AFRICA can never dream of attaining meaningful change in the wake of a highly popular message of breakthroughs and miracles being spearheaded by prophets in the continent at the expense of the timeless values of hard work and sustainable development.

Christianity has, ironically, played a very significant role in the fall of Africa today instead of it being the good news that it is supposed to be.

The charismatic church, in other words the church led by modern day prophets and apostles has brought with it a message that is throttling the development of Africa.

The churches have essentially conferred the status of gods to mortals who walk the earth. Their word becomes law and the poison they preach becomes the norm.

Africa is a continent that still needs a lot in the way of hard work to pull out of its present state. The last thing the continent needs is any idea discouraging working hard.

It is so sad that today we have a hot selling message in prophet­-led churches where the brick­-by­-brick approach to life is scoffed at.

The way religion is being delivered in Africa can only pull back Africa.

How can a whole continent move forward when its prescription for achieving global competitiveness is anchored in a forked prosperity message that promotes laziness by encouraging instant results for things not worked for?

The well-­meaning Christian church does not preach these phony messages of breakthroughs, miracles, seeding and idolizing mortals.

Do people ever stop to think why these pastors are millionaires when their congregations remain poor?

The simple message sent by the prosperity gospel is that God rewards laziness.

Surely, if God had meant life to be this easy then there was no point people striving to get an education or working hard to be prosperous.

The young mind in Africa won’t get inspiration from a man who toiled for years to build a business but will want an instant plush house by seeding as preached by the modern prophet.

It is as if to say the so called prophet is himself God who rewards those that serve him.

This is simply untrue. Twisting noble biblical verses like ‘Give and it shall be given unto you.”

The men have polluted not only the minds of people but are dragging Africa into the abyss of poverty.

Africa can never surge forward with this gospel which frowns at hard work instead advocating spontaneity.

The popular messages of sowing a seed to the man of God are well calculated.

They are not an occurrence of coincidence but it is apparent, the so called prophets have been instrumental in this sad state of affairs.

One just needs to review the entire shameful story of Scotland based preacher, Walter Masocha, who had to defend himself in the courts.

The man had become some kind of god to his congregation. Elsewhere across Africa, the situation is worse.

What with the whole idea of spiritual fathers and spiritual grandfathers who have to be knelt for each time they descend a plane.

Perhaps there is nothing that proves the truth that mere mortals have been appropriated the status of gods than a recent clip in which a famous Zimbabwean prophet tells the congregation that he is the representative of God on earth.

“None of you here has seen God. None of you can provide evidence if heathens were to ask you to provide proof of God.

The proof that you have that is nearest to you is your ‘father’, myself.” That is close to blasphemy, If not blasphemy itself.

What is worse, the congregation will ululate and applaud this.

You just can’t speak sense into followers of these so­-called prophets. Many households have split as people opt to listen to the prophet and not their families.

It would appear the very fabric of the gospel peddled by these self-­serving prophets is designed to alienate instead of cementing families.

The prophets may have brought many evils but the worst, in my view, is the poisonous attacks on established ideals of working hard.

They have destroyed many young lives by the message that one can afford to be lazy in life and by merely seeding money to the prophet they can succeed in life.

This is exactly the trouble with the prosperity gospel; it props up laziness. God never made man to live a life of idleness and seeding to mortals as a success strategy.

In essence, Africa as a whole could actually be more globally competitive but religion seems to be the pull­back factor especially the emergence of supposed prophets with their emphasis on instant everything. They teach impatience.

Africa needs a total mindset change. God never meant people to reap were they did not sow.

Laziness can never produce sustainable results in the long run. Churches must preach hard work; they must preach the timeless principle of seed time and harvest.

Africa can only rise by abandoning destructive heresies that seek to enrich individuals. Africa must preach the gospel of hard work.

“They worship me in vain, their teachings are but rules taught by men, you have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”­Mark 7:7­8