God's Will

Knowing what the Bible teaches doesn’t make you a doer of God’s will.

 

By Ben Dankaka

Not many people know what it means to do God’s will. Generally, God’s will simply means, what God expects from us. But to discover what God requires of us, we need to study the Bible. The will of God is, therefore, not found in ANY other book. So one of the reasons why many people do not know God’s will is because they do not read the Bible. At the same time, one can read the Bible and yet fail to do God’s will. Knowing what the Bible teaches doesn’t make you a doer of God’s will.

Honor God - Part 2

 

Putting God first is the key to success in every endeavor.

 By Ben Dankaka

Just as God ejected the mighty kingdoms and gave their lands to Israel, He also ejected the Israelites from their land after they followed the evil ways of other nations. Know that God isn’t partial. He didn’t eject other nations and gave their lands to Israel because He wanted to please the Israelites. One time, Moses to the Israelites said, “It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations….” The word, “wickedness” in the context of that statement implies idolatry.

Honor God - Part 1

Never lead with the mentality that the buck ends with you.

 

By Ben Dankaka

The Scriptures say that God struck down great kings and gave their land to his servant, Israel. Why would God take what belongs to a person and give it to another person? The Bible teaches that the reason why God expelled other nations and gave their kingdoms to the Israelites was because of their abominable ways. Because they served idols and defiled their lands through evil practices, God displaced them. As leaders, it is important for us to recognize that God is the “Boss of all bosses.” Never lead with the mentality that the buck ends with you.

Perfect Victory

 

If you are trying to win your own battles without God, you might end up with scars.

 

By Ben Dankaka

Life can overwhelm us with challenges that may seem impossible to overcome. But while you can overcome certain challenges with will power, some of our problems cannot be solved by human effort. One day Jesus was confronted by a man possessed by a demon. As soon as the evil spirit recognized Jesus, it shrieked. To shut the demon, Jesus commanded it to come out of the man. Interestingly, even though the evil spirit flung the man, it came out without injuring him. In other words, the man was delivered without wounds.

How to Change the World

 

To change the world, serve people with your gift.

 

By Ben Dankaka

Jesus often had crowds following Him wherever He went. One time, He withdrew with his disciples to a lake. Then a large crowd from Galilee and from many other regions followed Him. These people weren’t invited. They decided to follow Jesus “when they heard all he was doing” (Mark 3:8). That is, if they had not heard what He was doing, they wouldn’t have bothered to follow Him. Most likely, Jesus wasn’t followed by crowds until He launched His ministry. Prior to that time, the Bible didn’t give any account of crowds following Jesus. But when He began to preach and perform mighty miracles, the crowds showed up.

How to Create

You need knowledge in order to create anything.

 

By Ben Dankaka 

One of the principles of success is creativity. Hardly is there any career leader who doesn’t depend on creativity. Creativity is not only required in the arts but in every business. Even if you are into retailing, you will need to be creative. Former richest man in America, Sam Walton, and founder of Wal-Mart Stores used a creative business formula that most retailers ignore. He bought a wide variety of products in bulk across his network of stores so he could pass savings on to his customers. As a result, people flocked to his stores.

That Hidden Message

Unseal the hidden message in you.

 By Ben Dankaka

Jesus said, “For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought to the open”. What Christ said is exactly what the senders of the mails do. The senders of mails hide their message inside an envelope and like Jesus said, the hidden message is meant to be disclosed. Whatever they concealed inside the envelope is not intended to remain hidden, but similar to what Jesus said, it is to be brought to the open. Now Jesus was, in fact speaking about the messages He had been depositing in the minds His disciples.

Stay on Track

Realize that not every solution is appropriate.

 

By Ben Dankaka

While evangelizing, Paul and Silas were arrested. However, a miracle happened as they were in prison. The normal thing to do was to rush out of the prison cell, assuming it was God’s will. Instead, they ignored the freedom but, took advantage of the opportunity to gain new converts. In the end, their patience paid off as they were released by the magistrates, the next day. One interesting thing about this story is the way they stayed faithful to their cause in the middle of a crisis.

