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RECONCILIATION NEWZ BUZZ 2021 May-June 2021

Mothers Day 2021 at Tabernacle of David Cairns

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Proverbs 31:28-31

The situation in Israel is critical with over 2,000 missiles fired into Israel from Gaza and we’ve been praying earnestly and keeping in touch with our Jewish friends in Israel. This message was given by Barbara at our congregation 15 May. While Hamas in Gaza have been the most militant, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has recently stated they will be a “thorn” in the side for Israel, an eerie reminder of Nu 33:55.

We congratulate Israel on the 73rd anniversary of David Ben-Gurion’s declaration of the state of Israel on 14 May 1948. It was also Jerusalem Day this week. As I write this newsletter, it is Erev Shavuot which celebrates the birth of the nation of Israel with the giving of the law to Moses on Mt Sinai. It is also the birth of the church at the feast of Shavout which is called Pentecost as in
Acts 2. 

We congratulate Israel on the 73rd anniversary of David Ben-Gurion’s declaration of the state of Israel on 14 May 1948. It was also Jerusalem Day this week. As I write this newsletter, it is Erev Shavuot which celebrates the birth of the nation of Israel with the giving of the law to Moses on Mt Sinai. It is also the birth of the church at the feast of Shavout which is called Pentecost as in Acts 2. 


VISION BY BARBARA 6.5.21 AT GAP PRAYER MEETING
GATHERING APOSTOLIC PROPHETIC NETWORK Ezek 22:30

Our GAP Network has been earnestly praying for our nation and its government now into our third year as a network led by Norman and Barbara where we shadow the federal government ministers and their portfolios. We also pray for state governments as needed.

VISION

On Thursday 6 May, I had a vision while in prayer for our GAP meeting and I shared it with them on zoom that night. I saw Australia as a fortress with the drawbridge up. I knew it related to Australia’s policy of closed borders with only a few allowed in and out and the 2-week pause relating to Australians returning from India during a pandemic out of control. Thousands of Australians have been stranded overseas in a number of countries, many for a year or so. There are many distressing stories. I prayed that our quarantine facilities would be improved so more Australians could come home and that the vaccine rollout would be handled better and be rolled out more quickly and safely. We regularly pray for other nations re recovery from covid-19 and comfort for those who’ve lost loved ones.

To my surprise, Saturday’s newspapers used my words “Fortress Australia” and then later we had the cartoon above. In Tuesday’s budget on 11 May, the federal government said it did not expect Australia’s borders to open until mid-2022. This was a big shock to many Australians who had expected that with the vaccine rollout, we might see the borders open later this year. This is important not just for families to be reunited but for business, tourism and overseas students.

Our Christian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Jewish treasurer Josh Frydenburg and the government have done an outstanding job in keeping Australia safe from the coronavirus and keeping the economy afloat. We praise God for His blessing on our nation and that we have been able to help other nations as well.

Left – HANDS UP FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 

Art by Ps Norman Miller which he uses to campaign with for religious freedom – freedom of belief, freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of speech and parental rights re education of their children in a woke school system.

Right – HANDS UP AGAINST EUTHANASIA.

Art by Ps Norman which he uses to campaign against voluntary assisted dying legislation. Victoria and Western Australia have already passed it and it is presently before the Queensland Parliament. Munganbana is Norman’s Aboriginal name. He started the Voice of First Nations Peoples Against Euthanasia recently and has put out a flyer out about it which has been sent to Queensland Members of Parliament. An summary of it is:

Pro Euthanasia legislation is disrespectful to the customs of First Nations Peoples around death which is a community matter not just an individual decision- black lives do indeed matter.

Rushing to introduce euthanasia when rising suicide rates are a national problem is inexplicable and against the public interest, especially for First Nations Peoples. Nobody is morally compelled to suffer unbearable pain. Every Queenslander has the human right to have equal access to good quality palliative care before a policy default to euthanasia and Indigenous communities need a funding boost for palliative care. This conscience vote should be accompanied by the public interest test which includes the common good, human dignity and autonomy. We need compassion.

Part 2 of a message by Ps Barbara Miller on Resilience. Part 1 is on youtube.
Part 1 of a message on Open Heaven by Ps Norman Miller

Check out the exciting videos on our website from a number of conferences we’ve hosted over the years. You will be blessed – www.reconciliationandpeace.org

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RECONCILIATION NEWZ BUZZ 2021 no 1 Jan 2021

Australia Day Prayer 26.1.21

Welcome to the new year!
Isa 43:18-19
“Remember not the former things,
    nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.

2020 may have been a difficult year for you but God is purifying us so our light can shine. We have been privileged to host an Australia Day Prayer event by zoom on 26 January. It is a controversial day on our calendar with some celebrating and Aboriginal people reminded of colonisation and the pain that came with it. So, for Norman, as an Aboriginal, to host it is significant and we have done so a number of times over the years, the last 2 years in Canberra. This time was by zoom because of covid-19. The Lord has given him Genesis 26 about re-digging the wells as Genesis is the first book of the Bible and January is the first month of the year. So, we don’t want esek (disputes) or sitnah (hatred). We want rehoboth (open space) to live together in peace.

We believe we experienced a shift over our nation on Australia Day by the grace of God. We were blessed by prayers by video from the Hon. Senator Eric Abetz, the Hon. Senator Amanda Stoker and audio by Rev the Hon. Fred Nile MLC NSW Parliament. National Prayer leaders Brian Pickering, National Coordinator, Australian Prayer Network and Ps Warwick Marsh, National Coordinator, National Day of Prayer & Fasting & Canberra Declaration joined us live to pray.

A large number of enthusiastic pastors and intercessors prayed through the day. We had 2 beautiful worship segments, one led by Glen Sebasio of Tabernacle of David Canberra and one led by Tabernacle of David Cairns, the latter with original songs especially for Australia Day.

After the introductions by parliamentarians and national prayer leaders, we had a session where First Nations leaders from each state prayed for Australia. Ps Norman and Ps Barbara both shared stirring prophetic messages. Norman’s was focused on reconciliation – https://youtu.be/lJ62CuLsGLc and Barbara’s was on foundations, including our constitution – https://youtu.be/4xpdb9WTSQI.

We also had a session praying for the seven mountains of cultural influence/spheres – family, government, media, education, economy, religion and celebration/arts with different people appointed to pray for each mountain. Rev 11:15, NIV: “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.'” Until then, we are called to be salt and light and a godly influence on our society. Mat 5:13-16 ESV 

The last session was praying for Australia as a Nation of Refuge and a blessing to Israel & the Nations (Heb 13:1-2, Lev 19:34, Gen 12:3) with different ethnic groups leading prayer. Australia has a redemptive gift of being a nation of refuge.

We thank the Lord that Ps Irwin Ross and Glen Sebasio, leaders of the Tabernacle of David in Canberra were able to join us on zoom with their congregation and that Ps Ross and Bronwyn Poulton were able to join us on zoom with a group from the Healing Rooms in Nowra.

Barbara released a decree “I decree that the captives who are under the spell of the dragon and the spirit of communism and the leviathan spirit and rainbow serpent will be set free all over Australia and the Asia Pacific and I release the angels of the Lord to accomplish this. I decree all vestiges of the Bamboo Curtin come down and all walls and rulers protecting the enemies of God to crumble. I decree that the people of Australia and Asia Pacific will achieve their God-given destiny and redemptive purpose.”

The event was recorded – https://youtu.be/kIU7un7kc-o

US Elections

I (Barbara) went out on a limb on 26.11.20 and released what the Lord put on my heart about the deception that Trump would serve a second consecutive term. WhatsApp groups were furiously reposting what they received from well-known prophets and prayer leaders from the USA and internationally. They were also reposting with gusto and passion about conspiracy theories from alternative media outlets.

