It a palatial home, he abandoned all that to live in a one-bedroom apartment in Mushin, Lagos, as General Overseer of RCCG.

Daddy G.O. confesses that at that point he was scared, but God assured him of His support. Instructively, it was at that point God promised him a city, which has turned out to be the now famous Redemption Camp. “God’s response to me was, ‘Son, don’t ask for house because I have decided to build you a city,’’’ he said.

“That response was beyond what I could comprehend. After this encounter, I began to dream of a city where everybody would be a Christian; a city where there would be no molestation; a city where there would be no power failure or water shortages. God began to stretch my mind to see a city where His praises would fill every mouth.”

The church had only 40 parishes then, but it now has over 32,000 parishes in Nigeria, over 700 parishes in the United Kingdom, and many more spread across over 196 countries including Samoa, Fiji, Serbia, Pakistan, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.

The subjects covered in the book dedicated to Pastor Adeboye and his wife, Pastor Folu Adeboye, who stood by him during his most difficult times, include: The RCCG, and testimonies on Faith, Salvation, Miracles, Marriage, Fruit of the womb, Temptation, Unforgiveness, the dark world of Power and Principalities among many others. Mixed in with them is the fascinating story of Pastor Adeboye himself and how, having been born again, he rose from debilitating deprivation to become the famous and much-loved leader of the RCCG.

In a testimony about Mrs Adeboye, fondly called Mummy G.O, Pastor Adeboye revealed how he got his ever supportive wife, even when he was clearly the least qualified suitor: “There were many of us contesting for the hand of my wife. I wanted to marry a beautiful princess, but I was the least qualified among the many suitors. Out of the number, three of us were in the forefront. But I was a student, while one of us was a lawyer who owned a car. All I had was a ‘foot wagon’ (move around on foot). I decided to let her know my financial status. I said to her: ‘Please listen. I have nothing; no money, no house, no influence, nothing.’

“I told her that if I had anything at all, it was the little brain God gave to me. I have nothing to offer you except myself. If you will marry me, you will have me to yourself completely.” Surprisingly, she replied: “Because you are so honest, I will marry you.”

“The sharing of what he calls ‘stories’ is an integral part of the sermons of Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, who is fondly called Daddy G.O.

“Most of Daddy’s ‘stories’ are indeed miracles, used to illustrate his sermons and show the power of God, rather than his own achievements. Having been a member of the church for many years and now a pastor, I have seen the efficacy of this style of preaching.

“Testimonies not only enhance the faith of others, but also honour God. This book, which contains testimonies of one of the greatest servants of God in this generation, is worth reading and learning from,” Prof. Osinbajo remarked.

One of the testimonies entitled, Dress Set Ablaze by the Holy Spirit, captured in the book goes thus: “During one of our meetings, I saw, from the altar, a woman running with some people following her. After the service they brought her to me and I asked, ‘What is happening?’

She said, ‘As you were preaching, my clothes caught fire, then I knew I had reached the place where I would be set free.’ What do you mean? I asked her. She said, ‘Let me tell you my story.’

“She was trying to protect her children from dying, so she went to a white garment prophet to ask for help. While she was waiting to be attended to, as the prophet was busy attending to other people, the prophet’s wife asked her what she wanted the man of God for. The woman told the prophet’s wife that she wanted to prevent her children from dying.

“The prophet’s wife said, ‘That is no problem, just take this kola nut and eat it, none of your children will die again.’ “Innocently, she took the kola nut and ate it not knowing that through it she had been initiated into witchcraft.

“Within seven days, she began to fly at night, attending meetings where they shared human body and so on to eat. Soon, they came to her to say it was her turn to provide meat for the feast. So, she killed her husband. Of course, she was very sad because that was not what she bargained for.

“From that moment, she started going from one Babalawo (witch doctor) to the other, but she was only adding petrol to the fire. The killings went round again and once more it came to her. This time, because her husband had been killed, she had to sacrifice one of the very children she was trying to protect. I think it was almost time for her to donate the second child when she came to the church. That was when the Fire of God came down mightily and her dress caught fire.

“We prayed a simple prayer and she went home. In some villages, they still use what is called pit latrines. It is a kind of toilet whereby when you want to relieve yourself, you do it on some old newspaper, spread on the floor, and transfer it into the pit. This was what she did that night, but to her amazement, she excreted a dead snake. And from that day, she became free.”