Good versus Right

To select the right thing from a group of choices that equally seem to be good isn’t an easy thing to do.

 

By Ben Dankaka

To select the right thing from a group of choices that equally seem to be good is not as easy as picking a good thing out of a cluster of bad things. For instance, when David got the chance to kill Saul; his associate suggested they should kill Saul. That seemed like a good thing because Saul had been trying to kill David. But David realized that the right thing to do was not to lay a hand on Saul because he was God’s anointed. But

Set the RIGHT Goal

 

Many people fail in life, not because they didn’t set goals but for the reason that they set the wrong goals.

By Ben Dankaka 

Over the years, I have learned that achieving goals do not guarantee success. There are times you may set goals and then succeed in realizing them, but just as you are about to celebrate, you may suddenly discover the goals shouldn’t have been set in the first place. The scripture says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Many people fail in life, not because they didn’t set goals but for the reason that they set the wrong goals. So they spend their entire lives pursuing the wrong. They never realize their mistakes until they get to the end.

The Sweetest Revenge

 

Focus on dealing with the problem and allow God to deal with the enemy.

 

By Ben Dankaka 

There’s a saying that "revenge is a dish best served cold". This statement implies that revenge is more fulfilling when it’s carried out at an unexpected time. This is true but to take revenge against your enemy is wrong, and the Bible condemns it.  In his letter to the Romans, Paul warns us “not to take revenge”, but “leave room for God’s wrath” (Romans 12:19). That is, we are expected to leave vengeance for God because whoever troubles us is actually fighting God, not us. Therefore, those who take revenge against their enemies are guilty of fighting God’s battles. Allow God to deal with the enemy.

Move on!

Commit to focusing on what you can change, rather than what has already happened.

 

By Ben Dankaka

As Peter shared his testimonies with the Church, He said, “Tell James and the brothers about this,” and then he left for another place. The scriptures didn’t tell us where he headed to, but we know that Peter moved on. In other words, Peter didn’t remain at the place where he was persecuted. That is, he didn’t even to hold on to his past troubles and successes. Peter didn’t even spend a single night in the city. Obviously, the main thing on Peter’s mind was how to further his work of spreading the gospel of the Kingdom. So he quickly moved out of the city.

Your Story Matters

 

You may not know who’s going to be inspired by the challenges you are going through.

By Ben Dankaka 

On the night that Peter was rescued by God’s angel, he went to Mary’s house and met the people who had been praying for him. The moment the angel left him, Peter thought of the people that were concerned about his troubles. As their leader, Peter knew that his arrest must have instigated fear in the hearts of the brethren. Obviously, he knew they had been praying for him. Now that he had been miraculously recused, He went to them because he wanted the Church to know that God had answered their prayers.

Just Follow

God is never late.

By Ben Dankaka 

On the night that Peter that was rescued by God’s angel, he was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with chains, and there were other armed men who stood guard at the entrance. In other words, Peter was heavily guarded by armed men. Think of the scenario as what we now call, “maximum security”. Ordinarily, there was no way; Peter could have escaped by his own effort. As at that moment, Peter wasn’t thinking of freedom.  So when the angel suddenly struck Peter on the side and woke him up, Peter was dazed, momentarily. He thought he was seeing a vision.

All of a sudden!

God responds in different ways.

By Ben Dankaka 

Prayer doesn’t work like a clock. While you can easily predict the hands of a clock, you cannot easily predict how or when a prayer will be answered. You can glance at a clock and know the exact minutes it will take the hands of the clock to reach the next hour. But you can’t say a prayer and then predict the exact way it will be answered. Answers to prayers are unpredictable because God responds in different ways. You might have had incidences where God answered your requests almost immediately after you prayed. But then again, there must have been times, your prayers were delayed.

The Master Key

 

Ask God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself.

