We Need Space To Succeed Not Favours – Otabil To Gov’t

The General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Pastor Mensah Otabil, says the state must get out of the way of the citizenry so they can go about their businesses in peace to build their lives and the nation.

In his view, the state must only ensure that the appropriate rules and regulations are set and are fully observed by the citizenry.

Delivering the keynote address at the launch of an ultramodern solar manufacturing plant in Tema, the outspoken preacher said “The state must make way for Ghanaian citizens to build the nation themselves; the state must get out of the way of the citizens. Just set out the rules, enforce the rules, leave us alone and we know how to run our lives and our businesses,” he noted.

Pastor Mensah Otabil added that Ghanaians must renew their faith in the foundational principles of the country, which is freedom and justice to enable the nation grow. He said almost every business person in Ghana is now concerned about whether the government likes him or not, a situation he said is affecting the economy, adding that people must be allowed to operate freely without seeking for favours from government.

“We must renew our faith in the nation’s foundational principles which is freedom and justice. And I must add work and happiness. Just work and be happy not looking back to see whether the government likes you or not; who cares whether the government likes you or not. I must live my life; whether you hate me or not shouldn’t be my problem. Why should the business person wonder whether the minister of a particular ministry likes him or not or the President or some other person likes him or not? All we want to see is that, the laws of Ghana are applied fairly and justly and I live my life the way I want to live my life”.

Ghanaians achieving success at post-retirement age

The renowned teacher expressed concern about the fact that most Ghanaians achieved success at post retirement age, explaining that people will do more when they are given space and the right environment to operate. “We have seen that when people are given space, they can function. I wish the group chairman of the solar manufacturing plant; Mr Akuamoah Boateng had done this solar investment at age 35. The CEO of Facebook, Mark Zukerburg developed Facebook at age 24 as well as some great industrialists who also developed their businesses at a tender age and took it to a high level in their thirties. But in our part of the world, post retirement is where people achieve success”.

He said success must be produced at a younger age so that people can live the rest of their lives self-actualized.

“The state will just do what it must do and the people will do what they can do. The language we need in this country is that, we don’t want government to feed us, we don’t need government to build our industries for us; but rather open the door and we will do it ourselves because we know how to do things for ourselves” he noted.

Ghana has no big problems

According to the respected preacher, Ghana does not have big problems but rather little incidents that have been allowed to grow into national crisis.

He said the main features of a modern society includes:

a. Enforcement of player standards and codes for the management of all aspects of the society,

b. Enlargement of personal liberties through equitable access of all to justice,

c. Fairness and opportunity,

d. Establishment of reliable systems of transportation to quickly and efficiently move people and goods,

e. Capital and information to build an integrated society,

f. Expansion and growth of science and technology industry,

invention, arts and culture,

g. Encouragement and growth of knowledge based society that creates areas of specialization to increase the competitiveness of various segments of the society.

He said the aforementioned will enable citizens create wealth and do things for themselves without government interference, if they are put in place. He added that for Ghana to move from third world to a better world, she needs a reliable national identification system, credible land tittle registration system, usable and physical address system and an enforced town and city planning system.

We Need Space To Succeed Not Favours – Otabil To Gov’t

Dr. Otabil Leads "Life Walk" Today

Thousands of members of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Christ Temple, Abossey Okai, led by its General Overseer, Pastor Mensa Otabil, today embarked on a 12-kilometre fitness and charity event aimed at promoting the health and physical well-being of members of the church and the public.

It kicked off exactly at 5:30am from Christ Temple through Mortuary Road, Lavender Hill, Graphic Road, National Theatre, Obetsebi Lamptey Circle and finally back again to Christ Temple for an aerobics session.

Dubbed ‘Life Walk’, the physical activity on the church’s annual calendar seeks to raise funds internally to support the social interventions of ICGC.

Since 2011, ICGC has supported the Childhood Cancer Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) with monthly contributions towards the purchase of medications as well as treatment.

The church’s annual support is the largest by any single individual or group to the unit, helping to give a 100 percent treatment to children – with none being turned away for financial reasons. The Children’s Cancer Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital caters for children between three months and 13 years who are suffering from various types of cancer and cannot be financially catered for by their relatives.

In the midst of the increasingly busy and sedentary lives, Pastor Otabil believes there is a need for every Ghanaian, especially members of the church, to deliberately commit to an exercise and fitness regime.

Dr. Otabil Leads "Life Walk" Today

MENSA OTABIL 2016 DESCERNING THE VOICE OF GOD

Can you tell the voice of God from other voices you hear? do you know which voice is yours and which is God’s? It is very important for a believer to be able to discern the voice of God.

Watch Dr. Mensa Otabil as he teaches on the topic ‘Discerning the voice of God’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRQFWRGe0sQ

This is a message every Christian must listen to.