The Lord was on my case that this was wrong and that even a lying spirit had been put in the mouth of the prophets. I kept praying, reluctant to release it because who was I and I didn’t want to touch the Lord’s anointed. However, the Lord kept disturbing my sleep and warned me of my and Norman’s responsibility as the leader of prayer networks.  Ezekiel was warned that blood would be on his hands if he didn’t warn when called to. (Ezekiel 3:18). So I released 2 messages and Norman also released one. They are below:

We are meant to use our discernment re prophecies and re media reports etc. Please ponder these scriptures and check out the messages below. We need to be careful not to add to deception by spreading it.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Mat 24:4-13. V4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

2 Tim 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but having itching ears, they shall heap to themselves teachers in accordance with their own lusts.

1 Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?Lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets? Ps Barbara Miller shares 26.11.20 – https://youtu.be/WzOC7Nrd1bA 

Great Falling Away, Great Deception, Great Apostasy by Ps Norman Miller 19.12.20 – https://youtu.be/3rrbyAEGCvs

The Spiritual Responsibility of Christian Leaders and the US Elections by Ps Barbara Miller 2.1.21 – https://youtu.be/Kxfj-rOVKps 

AN OPEN APOLOGY: HOW AND WHY I GOT IT WRONG 8.1.21 – R. Loren Sandford – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31weV5-GwlE

https://religionunplugged.com/news/2021/1/12/charismatics-are-at-war-with-each-other-over-failed-prophecies-of-trump-victory

Who or What Is a False Prophet? Dr Michael Brown 12.1.21 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHlB7WZ4qRQ

Lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets? Ps Barbara Miller 26.11.20
Great Falling Away, Great Deception, Great Apostasy by Ps Norman Miller 19.12.20.

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In The Steps Of The Lighthorse/Anzacs

By Barbara Miller

We timed our visit to Israel so that we would be in Be’er-Sheva for the 93rd anniversary of the famous charge of the Australian Light horse on October 31, 1917 and the ceremonies being held that day. We travelled to most of the other battle sites where the ANZACS fought as well

  • Norman & Barbara Miller at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery after wreaths laid by our group along with a poppy wreath donated by the Cairns RSL
  • Australians at Park of the Australian Soldier, Be’er- Sheva, donated by Pratt Foundation, Australia. We laid wreaths there also.

For those who haven’t heard the story before, I’ll briefly say that the taking of the wells of Be’er-Sheva (Beersheba) was critical for Allied victory in Palestine. The British had fought all day, the NZ Mounted Rifles and an Australian regiment took the high place of Tel es Sabe after heavy fighting. Still, all would have been lost had it not been for a daring charge by the Australian Light horsemen (about 800 of them) charging straight into the Turkish guns.

They were regarded as the crazy Australians to charge over an open area to the Turks who were in trenches in fortified positions. German planes were firing on them. The horses had not had water for days and if the Allied forces did not take the wells of Be’er-Sheva by nightfall, all would be lost. The horses smelled the water and galloped ahead at a furious pace. The men were not cavalry but mounted infantry and the daring charge just before nightfall took the Turks by surprise. They didn’t adjust the sights on their guns quickly enough. Some Australians fought hand to hand in the trenches and others jumped the trenches and rode into the city to stop the Germans blowing up the wells. While the charge brought the breakthrough, the charge could not have happened without the British fighting all day and the New Zealanders taking the high ground, preventing them from being mowed down.

This happened on Oct 31, 1917. On the same day, the British Parliament passed the Balfour Declaration in favour of the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The political will and the military victory went hand in hand. After fighting in other towns, Gen Allenby was able to walk into Jerusalem with his forces and accept the surrender of the Turks, thus ending 400 years of the Ottoman Empire, and nearly 1200 years of almost uninterrupted Islamic rule of Jerusalem. There had always been a Jewish presence in Jerusalem and Palestine however and Jewish forces fought alongside the British to free their land.

This was a precursor to the formation of the modern state of Israel in 1948 and again, ANZACS played a critical role in the defence of Israel, then Palestine.

So, as we prepared to go to Be’er-Sheva for the Oct 31 service, we approached a number of organisations in Australia to let them know we were going and the Cairns RSL donated us 4 red poppy wreaths, one of which we laid at the Park of the Australian Soldier, Be’er-Sheva and one at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. We laid one at the Commonwealth Cemetery at Mt Scopus in Jerusalem and one at the NZ monument in Ness Ziona. We also laid wreaths of fresh flowers at all three ceremonies in Be’er-Sheva, including the one at the Turkish memorial. We approached the Turkish embassy before leaving Australia for permission to do this. We did it in a spirit of reconciliation.

The New Zealand team brought with them pillows with poppies sewn into them to lay as wreaths at each place noted above because the NZ soldiers didn’t have pillows according to Lila Diprose who made the pillows. They also brought loose poppies to strew.

Norman is wearing a Torres Strait Islander flag at the ceremony as he gave the Aboriginal flag to Richard Evans to wear and he wanted the other Indigenous group in Australia to be represented. Kris Schlyder, an ex-army man with our team laid the wreath at the Park of the Australian Soldier with Liz Wright and Joanna Moss.

We went to three commemoration ceremonies – the Park of the Australian Soldier, the British Cemetery and the Turkish ceremony where we laid wreaths at all three – Australia, New Zealand and Britain together. It was a moving time for all of us and there was time for the team to pray at the cemetery the next day when Norman and I met with the Municipality of Be’er- Sheva.

On Oct 31, we had organised for the Vice Chairman of the Society of the Heritage of World War I, Mr Ezra Pimentel to be our guide and he was very informative. As well as going to the ceremonies, we went to Tel es Saba where the NZ Mounted Rifles and some Australians took the high place, Abraham’s well and Chauvel’s Hill from where he watched the 800 Australian Light horsemen ride into history with their famous charge. We also saw the Warriors Club where a local ex IDF serviceman has built a museum in his backyard with much war memorabilia.

While in Be’er-Sheva, we visited HaMaKom or Bible House where local Messianic congregations have a library, meeting place and coffee shop. Ps Howard and Randi Bass are very involved there and Randi had prepared a wonderful display re the Australian Light horse and NZ Mounted Rifles. It is becoming an ANZAC Museum and deserves support from Australians and New Zealanders. They also gave us refreshments.

Norman and I and our team hosted Howard and Randi Bass from Be’er-Sheva in Australia (Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra) and, with Sue Rowe, in New Zealand (Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga) in July 2010 in preparation for our ANZAC tour of Israel.

We followed the steps of the Australian Light horsemen and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles as they fought in Gaza, Be’er-Sheva, Ashkelon, Armageddon, Semakh, Ayun Kara near Rishon Le Zion, Yafo near Tel Aviv, Jericho, Hebron and Jerusalem.

We arrived in the dark at Semakh which was amazing as the battle was fought in the dark although early morning and we were there in the evening. It is near the Sea of Galilee and was captured 25 Sept 1918 by the 11th and 12th Australian Light horse who charged a heavily fortified Turkish railway station. Indigenous light horsemen were involved too. The charge was not as big as the charge at Beersheba but just as dangerous and daring. They were mostly Queenslanders and some from South Australia. This ended Turkish and German opposition around the Sea of Galilee. Recently, a statue has been erected to the Australian Indigenous Light horseman and his horse, a worthy commemoration.

We went to Mt Carmel and Megiddo, the Allied forces capturing it on 19 Sept 1918, with Australian General Chauvel calling it the Battle of Armageddon. British General Allenby was made Vicount of Megiddo or Lord of Armageddon.

On Friday, Nov 5, we visited Rishon Le Zion which is built on top of Ayun Kara where, outnumbered 8 to 1, the NZ Mounted Rifles won a hard-fought victory. We visited the graves of the 50 Kiwis who died in that battle buried at Ramleh. We laid wreaths at the statue to the NZ Mounted Rifles at Ben Gurion School in Ness Ziona. This statue was only built in 2010 with the opening on March 1.

This account is only a quick summary of one aspect, though an important one of our tour i.e. our journey in the steps of the ANZACS and Light horse.

