Becoming a Problem Solver

 

The challenges before you aren’t unsolvable.

 

All of the most notable leaders in the Bible were chosen by God to solve problems. When God created Adam and Eve, He needed someone to rule the earth. When God called Noah, He needed an ark.

When He called Abraham, God wanted to establish a righteous nation. When God called Joseph, He needed a man who could solve an economic crisis. When God met Moses, He wanted him to free some slaves.

Jesus also came into the world to solve a problem. If God is asking you to lead in any area that appears to be problematic, know that He wants you to be the problem solver.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

 

What Lies Within You

 Get up and activate the greatness within you.

 

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What lies behind us, and what lies before us are but tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

When Emerson made that remark he was possibly talking about our ability to triumph in the midst of challenges. Though we are often surrounded by challenges, within us, lays the power to prevail over every negative situation. 

We all were created by God and equipped with the ability to do great things. I am certain of this because you were created in God’s image. God is great, and since He put His Spirit inside of you, then you are automatically fortified for greatness. Activate the greatness within you (Genesis 1:26-28; 1 John 4:4).

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Stay Focused

 

To fulfill any leadership task, stay focused on the big picture.

 

One day, John and his brother, James tried to call fire down from heaven to destroy a Samaritan village because the people would not receive them (Luke 9:51). But Christ rebuked the two disciples.

No doubt, John and James were overzealous apostles. From the that incident, you would notice that Jesus was a leader who avoided distractions. Why should He worry about the rude Samaritans when their antagonism wouldn’t stop Him from traveling through another village?

As at the time that Jesus wanted to pass through the Samaritan village, He had already made up His mind to go to Jerusalem because it was time “for him to be taken up to heaven”. Today, focused on the big picture.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Premature Celebrity

 

Stay close to God.

 

After David killed Goliath, news about him spread. Then, some women popped up with a praise song that placed him above his master, Saul. Because of that song, David had to leave his country.

But the negative impact of the women’s song extended to other kingdoms. When David sought refuge in king Achish’s kingdom, his servants reminded him that he was dealing with a man whom they sang about (1 Samuel 18: 6-9; 1 Samuel 21:10-15; 2 Samuel 22:47-49).

There are times you might achieve something remarkable. And the praises you get will create enemies who feel threatened. So, they would try to stop you. If you ever find yourself in this kind of state, go to God for help.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Stay on course

 

Unless if God tells you to quit, stay there.

 

After winning the prayer contest against the prophets of Baal, Elijah inspired a revival. When the Israelites saw how God responded to Elijah’s sacrifice they immediately repented.

But just as Elijah was about to celebrate his victory, he found himself, once again in the wilderness, when he received a death threat from Jezebel. While he was on exile, Elijah became depressed and even prayed that God would take his own life. (1 Kings 18:38-46; 19:1-9)

Perhaps, you’ve found yourself in a similar situation. You’ve spent your energy on a cause. But instead of recognition, you’ve been rejected and misunderstood. Unless if God tells you to quit, stay there. Oftentimes, God wants us to confront challenges, not to run from it.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

God's Will

Pray according to God’s will.

 

One of the most powerful prayers in the Bible is the one by Elijah when he challenged the prophets of Baal. The prophets had begun the challenge by praying to their god. But their prayer didn’t yield any result.

When it got to Elijah’s turn, he prayed for a few minutes. Yet, God responded almost immediately.

One big difference between the two prayers is that while Elijah’s request was brief, straight to the point, and almost like a conversation, the Baal prophets prayed for too long, shouting, dancing and even slashing themselves with swords (1 Kings 18:1-39).

What we can learn from that story is that praying according to God’s will saves a lot of time and effort.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Bad Timing!

 

God prioritizes our prayer requests according to our needs.

 

Oftentimes, we fail to realize that God prioritizes our prayer requests according to His perfect plan. And that is often determined by time. That is, He responds to our requests at the time we need them.

Recall that in the book of Genesis, we are told that the earth had no shrub, “for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground” (Genesis 2:5). In other words, because there was no man to till the earth, God didn’t send down rain at a certain time.

