Adeboye spends three hours in Apapa-Oshodi gridlock

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye Thursday declared that Vanguard Newspapers remains his number one newspaper.

 He made the remark during a visit to the corporate headquarters of Vanguard Media Limited in Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos where he ministered at the 2014 edition of the Vanguard Media Christian Fellowship end-of-year thanksgiving service themed: “Divine blessing and prophetic breakthrough”.

Appreciating the good work Vanguard Media is doing, Pastor Adeboye, who spent over three hours in the traffic gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, reiterated his love for Vanguard Newspapers, explaining that among the three Nigerian newspapers that he reads, Vanguard still remains his number one.

In his words: “I thank the Almighty God for

 Vanguard, the last time that I came here I told you that I read three newspapers and Vanguard is my number one and I want you to know that Vanguard still remains my number one paper. I thank you for the good work you are doing and the Almighty God who has made you number one will make you number one for ever. The last time they want me to mention the other papers but I did not so to avoid getting into trouble.

“The great respect that I have for Vanguard is why I am here today and I answer your call, I suppose to rest after the Holy Ghost Congress. I could imagine you going through this traffic situation everyday, definitely you need prayer and I will increase my prayer for you. I appreciate the publisher, Editors and all staff of Vanguard Media Limited. I thank the Almighty God for Vanguard. Next time we will be coming to this organisation it will be mighty testimony,” he prayed.

Earlier during a courtesy visit to the publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka in his office, Pastor Adeboye expressed dismay that workers and commuters generally could be subjected to such excruciating pain trying to get to their places of work on a daily basis. Narrating his ordeal trying to get to Vanguard where he spent over three hours trying to wade through tankers and trailers who have completely taken over the expressway, he asked the publisher if the government is not aware of the trauma workers experience on the road.

Replying, Mr. Sam Amuka blamed the situation on politics, arguing that the Federal and the Lagos State governments are at daggers drawn over who is responsible for fixing of roads in the Lagos. According to him, the bone of contention is which party is in power and which controls the affairs of the state to the detriment of the people residing in the old federal capital.

It was on the political note that the General Overseer went straight to the venue of the thanksgiving service, arguing that he had some other engagements to must also be attended to before the day runs out.

Speaking on the theme of the programme, the former mathematics lecturer at the University of Lagos began by breaking down each word of the topic for the benefit of the numerous participants, explaining that there are three categories of blessing: parental, spiritual and Divine blessing. He averred that much as the first two categories of blessings can be effective, divine blessing only comes from the Almighty God, adding that the blessing that come from God is irreversible.

Narrating some of his personal experiences, he said he often tells his pastors that whatever height he had attained today is essentially as a result of the blessings the mother had pronounced on him while he was much younger, noting that when he was much younger whenever he did something pleasant for the mother, she would always say; ‘whenever you call one person, a hundred will answer.

Describing God’s blessing as comprehensive, he said when God blesses nobody can reverse it. Such blessing will stick and a settled matter. When God decides to bless one, He doesn’t just bless. He gives divine health to enjoy such blessing.

“Divine blessing means when God summons whatever is in heaven including the angels, sky, sun, moon, stars and earth including human beings to bless the one who is being blessed and for such person to be successful. It is not everyone who can pronounce blessing; your brother cannot bless you no matter who he is. Those in authority cannot bless you. Your biological parents can pronounce blessing on you.

“I am where I am today by the grace of God and due to the blessing pronounced on me by my mother, when I am much younger than this my mother used to say you this boy when you call on one person, 100 people will answer. By that time I did not know the meaning of such prayer but couple of years back it struck me that if I called on one pastor and I did not mention name, close to hundred thousands of men of God will answer me.

“If God blesses you truly, such blessing will be permanent because He is not man that He should lie. His types of blessing did not add sorrow. Divine blessing is the blessing that comes from God. If your biological parents bless you such blessing will stick. When God blesses you it is a settled matter. It is a comprehensive blessing when God decides to bless someone. He did not just bless but add divine health to enjoy such blessing. There are lots of rich people who are afraid to eat, sleep at night but when God blesses, spiritually, physically and materially you will be okay. God blessings does not come cheap.

“Blessing are normally provoked. They do not come cheaply. Someone has to pay a price for it. When Isaac wanted to bless Jacob he asked him to prepare a meal for him and later on blessed Jacob.

“There was a time I traveled outside the country, two of my children met me at the airport and one of them collected greeted me good morning sir and the second didnt just greet me, he took my luggage and I told him, ‘God bless you’ and the first one asked, ‘Sir what about me?’, and I replied for what?

Taking the second part of the topic, which dealt with prophetic breakthrough, he pointed out that no matter how powerful a prophecy is, it cannot overpower the word of God, advising that if any man of God gives a prophecy that contradicts the Word of God one should ignore such a prophecy.

He also defined breakthrough as something that comes after a lot of labour and struggle, noting that it is when doors open and you get what you have been struggling to get.

“Several years ago, I built a house in my place and we tried to dig borehole but found it difficult to reach water. The third person we invited said we are just wasting our time because there is a rock underneath the ground; but the fourth fellow said there is no problem but we are to agree on an amount of money he would collect which we did. It did not reach 10 minutes that this fellow got to water because there is always water underneath the rock.

“Prophetic breakthrough is a breakthrough that comes as a result of prophetic utterance. A word of prophecy comes and as a result breakthrough comes and it usually contradicts one’s present circumstance.

“Several years ago, during the last day of the year programme, there was a prophetic utterance that someone having difficulty in paying his rent presently in the new year, the person will become a landlord. Most people did not say amen because prophetic utterance always contradicts one’s present circumstance. The only person that said amen and believed was a messenger who was having problem with his house rent.

“In the new year, this man went to greet his company chairman and the man said messenger have I given you Christmas and new year present and the messenger replied no. The chairman said I have a house which I did not need, come and take the key. This messenger went there shaking and was expecting few rooms but it was two storey building. This messenger went ahead to appreciate his chairman, getting there the man asked if he has any furniture and he said no, the chairman said there are some furniture he changed previously from his house, he asked his driver to pack them to the messenger’s new house. Here was the boy who was finding it very difficult to pay his house rent.

“When a true prophet speaks it comes to past because God will not allow none of His words to fall to the ground. If you believe God you will be established and if you believe His prophet you will prosper.

In a brief chat, the publisher, Vanguard Media Limited, Mr. Amuka said the event was a yearly programme “where we gather to appreciate God for what he had done for us as an organisation. Its a yearly programme for Vanguard. We have many Christians here. Once a year we make a show of offering God something. I am so delighted that the man of God is here today. He is a man of God, truly gifted and a true Christian. We thank God for his life.”

Earlier in his remarks, the Editor-in-Chief/General Manager, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye commended the contribution of Pastor Adeboye to the progress of the publishing company, saying that during his last visit to Vanguard Media Limited in 2010, where he preached on a topic, ‘The Storm Is Over,’ we saw the impact of the prophecies that the storm is over. A series of testimonies followed and therefore we should look beyond the horizon.”

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