Month: December 2020

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

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

Shortly after King 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. If Peter who was the leader of the disciples was executed, then there was going to be a big crack in the Church. And the Church knew they couldn’t physically confront King Herod who had power and authority. So they decided to do the only thing they could do. While Peter was kept in prison, “the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

Like the disciples, you might be facing a problem that appears to be insurmountable. I know that there are crises that can overwhelm anyone. You might be at the brink of giving up. If you are at a point where you feel so weak, and unable to fight back then do what the disciples did. Hand over the matter to God. Like the disciples, pray earnestly. Get down on your knees and ask God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself. If you can’t pray, ask your friends and family to pray for you.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, do for me what no man can do for me. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Acts 12:1-5

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

No one goes through a crisis without growing.

We don’t have to always blame ourselves for every crisis that shows up in our lives. For instance, a fire incident or the sudden death of a colleague or business partner can bring about a crisis. You may also find yourself in a financial crisis because of an economic recession. You are not the reason why your country is in recession, but somehow you are affected by it. Therefore, crises are problems that come into our lives unexpectedly. Crises are uninvited troubles. There are times that troubles would meet you even while you were minding your own business.

While crises can be painful, they also have some benefits. Crisis comes to shake up certain things in our lives. No one goes through a crisis without growing. The crisis you are going through will move you from where you’ve been to the place you ought to be. See that crisis as an opportunity to reinvent yourself. The crisis has come to wake you up. Above all, it will bring you closer to God. David said, “It was good for me to be afflicted, so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71). Like David, you will be grateful in the end.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, give me the strength to stay strong. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Psalm 119

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

To empower others, teach them!

One day, Jesus took his disciples to a solitary place so they could break away from the crowd. They boarded a boat and quietly left. But before they got to their destination, the crowd recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and even got to the solitary place ahead of them. When Jesus saw the large crowd, he pitied them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus had compassion on them because He realized they were in need of leaders. In other words, Jesus realized there was a shortage of leadership. How did Jesus tackle the problem?

When Jesus saw that the people were like sheep without a shepherd, “he began teaching them many things” (Mark 6:34). Notice that Jesus didn’t address the leadership problem by sharing money, food items or material things. Jesus didn’t try to solve the problem by blaming anyone. He didn’t ask them to go home and find “leaders”. At that instant, Jesus began to teach them. Of all things, Jesus chose knowledge as a means of empowering the people. Although they needed some fish, Jesus decided to teach the people how to fish. To empower others, teach them!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, teach me how to empower others. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Mark 6:30-34

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

The important thing is not whether you are recognizable or not, but why you are recognizable.

There’s hardly any leader who isn’t easily recognized. The moment you become a leader, whether in your field of endeavor or in an organization, you will be recognizable. It’s all most impossible to be a leader and not be recognizable. But being recognizable doesn’t necessarily mean you are making impact in society. While you can be recognizable for the right reasons, you can also be noticeable for the wrong reasons. So the important thing is not whether you are recognizable or not, but why you are recognizable.

One time, Jesus and His disciples traveled to a place, named, Gennesaret. And the moment the people recognized Jesus, they ran throughout the whole region and carried the sick people on mats so He could heal them of their illnesses (Mark 7:55). Think about that. As soon as the people recognized Jesus, the next thing that crossed their minds was, “The healer is in town, let’s bring together the sick!” Immediately they recognized Jesus they thought of the work for which he was known for. In the same way, the people around you are likely going to think of your antecedents whenever they see or recognize you. Do the right thing!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I want to be recognized for the right reasons. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Mark 7:55-56

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

To be influential, become a person of value.

One day, Jesus travelled 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).

To be influential, become a person of value. Great leaders commit themselves to a cause that brings value to others. The crowds that followed Jesus weren’t really interested in Him but in what He could do; they were attracted to His miracles. Similarly, your influence would be determined by what you can do. What do you carry inside of you? What can you do that will be of great value to others? Your ability to discover your unique gifts, and then offer it to others will determine how relevant you would be to your generation. Focus on your gifts!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, show me how to develop my unique gifts. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: John 6:1-2

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Real leaders are like farmers. They don’t depend on luck.

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.

Leadership works in the same way. Like the farmer, the leader reaps whatever he sows. Just as the farmer cultivates his land, the leader nurtures his own people. Like the hardworking farmer whose land produces good crops for himself and others, the leader who spends his time, impacting lives, would eventually have impactful people, who would in turn serve him. Most importantly, just as the hard working farmer is usually the first to receive a share of the crops (2Timothy 2:6); the effective leader also shares the same privilege from those he empowers. Lead like the hardworking farmer.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I am willing to work hard in your vineyard. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 2 Timothy 2:1-7

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

True leaders are individuals who pay a price in order to attain a prize.

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 many leaders who start well but when they begin to encounter challenges, they lose their focus and even forget why they were leaders. So in their attempt to get the prize by all means, they end up breaking the rules. You see, leadership is a like a race. You can’t cheat the process. To get the prize, you must abide by the rules. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul advised him to see himself as an athlete. Paul said, “If anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2:5). Hold on and resist the urge to cheat!

Prayer: By the grace of our Lord Jesus, I will abide by the rules. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 2 Timothy 2:1-7

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

To become an effective leader, you have to be familiar with the culture of your profession.

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 be familiar with the culture of your profession, and then make sure you act according to it, or else, you will fail.

Paul said to Timothy, “No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs- he wants to please his commanding officer” (2 Timothy 2:4). The statement was intended to make Timothy realize he could no longer act as an unbeliever because he had become a Christian leader – a “soldier” of Christ Jesus. When he was a “civilian” he got himself involved in civilian affairs. That is, he acted like an unbeliever, doing whatever he wanted. Now that he had become a soldier of Christ, he could no longer live that way. In God’s kingdom, leaders take orders from Jesus.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I submit to you. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 2 Timothy 2:1-7

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

As a leader, you must realize that challenges and all sorts of hardship will come your way.

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 come your way, whether you are a Christian or not.

Paul, in his second letter to Timothy said to him, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Recall that the major theme of that letter was leadership. As a young pastor, Timothy needed leadership lessons. As part of his counsel, Paul wanted Timothy to recognize that “enduring hardship” was expected of him. Notice that Paul said, “endure hardship with us.” Like Paul and other leaders of the Church, Timothy was expected to face his own troubles as a leader. As you take on that leadership position, be prepared to endure the challenges that come with it!

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

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 2 Timothy 2:1-7

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Don’t just lead, teach others how to lead.

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 the leader passes on, the organization crumbles.

To build a legacy, Paul depended on his ability to develop others. So he dedicated his time teaching his followers. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul said, “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” Notice that Paul advised Timothy to depend not only on the grace that is found in Christ but to also hinge on his teachings. Don’t just lead, teach others how to lead.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to be a leader’s leader. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 2 Timothy 2:1-7

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