Place in God’s Heart

Love is central

A mandate from God is relational. I used to ask God for a daily mandate, but He led me away from that approach and now I focus on spending time with Him heart to heart. When I align with His heart, I naturally sense His guidance throughout the day and in different situations. Knowing the Father’s heart gives me the freedom to express it creatively through who I am, so I no longer need to seek mandates directly; I engage with His heart and follow the desires He reveals.

You cannot force someone else to follow God’s will because God does not work that way. The key is creating an environment where people can discover God’s desire for themselves; it’s not about telling them what to do but encouraging them to find their own identity and path in God. Love is central to this—showing unconditional love helps people connect with God more easily.

Understanding God’s heart is the foundation of a mandate, which essentially grants permission to carry out His will. And a blueprint—a pattern for what God wants to build—may not arrive fully formed. Timing matters—just because God shows you something does not mean you should act on it immediately: preparation and personal growth are often necessary first.

Love is not passive; it sometimes requires speaking truth, even when that is difficult. I once helped two couples seeking to establish an ekklesia: they had received the same vision but interpreted it differently, and their misalignment ultimately meant they were unable to work together. Clear communication and alignment are essential at the beginning of any such joint venture: if you are working with others on a blueprint, you need a solid foundation based on relationship and shared understanding. If one group wants to build a car on a production line and another wants to craft it by hand, conflict is inevitable unless the approach is agreed upon from the start. Blueprints often involve multiple people because God rarely intends for us to work alone: though the spiritual side may be clear, the practical side can be complicated, because people are involved!

Unity, not uniformity

I tend to avoid elitist thinking. Ideas like being part of a special group or achieving a higher level of spirituality do not resonate with me. God loves us all equally and even if he has different roles for us, no one is more valuable than another. We are all on a journey, and different perspectives are best respected, not treated as inferior – so if a group starts excluding others based on beliefs or perceived superiority, that is a warning sign.

Love is the standard for measuring any group or movement. Love is unconditional, inclusive, and honours differences rather than creating divisions. A group focused on money or controlled by a dominating personality is another red flag. True leadership fosters accountability and allows people to express their beliefs without pressure to conform.

Even when we disagree

God’s desire is for unity, not uniformity. We are all part of one family, even if some people do not yet recognise it. Differences are to be valued, not erased: God’s design is multifaceted, and diversity reflects His nature. It is not about agreement on doctrines but about honouring relationship above needing to be right. True maturity means maintaining connection even when we disagree, because relationship matters far more than winning an argument or proving a point.

Of course, God can transform us when there are things in our lives that cause harm, but acceptance of one another is not dependent on agreeing with certain doctrines or creeds. God’s covenant with Abraham, fulfilled through Jesus, was to bless all families of the earth—not just some. We need to treat everyone as family, even when we disagree.

Too often, people are treated as enemies over minor disagreements. Most major doctrinal issues were settled long ago, yet divisions continue over relatively small matters. Unity is the priority. Jesus said the world would recognise His followers by their love for one another, not their theological accuracy. Again, unity does not mean uniformity—it means valuing relationship over being right.

Revelation of the Merkabah

On my journey, I learned about the functions of my spirit, soul and body, but they initially felt separate. Over time, I discovered that at the core of my being there are portals that connect me to where I am in the spirit and to where God is in the spirit. This connection transcends dimensions and physical locations—wherever I am, I am instantly connected because my spirit, soul and body are entangled together. This quantum entanglement means that even if there are dimensional shifts, there is no actual distance. I am one and whole wherever I am, never separated from God or creation.

This understanding unfolded through the revelation of the Merkabah—not as a literal ‘chariot’ (though that is an accurate translation of the word), but as a symbol of a state of being that carries me into different dimensions, identities and positions. It is no longer about travelling externally to reach heaven but realising that I am already connected within. And it is my state of consciousness, awareness and identity that fosters that connection, not anything external.

God’s kingdom is filling the earth

This ties into the restoration of all things. Our normal view of life is in linear time, but I view it rather as a continuum where God’s kingdom has been expanding and filling the earth since Jesus established it. Like leaven working through dough, you do not see the rise at first, but the process is underway. God has been at work throughout history, even if the fullness is only becoming visible now.