  • Joanna Moss, NZ, Liz Wright, Britain & Barbara Miller, Australia after laying a wreath together at the Turkish memorial
  • HaMaKom or Bible House ANZAC Display made by Randi Bass, Be’er-Sheva for Oct 31
  • 175 Aussies & 31 Kiwis buried at Be’er-Sheva
  • Ceremony at 93rd anniversary Be’er-Sheva
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RECONCILIATION NEWZ BUZZ 2020 no 3

HAMAN-LIKE SPIRIT THREATENED WITH OWN GALLOWS IN BEIRUT

As soon as I (Barbara Miller) heard on Wednesday about the tragedy in Beirut, I sensed the Lord was showing me that it was a situation similar to Haman’s gallows. I shared that on a number of WhatsApp groups straight away. In the time of Queen Esther, Haman tried to trick the King of Persia (ancient Iran) into killing all the Jews in the vast empire of King Xerxes or Ahasuerus, virtually the then known world – from India to Ethiopia. The plot was exposed by Esther and her uncle Mordecai who were Jews and the genocide was stopped by another decree that reversed the effect of the first decree. The King ordered Haman hung on the gallows he had constructed himself to kill Modecai. Haman was a Persian/Iranian citizen but he was descended from Agag, King of the Amalekites, traditional enemies of Israel. Amalek was the grandson of Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites.

The Iranian-controlled terrorist group Hezbollah controls the port in Beirut where the ammonium nitrate that exploded was stored. It can be used for fertilizer or explosives. It is known that Hezbollah has weapons stored at the Beirut port to attack Israel with more than a hundred thousand missiles. This appears to be a case where Hezbollah’s plan to kill Jews in Israel has backfired upon them, tragically killing innocent civilians in the process. Another plot from Iran to kill Jews has been foiled.

This seems to be confirmed by media reports on Sunday that the people have built a mock gallows on which they performed a mock hanging of Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah & former prime minister Saad Hariri. A number of key intercessors have confirmed what the Lord showed me. It is important however that we have compassion for the injured and those who have lost their loved ones, Christians and others, and that we pray for reform, repentance and salvation in Lebanon and terrorism to end. There are urgent needs for food, medical aid and housing. Lebanon was already in financial and Covid-19 crisis before the blast and the blast has destroyed silos of wheat containing 85% of Lebanon’s food. Jonah was chastised by the Lord when he complained that the Lord spared Nineveh, the enemy of Israel, when they repented.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1716646/middle-east

INDIGENOUS FRIENDS OF ISRAEL SUPPORTS ISRAEL EXTENDING  SOVEREIGNTY IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA

The Centre for International Reconciliation and Peace has a number of ministries under its umbrella and Indigenous Friends of Israel (IFI) is one of them. Formed in 2017, Ps Norman Miller said “It is simply untrue to maintain that Israel is an apartheid state. As Indigenous people, we know what apartheid is. Israel is a beacon of democracy in the Middle East and has Arab Members of the Knesset and has Arabs living peacefully and working in all walks of life enjoying their democratic freedoms.” 

IFI was formed in July 2017 to counter Bob Carr’s anti-Israel comments and to maintain Australia’s bipartisan support for Israel. https://www.jwire.com.au/indigenous-friends-of-israel/

Norman and Barbara were blessed to share on Indigenous Friends of Israel at a Shalom Israel event in Melbourne in 2018 where the Christian and Jewish community came together at the Beth Weizmann Centre.

In July 2020, IFI, our Centre (CFIRP) and Tabernacle of David joined with Australia’s ICEJ and many other pro-Israel organisations to write a letter to Australia’s Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, to support the proposed extension by Israel of its sovereignty over Judea and Samaria as designated by the Trump Peace Plan called “Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People.” The letter added supporting international legal documents.

We were blessed to have Mr Albert Veksler of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast as a guest speaker at one of our Tabernacle of David Asia Pacific Prayer meetings that we host and he shared on this issue.

Barbara spoke to our Tabernacle of David Cairns on Judea and Samaria in the following video. One correction- at the end I shared I had a revelation in 2017 that the replacement theology of the church had opened the door for the supersessionism of Islam but I said Israel instead of Islam.
https://www.facebook.com/cfirpTOD/videos/573089346691147/

GATHERING APOSTOLIC PROPHETIC NETWORK (GAP)

A number of years ago, Barbara after a conference we hosted in Parliament House Canberra where we built a throne for the Lord, Barbara saw a vision of a crown over Parliament House and David Jack made this beautiful image.

At the start of 2019, we formed a spiritual government ministry praying for the Australian government, weekly then fortnightly praying by zoom. Called GAP based on Ezekiel 22:30 where the Lord looked for someone to stand in the gap for Israel so He would not have to destroy it for its sin, we appointed pastors and intercessors to federal government portfolios. They hear from the Lord and research current events to pray for these portfolios and the ministers responsible on a daily basis. This has greatly influenced government policy along the lines of maintaining our Judeo-Christian heritage. Our primary scripture is Isaiah 9:6-7 and we proclaim the government of Australia is on the shoulders of Jesus or Yeshua.

TABERNACLE OF DAVID ASIA PACIFIC PRAYER NETWORK

Norman and Barbara initiated the Tabernacle of David Asia Pacific Prayer Network (TODAPP) on Erev Shavuot with a trumpet blast and we have been blessed by the participation of pastors and intercessors from most nations in Asia and some in the Pacific. We meet on a fortnighly basis by zoom and have a WhatsApp group for prayer in between. 

As well as having people from the actual nations leading prayer for their nations, we have a guest speaker each time as well and we have been very blessed to hear from Rev Dr George Annadorai from Singapore (pictured) on a couple of occasions. As we have a focus on Israel and the Isaiah 19 highway, we have prayer leaders from these nations as guest speakers and regular members. We were blessed to have Ps Shlomy and Miriam Abramov from Rishon LeZion Israel, Mr Ablert Vesksler from the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast and our next guest speaker is Adel, an Egyptian Australian who regularly prays with us. Ps Jack Yeo from Emmanuel Blessings Centre in Sydney has been a wonderful support as has Judy Chiem. 

TABERNACLE OF DAVID
What is it? Watch this 3min video by Ps Barbara Miller.
AROUND THE CAMPFIRE – ABORIGINAL SPIRITUALITY
Hear from Norman Miller and experience the beauty of the rainforest
Norman Miller at his gallery with placards 

BLACK LIVES MATTER
& ALL LIVES MATTER

By Barbara Miller

Norman made the point that yes, black lives matter but also all lives matter and he stood outside his art gallery with placards in the shape of hands saying “stop youth suicide” and “stop abortion.” He could have added stop domestic violence. He had signs saying John 3:16 and Ps 91 and he added “all live smatter to it.”
 In answer to a question from an intercessor of how to stop a Black Lives Matter march in Sydney because of Covid-19 and other concerns, I gave an unusual answer. My answer was to use a strategy from the Lord around Balaam’s donkey. To start with, there are genuine grievances and pain and a genuine call for justice around the Black Lives Matter movement in the USA and Australia that I support. However, there are ungodly forces that have attached to the Black Lives Matter movement in the US – anarchism, Marxism, Islamist ideology and even traditional African spirituality e.g. invoking warrior ancestor spirits to help them. Some churches and synagogues in the US have been destroyed.

The Aboriginal Lives Matter movement in Australia which has become Black Lives Matter is different but with Marxist influences. My heart goes out to the family of David Dungay and others who have tragically lost their lives in custody.

In December 2015, Dungay’s heart gave way in Long Bay prison hospital under the weight of five prison guards. His last words were “I can’t breathe.” Ironically, they were preventing him from eating biscuits because he was diabetic and when he resisted, he was forcibly given a sedative. The 26-year-old Aboriginal is now being portrayed as Australia’s George Floyd. His family is distraught because the coroner did not find the prison officers guilty and want an inquiry which is understandable.

In 1983, John Pat, a 16-year-old Aboriginal boy, was beaten to death by four off-duty police officers in Karratha, Western Australia. The policemen were acquitted by an all-white jury of manslaughter, on the grounds of self-defence. His death and others led to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody which was presented with cases of police brutality to Aboriginals.

