Month: February 2021

He transformed fishermen to fishers of men.

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

You might have noticed that Jesus used the words, “follow me” while He was selecting His disciples. On one occasion, He said to the crowd, “anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).  But why does Jesus insists that we follow Him? You see, when we give our lives to Christ He automatically becomes our Lord. Now the word, “Lord” means Master. It also means Owner. As our Master and Owner, we are expected to follow Him. Therefore, to accept Jesus as our Lord, does not only involve a declaration of our faith in Him. True acceptance happens when we follow Jesus. And we do not become the followers of Christ until we stop following others, including ourselves.  Jesus wants us to “follow Him because that’s the only way He would be able to transform our lives.  I know this, because that was what He did when the disciples followed Him. Indeed, Jesus transformed the lives of those who followed Him. He transformed fishermen to fishers of men. He transformed a tax collector to an author, whose book has impacted many. He also transformed Paul, from a killer to a life saver.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, be my Lord. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Luke 14:27

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

God wants to teach you.

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

One day, I closed from work, feeling terribly bad. On my way home, I got some biscuits for my two kids. On reaching home, my kids immediately snatched the biscuits. But just before I relaxed, my daughter (the younger one) returned the biscuits and asked me to open it for her. I quickly did. Meanwhile, I noticed my older child still struggling to open his own biscuits. When he suddenly realized his younger sister had begun to eat hers, he hurried back to me and cried out, “Daddy, help me!” I laughed and opened his biscuits. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I had been acting like my son. Instead of acting like my daughter who gave me back the gift so I could help her unwrap it, I was trying to run my own life. Many leaders think God isn’t interested in their lives. They fail to realize that God is a teacher who wants to teach us how to make the best use of the gifts He has given us. God’s way may be different from the path you are taking right now. Go to Him for help and He will teach you and possibly redirect your steps.

Prayer: Lord, show me your ways. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Psalm 25:4-5

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

Leaders stand out because they are driven by a sense of purpose.

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

One day, Jesus compared the attitude of the Pharisees to a situation in the marketplace where some children complained because they played a flute but the people did not dance. And when they sang a funeral song, the people also didn’t mourn. When Jesus made that statement, He was concerned with the way the people had responded to both His ministry and that of John the Baptist. That is, when John came, the people ignored him and even called him a “demon”. And when Jesus Himself came and preached the same gospel but through a different technique, the people also insulted Him.

By nature, leaders stand out because they are driven by a sense of purpose. Recall that when John the Baptist showed up, He preached a unique message, and urged the people to repent. Unlike the Pharisees, he drank no wine, lived in the wilds and lived, eating locusts. Jesus on the other hand, interacted with people, even though He also preached the message of the kingdom. In contrast to the Pharisees, he mingled with “sinners”. So He was also criticized. But despite the condemnations, John and Jesus succeeded. You too will succeed in spite of the criticisms.

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

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 11:1-19

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

It takes knowledge to create something.

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Hardly is there any career leader who doesn’t depend on creativity. It doesn’t matter the field, creativity is required in every business, including retailing. For example, Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart Stores used a creative business formula that most retailers ignore. He bought a wide variety of products in bulk across his network of stores so he could pass savings on to his customers. As a result, people flocked to his stores. Fortunately, everyone is creative. You may not be creative in your current work, but there’s a place you can be creative. And that place is certainly in your area of gifting.

If you are engaged in a work that you think has to do with your calling, and yet you are finding it difficult to be creative, maybe you are not making good use of your knowledge. It takes knowledge to create something. The Bible tells us that God made the heavens and earth by His understanding. That is, by His knowledge, God created the heavens and the earth. So He didn’t just create the heavens and the earth with His word. To create the earth, God had to use His understanding. Do what God did. Be creative.

Prayer: Lord, teach me your ways.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Psalm 136

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

Focus on your gifts!

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

One day, Jesus embarked on a journey to the Sea, so He could have a quiet time with His disciples. But a crowd of five thousand people followed Him. Although Jesus didn’t invite any of them, they followed Him, all the way to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee. Clearly, the people took a huge risk. Some of them might have followed Jesus on foot. Why would such a huge 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 a great leader, you would have to commit yourself to doing something that is of great value to others. People aren’t going to follow you because they like your face. What you can offer is the main thing. The thousands that followed Jesus were mainly concerned with the miracles. 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.

