People who 'look like insult' now 'insulting me' – Otabil

Founder of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Pastor Mensa Otabil has told his congregation that people who have no right to even mention his name in their speech are now freely hurling insults at him due to the central bank’s recent takeover of Capital Bank, of which ICGC owns 3% interest.

Using the bad news as an example to encourage himself and his congregation on Sunday, 20 August 2017 about how to find perfect peace in the Lord during personal storms such as his current predicament, Dr Otabil said: “Oh yes I’ve had some reality this week.”

“You know when people who have no right to insult you, insult you; that is reality.

“You look at the person insulting you and the person, sometimes, himself looks like an insult. But out of the abundance of his insult, he is insulting you, so that is reality. Reality is when it is hitting, when all kinds of stuff is hitting, I don’t want to go too much into that …” he said.

A statement issued by the central bank on Monday, 14 August 2017 said: “The Bank of Ghana has approved a purchase and assumption transaction with GCB Bank Limited that transfers of all deposits and selected assets of UT Bank Ltd and Capital Bank Ltd to GCB Bank Ltd.

“The Bank of Ghana has revoked the licenses of UT Bank Ltd and Capital Bank Ltd. This action has become necessary due to severe impairment of their capital. The remaining assets and liabilities will be realised and settled respectively through a receivership process to be undertaken by Messers Vish Ashiagbor and Eric Nana Nipah of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“The main offices and braches of UT Bank and Capital Bank will be under the control of GCB Bank and will be opened at 1PM today for normal business transactions.”

At the Church’s headquarters in Accra on Sunday, Dr Otabil said he clung onto God’s promise of peace to deal with the bad news.

“For me, this is what helped me: it is getting hold of my mind and on Thursday morning, I woke up and I said: ‘Well I have a church to preach to on Sunday, they are not going to come and listen to pastor’s troubles, they need a word of encouragement, so, I go to my process of beginning to prepare my sermon and part of the process of doing my sermon is I start praying for the congregation, so I’m not praying for myself.

“Am I in difficulty? Yes, but now I’m beginning to frame my references well, I’m praying for the people and I’m praying for people who are going through their own challenges and people who are going through all kinds of situations. I say: ‘Lord help me bring a word to them that will encourage them, that will lift them up’.

“When you get to that frame of mind, you are now leaving the space of the storm and you are now getting to the peace of God, you are now becoming an instrument for God to use for his glory and for his purposes,” Pastor Otabil said.

He said in order to be able to do that, “You have to determine where your mind is going to stay. Is it going to stay on you, on yourself, on others or on God? Are you going to think about that person who you think has no right to even mention your name in a sentence who is now insulting you? You can’t think about that because it’s not worth the use of your mental energy. You can’t think about that. And you can’t also think about yourself too much because when you think about yourself, you feel pity for yourself.



“… There has to be a focus to where you put your memories, your reality and your imagination, it is a discipline, you have to control your mind and guide your mind not to go where it doesn’t want to go … And this week, I have really learned to do that; to guard my mind.”