Sons of God have been revealed throughout history, often labelled ‘mystics’, and known to us or unknown. Their connection to creation has helped keep things steady, even when the world seemed chaotic. We are now at a point where the leaven has begun to rise more visibly, but this is a continuation, not a sudden breakthrough. The responsibility we have is to engage with this revelation and steward it faithfully.

Our role is to respond to creation’s groaning by bringing it into greater freedom. This requires change and transformation—a process guided by Jesus as our High Priest. The fire of God’s loving presence is not destructive but refining and purifying, transforming us and shaping us into maturity. There is nothing to fear from this fire; it is a blessing that brings us into wholeness and deeper alignment with God’s heart and purpose.

[Note: you can choose to engage with the fire of God’s love in this recent activation that Mike led with our Patreon patrons]

Mike’s latest book, Unconditional Love, is out now as an ebook on our website and will soon be available to order in paperback from your local or online bookseller.

More details at eg.freedomarc.org/books

416. Reconnecting Your Spirit | Finding Wholeness in God

Mike Parsons

True identity

Our spirit itself is not damaged or impure; it is simply not connected. Our spirit has never truly been disconnected from God, but our soul has been. When we realise that God is within us and we open that first love gate in our spirit, we allow God to flow into us, engaging spirit, soul and body. This marks the start of a relational engagement with God, helping us find our true identity.

Most people derive their identity from what they do in the world or from past experiences, rather than from who God says they are. Our spirit already knows who we are because our origin has always been in God. The spirit existed before our body and soul; it pre-existed before coming into the body, but entered into a state of disconnection when it did.

Into union

God desires to reveal himself in a way that reconnects us, making us whole and bringing us into union with him—spirit, soul and body. When this union occurs, life flows like rivers of living water, an abundant life from the inside out. Instead of allowing external experiences to shape our inner life, our inner life should shape our external experience. This is God’s intention for us.

We can cultivate our spirit and increase our spiritual capacity by focusing on our spiritual senses rather than our physical and soul senses. This is a meditative practice—meditating on the spirit, its abilities and senses. As we do this, our spiritual senses grow and develop, allowing us to operate intuitively in the spirit rather than relying solely on cognitive processing.

Through practice

Some may believe that the spirit can be damaged, but I do not. I believe the spirit has never been damaged or occupied by anything other than God. However, this does not mean we automatically function through the spirit, as we often lack the training and understanding to do so. Hebrews teaches us that through practice, we can train our senses to discern. This applies to both our physical and soul senses, aligning them with our spiritual senses and prioritising spiritual understanding over cognitive processes.

When we engage in the spirit, it acts as a filter for external influences, offering insight before the soul interprets them. Our goal is to discern through the spirit rather than relying solely on memory, logic, reason or cognitive understanding. Developing this spiritual discernment takes time, as we have often lived with the soul as the dominant force in determining how we act, think and feel.

To shift this, we must cultivate a new framework of thinking and acting from our spiritual senses rather than allowing our physical and soul senses to take the lead. This process requires patience and practice, but the transformation is profound, enabling us to live in abundance and alignment with God’s purpose for us.

Please like, comment, share and subscribe – thank you!

Mike’s latest book, Unconditional Love, is out now as an ebook on our website and will soon be available to order in paperback from your local or online bookseller.

More details at eg.freedomarc.org/books

412. Beyond the Gospel | The mixture of faith and culture

Mike Parsons –

Mixture

The difficulty with what the Western world exported to Africa and beyond is that it was a mixture. We brought an evangelical gospel that wasn’t truly biblical, along with legalism, Victorian morality, and cultural traditions—things like formal Sunday attire and denominational structures. This mixture meant that alongside introducing people to Jesus, we also imposed religious systems and doctrines that were never part of the gospel.

