STORY: I DON'T NEED YOUR GOD. PART 3

 DANIEL’S POV

  My name is Daniel Gbenga. A twenty-four-year-old who loves God. I have been called delusional for trying to preach the Gospel, I have been insulted in many ways and I would have given up but when I was at my lowest, the only word in my mouth was ‘God’ and that was enough. I am not blameless, in fact, I have bathed in sin and danced with iniquity so I had no reason to be saved by God but he saved me. I don’t judge people who say terrible things about God, I only pray that God shows them the right path. When people don’t listen when I talk to them about God, I just walk away with a prayer in my heart for them.

I was a child who went to Sunday School every Sunday, knew Bible stories but never really knew God or took him seriously until I was shown that I had no one but him. Since then, I have always wanted people to feel how I feel about God but I don’t force them to believe. The road has not been without potholes but my life now has meaning and I’m grateful to God for that.

  I came from an average family but became a rich guy working as a manager in one of Nigeria’s biggest companies. I have made sure that a percentage of my salary goes to orphanages and the poor.                Five years ago, my life was not like this. My friends and I would drink and smoke for a long time to find pleasure. There were so many girls whom we told to abort the children in their wombs because we were the fathers and we were irresponsible and cowards, unfortunately, they aborted them. I thought that was the fun of life and that these people were my friends until an incident opened my eyes. They had an altercation with a big gangster and killed him. When things got rough and the police got involved, they wanted to pitch the blame on me but I overheard them and got into a fight with them. It was a fistfight at first until a gunshot was heard. I was the one that was shot and the last thing I remember was the last word I said which was “God” Then everything went black. When I woke up, I was informed that I was in a coma and no one came to visit but during the time I was unconscious, I saw myself on a ladder between two worlds. I was in the middle, the world below me was dark and filled with scary and unimaginable creatures like a man with worms sticking out of his whole body and another with five large horns coming out of his gigantic head. He was angry in fact, all of them in that world were angry and they were looking at me. The world above me was bright and felt more peaceful. It was too bright to see through but it felt more comforting so I started climbing towards it but I felt a strong grip on my legs that kept pulling me down, when I looked down, I saw the man with the worms holding my legs. I tried to fight but he was stronger, when I let go of the ladder, I stronger grip was on my hands and I was pulled up towards the bright side. I guess that was when I woke up from the coma but I knew those worlds were. The darker side was hell and the brighter side was heaven. I tried to tell people my story, but they didn’t believe me and ever since then, I have told people about God and how loving he is. I took my devotion to his word seriously and I have had so much peace.

  I have asked for so many things including a wife. I didn’t feel I was too young for marriage but I waited patiently for his answer. After my evening prayer one night, I slept and had a dream about a girl who was about to die but I helped her escape death. Her name was Christiana. I was in a restaurant at five o’clock in the evening and I was trying to stop her from going but she was going in the exact path I was preventing her from going. I woke up and I knew where God wanted me to be the next day so I went there and she was difficult. She didn’t believe in God but he still protected her. She was so infuriating that I just wanted to get away from her and then God stopped and in a clear voice, he told me to take her into my home. I was about to debate against him but he then told me that the girl that hated him was the wife he had chosen for me and I would be the reason she gave her life to Christ. I had already entered my car but I had to turn back and thankfully, I saw her right where I left her. “I’m still not going with you” she said. ‘God, please help me. Give me the right words to say. I don’t what to do again’ This was the prayer I said in my heart as I walked closer to her. “Where will you stay?” I asked and she didn’t answer me. “Look if you want to sleep with me, just tell me. I might agree to it” She smiled while saying this and I hated hearing it. “So you just give your body to anyone, whoever comes your way?” I asked her “You want me to live with you, a stranger. At least let me know your motive” she replied. “I’m not going to touch you; I promise you” I said. “What if that’s what I want?” she asked. ‘God, please’ I said in my heart. As I was about to speak, she said “You’re right, I have no place to stay so I’ll stay with you. Are you happy now?” She started walking and I walked with her to my car. We didn’t speak to each other till we reached my house. It was a three-bedroom bungalow, the outside was painted light blue and the inside, peach. There were flower vases at the sides of the front door which was a fiberglass door. We walked into the living room, and I saw her staring at everything and I was staring. She is so beautiful and innocent. She isn’t tall and has a petite figure but a beautiful and perfect figure. She has smooth brown skin, brown eyes, a pointed nose, and full lips. ‘Lord, she is beautiful’ I said in my heart. She looked at the big television in front of us and sat on the ash leather couch, the one in front of the television. “Don’t you want to see your room?” I asked her and she nodded no “Do you want food or anything to drink?” I still got the same response as before. I thought maybe she wanted to be left alone so I went into my office for some quiet time. I didn’t know how this new change was going to be but since this was what God wanted, I didn’t have to worry. It was a Saturday so there was no work but I checked if there were any e-mails or unfinished work, there was nothing so I went to check on her. The smile on my face was completely wiped off my face when I saw what was in front of me. I kept my Bible and journal on a small table beside the couch she sat on and now, they were torn and in her hands. She was laughing while I could feel my hands visibly shaking with anger. “What is wrong with you?!” I shouted at her but she laughed more “What are you going to do? Beat me?” she threw the torn pieces on my face and said “Show me to my room” as she moved aside. ‘God, this is just the beginning, please I need your strength’.