General overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Mr Enoch Adeboye, on Tuesday revealed how he ran away from his native village for 13 years.

Preaching about the power of the light of God over the darkness of evil forces on the first day of the Church’s 2018 Holy Ghost Congress at Redemption Camp, he disclosed that in the early 1960s, he ran away from Ifewara, then a village in Osun State, where he was born and raised because his father’s enemies threatened to kill him – an only son.

But he said after 13 years in exile, during which he gave his life to Jesus Christ and was filled with the light that overpowers the forces of darkness, he went back to Ifewara, and nothing happened to him.

According to a testimony he had shared before, “There was a misunderstanding between my father and other members of the family over the issue of which party to belong to and the people in the family threatened to kill me.

“When my father came home to tell us what transpired at the meeting, I ran away from home for 13 years till I met the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for Jesus.”

In the earlier testimony he had also spoken how he had sought superior charms to counter the forces in his village. He had said, “While in exile, it occurred to me that if the village people claimed they had charms to kill me, there could be superior charms elsewhere. Somebody took me to a village, somewhere not too far from Akure, Ondo State. They took me to the head herbalist there and I told him I wanted to be fortified so that nobody would be able to harm me.

“No problem, I will fortify you!” he said.

“He listed the requirements and told me the total cost. That was not a problem because I had the money to pay. He performed all kinds of rituals and kept on insisting I come back and get more. Then one day, the juju man looked at me and asked, “What is the name of that your town where they say you shouldn’t go back to?”

I told him.

“Ah!” he shouted. “You are from that place?”

I said, “Yes sir.”

He said, “If they ask you not to come, don’t go.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Let me tell you the truth. My father was the chief herbalist in this village, his grandfather was the chief herbalist before him and he inherited everything from them.

“When my father was taught everything he knew, he sent me to your village to get more powers.

“Whenever I was visiting your village, before I got to the outskirts, I would go into the bush to bury everything and then when I am going back, I would go back into the bush to pick it up. Any power you take into that village will turn to water as soon as you enter.”

“I was surprised to hear all that because I thought I had been fortified. If you put your trust in the devil, not only will you die but you will die miserably.”

“For a long time, I kept running from home until I met Jesus. When I did, my flight from home stopped. Praise God that the forces of darkness that hitherto put me to flight now take to their heels when they see me because I now carry the Lord inside of me.”

A new name

Yesterday, in a sermon titled: “A new name,” Mr Adeboye said when a person gives his or her life to God and gets a new name, he or she becomes the light of the world and the salt of the nation.

He dismissed the saying that there is nothing in a name, saying emphatically that a name can affect a person’s destiny or legacy.

He cited the examples of Moses, whose name means drawn out of water, and whose legacies are associated with water. He also died without seeing the promised land over the issue of water.

Explaining how a name affects legacy, he used the examples of Judas Iscariot and Methuselah, names people don’t adopt for their children. Even though Methuselah lived for over 969 years, there are no records of his achievements.

He advised that whenever a person notices that their name is hindering their destiny and they call on God, He can intervene as He did in the case of Abraham by changing his name from Abram to Abraham. Pastor Adeboye said the implications of having a new name include joining a new family and having a new accommodation in the Kingdom of God, as well as putting up new behaviour and new responsibilities.

The general overseer said being a Christian with a new name makes one the light of world; the salt of the earth; a shining beauty of God’s Glory, the door nobody can shut, and the hope of glory

This year’s Holy Ghost Congress is the 21st of its kind by the church, which was established in 1952.

It was attended by the who-is-who in RCCG, as well as foreign dignitaries, including Chief Justice of South Africa, Mogoeng Thomas Reetsang Mogoeng and his wife, 24 General Overseers from Cote de Ivoire, and delegates from US and Malaysia.

The service ended with congregational prayers, after which the General Overseer blessed participants.

PT