Having spoken in Africa, I’ve personally apologised for this, recognising how British culture became entangled with the message of Christ, creating a rigid, legalistic system of religion. So I understand why people are challenging it—because I am too. I’ve been deconstructing my own beliefs, reassessing what I was taught, and recognising how much of it was shaped by religious programming rather than the truth.

But I’m not afraid of people questioning, because Jesus is the truth. He is the light, and he reveals himself. He has made himself known to people in places untouched by Western Christianity, even where his name was never spoken. Many missionary stories recount tribes saying, “We know him. He has visited us.” This proves that encountering Jesus is not confined to any one culture’s presentation of the gospel.

Religious baggage

So if people throw off religious baggage, I don’t fear they will lose their way. Truth and light always reveal who God truly is. And it doesn’t matter whether Jesus is seen as Black, White, Middle Eastern, or any other representation. Paul himself said he became all things to all people, and Jesus does the same—meeting people in ways they can relate to. Dr. O, for example, speaks of encountering Jesus as a Black man, which makes perfect sense in his context. Christ identified with all of humanity, taking on every identity to redeem us all.

Ultimately, these are external matters. Our true identity isn’t in race, culture, or background—it’s in being sons of God. When we fully know who we are, those externals no longer define us. It’s not wrong to celebrate them, but they don’t determine our worth. Who we are is the person God created, shaped and formed in his vast thoughts. That identity frees us from comparison, superiority or inferiority—we simply are who God made us to be.

Truth that transcends

God is restoring lost identity. Religion—and any system that tries to shape identity—inevitably distorts it into its own image. We must be shaped in God’s image, not by man-made constructs. Many seek their destiny, wanting to understand God’s plan for their lives. But your destiny scroll is simple: it’s you. Knowing who you are allows you to live out your purpose in any situation. There’s not just one predetermined path—many paths align with God’s heart, as long as they flow from true identity.

People want a detailed list of what they should be doing, because they are afraid of getting it wrong. They think God will be angry or disappointed with them, but he never is. He loves us and wants us to know and walk in the truth, living in daily relationship with him. That’s where our purpose unfolds—simply being who we are as sons, in union with the Father.

So I’m not concerned about cultural shifts or temporary changes. God is shaking man-made systems—religious, political, and otherwise—so that people stop placing their trust in them. The only unshakable thing is his kingdom, his rule, which is a rule of love. Seeing from a spiritual reality—God’s perspective—means embracing truth that transcends human constructs. And that truth will always challenge the perspectives we previously held.

Summary of the remainder of the video

True identity

We often define ourselves by circumstances or achievements, but our true identity is found in him. Transformation isn’t about striving—it’s about being. As we embrace intimacy with the Father, he reshapes us into who we were always meant to be. His thoughts lift us above earthly limitations, aligning us with his truth.

Romans 12 warns against being pressed into the world’s mould—letting external opinions and circumstances shape us. Instead, we are called to transformation (metamorphosis), like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. We are not meant to stay bound in the cocoon; we are meant to fly. We are called to live from our true identity, fully aligned in spirit, soul and body.

Transformation isn’t about striving but embracing the Father’s revelation of who we are. God gently reshapes our thinking, freeing us from past mindsets and religious distortions.

I don’t want to be shaped by a religious mould any more than I want to be shaped by a worldly mould – I want to be shaped by what God says and by what his intention was for me.

As his presence dwells in us, we manifest his love on earth. We were made to bring heaven to Earth, not shaped by the world or religion but by God’s original design. I don’t want to be shaped by a religious mould any more than I want to be shaped by a worldly mould – I want to be shaped by what God says and by what his intention was for me. When we live in intimacy with him, we reflect his heart and purpose in all we do.

No separation

Our identity is key—when we embrace it, we align with God’s original design, living in wholeness, free from sickness and limitation. Instead of striving to believe, we rest in heavenly truth, allowing it to transform our reality. True transformation comes from intimacy with God, from aligning with the Father’s heart, feeling what he feels, and acting from that place. Jesus fully embraced emotion—he laughed, cried, and was moved with compassion. We are called to do the same, not suppressing our feelings or allowing them to control us, but being guided by them as they flow in harmony with God’s love.

