My Father in the Lord came to visit me in my little house in Ilesha in 1975. We prayed that night, and everyone went to bed – at least that was what I thought. When I went to the toilet at the backyard before I slept around 10pm, I saw my Father in the Lord praying. Around 5am, I went to the toilet again, and he was still on his knees praying. Later that morning, I asked him if there was any problem as I thought praying overnight meant there was a serious problem at hand. He smiled and said, “There is no problem. Don’t worry; you will understand soon.” I was shocked to know that there was no problem, yet he prayed all night. I also knew that God had told me to emulate Him.

One pastor came to me years ago and said, “When we started this journey together, we were on the same level. Now you are far ahead of us. Tell us the secret.” I said, “There is nothing I am doing that you don’t know; I fast, pray and keep vigils. If you want to be as I am, do the same.” Another man of God from another ministry was praying, “God, give me ten per cent of what you gave Pastor Adeboye; I will be satisfied.” God told him, “Do what Pastor Adeboye is doing, and I will give you what I gave him.” He asked God, “What is he doing?” God said, “He started with 40 days of fasting and prayers.” He said, “God, I think I am okay the way I am.” Only those that are willing to make sacrifices will be great. You cannot be great by loading your body with food and your mind with entertainment – those things only give surface and temporary benefits. Someone with financial issues can watch a funny movie and laugh, such that people will call him a happy man, but after the movie is over, he will go back to face his problems. The benefits of a life without sacrifice are temporary. Don’t be deceived by temporary pleasures; pay the price to fulfil your destiny and achieve greatness.

The taller a building will be, the deeper its builders must dig before laying its foundation. The things that will take you very high in life are mostly things done in private. The way you pray, fast, study, work, etc., in private will determine how great you will become.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.