Month: January 2021

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

Written By Benjamin 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.

After Peter described how God brought him out of prison, he then instructed them to share his testimony (Acts 12:25). Many times we fail to share our testimony after we’ve been rescued from a crisis. When we are facing challenges, we talk to people and ask them to help. But when God eventually answers our prayers, we forget to return to those who stood by us. What we fail to realize is that testimonies are important because they serve as proofs to God’s faithfulness. You may never know who’s going to be inspired by your testimony. Share that testimony!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I will testify of your faithfulness. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Acts 12:1-17

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

Why worry over something that is beyond your control?

Written By Benjamin 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.

Peter followed the angel out of the prison, even though “he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening.” It was after he had regained his freedom that he realized that it was God who rescued him. As you hold on to God, you are going to get out of your troubles in the same way that Peter did. You may be feeling discouraged because you’ve exhausted all your strategies. Now that you drained, God will come to your rescue. When that time comes, act like Peter and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I am willing and ready to follow you. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Acts 12:1-11

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

Prayer works!

Written By Benjamin 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.

After Peter was jailed by Herod, the Church prayed for him. The Bible didn’t mention how long it took God to answer their prayer. But we are told that on the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, an angel suddenly appeared and rescued him. The deliverance took place at an unexpected time and in an unpredictable way. God’s response was so remarkable that even Peter and those who were praying for him were surprised. The miracle happened at the eleventh hour! My prayer for you is that God will suddenly respond to your prayer in an unexpected way.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I know you will come through for me. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Acts 12:1-7

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

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

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.”

I don’t know the sort of crisis you are currently facing. You might be facing a problem that has already overwhelmed you. Or you might be at the brink of giving up. If you are at a point where you feel defeated and have lost the strength to fight back; then do what the disciples did by handing 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. And 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.

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

Written By Benjamin 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.

Often, when we don’t pray according to God’s will for our lives, our prayers fail to yield the desired result. But you might want to ask; “how do I know God’s will?” Knowing God’s will or plan can be a difficult task, especially if you haven’t discovered your purpose in life. When you know what God wants you to do, you will likely pray according to His will. Shortly before God called me to teach His word, I was asking Him to bless me in areas that had to do with my life and business. But God didn’t answer any of those prayers. Instead, He kept on showing me visions of what He wanted me to do. But the moment I understood the visions and began to pray according to His plans for me, my prayers were answered. The scriptures say, “If we ask anything according to His will, He listens to and hears us” (1 John 5:14).

Prayer: Lord, teach me how to pray.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 1 John 5:14; Matthew 6:9-13

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

God made the earth by His power.

Written By Benjamin 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.

So God created the world with His power. But the power that God used didn’t come by oppressing anyone; it came through the use of His wisdom and understanding. This means that understanding and wisdom are related to power. It also means that in order to create anything you need to have understanding and wisdom. Therefore, our God is a Creator whose power is known by the things He creates with His wisdom and understanding. When God wanted to create earth, He didn’t exploit anyone; He didn’t ask anyone to do the work of creation for Him. He did it by Himself, with His own wisdom and understanding. For that reason, He owns and controls the earth. If you want real power, you have to do what God did. Whether you would like to create a tangible product or a business, it will require your wisdom and understanding. It is the person with knowledge that can be powerful; not a domineering person.

Prayer: Lord, give me the wisdom to create. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Jeremiah 10:12; Proverbs 3:19

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

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

Written 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.

Equally, the miracles that God performed while He was taking the Israelites out of Egypt were often as a result of an urgent need. When they were unprepared to fight an army, God divided the red sea; when they were thirsty and there was no stream, God brought water out of rock; when they were hungry, and there was no food, He dropped manna from Heaven. But by the time they settled in the Promised Land, fewer miracles were experienced because the Israelites were able to take care of themselves. Know this; while we need miracles in our lives, it is important for us to know that God also expects us to take responsibility over certain areas of our lives. God often does miracles whenever He sees us in a difficult situation that is beyond our control or power. Whatever you can overcome, God will let you handle it because He created you to have control and He knows the power He has placed inside of you. If you don’t get that expected miracle, maybe it is God’s way of telling you to face that problem and conquer it by yourself.

Prayer: Lord, open my eyes, so I can see those things I can control. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Luke 9:11; John 2:1-11

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

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

Written By Benjamin 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.

When the contents of the Book were read to the young king, he tore his clothes in fear as he discovered they had not been acting in accordance with all that is written in the Book. It became clear that one of the reasons why the leaders of Judah had been misleading the people was because they didn’t know what was written in the Book. This story captures the importance of information. Possibly, if the people had been aware of the information contained in the Book of Law they wouldn’t have gone astray to that extent. Today, there are many Christians in the same situation. Because they do not study the word of God, they have gone astray, following the ways of the world. There are Christians who are trying to solve problems that Christ has already solved. Perhaps, what you currently need in your life is to start reading the Bible. I hope we will all discover the truth as Josiah did.

Prayer: Lord, reveal the truth to me. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Proverbs 15:14; 2Chronicles 34:14-15

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

Many people perish, not because they lack education.

Written By Benjamin 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.

Many people perish, not as result of a lack of education but because they do not have the knowledge they ought to have. For instance, a person can be highly educated and not know God. The Scriptures say, “My people perish for lack of knowledge”. Notice it didn’t say, the people perished for lack of education. The people of Israel were perishing because they lacked knowledge. In that verse, God wasn’t referring to education as it wasn’t the problem at that time. The Israelites already had some form of education. There were those that had some form of education in writing, singing, tent making and all sorts of craftsmanship. The majority of the people were also well-educated on their traditions. So what was the problem? They lacked knowledge about the nature of God. In other words, they were perishing because they didn’t know how to live the kind of life that God wanted them to live. Are you in a similar situation?

Prayer: Lord, teach me how to live an effective life. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: 2 Kings 22:1-11

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

Fear not, for I have redeemed you.

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Whatever your challenges might be, I know that it can be scary. However, sometimes, it is the not the problems in our lives that hurts us but the fear of the unknown. I remember when my mum was sick and I had to abandon everything I was doing to take care of her, my health also begun to fail as my blood pressure became so high. My doctor warned me that I was going to have a stroke if I didn’t work on myself. I discovered that what made me hypertensive overnight was the fear of losing my mother. I couldn’t stop worrying because her condition wasn’t improving despite the medication, and the prayers my siblings and I were saying on her behalf. So I know what fear can do to anyone in times of crisis.

When challenges hit you, the devil often comes along with “fear”. He uses “fear” as a weapon to cripple you, making you lose your ability to withstand the crisis. To overcome any challenge, you must first of all, eliminate the fear in your heart. Unfortunately, fear isn’t something you can eliminate with the doctor’s prescription. To overcome fear, you’ve got to get a prescription from God. I discovered this truth as I was taking care of my mother. When the medication I got from the doctor didn’t work, I began to study the Bible. God’s way of helping us fight challenges often begins with a charge to overcome our fears.  In Isaiah 43, God said to His people, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you.” Then He said, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” One remarkable thing about God is that He may not always prevent challenges from hitting us. But when challenges come our way, He rescues us.

Prayer: Lord, help me overcome my fears. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Isaiah 43:1-2

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