Miracles not substitute to planning - Pastor Otabil

Pastor Mensa Otabil, the General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church, has said Christians should learn to plan and execute their mission on earth even if they had been prophesied to.

He said it was not everything that Jesus did that was miraculous, but he sometimes planned ahead of time to fulfil his mission on earth.

Speaking at a Palm Sunday Service at the Christ Temple in Accra, he said though Jesus was keenly aware of his mission, all he did was pointed to it even though he could speak everything to come into being.

“So as much as we believe in miracles, we need to plan to fulfil prophesy. Miracles are no substitute for planning,” he told his congregation.

According to him, Jesus knew what God had said about him and the spirit of prophesy was also alive in him, yet he had a sense of timing and ensured that all went according to plan and, therefore, made his own arrangement for his triumphant entry into Jerusalem and the Passover.

He said Jesus did not only arrange for the donkey, but he ensured it was placed at a position where it could easily be found when the need arose; adding, “plan as Jesus did. Think ahead of time and plan accordingly".

Pastor Otabil said Christ anticipated obstacles to his mission such as questions his disciples would be asked concerning the donkey and made contingency arrangement by preparing his disciples to deal with it

He said if the Messiah’s plans were questioned, so would ours be questioned, adding that, Christ did not wait for events to overtake him. He appealed to Christians to serve God and make his kingdom come on earth.

“Not only was Christ keenly aware of his mission to fulfil prophesy, but he also planned, executed and fulfilled his mission by subjecting himself to God’s will even when he knew it would cause him so much pain,” Pastor Otabil said.

He said sometimes in “fulfilment of God's will for our lives, we will be betrayed, despised, mistreated and sometimes feel lonely, but those who endure will be exalted.”