I was asked by the Queensland Commissioner, Lou Wyvill, to write a submission to the Inquiry on behalf of the Aboriginal Coordinating Council (ACC) of which I was CEO. ACC represented the land-based Aboriginal local government councils in Qld. I wrote a 100-page report in 1990.
 Surprisingly, the royal commission found Indigenous people weren’t dying in custody at a higher rate than others. This is still the same situation today. They were over-represented in jail, but not in deaths in custody. Nevertheless, the implementation of the recommendations needs to be revisited and a fresh commitment made to enforce them. The Australian Law Reform Commission (2018) wrote, “Although Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults make up around 2% of the national population, they constitute 27% of the national prison population.”
The Australian reported on 15.6.20 “The Australian Institute of Criminology, in a paper by Jenny Mouzos, says that from 1989 until 2000, 

Photo of Norman Miller with Closing the Gap targets painted on a hand

CLOSING THE GAP

By Barbara Miller

The Closing the Gap initiative was set up by then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd after the 2008 Apology re the stolen generations of children. The Apology was a watershed moment in Australian history with the nation, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, engaged with the bipartisan event and a lot of healing occurred. Norman and I were in Parliament House Canberra for it. Rudd wanted to follow with practical reconciliation measures to reduce the huge socio-economic disadvantage of Indigenous people on most socio-economic indicators like health and mortality, education, employment etc.

However, at the 10-year mark in 2018, it was found that only 2 of the 7 targets were met. It was a failure. There have been extensive negotiations since then for a reset and finally, very recently 16 targets instead of 7 have been set and signed onto by federal and state governments and 50 peak Indigenous organizations.

I am especially happy that there are new targets for reducing by 2031 the extremely high levels of incarceration of Indigenous adults (by 15%) and youth (by 30%), reducing the high number of children in out-of-home care (by 45%) reducing overcrowding in housing and new targets for recognizing Indigenous legal interests over land and sea and increasing the use of Indigenous languages. However, should all these targets by met by 2031, it will still be a very long time into the future before parity is reached and there is no gap – a sad situation.

I have 12 prayer points I can send to anyone interested.

BLACK LIVES MATTER (cont)

15.1 per cent of all homicide victims nationally were Aboriginal, as were 15.7 per cent of all homicide offenders — and yet ­Aboriginal people were less than 3 per cent of the population.”

Re black-on-black violence, The Australian also reported on 15.6.20, that Aboriginal leader “Jacinta Price wrote in The Daily Telegraph on June 9: ‘In 2018 in the NT alone, 85 per cent (4355) of Aboriginal victims of crime knew the ­offender. Half were victimised by partners. Aboriginal women made up 88 per cent (2075) of those victims.’

“Aboriginal children were 5.9 per cent of the population but five times more likely to be hospitalised after an assault than non-indigenous children. ‘Between 2007 and 2011, 26 per cent of all deaths among Aboriginal children … were … (from) abuse injury,’ she wrote. ‘The leading cause of child death between 2014 and 2017 … was suicide. This is a quarter of all child suicides in Australia (85 of 357)’.”

“Realising that there are fun­damental connections between child neglect, child sexual abuse, Aboriginal victims of crime and the high rates of incarceration will allow us to address these critical ­issues effectively.”

Some intercessors did pray the prayer strategy of Balaam’s donkey before the Sydney march on 28.7.20 which was cancelled. The donkey (vehicle) refused to take Balaam where he wanted because an angel stood in the way. If you want a copy of this prayer strategy, please contact me.

We are a small team with much ministry happening and we would love to have some support with a one-off offering or a regular donation. One example is that Norman has been doing street ministry via worship on Cairns streets for 3 years now 2 or 3 nights a week. After a short break due to Covid-19 restrictions, he is back doing it again. If you have prayer needs, please let us know.If there is anything specific you would like to sow into, then please use it as a reference.   Here are our bank details –

Centre for International Reconciliation and Peace, CBA Cairns, 
BSB  064804    Account details 1406 9281.  

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COVID-19, PAN & HOW TO PRAY

PANDEMIC, PANGOLIN, PANDEMONIUM, PAN – BUT BE CAREFUL HOW WE PRAY LEST WE ARE FOUND OPPOSING GOD

By Pastor Barbara Miller 17.3.20

Pandemic, pangolin, pandemonium, panic, Pan. What do all these have in common – a false god called Pan who creates panic. But let’s come back to that.

When there is a crisis, before praying we need to ask ourselves if this comes from God or not. According to tradition, Gamaliel succeeded his father, Simon, and his grandfather, the renowned sage Hillel to be president of the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish court. Gamaliel intervened on behalf of the Apostles of Jesus when they had been arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin. Interestingly we find later in Acts 22:3 that Apostle Paul was a student of Gamaliel. But what Gamaliel said has been ringing in my mind for some time as being critical to how we pray in a crisis. He said that we don’t want to find ourselves opposing God:

“But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:39).

REGARDING COVID-19 THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OPTIONS:

  1. The Coronavirus is a judgement from God because of sin
  2. The Coronavirus is a shaking sent by God to turn people to Him
  3. God is not causing it but allowing it to occur
  4. It is man made
  5. It is demonic
  6. It is from God but the demonic is using it to spread fear or panic
1. The Covid-19 is a judgement from God because of sin

There are numerous instances in the Old Testament or Tanakh that attest to God sending plagues or pestilences because of sin. God sent the 10 plagues on Egypt so they would let His people go from slavery to the Promised Land. (Exodus 8:17, 9:10).

Even after they saw God deal with the rebellion against Moses of Korah and his supporters by opening up the earth and swallowing them alive to their grave, the next morning, the whole community of Israel muttered against Moses and Aaron saying they were responsible for the deaths. This was despite the miracles God had shown and that they were His appointed leaders so God sent a plague or pestilence. (Nu 16:41-50). The Lord also sent a plague on them for despising His provision of manna (Numbers 11:33).

Pestilence is one of God’s four severe judgements. “For thus says the Lord GOD, “How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts and plague to cut off man and beast from it!” (Ezekiel 14:21).

In the time of David, the Lord sent pestilence on King David’s subjects because he numbered them. “So, the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.” (2 Samuel 24:15-25).

God told His people then and He tells us now, to come out of Babylon or the world’s system and way of thinking. “I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; (Revelation 18:4). These are only some examples as it is a recurrent theme throughout scripture.

2. The Covid-19 is a shaking sent by God to turn people to Him.

When we were praying for the drought, this scripture came strongly to me and it is relevant for the bushfires and coronavirus as well but this does not discount that God is a righteous Judge. God wants a harvest of souls for His kingdom. He wants that none should perish and if He has to shake us up to get us thinking of eternity, He will. “For thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts. (Haggai 2:6-7).

In Isaiah 13:13 and Habakkuk 3:6, God also speaks of shaking the earth and the nations. Shaking and sifting are similar and we know in the last days, the wheat will be separated from the tares or weeds. We wonder why there is evil in the world but God will sift it out, shake it and judge it. He shakes His own people as well. “For behold, I am commanding, And I will shake the house of Israel among all nations, As grain is shaken in a sieve, But not a kernel will fall to the ground.” (Amos 9:9). Again, God speaks of shaking and judgement in the same scripture.

“For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger.” (1 Kings 14:15).

The glory, majesty and awe of God causes every living creature to shake at His presence and every high thing, natural or manmade will collapse and fall down before Him. Even the powers in the heavens will be shaken:

“The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground.” (Ezekiel 38:20).

“men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” (Luke 21:26).

However, there is a good side to this shaking as it brings in the harvest. In fact, the shaking by the wind of the Holy Spirit at Shavuot or Pentecost led to the birth of the church. The disciples had prayed long and in unity in the Upper Room and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. Peter then preached and 3,000 were saved. “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31).

Also, Paul and Silas had been imprisoned for preaching the gospel when God sent an earthquake to shake the foundations of the prison and free them. “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.” (Acts 16:25-26).

We should welcome the shaking by the Lord as it will remove ungodly things and godly things will remain. We should not fear it but have compassion for those affected. “And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE
NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.” This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.” (Hebrews 12:26-27).

