The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, recently shared a personal story about how his ambition to lead a paramilitary organization led to a financial loss, all due to a deceptive encounter.
He reflected on an incident from his past in a post shared on his X handle on Monday, describing how his longstanding fascination with the military clouded his judgment, leading him to fall victim to a scam.
Adeboye recounted how he had been approached by a man who portrayed himself as a recruiter for a newly established paramilitary agency.
The man, who had persistently sent messages through Adeboye’s secretary, eventually gained an audience with him. During their meeting, the man presented an elaborate story, claiming that an evolution of a Boy Scouts-like organization had turned into a full-fledged paramilitary group.
He further claimed they were seeking a spiritual leader, which piqued Adeboye’s interest, given his earlier love for the military.
Adeboye said, “Years ago, I was duped by a man who promised to make me a commandant of a paramilitary group. This man had been sending messages to me through my secretary for a while, and so, one day, I gave him an audience. He explained to me how a Boy-Scouts-like group had evolved into this new agency, and that he was sourcing for who would lead the group spiritually.”
Driven by his desire to fulfill a youthful dream of military involvement, Adeboye admitted that he acted impulsively without seeking divine guidance, which he normally did before making decisions.
The cleric confessed that he agreed to take up the position, and the man convinced him to provide funding for the supposed group. Unfortunately, this decision would later prove costly.
“Normally, I ask God before getting involved in anything at all, but this time, my love for the military in my younger days beclouded my best instincts, and I agreed to be their head. He told me that they needed some funding, which I gave as the prospective head. However, I later found out that the man was a fake,” he revealed.
Though the experience left him financially affected, Adeboye noted that it also paved the way for a positive development. As a result of his desire to be part of such an organization, Redemption City eventually established its own corps of chaplains and a local police post.
He reflected on how this occurrence was part of God’s broader plan, teaching him an important lesson in patience and trust in divine timing.
“My desire to be part of a paramilitary group made me run ahead of God, but God had already purposed for Redemption City to have its own corps of chaplains as well as a local Police post. He knew the desire of my heart, and He had planned for it to be fulfilled in His own time. I thought that I could bring my desire to fulfilment in my own time, but I was wrong. What I lost in that experience was money, but for someone else, it might have been their life or a loved one.”
Ultimately, Adeboye’s story serves as a reminder that God’s plans, though not always immediately apparent, unfold in their own time and are always for the best.
