PS: I don't idolize any man of God but I celebrate the greatness of God upon their lives, knowing fully well that they started small, rough and had humbling experiences before they became great.
David Oyedepo was born in September 27, 1954 in Osogbo but he's a native of Omu-Aran in Kwara State. His father was a Muslim, while his mother was a member of the Cherubim and Seraphim church.
Like Timothy whose grandmother, Lois, played a pivotal role in his life, Oyedepo was raised by his grandmother, a devout Anglican. She inculcated in him the virtues for a Christian life, and prepared a spiritual foundation for his life and ministry. One of the truths his mother ingrained in him is this: YOU'RE NOT PERMITTED TO DO WHAT YOU LIKE BUT WHAT IS RIGHT.
His mother taught him the importance of tithing, and this exposure could have contributed to one of his secrets as it relates to prosperity.
Oyedepo got born again in February 19, 1969 at age 15, through the influence of his missionary teacher, Ms. Betty Lasher who took interest in him.
Having rejected a charm his father gave him, he developed a whitlow on his right hand finger. And at point in his life during his secondary school days, he had tuberculosis and he challenged God to heal him. This God did, and I believed it contributed to his preaching on faith.
After a 18-hour vision in May 1981, Oyedepo said God gave him a mandate to preach the word of faith and liberate the world from the oppression of the devil. This, he has been faithfully doing and it led to the birth of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, which was formerly called the Liberation Faith Hour Ministries. Two years after, he was ordained by Pastor Enoch Adeboye as a pastor alongside his wife, Faith Abiola Oyedepo.
Oyedepo's mentors in ministry are Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, T. L. Osborn, E. W Kenyon, Smith Wigglesworth, Bishop Benson Idahosa and Pastor Adeboye, who was also believed to be his spiritual father.
Oyedepo is married with four children, and three are actively involved in the ministry.
He has received several international awards and recognitions. Oyedepo is a best-selling author, a successful businessman and a celebrated international preacher. He loves reading, reasoning, planning and writing. Oyedepo studied Architecture in Kwara State polytechnic, and he worked briefly in Federal Ministry of Housing in Ilorin before he went fully into ministry.
You may dislike him for having a jet, running an expensive university or becoming ferocious in preaching but the truth is that if you paid the price he paid, men too could dislike you when "other things" He promised comes running after you.
Having examined briefly the life of this general, we saw a man whom God transformed from grass to grace. There's no limit to the transformation a yielded man can encounter before God.
According to his favorite scripture in the Bible, Matthew 6:33, serving God at the interest of His kingdom pays the most. This has been a propelling force in making him become who we celebrate today. He's passionate about rugged evangelism, prayer and deliverance through faith.
Did Oyedepo had it all rosy before he became a general? History had it that he faced several ministerial challenges, his wife had miscarriage to mention a few. But in spite of these, he kept his eyes on Jesus, he endured the cross and despised the shame.
Five things he said to have been responsible for his outstanding performance in the Lord's vineyard are: grace, faith, discipline, diligence, and sacrifice.
Conclusively, let's not be thrilled by the amazing feats he accomplished, let's tarry to carry, and above all, pay the price to experience our own Transfiguration regardless of any challenge that may come our way in the process.
Don't envy the greatness of a man. If you desire the kind of success he has, pray to God to empower you to pay the price for your own greatness.
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