Reflections by Bandana Preacher (David Rogers) 2024

Reflection based on Micah 4:1-5 We all wonder if there will ever be peace in our world. Will the people of violence stop bringing terror to people lives whether it’s through the wars being reported on the TV or to local street conflict caused be drugs and alcohol? In church services which pray for Peace the words from Micah are frequently quoted because he talks of a new age of peace coming from Jerusalem and swords being turned into ploughshares. Micah 4.1-5 is part of a group of passages on the promise of the coming of God’s kingdom. He wrote and prophesied the come of God’s chosen one who would change the world for the better. Micah’s words are also used at Christmas. Micah 5:2-4: “God promises a ruler from Bethlehem”: is regularly used in Worship to announce the coming of Jesus.      As a prophet, Micah spoke both to Judah and Israel, usually referring to them by the names of their capital cities. He lived in a rural area and appeared to have been less familiar with the politic

  If we can accept that there are evil forces in the world, we need to protect ourselves from them as much as we possibly can. When Christians talk of Spiritual Protection, they are normally thing of the guide Paul give to us in Ephesians 6.10-20. The people of God are in a spiritual battle against evil which seeks to separate us from God. However, God equips us to fight these temptations through His Holy Spirit. While people are obsessed with the supernatural the real evil come from the action of human beings who engage in evil acts of violence, lies and fake stories. We all must be on our guard and ask God to protect us from the many evils in our world. P aul in Ephesians 6.10-20 explains how God protects us. For Paul the whole universe was a battleground he uses description like, power authorities, world rulers, for different classes of these evil spirits. The Christian has not only to contend with the attacks of people, but they also had to contend with the attacks of spiritual f

  People are happy to use clairvoyants, watch ghost hunters which highlight the supernatural, but cannot bring themselves to accept there is a supernatural being working for the good of all. Some people expect God to perform miracles when things go wrong and protect us from the evil in the World. But there is evil in the world which often seeks to harm us. Do we acknowledge that God is beside us when we are ill, guiding the doctors to cure us? Do we humble ourselves and accept that the way God want us to do things is not the way we want to do things? People get upset or refuse to do it God’s way because they think they know better; this usually results in them getting deeper into trouble. Humility is a difficult thing for most human beings, but it is important in acknowledging God and accepting his guidance in the things we do. The term Spiritual Power or Protection can easily be misunderstood. Most people associate it with mystics, spiritualism, or some psychic power. Most of these