Premature Celebrity

Stay close to God.

 

 

By Ben Dankaka

 

After David killed Goliath, news about him spread. People were amazed at the way he killed an armed giant with a stone. And as David’s fame grew, some women popped up with a praise song that placed him above his master, King Saul. Because of that song, David had to run for his life. 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. To save his life, David pretended he was mad whenever he was with king Achish.

Stay there!

 

God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

 

 

By Ben Dankaka

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. Elijah had seized that moment and ordered the killing of the prophets of Baal. Moments later, just as Elijah had prophesied, Israel had a heavy rain, after over three years of drought. But just as Elijah was about to celebrate, 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. But as he rested in a cave, God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

God's Will

 

Pray according to God’s will.

 

By Ben Dankaka

One of the most powerful prayers in the Bible is the one said by Elijah as at the time of his prayer challenge with the prophets of Baal. The prophets had begun the challenge by praying to their god from morning to evening. They shouted and danced as they asked their god to bring fire on their sacrifice. But despite their loud appeals, nothing happened, even after slashing themselves with swords. When it got to Elijah’s turn, the atmosphere suddenly became calm. Possibly, his prayer didn’t take more than five minutes but the response was instant.

Lack versus Need

 

                     

God prioritizes our prayer requests according to our needs.

 

 By Ben Dankaka

Oftentimes, we fail to realize that God doesn’t give us things because we lack them. He gives us things because we need them. You can live without the things you lack. But the things you need are those things that are necessary. Getting those things you need, can be more important than having the things you lack. For instance, you may pray for a car that may not be necessary at a particular time. At that time, the car may simply be a lack and not a need. Later, the same car could become a need in your life. God prioritizes our prayer requests according to our needs.

The Sweetest Revenge

 

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. I strongly disagree because this statement opposes what the Bible teaches. 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. Allow God to deal with the enemy.

Move on!

 

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

 

By Ben Dankaka 

When Peter told the brethren how the Lord had saved him from death, He said to them, “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 move on to another place. In other words, Peter didn’t to hold on to his past. He moved on. Clearly, the main thing on Peter’s mind was how to further his work of spreading the gospel. So he quickly moved out of the city, leaving his past behind.

Testify

 

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

 By Ben Dankaka

On the night that Peter was rescued by the angel, he went to the house of Mary where the people had gathered to pray for him. Immediately after the angel left him, Peter thought of these people who had been concerned about his situation.  Obviously, he knew they had been praying for him. And since he had been miraculously rescued, He went to them because he wanted to share the good news with them. Peter didn’t think of rushing home to celebrate alone. Instead, the first thing on his mind was to share his testimony with those who stood by him.

Just Follow

 

Why worry over something that is beyond your control?

 

 By Ben Dankaka

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. Peter probably realized there was no need worrying over something that was beyond his control. As at that moment, Peter wasn’t thinking of freedom. 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.

Suddenly!

Prayer works!

 By Ben Dankaka

Prayer works. But it 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. You can glance at a clock and immediately 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. I’m sure you’ve had incidences where God answered your prayers almost immediately. But then, there must have been times when the answers to your prayers were delayed.

Use the key!

 

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

 

 

By Ben Dankaka

 

 

Shortly after 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 because Peter was their leader. If he is also executed, then there would be a big vacuum. Since the Church knew they couldn’t physically confront King Herod because of his authority and influence, they resorted to prayers. In other words, they decided to use the master key to overcoming crisis. The scripture says, “The church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

The Master Key

 

Often, we don’t pray according to God’s will.

 

By Ben Dankaka

 

Prayer is the master key to a successful life. Among other benefits, prayer can solve problems that money cannot. If you disagree, please visit any hospital and ask some of the doctors and nurses. I find prayer very vital because it is the one way through which we can build our relationship with God. I got to know more about God and discovered my purpose, through prayers. While prayer has a lot of advantages, it is also important to note that not every prayer is effective. You and I know that we have said certain prayers that God didn’t answer. 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 begin our prayers by aligning God’s will with ours.

Becoming Powerful

 

God made the earth by His power.

 

By Ben Dankaka

 

One thing that is common about every human is the desire to be powerful. Because we want to control others and our circumstances, we crave for power. The quest for power is what makes leaders dominate their followers. But power isn’t a negative thing. It is how we acquire and use power that either makes it good or evil. Actually, we don’t have to oppress people before becoming powerful. Real power comes when you are able to create something or do something new, especially when it has to do with your purpose. 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). Again, this point is emphasized in Proverbs 3:19.

Do it yourself

 

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

 

 By Benjamin Dankaka

Miracles were a vital part of Jesus’ ministry. As He preached the gospel, He often performed miracles. When He left and the Holy Spirit came, His disciples continued His work of performing miracles as they preached the good news. Up until this moment, Christians have been experiencing miracles in their lives. When you read the gospels carefully, you will realize that most of the miracles Jesus performed were caused by an urgent need. For instance, the first miracle – turning of water into wine was done to solve an urgent problem. Also, Christ often performed miracles because of sympathy. Whenever Jesus became sympathetic, know that He was going to perform a miracle.

The Best Seller

Don’t try to solve a problem that God has already solved.

 

By Ben Dankaka

 

After the kingdom of Israel was divided, the people did more evil than the nations that God had destroyed for their sake. The people worshiped idols, created evil altars and even desecrated God’s temple. But it was obvious that the kings of Israel and Judah didn’t have a clear sense of direction. They only did what they felt was the right thing to do. But as things got from bad to worse, Josiah emerged as king of Judah. Unlike his predecessors, he sought God and introduced some reforms aimed at purifying his country. Under his leadership, the people destroyed the evil altars and began to repair God’s temple. While the repairs were on, Hilkiah, the priest found the Book of the Law. Prior to that time, the Book had been missing.

What Makes People Perish

 

Many people perish, not because they lack education.

 

By Ben Dankaka

 

Self-education is one of the best ways that anyone can use to rise to the top. My emphasis is on anyone. Indeed, anyone, whether rich or poor can rise to the echelon of their careers through self-education. I discovered this a long time ago when I had to study for my senior school certificate examinations. Although, I never attended a class on Christian Religious Studies, I prepared for the exams by reading the recommended books at home. No one tutored me. When the results were out, I got an A1. Ever since, I have relied on self-education. I am not against formal education; I am only trying to say that self-education can benefit everyone, including those who do not have access to quality education.