Founder and leader of the Glorious Word Power Ministries International, Reverend Isaac Owusu Bempah, has disagreed with the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, over a ban on prophecies likely to cause fear and panic.
According to him, fear and panic prophecies are good for the individual concerned and the entire nation as it had the tendency of eliciting repentance.
In an interview with Accra-based Okay FM on August 1, the man of God citing a number of Biblical incidents contended that prophecies were meant to draw the attention of individuals and nations to a prevailing issue, thus, a prophet should not be blamed for voicing out what God has revealed.
“If a prophet sees something and says it, you don’t have to be angry at the person. He is drawing your attention to something. That is why I disagree with people who say prophecies cause fear and panic.
“Noah prophesized that God was going to use flood to destroy the earth. What fear and panic is more than this? Those who were panic-stricken and went to Moses were not destroyed by the flood.
“Those who hardened their hearts and did not believe were destroyed. God also did not destroy Nineveh when Jonah went to prophesize that the town will be destroyed and the people repented. Fear and panic (prophecies) are good. Because of that, you will amend your ways to follow God.
“That is why I disagree with Dampare when he says no one should reveal prophecies that could cause fear and panic. There are many fear and panic prophesies in the Bible. It helps us to repent,” Owusu Bempah said.
The man of God said he was disappointed in both President Nana Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party for sitting aloof and allowing the IGP to enforce a law banning prophecies that he (the IGP) claimed could cause fear and panic.
He indicated that he expected Nana Akufo-Addo to have called the IGP to order when he issued the notice as he and the NPP were beneficiaries of prophecies when they were in opposition.
“It is because of prophecy [that I am disappointed]. Every Ghanaian knows that prophets played a major part for a prophetic word to come that God has chosen Nana Addo [to be president]. I believe they campaigned but the prayers of pastors and visions we had about Nana Akufo-Addo played a major part for Ghanaians to vote massively [for him].
“A hand and prophecy spirit that has brought you into power, (yet) at a point IGP comes to say nobody should prophesize for it (prophecy) to cause fear and panic. At the time you weren’t in power, you hailed prophecies and were happy about it. For that ‘fear and panic’ was not operationalized.
“If God used prophets to bring you into power and I was thinking that when Dampare said that, the president would call him and tell him not to go after prophets and pastors with the instructions to leave men of God to operate,” Reverend Owusu Bempah said.
The Ghana Police Service in the lead up to the 2021 31st December Watchnight Service issued a statement cautioning men of God to desist from prophesizing doom as it had the tendency of creating fear and panic.
This led to many desisting from what has become a regular feature of Watchnight service, however, a number of them including Owusu Bempah and Prophet Nigel Gaisie used cryptic language in prophesying.
IGP. Dr. George Akuffo Dampare (left) and Reverend Isaac Owusu Bempah (right)