Month: September 2020

Written By Ben Dankaka

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

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?”

Possibly, God asked that question because Elijah wasn’t supposed to run away from his country, even though he was threatened by Jezebel. 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. You are now at a point where you are beginning to doubt and question your convictions. Unless if God tells you to quit, stay there. Oftentimes, God wants us to confront challenges, not to run from it.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me the strength to overcome. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 1 Kings 18:38-46; 19:1-9

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

Written By Ben Dankaka

Pray according to God’s will.

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.

We can learn from the way Elijah said his prayer. His prayer was straight to the point; he didn’t try to embellish it with many words. Also, Elijah didn’t try to impress God by screaming and dancing. Instead, he confidently talked to God. Clearly, his confidence was inspired by the fact that his prayer was said according to God’s will – Elijah asked God to answer his prayer so that it will be known that He is the God of Israel and that He was willing to turn the people’s hearts back to Him. That was God’s will. Today, pray according to God’s will.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, may it be done according to your purpose. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 1 Kings 18:1-39

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

Written By Ben Dankaka

But when he came to his senses, he bounced back.

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 that while he was starving to death, the servants in his father’s house had enough food to spare. So he got up and returned to his father.

But according to the Scriptures, the lost son didn’t arrive at that decision until “he came to his senses” (Luke 15:11-32). This story illustrates the power of the mind. Nothing changes unless you change your thoughts. If the prodigal son hadn’t come to his senses, he wouldn’t have made the decision to return home. If he hadn’t changed his mind, he would have remained in lack. But when he came to his senses, he bounced back.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive me for my prodigal ways. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Isaiah 41:13; Isaiah 40:29; Proverbs 16:9; Proverbs 23:7

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

Written By Ben Dankaka

Your passion can either be related to your purpose or completely unrelated.

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 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 used to achieve other things that aren’t connected to your purpose.

To fulfill your purpose, you need the help of the One who created you. Purpose isn’t conceived by man. Normally, the manufacturer of a product is the one who knows why his product was created. Therefore, God who created you knows why you are on earth. God didn’t bless you with talents so you could do whatever you want to do with it. Your talent is supposed to help you fulfill your purpose. Paul tells the Philippians, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, teach me how to fulfill God’s purpose. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Philippians 2:13; Romans 2:28; 2 Timothy 1:9; Exodus 9:16; Proverbs 19:21

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

Written By Ben Dankaka

In Christ Jesus, our life’s journey has no end.

The fear of the unknown is what often makes people feel uneasy at the thought of dying. One thing we all know is that our body is going to be buried in a grave when we pass on. But where our soul and spirit will be is often considered as one of the greatest mysteries in the world. Atheists and scientists have come up with hundreds of thousands of books regarding man’s journey on earth. Yet, the answer to this famous question can be found in the most popular book on earth – the Holy Bible.

Interestingly, Jesus didn’t make the issue of death sound like it was something that should be feared. More than once, He referred to “death” as “sleeping”. Moments before He brought Jairus’ daughter back to life He said, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” When Lazarus died, Jesus said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.” Jesus came so that we may not just have life but have it fully. So anyone who accepts Jesus as Lord, would not only become a son of God, but would also live forever. Therefore, in Christ Jesus, our life’s journey has no end.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I accept you as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; John 10:10; John 11:1-16

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

Written By Ben Dankaka

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

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 the most important discovery you would ever make.

Your life’s purpose is God’s ultimate plan for you. While He was on earth, Jesus focused on fulfilling His purpose. Like every other person, Jesus had several choices on how to live His life. He could have decided to be a carpenter like His earthly father; he could have accepted Satan’s offer by having control of the earthly kingdoms. But Jesus chose to do what God sent Him to do. Imagine what the world would have missed If Jesus had not fulfilled his assignment. Jesus is not the only One sent for an assignment. . You too have a divine assignment.

Prayer: Dear Lord, show me my divine assignment. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Luke 4:18-19; 42; John 3:38

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

Written By Ben Dankaka

You may not be who you think you are.

“Do you know who I am?” This question is often followed with claims about one’s physical strength, achievements, wealth, influence or mental or spiritual prowess. But the Bible has a different answer to that question. In the book of Psalms, the Psalmist cried out, “I said, ‘you are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High’ (Psalm 82:6). Is there anyone other statement that defines us better than this verse? Many people are afraid of accepting this truth because they don’t think of God as their Father.

The allusion that we are “gods” is intended to make us realize that we are sons of God, not His equals. You are not the kind of god that idolaters worship. You are a god because the Spirit of God dwells inside of you. When Jesus was accused of calling God, His father, He used the same verse to make His point. What people say or think of you is often not true. You may not even be who you think you are. But the one thing I know for sure is that you were created in God’s image. Be godly.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for creating me. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Psalm 82; John 10:34-38

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

Written By Ben Dankaka

We are members of God’s family.

After God indicated His interest to create man in His likeness, the Scriptures say, “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Since the dust was created by God, we can trace our roots to God. Note that it was after God breathed His spirit into the body that man came alive. So both our body and spirit came from God. Linking our parentage to God is vital because it is through Adam that we all came into this world.

When people fail to link their lineage to God, they would likely worship their ancestors or idols. When Paul saw a lot of idols in Athens, He said to the people, “From one man he (God) made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” In other words, Paul reminded them that they were God’s children. Therefore, in the real sense, we are not from any country. We cannot limit our roots to a race because we are members of God’s family.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for creating me. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Genesis 2:7; Acts 17:16-29

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

Written By Ben Dankaka

The real secret to fulfilling your divine assignment is found in the scriptures.

Paul said, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This statement reiterates God’s original plan for us. Recall that when God created Adam His plan was for man to rule the earth. Like every other thing that God created, man was created to influence the world. Paul needed to stress this point because man has been held captive by the wicked ways of this world. In contrast to doing good works, man has been preoccupied by evil and meaningless endeavors.

The real secret to fulfilling your divine assignment is found in the scriptures. The Bible is the manual for fulfilling God’s will for our lives. Just as people have to study laws before becoming lawyers, we all have to study the scriptures in order to learn how to fulfill God’s specific plan for us. So the Bible is not just a book that talks about the history of a people. Also, don’t think of the Bible as a book containing a set of laws for religious people. The Bible is God’s instructive manual aimed at helping you fulfill His will.

Prayer: Dear Lord, reveal your purpose for me. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Ephesians 2:1-10; Genesis 1:26-28.

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

Written By Ben Dankaka

God’s will – whether it is God’s word or God’s plan for us, is important.

Each time God’s will is mentioned in the Bible, it is either referring to God’s word or God’s purposes. While we can interpret the will of God as those instructions contained in the Scriptures, God’s will also means His plans for us. For instance, when Jesus came into the world, He said to the Father, “Here I am, I have come to do your will” (Hebrews 10:9). The will of God in this context means God’s plan for Jesus. But when David said, “I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8), he was referring to God’s word.

God’s will – whether it is God’s word or God’s plan for us, is important. Fulfilling God’s plan for us is as important as doing what is written in the Bible. God does not expect us to follow what is written in the Bible, become holy and then do nothing until we die. Also, God does not expect us to focus on fulfilling our purpose while we ignore the instructions in the Bible. As Christians, we are expected to do what is written in the Bible and fulfill our life’s assignment at the same time.

Prayer: Dear Lord, reveal your purpose for me. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 1 John 2:17; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Titus 3:14

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