As the annual national spiritual exercise of the Redeemed Christian Church of God RCCG, reached the third day, the church’s General overseer, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye has revealed one of the secrets behind his closeness to God.

Noted by members of the church and others for his unique simplicity and humility, pastor Adeboye described sanctification as one of the secrets that has kept him in his work with God.
Delivering his sermon with the theme: ‘Power of Sanctification’, the revered cleric said: “Listen to me because one of my children somewhere said to me: ‘Daddy, we are not praying that you die soon. I said even if you pray, God won’t answer. He said,” but you are getting older, tell us some of your secrets. This is one of the secrets I am telling you now and that is sanctification”, he said.
Recalling the early years of his conversion and how people embraced the complete gospel of the Lord, pastor Adeboye took the thousands of worshipers in both the new and old auditorium of the camp through the benefits of living a sanctified life.
Highlighting the three steps of faith, he said immediately after his conversion he had told God he would not want to be an ordinary Christian and that he yearned greatly for the power of God but that he realise that it is far better to have the fruits of the Holy Spirit than its gifts.
In his words: “I began to appreciate what Jesus said, that by their fruits you shall know them and not by gifts. I soon discovered, as it is written in Matthew 7: 15 -21 that Jesus Christ said by their fruits you shall know them not by their gifts.
“You can have all the gifts, perform all the miracles and then on the last day, God will say, depart from me, ye, that workers iniquity is possible to be world evangelist, doing mighty things and then on the last day, God said He did not know you.
He explained that sanctification is the process God takes away the stony heart from man and gives him a heart of flesh. And that this experience comes before the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Adeboye however, lamented that in today’s Christianity, there is no emphasis on sanctification. Stressing that sanctification It’s a matter of the heart, and it is difficult to measure.
In his words: “People get saved and then are baptised in the Holy Spirit without experiencing sanctification. Salvation is like the foundation, while the Holy Ghost baptism is like the roof. Sanctification, on the other hand, is the wall of the building. People have the foundation and then the roof without the wall. That is where the disconnect is in today’s Christianity.
“When you are saved it won’t be long for people to notice. Your name will change. People will begin to call you a child of God. Suddenly you will find that your friends who have been calling you worldly names will now begin to say, leave him alone oo. He is now a child of God.
“When you’re born again, it won’t be long before you begin to attend church. Your responsibilities will change. You begin to witness for God. I am talking about how it was when we were younger.”
Pastor Adeboye’s encounter with Prof. Chike Obi
“I remember when I got born again. It was on a Sunday night. On Monday morning as I got to my office at the University of Lagos. I met my head of department, the world-renowned Professor of Mathematics, Chike Obi. As I was about to begin to speak, he looked at me and said Adeboye you look cheerful this morning. Did you go to a party last weekend? I said no sir.
“I said I had gotten an invitation to the greatest party of all, the wedding of the lamb of God.