MENSA OTABIL 2016 DESCERNING THE VOICE OF GOD

Demand For The Right Environment, Dr. Mensa Otabil Says

Head pastor of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) Pastor Mensa Otabil has bemoaned the high taxes on businesses in the country.

According to him, the steep nature of Ghanaian taxes makes it difficult for entrepreneurs and businesses in the country to expand and reach their full potential.

Speaking at the grand finale of the Springboard road show Saturday, the outspoken preacher said : “For a nation to be great, its laws have to facilitate growth. You cannot overtax businesses and kill them and hope they survive at the same time; it doesn’t work that way”.

He continued: “I asked this question sometime ago on this same platform: If Mark Zuckerberg was a Ghanaian and had the idea of Facebook, would his idea have thrived? If Steve Jobs had the great idea of Apple and was a thriving computer engineer in Kokomlemle, would he have built that world class brand? I don’t know. But it seems to me all of us are [in agreement] it would have been extraordinary for them to have succeeded. So, what’s the difference between Mark Zuckerberg and you [audience], Steve Jobs and you? It’s not brains, it’s the Sulphur, it’s the environment,” he answered.

“That is why for most of you young men, don’t just focus on your dreams, demand for the right environment to be created also, and the right environment is not NPP or NDC; parties don’t govern nations, laws and policies govern nations. Go beyond party names and start examining policies and demanding policies that will make you thrive, so that if you want to set up a business, your business can thrive. Because if we don’t do that we’ll waste our talents, we’ll waste our gift; we’ll be world class but play at the village level. And it has nothing to do with your dreams or your talent, it has all to do with the environment. We have to force the politicians to think of us, and to think of our lives, and to think of our future, and to think of our dreams. And the only way to do that is for you to start thinking, not in party terms, but in policy terms and making sure that the laws that govern your industry favour you because if that doesn’t happen, dreamers will die with their dream unrealized”.

He used the parable of onions and travellator (a moving pavement for transporting pedestrians, as in a shopping precinct or an airport) to tell the great but annoying story of why Mark Zuckerberg, a 31 year old computer programmer, is richer than him (Otabil), his wife; richer than president Mahama and the MPs and richer than all Ghanaians combined.

Otabil feels angry and insulted by the development because Zuckerberg, he reckoned, is not any more intelligent than the thousands of computer programmers in Ghana but the American has a better environment; a country of opportunities.

“What is the difference between Zuckerberg and you; Steve Jobs and you? Otabil asked rhetorically. “It is not brains, it is the environment,” he answered.

Demand For The Right Environment, Dr. Mensa Otabil Says

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

Ghana Is A Nation Of Disappointments...But There Is Hope - Dr. Mensah Otabil

Known for his sharp comments as well as his excellent motivational messages, the Founder of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Dr. Mensa Otabil has stated that Ghana has become a country of disappointment.

Mensa Otabil made this comment at this year’s springboard national convocation in Accra. The motivational speaker, recently voted as Ghana’s most influential personality said  “For most people of my age, we have always had hope of greatness for our country, but unfortunately the older we get the more that hope gets dimmed.”

“When I was young I believed Ghana will be great, as I get older I pray Ghana will be great, I pray so because we keep disappointing ourselves.

“We disappoint ourselves. We have the great opportunities and we disappoint ourselves: we had gold we disappointed ourselves; we had cocoa we disappointed ourselves; we have oil, we are disappointing ourselves,” he observed.

Dr. Otabil, however, said all hope is not lost. “…There is hope for the future because there are young men and women who, hopefully will build a better life.”

“Your generation must determine that you will be different and to be different you must be different now. You have to determine: ‘I will not bow to pressure, I will not lie, I will not cheat, I will not steal…”

Indeed, there is hope for the future.

Ghana Is A Nation Of Disappointments...But There Is Hope - Dr. Mensah Otabil

"Waiting Upon God For Great Blessings" A sermon by Dr. Mensa Otabil

Why does it seem like the answers to your prayers have  been delayed. How can you prevent yourself from getting frustrated. How can you hold on to your faith and not give up?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y22iGHv3hqY

Dr. Mensah Otabil takes us through what faith is and shows us what to do in the time we pray and when our answers come. Watch him as he preaches on the subject ‘Waiting upon God for great blessings’.

"Waiting Upon God For Great Blessings" A sermon by Dr. Mensa Otabil

The Private Sector Must Be Allowed To Operate - Dr. Mensah Otabil

Head pastor of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) Dr. Mensah Otabil says the situation where all procurements are left in the hands of government is a recipe for corruption.

He has further advocated the privatization of our educational system because he believes the private sector will ensure an efficient use of resources.