Oneness with God means there is no separation between his thoughts and ours. We don’t act independently but in complete union, embodying his love and reflecting his nature. As we embrace this reality, we become true ambassadors of his love, prioritising others above ourselves and living in the fullness of our divine identity.

Unconditional love

Loving unconditionally in this way is difficult for us because we are conditioned by our experience of relationships that come with expectations. God loves us unconditionally, allowing us to make choices, even wrong ones, without control or condemnation. He always seeks to bring good from our failures, never standing over us saying, “I told you so.” In human relationships, our love is tested when mistakes are made. Do we choose grace and understanding, or pride and the need to be right? True love prioritises relationship over being proven correct. The more we experience God’s love, the more we can reflect it—just as Jesus intended.

God seeks relationship

Sin is lost identity, not wrong behaviour. Religion emphasises behaviour, insisting that change is necessary to be accepted by God. As a result, many who don’t conform are excluded from our churches, not because they are unacceptable to God, but because they don’t fit denominational or cultural expectations. God requires nothing—he simply invites us to come as we are, and transformation follows in relationship with him.

Religion focuses on actions, but the deeper issue is separation from God. Adam and Eve chose independence, losing their sense of who they were. Ever since, humanity has struggled with shame and the illusion of separation, though God has never turned away.

God seeks relationship, not behaviour modification

God’s love invites us to return, not by fixing ourselves, but by embracing the identity he has already restored. Religion seeks to control through fear; but God seeks relationship, not behaviour modification. Living in our true identity frees us from sin-consciousness, and transforms how we live.

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410. Mastering Energy Generation

Mike Parsons –

Fatigue and creative energy

Many people don’t know how to generate the energy needed to live day to day. They feel tired, weary and drained, lacking both creative energy and the vitality required for their daily lives. This happens because they don’t know how to focus the abundant life that exists at the core of their innermost being. They don’t know how to generate, activate and channel that energy effectively.

We have energy gates within our body that can facilitate this process, but most people are unaware of how to open and activate them. This isn’t something commonly taught—especially within Christian circles. In fact, many evangelicals would be horrified at the mere mention of “energy gates,” dismissing it as New Age or something strange they want nothing to do with.

Yet, in reality, they are missing out on a crucial part of how we were designed to function. Learning to generate and direct energy isn’t some mystical or foreign concept—it’s about understanding how to channel living water, or what some might call light energy, into our daily lives. There are many analogies for it, but we are talking about spiritual life—abundant spiritual life—flowing from within us.

Energy gates

Most people don’t even realise that they have gateways within their spirit, soul and body that are designed to allow this life force to flow freely. Instead of experiencing the full flood of abundant life, they live on a trickle—because they’ve never been taught how to open these gateways. In fact, many Christians have been taught the exact opposite, which is why so many struggle to understand the flow of life and energy within them.

They’ve never been taught that they are a tri-part being—spirit, soul and body—and that all three must function in union. They don’t know how to activate and open these inner doors so that they can live in a continuous state of being in communion with life itself.

Jesus is in us, the Spirit is in us, and the Father dwells within us. But are we truly embracing that? Or are we searching for an external source—for someone else to give us what we feel we lack?

A critique of traditional teachings

Many people seek healing by looking for an external impartation—someone to lay hands on them and transfer an anointed charge of energy that will heal them. But what happens afterwards? Many people who receive healing end up sick again or even dying later because they don’t know how to sustain the healing they received. They never learned how to generate and maintain that healing within themselves. They relied on someone else to provide it, so they never developed the ability to keep it. The majority of people who minister healing don’t teach others how to maintain health and well-being—they simply move on after laying hands and praying.

There are genuine people who operate in these gifts, and they see real miracles and healings. But how many of those healed return a year later to testify that they are still well? If the root causes of their sickness remain unaddressed, the healing is often temporary. Unless they deal with the underlying factors—whether physical, emotional or spiritual—the illness can return.

Unlocking abundant life energy

What we really need is to teach people how to live in abundant life, how to embrace well-being as a way of life, rather than just seeking instant healing. Abundance isn’t just about financial wealth—it’s about emotional, spiritual and physical wealth. It’s about living in a state of fullness.

