Founder and head pastor of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Mensa Otabil has sounded a word of caution to persons who go to see men of God for them to lay hands on them to excel in their endeavours.

He observed that many people liked to skip the process of learning and toil to succeed simply because they had been blessed by anointed men of God.

He cited Elisha and Joshua as two notable individuals in the Bible who laboured at the feet of their mentors before they graduated thus putting them in the pole position to succeed.

“Success, excellence is not imparted by the laying on of hands. The pattern of the bible is very clear. You study somebody and then at the end he will lay hands on you, the laying hands on you is graduation.

So, Elisha studied under Elijah for twenty years. Twenty years of training. If he started from primary one, 6 years, class 6, 3 years – JHS, SHS – 4 years, degree – 4 years... then finally, Elijah asked him, what do you want? After 20 years. He didn’t say what do you want from the beginning…”

“Joshua followed Moses for 40 years, from the time they left Egypt to the time Moses was taken away, he was following this guy. When Moses went to God on Mount Sinai and everyone had left him, Joshua stayed on Mount Sinai. And after 40 years the Bible says Moses laid hands on him. So, the laying on of hands is graduation,” Pastor Otabil noted

He bemoaned the current practice where people were impatient to be groomed and encourage people to respect the process.

He also intimated that although he is an anointed teacher of the Word of God, quotes in other languages which he occasionally makes reference to do not come to him by inspiration but education.

“…this Greek I’ve been quoting doesn’t come from the spirit, you think the Hebrew comes from the spirit, it is not grace; it is hard work,” he added.