How Can It Be?

by Glenice Mills

HOW CAN IT BE?  HOW CAN IT BE?
HOW DID IT COME TO THIS?
HOW DID IT COME TO THIS?

There is a heart cry from all around the world questioning: ‘How can it be?’
I saw peoples of many nations bewildered by what they see happening in their own country. They are asking questions, and crying out to God.
They have no understanding of what is happening and they are searching for answers.
I saw their faces: bewildered, fearful, questioning.
Accompanying what I saw, was a strong sense of bewilderment, of disbelief. They are perplexed and confused, nothing makes sense anymore. All they have known and held dear is being stripped from them, there is nothing they can control. Everything appears to be free-falling and the sense of helplessness is overpowering.
What they have put their trust in has failed, it has or is coming to nothing.
We are seeing the characteristics of some nations being turned upside down and the opposite of what they ‘appear’ is manifesting. Following are some examples.

England:  A respectable, well mannered,  polite people.
Norway: A peaceful nation, with a peace loving people.
America: A world leader, wealthy, prosperous, founded on Christian principles.
Greece: A happy people, who love life.

We see something different happening now, and in recent weeks. Things are happening quickly and nothing is staying on an even keel any longer.

England: Lawless, rebellious, with a lot of hatred and prejudice being expressed.
Norway: This nation has been shaken to its core in recent times as the underbelly of what is truly going on is coming to light. Yes one man went on a rampage, however, it is appearing there are sects operating in the seat of a peaceful country.
America: There is growing discontent, poverty is increasing, all is not what it seems with increasing unemployment, downturn in the economy and the ongoing challenge for world leadership by China. It has lost its top credit rating and is being seen as a nation on an economic downturn heading into recession. All is not as it seems in America.
Greece: It’s people are rising up against their government for poor economic management and they are resisting the changes to their personal circumstances because of this. What were once seen as a happy people is being revealed with increasing discontent and disillusionment, with the people fighting back.
This is also happening in other European nations.
The Middle Eastern nations are in a constant state of unrest, with people power rising up against wrong government leadership.
This should not surprise most Christians as we know these are signs of the end of the age. However even among Christians there is a questioning: How can it be?

The Lord has been speaking to me about what He is doing and He wants to bring some understanding as to what is happening on the earth at this time.
We also need to be mindful of nations such as Japan and New Zealand who have experienced serious damage from earthquakes, and many cities in Australia have experienced serious flooding in recent times. There are other nations teetering on the edge of financial ruin, with increasing unrest on the streets of many major cities and towns. Africa is in the grip of drought, and lawlessness is on the increase, and this is only what the general populace knows about. So much more is happening insidiously in Africa that is not heard or spoken of.

We could at this point give up and go ‘Everything looks impossible. We are all on the road to ruination.’ Negativity, depression, and disillusionment could have a foothold at this time, however, we must come back to enquiring what the Lord is saying and doing. Nothing gets past Him, nothing surprises Him, and we need to know what is happening and what may be required of us to bring hope, and vision to a dying world.
Perhaps we need to ask the question: what has brought us to this point where we are wondering ‘how can it be?’
The word how means: to search by what means or in what manner and for what reason something happens. The Lord will always show us what He is doing!
There are two key words that the Lord has been speaking to me about.

PERCEPTION: This is a feeling, impression, and sense of something. Unfortunately we can all be lulled into a sense of false comfort, relying on government leaders to lead us, keeping our nations in peace. Perhaps we have relinquished some power because we have placed too much trust in leaders thinking they are wanting the best for us. We can deceive ourselves into believing that ‘all is well’ and allow the world to pass us by. We fall into the trap of only listening to the positive things happening in our country, and become drawn in by whatever the media is trying to tell us, in order to keep us all in a false sense of peace. We perceive everything through our eyes of contentment, security and seeing what we want to see, discarding what is unpleasant to confront. That will trip us up and make us fall.
That is why many are crying out ‘how can it be?’ and ‘how did it come to this?’

EXPECTATION: Expectation is to believe that a particular thing will take place, it is to suppose or presume. There is always an anticipation about what is going to happen.
Sadly many who are crying out ‘how can it be?’ had expectations that certain positive things were going to happen, that all would be well, and there is no need for concern.
That has also lulled people into a false sense of security, peace and ‘normality’.
This is all a façade, and what is happening in many countries is the ‘mask’. The evil underbelly is now being exposed.  In fact what the Lord is doing is actually revealing the ‘TRUE HEART OF A NATION’. This is not a negative thing, and in fact is a reality check, a bit like a doctor’s check up to see what is going wrong deep down, that is hidden.
The good news is there is a cure, there is healing and restoration coming if the people will humble themselves, repent, turn from their wicked ways and ask the Lord for His healing power to come.