Timing is therefore important to God. It could be that the only thing wrong with your prayer is bad timing.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

The Sweetest Revenge

 

Allow God to deal with the enemy.

 

There’s a saying that "revenge is a dish best served cold". This implies that revenge is more fulfilling when it’s carried out at an unexpected time.

I strongly disagree because the Bible condemns it (Romans 12:19).

Recall what happened in the case between Peter and Herod. When Herod tried to kill Peter, God stepped in and rescued Peter by Himself because Herod was actually fighting God, not Peter. By not fighting back, Peter left room for God’s wrath as Herod was eventually struck down with a blow by an angel (Acts 12:17-24). Allow God to deal with the enemy.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Move on!

 

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

 

When Peter told the brethren how the Lord had saved him, He said to them, “Tell James and the brothers about this,” and then he left for another place. That is, Peter didn’t hold on to his past. He moved on (Acts 12:1-17).

Clearly, the main thing on Peter’s mind was how to further his work of spreading the gospel. And not on dwelling on the bitter experiences. He moved out of the city, leaving his past behind.

One reason why many people fail to overcome the crises in their lives is because they often go through life feeling bitter and frustrated, even after they’ve been liberated.

To fully recover from a crisis, do what Peter did. Move on!

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Testify!

 

You may not know who’s going to be inspired by your testimony.

 

On the night that Peter was rescued by the angel, he went to the house where people had gathered to pray for him. He was eager to meet those who stood by him.

Peter didn’t think of rushing home to celebrate alone. Instead, the first thing on his mind was to share his testimony (Acts 12:25).

Too often, we fail to share our testimony after we’ve had our miracle. When we are facing challenges, we talk to people and ask them to pray for us. But when God eventually answers our prayers, we forget to return to those who prayed for us. What we fail to realize is that testimonies are important because they serve as proofs to God’s faithfulness.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Just Follow!

 

Why worry over something that is beyond your control?

 

On the night that Peter that was rescued by the angel of the Lord, he was heavily guarded by armed men. Ordinarily, there was no way Peter could have escaped by his own effort. So, he simply slept.

Probably, he had resolved to make the best use of that moment by having a good sleep.  So, when the angel suddenly struck Peter on the side and woke him up, Peter was dazed. He thought it was a vision.  But he followed the angel out of the prison, even though “he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening” (Acts 12:1-11).

When God responds to your prayers, act like Peter; and just follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Suddenly!

Prayer works!

 

Prayer doesn’t always work like a clock. While you can easily predict the hands of a clock, you can’t predict how or when a prayer will be answered.

After Peter was jailed by Herod, the Church prayed for him. The Bible didn’t mention how long it took God to answer their prayer. But we are told that on the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, an angel suddenly appeared and rescued him (Acts 12:1-7).

The miracle happened at the eleventh hour! My prayer for you is that God will suddenly respond to your prayer in an unexpected way.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Use the Key

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

 

Shortly after Herod had James, the brother of John killed; he proceeded and arrested Peter, thinking it would please the Jews. Since the Church knew they couldn’t physically confront Herod because of his power and influence, they resorted to prayers (Acts 12:1-5)

I don’t know the sort of crisis you are facing. But if you are at a point where you feel helpless; then do what the disciples did by handing over the matter to God.

Like the disciples did, pray earnestly and ask God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself. And if you’ve lost the strength to pray for yourself, then ask someone to pray for you.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

The Master Key

If we ask anything according to His will, He listens.

There are many reasons why some of our prayers turn out to be ineffective. Let me deal with one of them. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus tells us to pray according to Heaven’s will. This means that when we don’t pray according to God’s will, we may not get what we are asking for.

Years ago, I asked God to show me how to revive my business. Instead, He showed me something different. At first, I thought it was the devil, playing with my mind. But it wasn’t so, because after a while I realized it was God redirecting steps.

Here’s the key: When you know what God wants you to do, you will likely pray according to His will (1 John 5:14).

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

How to Create

 

It takes knowledge to create anything.

True leaders depend on creativity. And it doesn’t matter the field, creativity is required in every line of work. You may not be creative in your current work, but there’s a place you can be creative. And that place is oftentimes in your area of gifting.