3. God is not causing it but allowing it to occur.

This is a big topic on its own so I’ll just deal briefly with it here. Why didn’t God create a world where tragedy and suffering don’t occur?” He did. “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Gen 1:31). So, if God did not create tragedy or evil, where did they come from? God gave us free will to love Him or not. He doesn’t force us to love Him. However, we have abused our free will by rejecting God resulting in the introduction of evil into the world.

Sometimes God takes His hands off a situation and leaves us to our own devices, receiving the results of our sins. Psalm 81:12 says, “So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.” Also, Romans 1:24 says something similar:

“Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.”

4. It is man made

The Coronavirus originated in Wuhan China and it is believed to have come from a wild food and seafood market. The pangolin has been singled out as a possible source of the Coronavirus. It is a creature like an armadillo covered with scales and also like an anteater. While it is available in a number of Asian nations including southern China, it is the most trafficked animal in the world and is illegally trafficked from India and Africa etc. It is eaten as a luxury food in China and its scales are prized for medicinal purposes.

However, there is also the possibility that Covid-19 leaked from a biological weapons lab in Wuhan whether by accident or design.

Flu epidemics have occurred throughout history with millions dying. So, this is not a new thing. In the past there have been the Bubonic Plague or Black Death caused by bacteria carried by fleas on black rats resulting in 75 to 200 million deaths in Europe and Asia in the 1300s. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 8,098 people worldwide became sick with SARS during the 2003 outbreak. Of these, 774 died. It originated in China, possibly from bats. The 2009-2010 flu pandemic or swine flu was an influenza pandemic similar to the 1918–1920 Spanish flu pandemic but a new strain. 700 million–1.4 billion people, contracted it with about 150,000–575,000 fatalities. The Spanish flu infected 500 million people or about 27% of the world population. The death toll is estimated to have been anywhere from 17 million to 50 million, and possibly even as high as 100 million. Its origin is reportedly from birds (avian flu) and the virus was also found in pigs.

It is interesting that in China 2019 was the Year of the Pig and 2020 is the Year of the Rat. While I am not saying we need to eat only kosher food, eating non-kosher food appears to have had a hand in the Covid-19.

I am not saying this is from the Lord but I sense that the Lord may use Coronavirus to bring down President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party in a dramatic fashion the way we had the fall of the Berlin Wall and of the USSR. The fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 was a pivotal event in world history which marked the falling of the Iron Curtain and the start of the fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe.

The Covid-19 is called a pandemic because many nations are affected. More people may die through other causes in Australia than Coronavirus e.g. chronic illness and car accidents. However, the big concerns are that it is contagious and there is no vaccine or treatment. There is a concern that hospitals and medical staff will be overwhelmed by it. Emergency responses have resulted in a huge social and economic upheaval in Australia in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus.

7. It is demonic

If we believe the Coronavirus has been caused by Satan, then we would be saying “the Lord rebuke you Satan” (Zech 3:1-2) or going into spiritual warfare against it. But we need to ask God if it is of Him or if it is demonic. How can we cast out what God is doing or put a restraining order on it or decree it to stop? We don’t want to be found opposing God. His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). He has the big picture. He knows how to turn situations around for the good, the saving of many lives (Gen 50:20).

8. It is from God but the demonic is using it to spread fear

I believe we can see this happening. I have a summary of a message on Pan below but basically this is a demon that creates fear and panic. God has not given us a spirit of fear. The word says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7). We need to exercise caution when we are not in a safe situation but excessive or unfounded fear and all panic are from the pits of hell. The media is useful in providing information about precautions we need to take and government decisions to protect the community. But it has been a tool of the enemy in spreading that panic, to the point where people in Australia are hoarding and fighting over toilet paper in the supermarkets.

The enemy has come to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus has come to give us abundant life. (John 10:10). Satan is the father of lies and tempts us to sin. He goes around like a false lion seeking who he can devour. (1 Pe 5:8-9). He blinds the eyes of unbelievers. (Cor 4:4). But we can put on the full armour of God. (Eph 6:11-16) and pray the eyes of unbelievers are spiritually opened.

CONCLUSION

So, which of the above gives us guidance how to pray? Not all pandemics are from God but I think this one is primarily a judgement from God for our sin and a wakeup call to repent. But it is also a shaking so that ungodly things are rattled or removed and that people start thinking of God and eternity rather than the distractions of daily life. It is harvest time. “See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” (Rev 5:5). Jesus already defeated the dragon or Satan on the cross. Though Satan is fighting to see how many he can take with him, he will be thrown into the lake of fire for eternity. (Rev 20:10). The fourth horseman of the Apocalypse rides a pale green horse and has the power of famine, plague, and to kill by sword and wild beasts (Rev 6:8). God in His mercy has given us a dress rehearsal for the end times and all the signs of the times are here but we are not there yet and Jesus tells us not to be troubled or fearful or panic. As Christians we will be protected by the blood of Jesus:

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places.” (Mt 24:6-7)

In the meantime, Satan is getting us to press the panic button and live in fear not faith. His latest trick is to use Covid-19 but he is not the author of it. So, let’s not pray to cast out the Covid-19 but pray to cast out fear and panic and God would have mercy on us to stop the virus.

SO HOW DO WE PRAY?

  1. Repent for our sins and the sins of our nation as did Daniel and others. (Dan 9:20-21).
  2. Pray according to 2 Chron 7:13-14. When God sends drought or famine or plague, if the church will humble themselves and pray and repent, God will forgive our sin and
    heal our land:
    “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
  3. Jesus has already paid the price for our sin and by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53). We need to dwell in the finished work of the Cross. As well as healing from leprosy, Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood. Luke 8:43-48 KJV says, “And straightaway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.” (sometimes translated affliction or illness.)
  4. Moses commanded Aaron to run amongst the people with incense from burning coals on the altar to purify them when the Lord was angry with them and struck them with plague. He stood between the living and the dead so God to stop the plague. (Nu 16:43-49). We need to pray that God will have mercy and compassion and stop the Covid-19 so it doesn’t spread any further. Protestant churches don’t use incense but the prayers of the saints are like incense. “Now when he [Jesus] had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Rev 5:8)
  5. Crying out to God to spare his people from plague after David angered God by counting them, David sacrificed and prayed on the threshing floor of Araunah as commanded by God. The Lord answered his prayer for the land and the plague stopped. (2 Samuel 24:15-25). We need to be filled with the compassion for the people David had for his people. We don’t use animal sacrifices in new covenant times, but the word of God tells us to bring a sacrifice of praise so we need to release extra and extended praise to the
    Lord. Hebrews 13:15-16 says:
    “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
  6. This scripture shows us we need to do good and share with others, not the hoarding behaviour we are seeing. Pray for opportunities to do good and share and show the love of God.
  7. Declare the protection of Psalm 91 over ourselves, our family, Australia and the nations. It is intended for Christians but stand in the gap for non-believers.
  8. Pray for the fear of the Lord to come upon people not the fear of man or the virus. Pray for people to come under conviction of sin and pray for revival.
  9. Crisis is an opportunity. Thank God for all He has done for us and also thank Him in advance for revival. This shaking is causing people to look for answers. They can’t do business as usual. They may even be facing life and death situations. We need to use this opportunity to evangelize and bring in the harvest. This can be done, not just face to face but also by social media, websites, TV and newspapers etc. We praise the Lord for the Chinese Christians in Wuhan who had the courage and compassion to evangelize and help those stricken by the virus or fearful they would get sick and die.
  10. Pray that the Christian message will go viral via technology and God would accomplish all His purposes through this pandemic.
  11. Pray the Lord would send labourers into the harvest and go yourself. (Mt 9:37-38).
  12. We need to pray that those who are unsaved will turn their hearts and minds to the Lord and that He would sovereignly appear to them or speak to them or they would come across people or material so they would receive the gospel. Pray that the eyes of their understanding would be open to receive the Lord. Pray against their unbelief,
    stubbornness and independent spirits that oppose or resist God.
  13. Pray for the same shaking to come on us as it did on the early church at Pentecost and
    that the church would rise up in boldness and faith and operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray the church preaches the word with miracles, signs and wonders following. Pray for a wakeup call to the church to move in the authority God has given us.
  14. Pray that people would lose their appetite for unclean food and unclean sources of medicine.
  15. Pray that the development of and use of biological weapons would cease.
  16. Decree that Satan would not use the pandemic of Covid-19 for his evil ways and not use panic and pandemonium to drive people into his kingdom.
  17. We need to pray for a vaccine and for those who have Coronavirus to be healed and comfort for those who have lost loved ones.
  18. We need to pray for government, health and other authorities make wise decisions and for health authorities and hospitals etc not to be overwhelmed. And for there to be sufficient testing kits, protective gear for health staff and other equipment necessary.
  19. We need to pray for special protection for those in nursing and aged homes and the chronically ill.
  20. We need to pray for the economy to rebound, for jobs to be created not lost and for innovative ways for people to gain income even while in quarantine. Also, for family relationships not to be strained while in self-isolation.