Inside every person is a hidden gift that God has deposited for the benefit of others.

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Jesus once said, “For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought to the open”. What Christ said is exactly what senders of mails do. The senders of mails hide their message inside an envelope and like Jesus said, the hidden message is meant to be disclosed. Whatever they concealed inside the envelope is not intended to remain hidden, but similar to what Jesus said, it is to be brought to the open. Now Jesus was in fact speaking about the messages He had been putting inside His disciples.

Jesus wanted His disciples know it was their job to bring out the messages in their hearts. Just as the sender of the message in an envelope expects the receiver to expose the hidden message, Jesus expects us to unravel and make use of the messages He has hidden in our hearts. The message that has been hidden in us is His word. It is also the natural abilities He has endowed us with. Inside every person is a hidden gift that God has deposited for the benefit of others. What are you doing with what you have received from God?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift you placed inside of me. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Mark 4:2-25

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

Not every solution is right.

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

While Paul and Silas were evangelizing, they got into trouble and were imprisoned. Confined in a prison cell, they began to worship God. Suddenly, a violent earthquake broke the prison doors. When the prison officer saw what happened, he tried to end his life, thinking the prisoners had escaped. But Paul stopped him. One interesting thing about this story is the way Paul and Silas stayed faithful to their cause in the midst of a crisis. The normal thing to do after the prison doors opened was to rush out, assuming it was God’s will. Instead, they ignored the break and stayed, taking advantage of the opportunity it gave them to gain new converts.

As you try to fulfill your leadership assignment, you would meet temporary setbacks. At the same time, there would be quick solutions. Recognize that not every solution is right. A quick solution might come as a counsel that appears to be sensible. And you may be given answers that are good, but not right. A quick solution might be a test or a temptation capable of getting you off track. But when you stay focused on the big picture, you will be able to avoid mistakes.

Prayer: Lord, help me keep my eyes on the big picture. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Acts 16:25-36; 1 Samuel 26:1-10

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

Knowing the right thing often requires us to make use of our spiritual antennae.

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

When you have two options that are both good, but you have to determine which of them is right, you will have a hard time. While a good thing can be easily detected with our senses, knowing the right thing often requires us to make use of our spiritual antennae. Remember when David got the chance to kill Saul; his associate suggested they should kill Saul. That seemed like a good thing because Saul had been trying to kill David.But David realized that the right thing to do was not to lay a hand on Saul.

But there are times when the right thing may not even cross your mind or it may seem like the wrong decision and in the process, you may erroneously think that the good thing you are about to do is the only right decision. When Joseph discovered that the woman he was about to marry was found to be with child, he had in mind, not to disgrace Mary but to quietly divorce her. That seemed like a good decision, but when he got a revelation from God, he changed his mind and took the right decision. Today, seek God’s guidance.

Prayer: Dear Lord, guide me as I make decisions.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Proverbs 4:11-13; 1 Samuel 26:8; Matthew 1:18-20; Genesis 11:1-9

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

Many people fail in life, not because they didn’t set goals but for the reason that they set the wrong goals.

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Over the years, I have learned that setting goals do not guarantee success. There are times you may set goals and then succeed in realizing them, but just as you are about to celebrate, you may suddenly discover the goals you achieved shouldn’t have been set in the first place. The scripture says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” This message is repeated twice in the book of Proverbs. The importance of this message cannot be overemphasized.

Many people fail in life, not because they didn’t set goals but for the reason that they set the wrong goals. They spend their entire lives pursuing the wrong thing. They never realize they are on the wrong path until they get to the end of their lives. To avoid such mistakes, always involve God as you set your goals. The Bible says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purposes that prevails”. God has given us the right and the ability to make plans, but if we want those plans to be on the right path, we ought to seek God’s guidance.

Prayer: Lord, direct my steps. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Proverbs 14:12; 16:3; 16:9; 16:25; 19:21

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