“You Are Destined for Greatness,” Pastor Adeboye Declares to the Congregations “
* You cannot succeed in life if you don’t know where you’re going. If you are not hardworking, God is not going to reward you.
By Olusegun HOSEA. 4th May, 2025.
A renowned General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has declared that greatness is a divine inheritance accessible to all believers, regardless of their background or current circumstances. Speaking to a crowd of students and young adults, in the monthly thanksgiving of the Church, Pastor Adeboye emphasized that true and lasting greatness is rooted in divine blessing, unwavering focus, hard work, and persistent prayer.
Drawing from the lives of Isaac and Jacob in the book of Genesis, Pastor Adeboye explained how generational greatness begins with one person and can flow like a river down the family line. “Even if there’s no greatness in your generation, it will start with you,” he proclaimed.
He cited Genesis 26:12–14 and Genesis 30:43 to highlight how Isaac became great and Jacob exceedingly great. He then urged the youth to embrace the same spiritual and practical disciplines.
Pastor Adeboye emphasized four key traits that made Jacob exceedingly great:
1. He was blessed — not only by his father Isaac but also divinely confirmed by God Himself.
2. He was focused — Jacob knew what he wanted and was willing to work tirelessly for it.
3. He was diligent — working for 14 years without wages just to marry Rachel, the woman he loved.
4. He was prayerful — wrestling with an angel for a blessing and refusing to let go without it.
Using personal anecdotes, Pastor Adeboye shared how his determination and focus as a young boy born into poverty played a crucial role in his own journey. “I told my parents in 1955 , I wouldn’t eat until they found the money to pay my school deposit. By the third day, they found the two pounds,” he recalled.
He also warned against laziness, saying, “You cannot succeed in life if you don’t know where you’re going. If you are not hardworking, God is not going to reward you. He’s not going to make the lazy great.”
Pastor Adeboye closed his sermon during the Church monthly thanksgiving with a passionate altar call, inviting students and others who wanted to commit their lives to Jesus Christ. “If you truly belong to Jesus Christ, not pretending, the blessing of Abraham will come down on you,” he said. “You are destined to be exceedingly great.”
