False Prophets in Ghana

God says.... Beware of False Prophets (Mat 7:15(NIV) "Watch out for false prophets”

Someone once told me that on every street in Accra there were either drinking spots or churches. I conducted a random survey and found it to be true, but i also think it depends on one’s neighbourhood. If you live in a gated community like Trasacco Estates then you are not being counted. 

I am ready to bet my last cedi that there are more than 200 registered churches in Ghana. You may say that figure is small, i know but my mind can only come up with that. When i was growing up i figured the only churches existing were the Orthodox churches until i reached the age where my mind was exposed to the different types of religious organisations (can i use that word?) i will not start naming them, i seriously doubt i would finish by tomorrow (wink!)

What has got me started on churches? Oh..hmmm...not much oh, just the recent alarming explosion in the number of cases where women have been raped/assaulted/robbed by ‘Pastors’ or church leaders or Pastors who have stolen and absconded with the churches collection. How?  It saddens me when whilst stuck in traffic on my way to work, i see the headlines of the dailies screaming out, ‘Pastor Caught Red-Handed/Pastor Robs Church’.

What does God say about false prophets? Jesus answered when He was asked of the signs of His Coming, “Watch out that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name,.. At that time many will turn away from the faith... and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people." (Matt 24:10-12 (NIV)  So we are seeing these signs are we not? Jesus is coming!  

What makes a Prophet false? When he demands from you an amount of money or material goods (food items, clothing, dvd, car, plane ticket..you know, stuff like that) before praying or prophesying for you, demanding for sexual favours or even certain items like someone’s picture or hair follicle etc. 

Any prophet who demands such items or services from you is FALSE! He/ She is a wolf in sheepskin! We have been given ALL things through Jesus Christ, so why don’t you go to the One who has freely given you all things that you shouldn’t lack?

Have you ever counted the men versus women in any regular church? The women will win hands down. Why do women outnumber the men in our churches? Is it because women have more emotional issues hence the church is the safest place to vent out their frustrations in life?

 I believe more Christians women are becoming impatient whilst waiting for their breakthroughs hence fall prey to well-seasoned fake prophets who sweet talk them only to deceive them, and these prophets are very knowledgeable of issues of life. Personally, i believe they take psychology courses to understand human behaviour making it easy to predict people’s problems. 

If i were a ‘fake’ prophet (God forbid!) and i see a young woman through several physical signs i could easily just predict and tell her that she is looking for a husband just because she is not wearing a ring or she is wearing a ring and looking at her physique i would prophesy that she is going to give birth soon. That would boost her faith in me immediately.

Ghana currently has more churches which are growing faster than any other sector of the economy. I am not saying that is bad, no. God’s message has to be spread amongst the nations, true, but the false prophets are also enriching themselves at the cost of poor and unsuspecting and desperate men and women (especially women) even the Vice President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama whilst addressing a group of Christian leaders at a conference on Christian Education and Leadership and bemoaned on how shameful self-imposed “men of God” were able to lure their unsuspecting clients into compromising with their selfish and abusive practices to enrich themselves.’ 

So, fake pastors and prophets are riding in BMW’s, 4WD’s, living in mansions whilst their congregation wallow in poverty. Eziekel 34:3 is right on point and quotes that, “You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.” Need i say more?

There was story in the one of the newspapers about how a Pastor tried to have sex with a policeman’s wife in a hotel. My question , why would a married woman agree to meet a pastor in a hotel without questioning the location? Why the hotel and not the church premises? Aren’t we supposed to be discerning as Christians?

Acts 28:27 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that i should heal them.

 So basically, the people have heard the message and yet they remain dull! We shouldn’t allow desperation for a husband, a wife, a child, money, a house, etc lead us to compromise our Christian values for some charlatan to dupe us out of our life savings! The Ghanaian society is rapidly increasing with too many cases of fraudulent pastors/prophets and some journalists are having a field day printing such stories. I am sure atheists are also patting themselves on the back for not yielding themselves to the Christian religion or any other religion for that matter. Christians should be like David and wait on the Lord. Its not easy but when the breakthrough comes you will be forever smiling!

What punishment will be metted out to these fake prophets? Well, i know a jail sentence will be a fitting one once the case gets to court. I am here, referring to Divine Punishment! God has promised in

Zec 11:17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd, Who leaves the flock! A sword shall be against his arm and against his right eye; His arm shall completely wither, and his right eye shall be totally blinded.” Amen!!!