So what has set many of these nations to fall, to come to the brink of anarchy, ruin and financial devastation?
Scripture gives us some keys that bring understanding and insight to what the Lord is saying and doing.

Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Unfortunately lawlessness is increasing in many nations because many have come under the lie that it is ‘cool,’ and in some perverse way a fun thing to inflict damage, to steal and to treat other’s belongings and lives with utter contempt. Life has no value therefore it is somehow deemed as alright to kill or maim another. The lie that good is evil and evil is good has surreptitiously crept in over past years and we have blithely accepted it as truth. We are now reaping consequences to this and we should not be surprised. We have forgotten it is God’s mighty restraining hand that is keeping things in order and holding all things together. As we have lost what it is to walk in the true fear of the Lord, our consciences have become seared and we have subtly embraced compromise, living a lie. We slowly come to believe we are as god drawing on our own ways and means in order to live our lives. At its worst we will believe there is no god and will be completely reliant on our own resources.

Isaiah 64:12
Will you restrain Yourself because of these things, O Lord?
Will You hold Your peace, and afflict us very severely?

This is a wake up call to us all, particularly to the church. The Lord is challenging what we put our trust in. For too long we have trusted in our own ways and as we are seeing they are not working.

Psalm 20:7-9
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.
Save Lord!
May the King answer us when we call.

However as we know there is a better way, the way ‘through’ with the Lord Jesus Christ as our ever present help in times of trouble. We need Him like never before!
The true heart of a nation is being exposed at this time, we are seeing the good and the evil in people coming to the fore. This is a sign from the Lord. He is and will in coming times expose in greater measure the true heart of His church. He will expose the sins of His people, of His church leaders and ones He has positioned in areas of governance and authority. We will see a greater revealing of conviction of sin among God’s people as they learn to truly walk in the spirit of the fear of the Lord. Some evil corrupt practices will be exposed as the hearts of man will be revealed in a greater measure. We will not be able to get away with what we have in the past. What is happening in the world is a reflection of the church and if we have eyes to see we must seriously ask ourselves what it is He is wanting to show us, adjust and change in our hearts and lives so we can be a people of power, ready to share the gospel with those who need His love and forgiveness.

Ezekiel 24:14
I, the Lord, have spoken it;
It shall come to pass, and I will do it;
I will not hold back,
Nor will I spare,
Nor will I relent;
According to your ways
And according to your deeds
I will judge you.”
Says the Lord God.”

A Word for Australia (Part 11a): The Great Religious Divide

Part Eleven (a) of previous articles:
Part 1 + Part 2 + Part 3 + Part 4 + Part 5 + Part 6 + Part 7 + Part 8 + Part 9 + Part 10

An Alert to the Church in Australia 
by Glenice Mills

"JESUS, A PROPHET OF ISLAM." (?)

Stop and think what this is saying!

This statement has gone up recently as a billboard, put up by the muslims to supposedly build bridges between the muslims and Christians of this nation. This is a most offensive, dangerous statement against the Christian church of Australia.

Just reading this statement should raise the ire of every Christian in this nation.
Our Christian heritage and our future heritage as a Christian nation is being severely threatened.

The LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST has been challenged!!!