Jesus promised us abundant life, but the enemy seeks to rob, kill and destroy. If he can keep people from knowing the truth, if he can convince them to believe lies, then they will never live in the abundance that is already theirs. They have been robbed without even realising it.

It all comes down to our relationship with God as the source of life. What source are we drinking from? Are we drawing from the eternal fountain of life within us, or are we relying on external sources? Are we looking to church, ministries, or Christian teachings instead of directly connecting with Jesus?

Jesus said, “If you drink the water I give you, rivers of living water will flow from within you.” He was speaking about the Spirit—the very life of God within us. That is the source we need to draw from. It’s not about following techniques for healing or looking for external solutions—it’s about living in the overflow of life itself.

And that is only possible through relationship. It’s not a formula. It’s not a ritual. It’s a relationship—a deep, ongoing connection—with the source of life.

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).

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

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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395. Soul Ties | Recognising and Releasing Toxic Relationships

Mike Parsons

When it comes to relationships and the connections that form between individuals, these are often referred to as soul ties or emotional connections. Some of these ties can be negative, especially if they involve people who drain energy from you or have impure or unholy motives. Such connections can cause problems in your life.

Cutting Negative Ties

The key to dealing with these ties is intention, desire and choice. Since these connections are spiritual, it’s important to ask the Father to help disconnect them. Hebrews describes the Word of God as being sharper than a two-edged sword, capable of dividing soul and spirit. This isn’t referring to the Bible, but to Jesus as the Living Word. He can sever the spiritual connections between souls, setting you free from any negative ties that feed off your energy or bring negativity into your life.

Steps to Freedom

Forgive and Release
Begin by ensuring your heart is free of bitterness, resentment, anger or frustration toward the other person. Forgive them—not because they’ve asked for it, but because it’s your choice to let go. Release them from any perceived debt or obligation to make things right. Forgiveness is about freeing yourself as much as it is about freeing them.
Ask God for Help
Once your heart is in the right place, ask God, or Jesus as the Living Word, to sever any unhealthy spiritual connections. Choose to cut the ties and ask Him to free you from them. This includes releasing any energy or influence they have over you.
Maintain a Positive Attitude
After severing these ties, maintain an attitude of love and blessing toward the person. Wish them well, but do not allow them to reconnect with you in a negative way. Sometimes, people may try to re-establish harmful connections. By standing firm in your freedom and relying on God’s help, you can prevent this from happening.

Protecting Yourself

If the individual has been involved in harmful spiritual practices such as witchcraft or cursing, breaking the tie ensures they no longer have a spiritual connection to you. This also protects you from further harm. Stand firm in the knowledge that a curse without cause cannot affect you. You can even ask God to assign angels to safeguard you from any residual negativity.

Living in Freedom

It’s essential to stay in peace and rest, trusting in God’s protection. When negative people or situations arise, they don’t have to affect you if you remain shielded in your relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit. Being clothed in light ensures that darkness cannot penetrate. Once the internal connections are severed, external ones cannot form.

Relationships change over time, and it’s okay to move on from certain connections. However, always ensure that you act out of love, keeping your heart pure and free from resentment. This allows you to maintain your freedom and live unaffected by negativity.

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392. Training Your Spirit | Practical Steps to Engage with God

Mike Parsons

It is a journey to come into a dynamic where you’re able to engage with God and feel His presence, sense His presence, and know His presence in different ways. These ways vary, and different people have different experiences, so you can’t rely on someone else’s experience—you need to find what works for you.

That being said, there are things you can do. The Engaging God programme, which we run, helps people journey from the beginning to mature experiences as sons of God. It delves into practices and exercises to build your spirit, train your spirit to engage, and teach it to sense and discern. Hebrews talks about training our spirit through practice—repeatedly doing something to make our spirit active.

In my own journey to seeing in the spirit, which I’ve shared online, I can trace it back to around the year 2000. That’s when God began speaking to me about meditating. At the time, I didn’t have any concept of meditation, but He guided me through it, teaching me how to hear His voice. I would encourage everyone to focus on hearing before trying to see.

