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

Your Passionate Purpose

 

To fulfill your purpose, you need the help of the One who created you.

 

By Ben Dankaka

Purpose and passion are not the same. While your passion is what you love doing, purpose is what you were created to do. Your passion isn’t peculiar to you. For instance, if you love writing, you should be aware that there are other people who also love writing. But your purpose is specific. It is what you’ve been set aside to do. Your passion can either be related to your purpose or completely unrelated. Even though what you love doing can be used to fulfill your purpose, it could also be

Be Purposeful

 Your life’s purpose is God’s ultimate plan for you.

 By Ben Dankaka

The first thing we learn from the Bible is that God is a Creator. That’s the dominant theme in the first two chapters of Genesis. But as God created the heavens and the earth, you would notice that everything He created was for a purpose. Light, which is the first thing that God created, was for the purpose of having times and seasons. Man, the last creation of God was also created for a purpose - to rule the earth. God didn’t create anything for nothing. Knowing why you were created is

Change Your Mind

Nothing changes until you change your thoughts.

 

By Ben Dankaka

In the parable of the lost son, Jesus shared a story of a man who had two sons. The younger one demanded for his share of inheritance and left home. After he had spent everything on reckless living, an economic recession hit his country. To survive, he had to work in a farm where he was assigned to feed pigs. Apparently, the money he earned from his boss wasn’t enough because he found himself longing to fill his stomach with the food of the pigs. This went on until one fateful day when he suddenly realized