Month: November 2020

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

You may not even 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 Benjamin 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 Benjamin 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 Benjamin 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.

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Doing God’s will also means doing what God called you to do.

To understand God’s will, follow the teachings of Christ. Jesus approached the subject of doing God’s will in two different ways: First, Jesus taught that doing God’s will is about hearing His words and putting it into practice. Chapters five, six and seven of the book of Matthew captures the main teachings of Christ. In those chapters, Jesus spoke on a wide range of subjects. After His sermon, Jesus instructed us to do the will of the Father in heaven. Then He added, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Therefore, doing God’s will has to do with following the teachings of Christ.

On another occasion, Jesus said, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” When Jesus made that statement He wasn’t speaking of God’s will in the context of doing what the Bible teaches. He was referring to His divine assignment of bringing eternal life. And so, doing God’s will also means doing what God called you to do. Spend time, meditating on God’s will.

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

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 7:21-24; John 6: 38-39

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

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

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.

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” This means, a person may know who God is, and not do God’s will. In other words, many would not make heaven NOT because they didn’t know Jesus, but for the reason that they didn’t do what He wanted them to do. It is like a lawyer who went to a law school but never practiced law. Doing God’s will isn’t about knowing the Bible; it is about doing what it says.

Prayer: Dear Lord, May I not only be a listener, but a doer of your word. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 7:21-24; Matthew 12:50

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

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

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.

God is unhappy with anyone who dishonors Him. When you idolize or worship anything or anyone other than God, your relationship with Him is broken. It doesn’t matter who you are, whether you are saved or not, if you don’t put God first in everything you do, God isn’t going to be pleased with you. Even if He has already blessed you in so many ways, God will break up His relationship with you the moment you put anyone above Him. As a leader, recognize that putting God first is the key to success in every endeavor.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I want to serve you forever. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Deuteronomy 9:5-6; Exodus 20:1-5; Mark 12:28

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

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

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.

You may be in charge of lives and properties; but always bear in mind that you are accountable to God. God is not only in charge of heaven, He is in control of the earth. No matter how powerful you are, try not to do anything that affects God’s authority. Solomon was wise, rich and powerful. But when he forsook God and followed other gods, God tore his kingdom and gave a large chunk to his subordinate, Jeroboam. When Jeroboam also abandoned God, God retrieved the throne from his family. Because God owns everything, every leader must honor Him.

Prayer: Dear Lord, be my Master. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Psalm 136; Leviticus 18:24-25; Psalm 24:1; 1 Kings 14:7-10

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

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

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.

The demons and some of the problems in your life aren’t going to give up because you want them to. They won’t go because you are smart and intelligent. Imagine what would have happened if the man with the evil spirit had tried to discharge the demon by his will power. For sure, the demon wouldn’t have surrendered without a good fight. But thank God, when Jesus came, the man was delivered without a scratch. If you are trying to win your own battles without God, you might end up with scars. But then if you want to win your battles without injuries ask Jesus to help you out.

Prayer: Dear Lord, fight my battles. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Luke 4:33-35       

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

To become a person of influence, serve people with your gift.

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.

If Jesus hadn’t served others with His gifts the people wouldn’t have noticed Him. To become a person of influence, serve people with your gifts. If you want to have a lot of followers, become a person of value. Social media and all other media platforms can give you an opportunity to pull crowds, but if you really want to get people’s attention and possibly gain a lot of followers, become a person of value. People don’t just follow others because they like them. They follow those who are valuable.

Prayer: Dear Lord, teach me how to be a person of value. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Luke 5:38-42; Mark 3:7-8

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