BACK TO PAN – EXCERPT FROM REPORT AUSTRALIA DAY PRAYER WE HOSTED IN CANBERRA

“That night (25.1.2020), I shared an earlier vision I had of PM Scott Morrison in a game of cricket against the ALP and Greens and they were not happy he won (federal elections) and pulled back on climate change and their opposition to religious freedom. However, with bushfires and drought, their confidence came back and were attacking him on climate change, even hitting him with a cricket bat and bowling underarm. As I shared my message, I had a cricket bat and ball with me and decreed that Scott Morrison would not be hit with the bat of climate change or receive an underarm bowl.

As I saw a demon vomiting green matter during that vision, I prayed re the spirit behind this climate change attack on the PM and the Lord showed me Pan, a nature god, half man half goat, a form of Satan. The Lord reminded me that Norman and I took a Christian tour group of 50 to pray at Pan’s grotto and Pan’s temples as part of a tour of Israel in 2017. Pan was known to cause panic which is where that word came from. He was lecherous and his stentorious voice could cause fear and death. This is why we have a panic re climate change.

In Mt 16:17-19, Jesus says that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church. Jesus declared this at Caesarea Philippi and this is where it was revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Messiah the son of the living God. The gates of hell is a physical place here also called the grotto of Pan where the Greek shepherds in the Hellenistic period would sacrifice goats. People came from around the world to this gateway to the underworld. Later after the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, the Romans, who also worshipped Pan, took captured Jews there and cruelly killed them in games.

This is not to say that climate change is not an issue and we need good policies to deal with it but the panic mode button has been pressed and it is used for political manipulation. I made decrees regarding climate change and Pan.”

There is a lot more to this message but the point I want to make here is that people are doing irrational things like hoarding and fighting over toilet paper. The panic button has been pressed, partly by government seeking to stop the spread of the virus and partly by media with non-stop reporting. But there is a demonic aspect to it, with a Pan-like entity feeding the fear and panic. So, you may find this decree useful:

WE DECREE that God exalted Jesus (Yeshua) to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. Philip 2:9. Jesus’ name is higher than the name of the Covid-19 so we decree His name will be on peoples’ lips more than the Coronavirus. We decree that everything bows the knees to Jesus, including Covid-19.

WE DECREE that all panic and fear attached to this Covid-19 will go in Jesus name and will be replaced by faith in God and peace of mind. We decree that Christians and the church have power, love and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7) and are light and salt to the world, bearing the good news with power, miracles, signs, wonders and healing.

WE DECREE that the church receives revelation from our Father in heaven how to speak and act in this time and that Jesus will build His church and the gates of hell will not overcome it. As Jesus has given us as Christians the key to the kingdom of heaven so that whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven, we decree in Jesus name that this panic and fear are bound and we loose repentance, revival, stronger faith in God, healing, miracles and God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Mt 16:17-19)

Sealed with the signet ring of the Lord Jesus Christ, Yeshua Hamashiach (Esther 8:8)

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Spiritual Authority Of Aboriginal Gatekeepers


CALL TO INDIGENOUS CHRISTIAN LEADERS & OTHERS TO JOIN US
FOR AUSTRALIA DAY PRAYER CANBERRA 25-27 JAN 2020

By Ps Barbara Miller, March 2001

Acts 17:26 tells us “From one man He made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” God also sets in place authorities in the land, both spiritual and secular and we are told to obey these authorities (Ro 13:1-5) and pray for them (1Tim 2:2). Because Australia was colonized in recent history (just over 200 years ago) and the church in Australia came as part of the colonizers, the church has been slow to recognize the authority of Aboriginal people in the land, particularly the authority of elders. There is a blessing to be had by honouring the traditional owners of the particular area of land you have spiritual responsibility for before God as pastors or the land you live in as believers.

Aboriginal people talk of their land as their “country” and as there were over 600 tribes in Australia when Europeans came, there are over 600 “countries”. Many of these countries no longer have traditional owners left as they have been wiped out. We should make an effort to see who can “speak for country” in our own area so that we can partner with them in unlocking the safe which protects the people under their jurisdiction. As Brian Pickering, National Co-ordinator of the Australian Prayer Network has said, God showed him a safe with two locks, spiritual authorities having one key and secular authorities having another key. Both keys are needed to unlock a city so the people can be saved.

Traditionally, because of the 600 plus countries, no Aboriginal person or tribe had the authority to speak for the nation of Australia and this makes it difficult today even for heads of national Aboriginal organizations to speak for the Aboriginal people of the nation even when they are elected because Aboriginal people were traditionally not elected to positions of authority. They reached positions of authority in their country or geographical area by virtue of the knowledge they obtained by passing through ceremony at different stages of their life cycles. By the time they were elders, they had the requisite knowledge to make decisions for the clan. Even then, this was not a personal authority but a corporate authority. There were no chiefs, the elders making corporate decisions. This system still pertains in some places today, co-existing alongside elected Aboriginal persons who may not be elders and people who are elders in age only but not in traditional knowledge. This is both a result of coming to terms in a positive way with the white legal system and the erosion of traditional authority because of colonization and the negative social, cultural, political and economic pressures this has created.

Since the Mabo decision in 1993 and the overturning of the legal fiction of “terra nullius” or uninhabited land and the recognition of native title, there has been more division between clans as to who can speak for land. This is because of the removal of some Aboriginal people from their land by white authorities resulting in the inability of past generations in many cases to “care for country” by performing ceremonies and environmental care. Thus, their knowledge of the land and its boundaries is lessened. Disputes over boundaries then occur.

I have been aware of these issues for many years because my involvement in Aboriginal social justice issues dates back to 1970. But on January 26 1996, on Australia Day in Brisbane, I was asked by Rev Jim Nightingale of the House of Prayer for All Nations Brisbane, to speak at a prayer gathering in the Roma St Forum in the city, an outdoor venue. The Lord gave me a word that just as Joseph had risen to authority in Egypt, that He would raise Aboriginal people in this nation of Australia to positions of authority in the spirit and that He would also send them out to other nations as witnesses for Him. He also said that what was meant for harm against them, He would turn that around for the good. That became the theme of the International Conference on Reconciliation and Peace Norman and I organized in Cairns in 1998.

Aboriginal people have been exercising authority in the spirit over this nation since they first inhabited it, particularly traditional healers or medicine men. I believe what God was saying in that word in 1996 was that Aboriginal people would be increasingly exercising authority in the spirit under His authority in this nation. Unfortunately, the churches in Australia have been slow to recognize Aboriginal Christian leadership and many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pastors have started their own small churches, mainly with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander congregations, as a result. Their attendance at ministers’ fraternal meetings is often poor.

One of the things that Norman strongly believes in that just as we are commanded in the 10 commandments to “honour your father and mother so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Ex 20:12), we are to honour the fathers and mothers of this nation, the Aboriginal people. In fact, he calls them the apostolic fathers and mothers of this nation and believes we receive a special blessing for doing this.

In fact, Aboriginal protocol is that when you enter another person’s country, you honour those who can speak for that country before you speak on it yourself. Appropriate Aboriginal people are often asked to open conferences as a result, even by mayors of cities.

