The Right Reverend Dr Paul Kofi Fynn, the Presiding Bishop of Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana, has admonished Ghanaians to be mindful of fake prophets saying: “You don’t need a prophet to determine the success of your life”.

The Presiding Bishop urged pastors to be committed to the true teachings of Christ at all times and reinforce Bible teachings to firmly ground members in the word of God so that they will not be led astray by false prophets.

Speaking at a media briefing, in Accra, on the spate of conflicting prophecies in the country, he observed that many self-styled prophets motivated by money, fame and power were giving all kinds of prophecies including death, election victory and financial breakthroughs.

“The Bible cautions us in Mathew 24: 11 and 24 and 2 Peter 2:1 to beware of false prophets who will come to deceive us in the last day with destructive and untrue doctrines, but many people are trooping to these so-called prophets for spiritual intervention in their lives,” he explained.

He said as a result of these prophecies, many lives and homes were being destroyed, husbands and wives were divorcing each other because of what a so-called prophet had said to them.

Bishop Fynn said it was imperative for Ghanaians to study the word of God and have good communion with him, adding: “Hebrew 1:1-2 said in the past, God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son”.

He said it was necessary for Ghanaians to shed off the negative baggage of the past, which had gravely undermined the country’s collective quest for the desired development.

“No matter the good intentions of, and sound policies put in place by any government, such negative attitudes like laziness, rush for money, people living beyond their means, absenteeism and corruption will always undermine our development aspirations,” he said.

He described the activities of these fake prophecies as ‘spiritual malpractice and bankruptcy’, saying many pastors had turned the pulpit into political partisan platforms, making political campaigns instead of preaching the word of God.

The Presiding Bishop observed that another spiritual malpractice that needed to be addressed was the display of pictures of pastors on giant billboards for purposes of advertisement to give glory to themselves instead of Jesus Christ, who was the author of the Christian faith.