By hearing, I don’t just mean an audible voice, but also sensing God’s thoughts within your mind. The mind is where everything is received—natural vision and sound are all interpreted by electrical impulses in the brain. Similarly, spiritual information is processed by the mind and decoded into things we see, hear, feel, sense or know.

I spent four or five years learning to hear the voice of God, initially through the Bible. I meditated on Bible verses, sometimes even on one word, mulling it over in my mind, repeating it and focusing on it. For instance, I meditated on the verse, “Be still and know that I am God.” I would focus on the word be: “Be… be still… be still and know…” As I did this, I found that thoughts came into my mind that weren’t mine—thoughts from the Holy Spirit. It took me years to become confident in this practice.

Eventually, I began to speak to God directly rather than relying on the Bible. I would picture Jesus sitting opposite me, ask Him a question, close my eyes and wait for His thoughts to enter my mind. His thoughts were distinct from mine, and over time, I learned to hear Him clearly. After mastering this, I eventually learned to see, although now I no longer need visions to know where I am, what I’m doing, or what I’m engaging in spiritually.

It’s important to come to a place of rest before pursuing anything. I now use a meditation called “Meditation for Rest,” which is just five to ten minutes long. It helps me calm down, stop striving and relax. The harder you try, the harder it becomes. You need to let go of your own agenda and allow the Father to set the direction. Rather than asking for specific outcomes, just come into His presence and share your heart, asking Him to reveal His presence to you.

To activate your imagination, you can use a physical object. I often use a door. Think about a door in your home—its colour, material, handle, and details. Picture it in your mind. You can even stand in front of the door, look at it, then close your eyes and visualise it. Imagine opening the door and engaging with Jesus or the Father. This is not about forcing your imagination to create something, but about perceiving what happens.

The word “see” in its root meaning is to perceive. Communication and engaging with God is about perceiving, not just seeing. Perception can come through seeing, hearing, sensing or simply knowing. Many people feel impressions or just know things intuitively. Practice and allow your senses to lead you into deeper connection.

If you find yourself falling asleep during meditation, that’s fine—your spirit is still engaging. Often, our minds get in the way, and sleep helps the mind step aside, allowing the spirit to fully engage. Eventually, your spirit will communicate with your soul, and you’ll begin to understand and experience what you’ve engaged with spiritually.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice,” so it is always your time to hear Him. God isn’t holding anything back. The process is about training your senses and coming to a place of rest where you can receive. Sometimes, blockages can come from our own pressure or desperation. Instead of striving, desire His presence and trust that He will meet you.

Jesus is the door to the Father, and that door is already open. If you struggle, it might be due to a mindset shaped by tradition or past experiences. These can be renewed so you can engage fully with God’s unconditional love. You don’t need to earn or perform for His love—just let Him love you. The key to entering rest is to allow God to love you in the way you need to be loved.

As you practise this and come into a deeper awareness of His presence, things will begin to open up. Let God guide you, and over time, you will find it becomes easier. You are unconditionally loved, and God is not holding anything back. Just rest, relax, and let Him lead the way.

391. Living in the Supernatural

Mike Parsons

When it comes to experiencing the presence of God in the supernatural, we tend to have a perspective on what we think the supernatural is. Therefore, it’s anything above normal, everyday life. What I would say to you is that God wants us to live as though the normal is what is called the supernatural. But it’s not a suspension of normality; rather, it’s living in the presence of God within the life that we live. And that is a relationship, and the relationship takes time to develop. You know, although you say, “Well, I want the reality rather than just knowledge or information,” that’s fine. That’s what God wants us to have. But what that looks like must be how He has designed it to look for us, not like anybody else. You can’t look at my life and compare my life to yours because we are different. I have a journey; I’ve come from a place, and I’ve gone through processes in my life to bring me to the place where I now am, and I have a purpose in God in that.

I would encourage you to develop your relationship. Forget about what you think the supernatural is. Just start to develop a relationship with God, which is in the reality of your life.

