I’m not proud of my past, I was bad — Pastor Adeboye

By : 'Sola Akinsanmi

Date: 14 December 2025 10:51am WAT

Share :

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has recounted his personal journey as evidence that God can change anyone, regardless of their past.

Speaking on Saturday during the fifth day of the Holy Ghost Congress 2025 at Redemption City along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, Adeboye, 83, admitted he is “not proud” of his early life. The week-long programme is themed “God of all Flesh.”

Addressing a congregation that included traditional rulers, the cleric reflected on the doubts surrounding his spiritual transformation. “Do you think there is anybody in your family who is too far gone that God cannot save his soul? Do you think there is anybody that God cannot turn into a great vessel unto honour? I don’t have time to give you several examples, but the man talking to you right now, many people never thought I could be saved. Even if I was saved at all, they never thought I could be a pastor. You don’t know who is in front of you. I’m not proud of my past; if one can be bad, I was bad,” he said.

Adeboye recounted personal encounters that stressed the contrast between his past and present. He spoke of a former girlfriend who visited seeking a pastor and was astonished when he revealed he held the role.

“She said, ‘You, a pastor? You mean you will pray and God will answer?’” he recalled. Similarly, a former university classmate expressed surprise upon seeing his transformation, noting, “‘You, na wa ooo.’ I said, ‘Me too, I’m surprised.’ We didn’t say more than that because her son was in the room with us,” Adeboye said.

The cleric also shared an episode from his childhood, when he intervened in a family conflict involving his uncle and aunt.

“On one occasion, my uncle’s wife mistreated me badly. As small as I was then, I told her I would get you out of this house, and I did. Thank God we met again after I became the general overseer; we have reconciled, and all her children are now pastors in the church here,” he said.

Emphasising the theme of redemption, Adeboye urged believers not to judge others based on their history or current circumstances. “There is nobody God cannot save,” he said, reinforcing the message that no life is too broken for transformation through faith.

Tags: