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- Provoking Rain
E.A. Adeboye

Enoch Adejare Adeboye (March 2, 1942 – N/A) is a Nigerian Christian preacher, mathematician, and influential leader widely recognized as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), one of Africa’s largest Pentecostal denominations. Born in Ifewara, Osun State, Nigeria, to a modest family—his father a farmer and his mother a trader—he grew up in poverty but excelled academically despite early hardships, including lacking shoes until age 18. He earned a B.Sc. in Mathematics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1967, an M.Sc. in Hydrodynamics from the University of Lagos in 1969, and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics in 1975, later lecturing at the Universities of Lagos and Ilorin. Adeboye’s preaching career began after joining RCCG in 1973, seeking spiritual healing for his child, and accepting Christ in 1975. Ordained a pastor in 1977, he became General Overseer in 1981 following the death of RCCG founder Josiah Akindayode, transforming the church from a small Lagos-based group into a global movement with millions of members across over 190 countries. Known as “Daddy G.O.,” his sermons emphasize holiness, prayer, and prosperity, delivered at events like the monthly Holy Ghost Service and annual Holy Ghost Congress, drawing massive crowds. He authored over 60 books, including devotionals like Open Heavens, and oversaw RCCG’s expansion, including Redemption City (formerly Camp), a vast ministry hub. Married to Foluke Adenike Adeboye since 1967, with whom he has four children, Adeboye remains a towering figure in Pentecostal Christianity, blending intellectual rigor with spiritual authority.
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E.A. Adeboye emphasizes the power God has given us to control events in our lives and surroundings, urging believers to take action rather than passively wait for blessings. Using the analogy of the earth, he highlights the importance of sacrificial sowing to provoke God's blessings, comparing it to the earth's process of saving and sacrificing rain for continuous nurturing. Adeboye encourages continuous sowing, emphasizing the need to sow sacrificially and avoid living in sin to experience abundant blessings from God.
Provoking Rain
MEMORISE: ‘Cast thy bread upon the water: for thou shalt find it after many days.’ (Eccles 11:1) READ: Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 God has given us power to control and determine events, both in our lives and around us. The problem with many of us is that we want things done for us: even when we know what to do. Many of us desire the rain of God’s blessings, but fail to provoke the rain. How then shall it pour? Let us take a cue from the earth. The earth is very wise. It desires to be watered constantly so that it can nurture all the trees, plants and others on it. How does it achieve this? The earth waits for God to release the first rains. Knowing that for the rain to continue, there must be a process of cloud gathering, the earth releases part of that first rain through the process of evaporation to the clouds. And when the clouds are heavy, they break forth as rain upon the earth once again. So the earth saves and uses some rain and sacrifices some up the clouds again in preparation for more. The period between the clouds gathering and rainfall is usually a period of dryness for the earth. All the plants and trees cry, ‘Oh mother earth! We are dry and thirsty! We lack sufficient moisture! Help us!’ To this, the earth replies, ‘Oh my children! If you don’t sow, you cannot reap! We had to make this sacrifice so we can continue to have rain. Be patient! The clouds will soon be full and will burst forth as rain! O, hear the earth. Thank God for your source of livelihood! Please note that if you want to enjoy God’s exponential blessings you must be prepared to sow sacrificially into the Kingdom. But you say: I have sown again and again without any positive results! It takes several sowings to sufficiently load your clouds until they are full and break forth as showers of blessings. Hence verse 6 of our text tells you to continue to sow until you reap. Remember, you can determine how fast your rains will come. Start sacrificial and continuous sowing today. But also ensure you are not living in sin while you sow. And sooner or later your clouds will break forth upon you. ACTION POINT Sow the type of seed you have never sown before, to provoke your rain. Ask God to usher his blessings into the church worldwide.
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Enoch Adejare Adeboye (March 2, 1942 – N/A) is a Nigerian Christian preacher, mathematician, and influential leader widely recognized as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), one of Africa’s largest Pentecostal denominations. Born in Ifewara, Osun State, Nigeria, to a modest family—his father a farmer and his mother a trader—he grew up in poverty but excelled academically despite early hardships, including lacking shoes until age 18. He earned a B.Sc. in Mathematics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1967, an M.Sc. in Hydrodynamics from the University of Lagos in 1969, and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics in 1975, later lecturing at the Universities of Lagos and Ilorin. Adeboye’s preaching career began after joining RCCG in 1973, seeking spiritual healing for his child, and accepting Christ in 1975. Ordained a pastor in 1977, he became General Overseer in 1981 following the death of RCCG founder Josiah Akindayode, transforming the church from a small Lagos-based group into a global movement with millions of members across over 190 countries. Known as “Daddy G.O.,” his sermons emphasize holiness, prayer, and prosperity, delivered at events like the monthly Holy Ghost Service and annual Holy Ghost Congress, drawing massive crowds. He authored over 60 books, including devotionals like Open Heavens, and oversaw RCCG’s expansion, including Redemption City (formerly Camp), a vast ministry hub. Married to Foluke Adenike Adeboye since 1967, with whom he has four children, Adeboye remains a towering figure in Pentecostal Christianity, blending intellectual rigor with spiritual authority.