The Bible tells us, God made the heavens and earth by His understanding. That is, by His knowledge, God created the heavens and the earth (Psalm 136)

So, He didn’t just create the heavens and the earth with His word alone. To create the earth, God had to use His understanding. Do what God did. Use your knowledge and understanding to create something that can impact our world.

 

 Written by Ben Dankaka

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Becoming Powerful

Whatever you can overcome, God will let you handle it.

 

All humans want to feel powerful. But in our quest to feel powerful, we end up dominating others. But it doesn’t have to be that way.  The Bible tells us that, “God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding” (Jeremiah 10:12; Proverbs 3:19).

Notice that when God created the earth, He neither exploited anyone nor asked anyone to do the work for Him. He created the earth by Himself, with His wisdom and understanding.

If you want real power, you have to do what God did. Whether you want to create a product or business, it will require your wisdom and understanding.

Written by Ben Dankaka

Do it Yourself

 

Whatever you can overcome, God will let you handle it. 

 

Miracles were a vital part of Jesus’s ministry. In the gospels, Jesus did miracles when there was an urgent need. Also, whenever He saw someone who was helpless, know that Jesus would perform a miracle (Luke 9:11; John 2:1-11).

Equally, the miracles that God performed while He was taking the Israelites to the Promised Land were often as a result of an urgent need. For instance, when they were unprepared to fight, God divided the red sea; when they didn’t have farms, He dropped manna. But when they settled in Canaan, they took charge.

While we need God’s help, it is important for us to know that God also expects us to take charge.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

The Best Seller

 

Go back to the Word.

 

After Israel was divided, the Kings misled their people. When Josiah became king of Judah, he sought God. Under his leadership, the Book of the Law was found, which had been missing.

When the Book was read to the king, he tore his clothes in fear because he discovered they had not been acting in accordance with what was in the Book (2 Chronicles 34:14-15). It became clear that if the Book of the law had not been found, Josiah wouldn’t have known how to lead his people.

Today, many Christians have gone astray because they do not study God’s word. Perhaps, what you need to do in order to get out of your current troubles is to start reading God’s word.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

What Makes People Perish

Many people perish, not because they lack education. 

 

The Scriptures say, “My people perish for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).  Notice it didn’t say, for lack of education. But for lack of knowledge.

In other words, God’s people were perishing because they didn’t know how-to live-in harmony with God’s laws. Anyone, whether rich or educated will perish if they do not know God’s word.

Some years back I felt as if I was perishing even though people thought I was successful. But deep inside of me, I knew something was missing. When I began to study God’s word, I discovered a new kind of knowledge that was so different from everything I was ever taught in school. Then I found peace and a clear purpose. God’s word is the best!

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Overcoming Fear

Fear not, for I have redeemed you. 

 

Sometimes, it is the not the crises in our lives that hurts us the most but the fear of it. I remember when my mum was very ill. At a point, my blood pressure rose.  But what made me hypertensive wasn’t caused by anything else other than the fear of losing my mother.

To overcome any crisis, fight your fears. Unfortunately, fear isn’t something you can eliminate with medication. You’ve got to get God’s word.

In Isaiah 43, God said, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you.” Then He said, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” You see, God may not always prevent crisis from hitting us. But when crisis comes, He rescues us.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

The Things of God - Part Two

God wants us to enjoy all the nice things of life.

 

Although Jesus had told His disciples He would rise after three days, Peter ignored that part and instead, focused on the suffering and death (Mark 8:31-38).

Peter probably wondered how "pain" and "gain" could ever match up. Possibly, what he thought was that Jesus would have a smooth ride to the top. Peter acted like most of us usually do. We like to think of life as easy and blissful, all the time.

No doubt, God wants us to enjoy the nice things of life. He also wants us to succeed in whatever we lay our hands to do. But He never promised that we would get all that we desire without hurdles.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

The Things of God – Part One

Your pain will soon become your gain. 

When Jesus told His disciples, He would suffer and “must be killed and after three days rise again”, they were deeply troubled.