 

By Ben Dankaka

Shortly after King Herod had James, the brother of John killed; he proceeded and arrested Peter. Herod had decided to kill Peter because he figured it would make the Jews happy. This became a big problem to the Church. If Peter who was the leader of the disciples was executed, then there was going to be a big crack in the Church. And the Church knew they couldn’t physically confront King Herod who had power and authority. So they decided to do the only thing they could do. While Peter was kept in prison, “the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

Sudden Trouble

No one goes through a crisis without growing.

 

By Ben Dankaka 

We don’t have to always blame ourselves for every crisis that shows up in our lives. For instance, a fire incident or the sudden death of a colleague or business partner can bring about a crisis. You may also find yourself in a financial crisis because of an economic recession. You are not the reason why your country is in recession, but somehow you are affected by it. Therefore, crises are problems that come into our lives unexpectedly. Crises are uninvited troubles. There are times that troubles would meet you even while you were minding your own business.

While crises can be painful, they also have some benefits. Crisis comes to shake up certain things in our lives. No one goes through a crisis without growing. The crisis you are going through will move you from where you’ve been to the place you ought to be. See that crisis as an opportunity to reinvent yourself. The crisis has come to wake you up. Above all, it will bring you closer to God. David said, “It was good for me to be afflicted, so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71). Like David, you will be grateful in the end.

 

Prayer: Dear Jesus, give me the strength to stay strong. Amen.

 

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Psalm 119

 

Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

 

 

 

Empowering Others

To empower others, teach them!

By Ben Dankaka

One day, Jesus took his disciples to a solitary place so they could break away from the crowd. They boarded a boat and quietly left. But before they got to their destination, the crowd recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and even got to the solitary place ahead of them. When Jesus saw the large crowd, he pitied them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus had compassion on them because He realized they were in need of leaders. In other words, Jesus realized there was a shortage of leadership. How did Jesus tackle the problem?

The Value of Recognition

 

The important thing is not whether you are recognizable or not, but why you are recognizable.

 

By Ben Dankaka

There’s hardly any leader who isn’t easily recognized. The moment you become a leader, whether in your field of endeavor or in an organization, you will be recognizable. It’s all most impossible to be a leader and not be recognizable. But being recognizable doesn’t necessarily mean you are making impact in society. While you can be recognizable for the right reasons, you can also be noticeable for the wrong reasons. So the important thing is not whether you are recognizable or not, but why you are recognizable.

Use Your Gift

 

To be influential, become a person of value.

By Ben Dankaka

One day, Jesus traveled to the Sea of Tiberias with His disciples. This was shortly after he had preached in many villages. Most likely, they wanted to have a quiet time. But a crowd of five thousand people followed them. Clearly, the crowd wanted to be with Jesus even if it meant to leave behind their homes and businesses. But why would such a crowd of people, leave their villages and follow Jesus to a deserted place. According to the scriptures, the people had followed Jesus “because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick” (John 6:2).

Lead like a Farmer

Real leaders are like farmers. They don’t depend on luck.

By Ben Dankaka 

When farmers set out to cultivate their land, their main objective is to produce crops. But the farmer knows that the only way he would realize his objective is by working hard. Real farmers don’t depend on luck. They know that if they don’t work hard, they would starve. The farmer knows that the only way he can have a harvest is by farming. If he doesn’t work on his farm, he would not have crops at harvest time. The farmer knows that whatever he sows is what he will surely reap. For that reason, he works hard, cultivating his land.

The Leader's Crown

True leaders are individuals who pay a price in order to attain a prize.

 

By Ben Dankaka

Although leadership comes with a lot of challenges, it has its own benefits. That is to say, leadership has a price as well as a prize. If you are that leader who has been surrounded by a lot of challenges, be assured that your situation isn’t abnormal. Whatever problems you are facing in your capacity as leader is the price you have to pay in order to get hold of your prize. This is a universal law of leadership. In my assessment of leadership, I have seen

Civilian Affairs

 

To become an effective leader, you have to be familiar with the culture of your profession.