Now, that can start with what’s inside. God is in you. Start with engaging God in you. Don’t start with, “I want to go to heaven,” “I want to do this,” “I want to go to this dimension,” or “I want to do that.” Start with God every day. Jesus said that within us is a fountain of life in John 4, from which we can drink. That’s a source of life of the Spirit. That is supernatural because it’s not coming from the natural, but it’s coming from a heavenly, spiritual dimension.

So, living a spiritual life in the natural world, you can draw and drink from that source, which is what you’re saying: “I am not going to go for any of these worldly sources for my life. I am going to engage in that reality with You.” And don’t put an agenda on it. The key is not to put an agenda so that you are determining what that process will look like and what it will look like to live in the spiritual dimension within this natural world. Let Him lead you on that journey. Let Him dictate it. But I would encourage you to spend the time developing the relationship, and in the relationship, allow Him to lead you on the journey. So, spend time with Him without an agenda.

Just enjoy His presence. Ask Him to reveal His presence, show Himself, so you can feel His love. Do the meditation for rest exercise that we have available. It’s a very simple exercise. I do it in the Patreon sessions. Close your eyes, and you can do it right now. Close your eyes, just come to a place of peace and rest. Get comfortable, start to think about the presence of God the Father. Start to think about love. Start to think about joy and peace, and just focus your attention and your thinking on the presence of the Father.

You can then think about a river or a fountain within you and turn inwards with your thinking to the presence of the Father within you, within your spirit. Just choose to drink from that fountain. Picture the fountain if you can, or just choose with your imagination to say, “No, I’m going to drink from the fountain. I’m going to receive spiritual life. I’m going to receive spiritual energy. I’m going to receive love.” Love is filling me. Love is filling me. It’s bubbling up, it’s increasing in me. Joy is filling me. Peace is filling me.

And as you drink deeper and deeper, that becomes your source. Then, whatever the experience is, whatever you’re feeling about the experience, just practise. Just train your senses through practice every day. Just turn inwards, thank God for His presence in you. Thank Jesus, thank the Holy Spirit, thank the Father for them being within you. Thank them for placing within you a fountain of life, of energy, of spirit that you can draw from. Be grateful, be thankful, and just bit by bit, begin to develop.

And, you know, I’ve done lots of stuff about hearing the voice of God and being still. Generally, it’s being still, so you can know God.

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am loved.
Be still and know that I am peace.
Be still and know that I am joy.

Sometimes we have to stop trying and just rest and be still. Then begin to focus our thinking, our attention on Him, so that we can begin to feel and sense what it is to be connected to the presence of the Father within us, and then let it go from there.

When it comes to angels, you know, I only do what the Father shows me to do. You have your own angels. So, again, what I would encourage you to do rather than me trying to send my angel to you so you can have an experience, is that you’re reliant on me. That isn’t going to teach you how to do it for yourself. So, what I would do again is close my eyes. I would begin to think about the angels that are behind you. They’re with you. They’re your angels, they’re assigned to you. Begin to think about them. Focus your thinking on them.

Then, thank them that they’re there and thank them for helping you in your life. Talk to them and ask them what their names are. See if any thoughts come into your mind. Every day, after you’ve engaged God, just engage those angels. Thank them that they’re with you. Ask them to help you in the day, help them to go forward. If you’re travelling, ask them to do things for you. Just become conscious so that you can begin to experience that reality. But don’t strive and stress for it. Just gently practice it.

You’re going to engage your angels. If you engage them, you’re not likely to experience them if you don’t engage them. So, choose to engage them, even if you can’t see them or can’t feel anything. They’re there, so engage them as if they are there. Talk to them, thank them, communicate with them, and they’ll begin to communicate with you. It might be a thought, it might be an impression, it might be a word in your mind, but they will begin to communicate, just as the Father will communicate. Just draw from the right source.

Practice, practice, practice. Don’t get frustrated. Don’t set the agenda for what it looks like. Just choose to give yourself the time as a priority in your life to make room to experience these things, and things will grow and develop. You can live in a spiritual dynamic in everyday life as God intends you to do.

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