Peter, in particular had rejected the prophecy. But Jesus said, “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (Mark 8:31-38).

Truly, Peter didn’t know how God does His things. If he was aware, he wouldn’t have been so troubled. Instead, he would have focused on the resurrection; which was part of the prophecy. Notice that Jesus didn’t only teach about His death; He talked about His triumph over death. You see, for every pain that life brings our way, God turns it into a gain.

 Focus on the good side.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

The Daily Cross

Don’t suffer for the wrong reasons.

 

One time, Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23-27). 

Obviously, Jesus wasn’t referring to a physical cross. Specifically, Jesus wanted us to know that we would have to go through pain, if we follow Him.

Though we are bound to experience some pain, Christ assures us that our suffering will not be in vain. But it is important for us to realize that the cross isn’t just any kind of trouble.

If your suffering is as a result of your selfish acts, then it isn’t a cross. Don’t suffer for the wrong reasons.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

When to let go

Just as a lion can be cornered by hyenas, you too can be cornered. 

 

As a kid, I was often intrigued by stories of lions. But as I grew up, I discovered that they don’t always win, even though they are powerful. Like lions, we are built to conquer. But life can still hit us with a crisis, capable of weakening us.

But when we are at our weakest point, our ability to bounce back will largely be determined by our relationship with God. The psalmist said, “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing” (Psalm 34).  

No matter what you are going through; you can get back on your feet if you would only trust God.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Keep Working

 

Keep Working!

 

If you are not persistent, crisis will make you quit. 

 

No matter how talented you are; you are going to incur obstacles. No doubt, there will be times you wouldn’t feel like getting up from bed. And if you are not persistent, you will quit.

Being persistent is important because the little steps you take each day will eventually mount up and force its way, pulling you out of any crisis.

The apostle Paul knew this principle. In his letter to Timothy, Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the good faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). Paul acknowledged the fact that his journey was a battle, but like a sportsperson, he was persistent.

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Waiting on God

For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. 

 

There was a time I was praying and it seemed like God had shut his door on me. Instead of moving ahead, I was stuck.

 

If you ever find yourself in a situation like that, wait quietly. Even if you think God has abandoned you, continue to wait. That was exactly what I did after I stumbled on the scripture that says, “it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” (Read Lamentation 3:1-32). 

 

I was inspired by that verse because it captures the story of a people who were going through deep pain, yet were hopeful that God will redeem them.  Don’t grumble; wait on God.

 

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

God’s Training Camp

                    Just as we go to school to be trained, God also enrolls us in His training program.

God had great plans for Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob. But he was a small Jewish boy who only knew how to run errands. To prepare him, God had to let him go through crises until he got to the very place God had plan for him.

 Just as we enroll in a school in order to prepare ourselves for opportunities, God also enrolls us in His school. In our schools, we pay money but in God’s school, the cost is patience.

 In the same way that our skills were tested by our teachers, God also allows life to test our character, before He promotes us (Psalm 105:17; Genesis 45:7).

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Until You’re Tested

  

What you’ve done is more important than what you intend to do. 

Too often, we expect people to support us when we launch a project. But if the project is in its infant stage, people may snub us because what you intend to do isn’t what people want to hear but what you’ve achieved.

When Saul was made king, some of his countrymen didn’t like him. But Saul didn’t try to convince them.

Later, Nahash, the Ammonite attacked the Israelites. Saul saw it as an opportunity and led a successful war against the Ammonites. And then, the same Israelites who once despised him reaffirmed his kingship (1 Samuel 11: 1-15;).  Wait until you’re tested!

 

Written by Ben Dankaka

Enduring Pain

 

Don’t try to run away from the crisis in your life.

 

Job was a man of great faith. When he was prosperous, he stayed faithful to God. When he lost everything, he remained faithful. And as Job held on, he couldn’t figure out why he was surrounded by tragedies. Unknown to Job, it was only a test.

Maybe you are also overwhelmed. As we’ve seen in the case of Job, even if you are determined to do God’s will, you will be tested.

Recall what Christ said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Crises are inevitable. But in Christ, we are overcomers (John 16:33).

 

Written by Ben Dankaka