 

By Ben Dankaka 

There are many reasons why leaders fail. One of them is the inability of leaders to adhere to the rules governing their profession. Every field has its unique culture. An Army General, for instance, is expected to act and lead differently from an Accountant General. Although they are both leaders, they operate under different rules. So leaders must act according to the guiding principles of their profession. Which means, to become an effective leader, you have to

Enduring Hardship

As a leader, you must realize that challenges and all sorts of hardship will come your way.

By Ben Dankaka 

Every leadership position comes with its own challenges. In most organizations, including Christian groups, individuals get to the top, with the assumption that their positions would shield them from hardships, hoping their leadership journey will be a smooth and steady ride. So when problems hit them, they give up easily because they were not ready to deal with hardships. When leaders aren’t prepared to confront and endure hardships, they would certainly be unable to lead effectively. As a leader, you must realize that challenges and all sorts of hardship will

A Leader's leader

Don’t just lead, teach others how to lead.

 

By Ben Dankaka   

One of the major challenges of leadership is the inability of leaders to transform their followers into leaders. In general, it is rare to find an organization whose employees exert the same leadership qualities with the CEO. What usually happens is that leaders take the front row and then act as if they are superhuman while they perform the most important work in their organizations. So we’ve created an atmosphere that makes people think leadership is the exclusive right of a select few. The trouble with this kind of leadership is that when

How to Lead

To build a legacy, transform your followers into leaders.

 

By Ben Dankaka

The apostle Paul was a leader’s leader because he was not only able to lead effectively in his own capacity as leader; he was also a leader who succeeded in transforming his followers into effective leaders like himself. You will agree that a portion of the book of Acts captures Paul’s leadership journey as he planted Churches and left them with his mentees. And while the “Acts of Apostles” captures Paul’s church planting expedition, the epistles contain his leadership tips to his mentees. Each of Paul’s letters contains

The Dark Light

 

Isn’t it amazing that we cannot see the break of dawn until we’ve passed through the darkness of the night?

 By Ben Dankaka 

Generally, light is one of the most widely accepted symbols and the leading force in every area of life. In religion, it is the principal force, often associated with God. In the secular world, light is seen as illumination. We like to think of light as the ultimate symbol of progress. Therefore, light represents leadership because the symbolism of light is used to show direction. We’ve been taught to believe that you cannot advance if you don’t have light. While light is a symbol of growth and power, darkness is

Like a Child

 

The quality of your relationship with God is determined by your willingness to act like a child.

 

By Ben Dankaka

If you can understand the ideal relationship between parents and their children, you would understand how your relationship with God should be. One time, Jesus told his disciples that “anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Jesus was not only speaking about the need for us to believe in Him in the same way that children often believe in the “impossible”. Beyond that, Jesus wanted His disciples to adopt a childlike attitude as they relate with God. Just as children depend on their parents, we too

Going Against the Tide

To overcome adversity, keep your mind focused on your work.

By Ben Dankaka 

As Jesus went about doing His work, He was often confronted by obstacles. Once, some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” Normally, that statement was enough to put fear into His heart. But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.” In other words, Jesus made them realize He was

Responsible Leadership

It is largely our responsibility to help those who are troubled.

By Ben Dankaka 

Oftentimes, our failure to help others isn’t caused by a lack of concern. Generally, we often feel pity for the needy. We are all born with the ability to show empathy to our fellow humans. Although we naturally feel pity for those who are troubled, most times, we do not realize that it is our responsibility to help them. On the day that Jesus looked at a crowd and noticed they were “harassed” and “helpless”, the scripture likened the crowd to a

The Right Pain

 

Don’t suffer for the wrong reasons.

By Ben Dankaka 

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Clearly, Jesus wasn’t referring to a physical cross. He didn’t mean we would all have to live and die in the same way He did. Specifically, Jesus wanted us to know that we will all face our own troubles as Christians. Though we are bound to suffer, Christ assures us that our suffering will not be in vain. Just as He was raised to life, after His suffering, we too will be