There are times when the Lord calls intercessors to speak to the land or prophecy to the trees or mountains etc (Ezekiel 6:1-3). There are territorial spirits that Peter Wagner and others have written about (see Dan 9 re the Prince of Persia who held up Daniel’s answer). The Lord’s holy angels also have territorial responsibility. When the original custodians of the land or territory speak, it has power in the spirit, and more so when Aboriginal Christians, anointed by the Holy Spirit, speak or prophecy to it.

Monte Ohio, who with his wife Linda organized the first World Conference of Indigenous Christians in Rotorua, New Zealand in 1996 came to Cairns beforehand and spoke about using the language of the original inhabitants to speak into the spiritual realm. They found that speaking in Maori to spirits over New Zealand was more powerful than speaking in English. There has been a revival in the use of the Maori language in New Zealand. In Australia, however, there are almost as many languages as there were tribes and many of these languages do not exist anymore because of the people being wiped out by warfare or introduced disease. Also, missionaries put Aboriginal children in dormitories, separated from their parents and forbade them to speak their language. Presumably speaking the wrong Aboriginal language in a territory or country would not be any more effective than speaking in English.

When it comes to identificational repentance, Aboriginal Christians have spiritual authority to stand in in the gap (Ezekiel 22:30) for their people as did Daniel (Dan 9:20), Ezra and Nehemiah. Norman recently repented on Sydney Harbour Bridge for the sins of Aborigines in worshipping the rainbow serpent as it was an assignment the Lord had given him. Aboriginal Christians can take spiritual responsibility for the corporate sins of their ancestors and the present sins of their people just as white people can for their peoples’ present and past sins. (This is another teaching which I won’t go into in detail here).

However it is worth noting that when we have done identificational repentance in Cairns e.g. of the sins of white settlers and Aborigines at the location of the first point of contact, we could have had an Aboriginal person from anywhere in Australia to stand in and that would have been better than no Aboriginal person at all, we could have had an Aboriginal person living in Cairns and that would’ve been better, we could have had an Aboriginal person born in Cairns and that would have been better still but we prayed with an Aboriginal person who is a traditional owner of the land where the first contact and sins took place. Not only that, she is the recognized leader of her tribe and the one asked to open conferences by the mayor etc. Added to that she is a Christian who regularly attends the Baptist church and loves Israel. So, these are the levels of how closely identified an Aboriginal person may be to the land which we are praying over to heal of the sins that occurred on it and how effective our prayer may have been in the spiritual realm.

However, the authority even to stand in the gap as an intercessor is something some Aboriginal Christians are unsure about. When Roger Mitchell, one of the leaders of the British and European Prayer movements came to Australia in October 1997 to set up the British intercessors visit to Australia to say sorry for the sins of the British as the fathers and mothers of Australia, he went to Praise Corroboree, a cross-cultural Christian gathering at Parliament House in Canberra. He broke down and repented to Aboriginal pastors about the treatment of Aborigines by the British. They did not know what to do. Some said they would have to go back to their communities and ask if it was alright to accept the apology. They didn’t know if they had the authority to accept it or what the right protocol should be because they were facing an international situation that was new to them.

Norman and I were at the meeting. He respected the right of the elders to speak first as is Aboriginal custom but when they were unable to take that position of authority to stand in the gap and receive the repentance of Roger who was left very distressed with the weight of the sin he was carrying, Norman stepped in and received the repentance. He went a step further and repented on behalf of Aborigines for their resentment of and anger towards the British. Norman was stepping into the authority he had, as an Aboriginal Christian who has an anointing from the Lord and a calling to work in the area of reconciliation.

In fact, this was not the first time Norman had done this. A few months previously, we’d been in England for a Reconciliation Conference at Coventry Cathedral. The Lord showed me that Norman needed to repent on behalf of Aborigines for resentment and anger towards the British for the loss of land, loss of government, rape of women and loss of life etc because of colonization. I was to repent for the rebellious, anti-authority and anti-pommy attitudes that white Australians have as a result of colonization. In doing this, we believe we were forerunners in the spirit of what the Lord wanted to do in reconciliation and healing relationships between Britain and Australia and opening up the gates or the door for the British – Australian Reconciliation Tour which followed in 1998 when 35 British intercessors travelled Australia for 6-7 weeks saying sorry to black and white Australians for their treatment in the foundation of Australia as a multicultural nation. We hosted their week in Cairns as part of an Australian visit hosted by the Australian Prayer Network and then joined 35 Australians under the covering of the Australian Prayer Network on a return Reconciliation Tour of England for 2 weeks in 1999 hosted by the British Prayer Movement.

Without going into any detail of the Reconciliation Tour of England (this is available separately), the highlight was the prayer team’s visit to Portsmouth where the first convicts left from for Australia. As a prophetic sign, a boat with the Australian team in green and gold came into the harbour. We did a re-enactment but this time coming from the water to the land and having the British greet the Australians warmly instead of, as before, rejecting the sons of Britain and sending them off to Australia. It was decided that the Aboriginal people present would lead the other Australians ashore. The prophetic prayer event started with Norman praying to honour the apostolic mothers and fathers of the Australian nation – the Aboriginal people. Lloyd Hollingsworth poured healing oil on the ground. As another prophetic sign, a boat called “The Pride of Portsmouth” sailed out of the harbour.

Then we walked towards the gate with Anne Gray using her coat of many colours to pave the way by brushing it on the ground. Brian Pickering and Ben Gray said they’d come last as they represented authority (the Australian Prayer Network). When we came through the gate, Peter Walker said, like Ruth “Your people are my people and your God is my God”. The British embraced the Australians saying “welcome home”. John Swindoll, a British pastor, said thanks to the Aboriginal mothers and fathers who looked after the British children Britain had abandoned. There is a 2 rings monument there, a replica of one in Sydney representing an unholy relationship so we moved in the opposite spirit by exchanging rings and having communion and praying and covenanting for relationships to be on the right footing. As the third prophetic sign, wedding bells chimed nearby.

Exercising spiritual authority by binding and loosing as we know is given to the church in Mat 16:18. However binding and loosing over cities and nations are higher levels of strategic warfare and it is good to heed Brian’s warning that these should be corporate activities of churches in unity. I would add that you need to know that God has commissioned you and appointed you to work on this level. God will make this clear to you Himself and others in the body will recognize it through prophetic words etc. Norman was commissioned by the Lord to not only repent of the rainbow serpent on behalf of Aboriginal people but also to take authority over its workings over our nation and we did that with a group of intercessors from various churches in Sydney. They had either prayed on the bridge before or in the locality of the bridge so had local authority because of their tears of intercession over a period of time. They had been waiting for an Aboriginal person to pray with them re the rainbow serpent as we later found out. Norman had been led to take authority over the rainbow serpent before in Cairns in 1998 and in Israel in 1998 at the All Nations Convocation Jerusalem. He did this with some Aboriginal Christians from Elcho Island and with a group of Australians from various churches led by Pastor Noel Mann.

I spent a lot of time asking the Lord if I was meant to join Norman praying on the bridge about the rainbow serpent. I planned to return from a Wagner Leadership Institute conference in Brisbane where Apostle Bobby Jean Merck and Apostle Royree Jensen were preaching to Cairns as our church was hosting 14 YWAMers for two weeks. This was the responsible thing to do rather than having both the pastors away for the first week of their visit, even though I’d organized their itinerary etc before leaving for Brisbane and our elders are very reliable. Norman wanted me to go to Sydney and we always work as a team. The Lord affirmed to me that we are a team and I was the vision carrier for the prayer event. However, I was not settled in my spirit about it and continued to pray as I really believed it was Norman’s mission and my responsibility to Cairns was weighing on me. During praise and worship at the conference, the Lord gave me a personal revelation which finally released me in the spirit to go no matter what the consequences. The Lord then provided the financial miracles for us both to go to Sydney.