This is a war of words! Words have power to sway the opinion of a nation. If we see enough words over and over again we will begin to believe them, and then start accepting them as truth. Finally we will believe the words and what they stand for will be accepted as fact. This is a spiritual war! This is a battle, a contending between Truth and religious lies. The name of the Lord has been brought into disrepute. If the opinions of the people can be swayed enough, deception creeps in. Spiritual blindness will come upon this nation. This is why these words: Jesus is a prophet of Islam MUST be challenged.
Firstly we need to look at this from the muslim’s perspective. This in no way condones their viewpoint, however we need to see where they are coming from in order to understand what is happening here in this nation. They believe they are speaking religious tolerance by acknowledging the name of Jesus and recognising His position as a prophet. This is bringing what they think is our Jesus and claiming Him as like one of their own. They are bringing Jesus and adding Him to the mix of the Islam doctrine. This cannot be further from the truth! This is trying to sway the opinion of the masses to believe a lie: that Jesus is a prophet, but a prophet lower than their great prophet Mohammed. It is not unifying but bringing a widening gap between the muslims and Christians of this nation. This is coming from the foundation that ‘all religions’ are the same, and we should come together as one. It is built on the false doctrine of all religions are equal. Again I need to emphasise this is not about people, it is about what they believe, it is a doctrinal divide. The religious divide will increase in coming days as the schism, the separation becomes more noticeable. It will be a them and us battle. This has already been happening recently over the issues of wearing the burqa in public places and having defined areas for muslim women to swim. We are also seeing a greater push for sharia law to have its place in our justice system. It is subtle, but it is a threat to our way of life, to our Christian values. It is not only a religious issue but a human rights issue, about freedom for women to be all they are meant to be. It is a case of the loud minority lauding it over the silent majority. We must speak up!
The body of Christ MUST know what they believe, stand firm and speak truth!
In coming times the Christian faith will be challenged, it is happening already, however it is minor compared to what lies ahead. There is much talk about ‘religious tolerance.’ If we accept everybody’s beliefs then we will maintain peace and keep the status quo. Is this what the Lord is requiring of us in these days and times? I think not!  Are we going to sit back and let the Lordship of Jesus Christ be challenged?
We need to know what we stand for and what we are going to tolerate. This is standing for truth. Religious tolerance are buzz words being spoken at this time. So what is tolerance? Tolerance is a willingness or ability to tolerate. It is the quality or practice of accepting or being fair towards beliefs, and customs which are different from one’s own. To tolerate is to allow the existence or occurrence of, without authoritative interference.
Perhaps tolerance could actually be described as a form of compromise. It is compromise in disguise. If we tolerate something we have given our wills over to another in agreement with what they believe. By doing this we in fact compromise. If we take the middle ground, careful to keep the peace, are we not in fact coming in agreement with ungodly doctrine? By our silence are we not condoning these false religious practices? We need to ask ourselves in these times in history what are we, the church going to agree with? Are we going to stand for something or fall for everything?
That is the challenge ahead for us in the body of Christ! Who are we going to serve? Are we going to bow the knee to every false doctrine, every false belief system just to ‘keep the peace.’ Is this even a way of God? No! What is the Lord requiring of us in these days and times? We need to seek Him, know what is on His heart, and what He is after in His people. It will cost us our reputations, and it will bring a division between those who will count the cost and those who choose to compromise His word and His truth.
Sadly the church has agreed with a lot of teachings about a Jesus but is it about the Truth, Jesus Christ who shed His blood on the cross at Calvary for our sins?
There is a lot of recognition and acceptance of many expressions of Jesus but they are often in fact worship of false “Christs”. If we add the muslim view of who and how they see Jesus to the mix of their religion, it will be a false christ. It cannot be Truth unless and until there is acknowledgment of the shed blood of Jesus Christ for our sins. No other ‘prophet’ can forgive sin, no other prophet is the Son of God, and there is no one who can come to salvation without acknowledging the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did for us at Calvary!!! That is why we cannot and must not come into agreement with any false beliefs. Yes Jesus is love. He loves all of us, and wants us all, to come to relationship with Him. He wants us to come into freedom, into revelation of the forgiveness of sin, and to a knowledge that He loves and cares for us. It has always, and will always be about us returning to Him, acknowledging our need of Him and coming back to a deeper relationship with Him.

Philippians 2:9-11

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Scripture warns us that in the last days many will believe in false “Christs” and that their ears will be tickled as people believe what they want to believe. There will be a division between those who stand for truth and those who bow to the lies of the enemy. That is why we must stand guard, ever watchful, for the enemy is indeed ready to pounce on the unsuspecting and innocent.

Matthew 24:23-25

Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.
For false “Christs” and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See I have told you beforehand.

This is the Lord Jesus speaking, warning us of false “Christs” and false prophets rising.
Be alert! We are witnessing change in this nation and we must speak against the lies of the enemy. We must stand for Truth. We have a choice, and the choice is ours today, who will we serve, Jesus Christ or false gods. This is opportunity for us to be spurred on into action. Can I encourage you to rise up, to speak out for truth, and to be a voice opposing all that would bring the name of Jesus Christ into disrepute.
He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!!! He wants Lordship over our lives individually and corporately!!! Most importantly He wants to be Lord over this nation, His nation, Australia!!!