Dr. Otabil was speaking at the 10^th Anniversary commemorative organized by Legacy and Legacy.

The Private Sector Must Be Allowed To Operate - Dr. Mensah Otabil

Dr. Mensah Otabil sermon on "How Opportunity Factors In The Occurrences Of Life"

Opportunity doesn’t look the same every time. There are three Faces of Opportunity:

1. The Face of Chaos.

(Chaos is when things are thrown out of order). Opportunity doesn’t always come when we are ready and when we expect it. Sometimes, chaos is what brings the opportunity.

Sometimes we see the power of God in a storm, i.e when there is chaos. (Peter walking on water)

When everything is scattered around you (in chaos), you have the opportunity to see the Power of God.

So when everything is disorganized around you, don’t despair because opportunity is knocking on your door.

 

2. The Face of Challenge

This is when you are severely tested to produce results.

When pressure is placed upon you and you fell stretched, you feel your capacity being too much demanded from, that is opportunity.

E.g: Queen Esther becoming the redeemer of the Jews

Our desire to be great will not come to us already prepared, it will come through a challenging opportunity. If you want to make a mark in life, you must be prepared to face challenges. Please remember, opportunity comes in the form of challenges.

The great doors that will be opened to us do not always look pretty.

 

3. Opportunity comes in the form of a calling.

This is when you find that life has prepared you to play a suitable role, i.e when you’re ready for something and it happens.

This is the opportunity most people are familiar with.

E.g: Jesus reading about Himself – Luke 4:17-20.

Opportunity is recognizing your calling at a time in history, when you know that you are in the Kingdom for such a time as this.

 

Things To Note:

Opportunity is not always comfortable

When the door of opportunity opens, we must be ready to act.

 

The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of that opportunity. Lenard Ravenhill

That is, every opportunity has a lifetime, opportunities are not permanent. They are doors, they get opened and they get shut. When you don’t access it when it is opened, you won’t access have it when it is shut.

The doors of God open for us will not remain permanently opened, however they came through.

 

You cannot postpone Opportunity, you cannot procrastinate about opportunity.

 

Opportunity does not always come dressed in nice clothing, it sometimes comes dressed in filthy clothing.

Many of the outcomes of life are determined by simple things we do in the course of life.

 

Give every opportunity in life your best shot.

 

 

Dr. Mensah Otabil sermon on "How Opportunity Factors In The Occurrences Of Life"

Dr. Mensah Otabil : TWO THOUGHTS FROM ECCLESISASTES 9:11

God gives everyone opportunities. In life, God is going to give us the opportunity to become who He wants us to be.

Dr. Mensah Otabil teaching on Opportunities defined opportunity as a set of circumstances that make it possible to do something.

Using Ecclesiastes 9:11 as an anchor scripture, he identified two thoughts that can be inferred from Eccl. 9:11

1. Our natural abilities and professional training are not enough to guarantee success

There are stories of people with great natural abilities and professional training who somehow have not been able to put the thoughts of life together.

2. The way we respond to life’s occurrences determines our success in life.

Things happen in life, things you didn’t plan for, things you didn’t expect, things you wish didn’t happen. The way you respond to them determine how things will work out for you.

God is at work in every season of life, through trials, tragedy and triumph. God is always with us and in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. We, on the other hand must be assured that His presence is with us.

Dr. Mensah Otabil : TWO THOUGHTS FROM ECCLESISASTES 9:11

OPPORTUNITY by Mensa Otabil

In life, God is going to give us the opportunity to become what He wants us to be. He will give us the opportunity to learn the lessons He wants us to learn and to meet the people who will link us into our destiny

One of the important things to take a hold of in life is opportunity.

What then is Opportunity?

Opportunity is a set of circumstances that make it possible to do something.

A person will not only have one opportunity in life, probably in a day a person will have a thousand and the way we access opportunities will determine the outcomes of our life.

Eccl 9:11 says “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.”

NOTE: Opportunity is a situation in life you don’t control.

TWO THOUGHTS FROM ECCLESIASTES 9:11

1. Our natural abilities and professional training are not enough to guarantee success.

There are stories of people with great natural abilities and great natural abilities and great professional training

2. The way we respond to life’s occurrences determines our success in life

Things happen in life, things you didn’t plan for, things you didn’t expect, things you wish didn’t happen.

The way you respond to these things will determine how things will work out for you.

God is at work in in every season of our life, through trials, tragedy, triumph, God is always with us. In whatever circumstances we find ourselves, we must be assured that His presence is with us.

OPPORTUNITY by Mensa Otabil

Jesus has been made for us Wisdom. He is a greater than Solomon and the Bible says “…But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). What does the Bible say about Wisdom and getting wisdom.

Watch Dr. Mensa Otabil as he teaches on this most important topic.