What I received from the Lord was actually a shock to me and I hope it is useful to you rather than confusing a topic which is already complex. He said that I could stand in the gap for Aboriginal people because my seed is Aboriginal (my son) and for generations to come my seed will be Aboriginal and I’ll be their ancestor and I’m in that line or lineage just as Rahab and Ruth of a different race became part of the lineage of Jesus, the line of David (Matt 1:5). As it turned out, I didn’t stand in the gap for Aboriginal people on the bridge but I was there to support Norman to do so and I know when the Lord tells me to, I can. (A traditional Aboriginal person, not knowing my family background, could be offended by this however. Some traditional Aborigines call me aunty because of their relationship to my son.)

Speaking of words from others recognizing your national authority, on Friday 6 July 1999 we were weeping and praying outstretched over a banner of Australia with the Holy Spirit dove in the centre and we put a red cross over it. Norman had a prophetic word that as we struck Ayers Rock with our prayers, healing waters would flow out of it across our nation. He also read Ex 17:1-16. (We facilitated a weekly prayer meeting for Australia with a group of intercessors from various churches.)

Pastor Peter Singut of Miracle Christian Centre Boroko, Papua New Guinea happened to be at our prayer meeting and he prophesied over Norman and I that we had a divine rod of authority to rule over the enemies of our God over the nation of Australia (Psalm 110:1-3). He said that God was about to release us into a new realm of spiritual authority in our ministry. Pastor Peter was excited and organized for his church in PNG to be praying in unison with us in Australia at 2am July 14 (2 Chron 7:14) and he made a continuing commitment pray for Australia and our ministry.

This is an excerpt from the Alaskan prophet, Sonja Corazza’s report to Brian and Robyn Pickering of her visit to North Qld in July 2000 after she prayed at Ayers Rock (Uluru). “I want to tell you that when the three of us went to Port Douglas to pray from the point where I had seen myself praying in the Spirit, many good things happened and the Holy Spirit revealed to me that Norman had national authority in the Spirit for Australia. As we prayed, I saw that come forth in vision. On the way to Port Douglas the Lord showed me we were to pray for the Coastlands of Australia wherein most of the population lives…we were to pray the fire of God over them by Scripture. Also, instead of mostly concentrating on Cairns they were to pick up the nation and were perfectly located to do so…

Also Norman felt led to read Scriptures on light from Matthew 5 and when he was reading that, in vision, I saw this band of light sweep around the entire coastland of Australia…around the whole nation, a band just wide enough to encompass the population because of course the middle of the country is desert. As he spoke, I actually saw that band of light sweep around the nation two more times during the evening so it is something God is doing with him in your country.”

Back to gatekeeping. In biblical times, the elders of the city stood at the city gates and transacted business and made decisions for the city. Gates represent keeping out of the city what you want to keep out and letting in what you think is good for the city. I have a whole message on gates and we’ve done much prayer over the gates of the city in Cairns. We know if a pastor wants to prevent a move of the Spirit in his church, he can do so. If the churches in a city want to keep the Spirit of God from moving in their city, they can. They are gatekeepers so their role is very important in the spirit.

By the same token, Aboriginal people were given the original stewardship of this land of Australia. Today they share that role with the rest of us. As the original custodians, however, I believe they have a role in opening the gate for a move of God in their own communities whether they are Christian or not and that Aboriginal Christians, when called of God to do so, can open gates even on a national level.

When Pastor Ben Gray, after a word from the Lord called a National Prayer Gathering at Uluru (Ayers Rock) at 2am 14 July 1999 (2 Chron 7:14), 500 intercessors and leaders came from around Australia to repent and pray for healing of the land. The Lord had given Norman and I a word to take a prayer team to Uluru about a year before but we did not know the timing until Ben’s call came so we went.

The traditional owners, notably Tony Tjamawa of the Mutitjulu people welcomed the National Prayer Gathering but asked us not to climb Ayers Rock. The National Park authorities would not allow us into the National Park at 2am in the morning so the Mutitjulu people invited us to spend the night watch at their church near Uluru. We went in buses at 11.30pm and prayed till 4am. About 200 cities were praying around Australia with us including Cairns with a prayer meeting at our church.

A word the Lord gave me at the Olgas (Kata Tjuta) on Monday 12 July was that He had set Aboriginal people as gatekeepers in this land for their own areas across Australia and because the traditional owners of Ayers Rock, the heart of Australia, opened the gates to the National Prayer Gathering, then they were opening the spiritual gateway not just to that area, but to the whole nation. What God was doing in the spirit was that Aboriginal gatekeepers throughout the whole nation who had before closed their doors to the gospel because of the pain that came with it, would now open those gates. I saw gates or doors opening all across this nation. It was like the light turning on all across this nation. (God puts authorities in the land whether those authorities are national park authorities or traditional owners.) I saw Aboriginal gatekeepers all over the country open the gates to the gospel and tell people to “come home” into the kingdom of God. In fact, the land was doing it as well, groaning for the redemption of men and women (Ro 8). Aboriginal people and the land (yes, the land) were also saying “Come home” to non-Indigenous Australians in a spirit of adoption and reconciliation. Aboriginal people are a key to revival.

At the 21st Century Church Conference in Brisbane in February 2000 run by Ps Ben Gray of City Harvest International and Wagner Leadership Institute, Ps Tom Hess from Israel spoke on the need for a 24 hour a day 7 day a week prayer watch. We already had a vision for this because of attending Tom’s conference in Israel in 1998. In a prophetic act, Aboriginal gatekeepers, Norman Miller and Muriel Olssen welcomed and ushered in the bride of Christ (Jenny Hagger was dressed in a Middle Eastern wedding dress) through two lines of people representing the prayer leaders of all the states.

It is significant that at the Brisbane conference, Norman honoured the apostolic mothers and fathers of Australia, the Aboriginal people and he honoured the local traditional owners of Brisbane, i.e. he observed the right protocol, before opening the gates to the 24hr prayer watch and removing the stones from the highway. The organizers, by providing Tom Hess from Israel this platform with an audience of over 3,000 Australians (and people from other nations) opened a gateway and paved a highway from Australia to Israel. This will significantly affect the shape of the church in 21st century Australia as the bride of Christ is both Jew and Gentile.

Norman said “I felt strongly on my heart to stand in the gap as an Aboriginal gatekeeper to open the gates for and to birth the 24hour prayer watch in this nation. In a prophetic act, I placed a heart shaped stone on the middle of a map of Australia and then removed it. The meaning was based on Isaiah 62:10:

“Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people,
Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones.
Raise a banner for the nations.”

In Jesus’ name, I was removing the stones of pride and anti-Semitism and a stony heart (Ezekiel 36:26) so that Australians would have a heart for the 24 hour prayer watch and have God’s heart for this nation. The prophetic act spiritually prepared a highway for God’s people to be a nation at prayer, day and night, night and day. We need to be watchmen and women on the wall for Israel (Isaiah 62:6), Australia and the nations, truly a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:7). I gave the stone to Tom Hess to take back to Israel. He had preached on how we needed to remove the stones.

I prayed around the nation state by state, naming them and I said God’s response to this nation’s GST is – Get Saved Today. I believe we need to pray through for God to release a breakthrough so we can go through and see revival in this nation – a breakthrough anointing,” said Norman.

I’ve used practical examples of gatekeeping from Norman’s ministry because we can speak from that experience and we are not aware of other examples at this point. So, in summary, the examples given of gatekeeping were when Norman repented in Coventry, England for Aboriginal attitudes towards the British because of colonization in mid-1997 and when Norman received Roger Mitchell’s repentance from Britain to Aborigines in October 1997 in Canberra. This opened the gate we believe for the British – Australian Reconciliation Tour in 1998. In July 1999, the Mutitjulu people of Uluru opened the gate to the National Prayer Gathering and in Feb 2000, Norman and Muriel Olssen opened the gate to the National Prayer Watch. Aboriginal pastor, Peter Walker and Norman and leaders from various ethnic groups opened the gates to revival at that same conference.

*PS We should respect all cultures but also discern practices which do not line up with scripture.

This is unchanged from an article written in 2001 by Barbara Miller from Tabernacle of David, 25 Clare St, Parramatta Park, Cairns, Australia
A ministry of the Centre for International Reconciliation and Peace, Cairns 4870

Download PDF version: Spiritual Authority – Gatekeepers Aboriginal

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