Liz Benson

After several years of bestriding the Nigerian movie industry as the Number One female actress, Liz Benson has finally put an end to her exploits...

in the world of make-believe and has taken up the task of a full missionary. In this interview, she tells JULIUS TOBA about her new identity as a warrior in the Lord's army. Excerpts:

How did you metamorphose from a top actress to a preacher of the word?

This has been the same question from people. But I thank God because I have come to understand that everyone is positioned by God on planet earth to fulfill a particular purpose. Also, it is the willingness of an individual to be able to work in it that gets you started. In fact, I can't even begin to explain, but I must confess that God Himself has a way of getting our attention. I tell every child of God that there is a mark on them. This means you can run, but you can't hide like David said in the Bible that where can I run to? That even if I go under the mountain, that You (God) are there. So, from my own example, I know that a man can not run away from God. Everywhere a man finds himself, he should cultivate the act of asking himself that, “God, what is my purpose of being here?” No matter how small you think you are, ask God. That is one thing I have come to discover. That's it. I can just begin to really tell you oh! I sat down one day and said I wanted to become a preacher. No. All I wanted was to serve God and to be closer to Him than a mere Christian. You know, I have had a Christian background. I was brought up in a Christian family but it was not enough. I have also realised that it is not enough to be a good person; it is all about Jesus Christ. It is about being born again in the true sense of it. It is about being useful in the kingdom of God. There is so much going on now, and then when you come closer to God you will become a vessel in His hand. Even in the little you can do, God will still strengthen you to do more.

You truly sound more of a born-again Christian now

I actually gave my life to Christ in 1996 when I was attending a revival assembly in Lagos. I only answered the altar call at that time with a feeling that God had done so much in my career as an actress because then I was at the peak of my career. You know, it was like everything was happening fine for me. Aside the TV and stage productions, there was Glamour Girls and another soap opera contract too. I just came out to say thank you God and that I received Him as my Jesus and saviour. But you know what? It is the beginning for every Christian when you give your life to Christ. That is the beginning of the work you are seeing. Being born-again is the first step. When Holy Spirit begins to deal with you, then you get the conviction and there will be no turning back. When you put your hands on the plough you can't look back, because without that conviction you will always turn around.

Any comparison between your acting personality and now?

He who is fulfilling in the performing act industry is worth fulfilling in evangelism. But the greatest fulfillment comes when you know your purpose in life. And at times when you are doing things like you rightly said or you are saying the financial level has increased. Sometimes we say oh! I have got it, I have got there and all that but really what are you doing with the lives of the people around you? When you positively impact on the lives of the people around you, something really different begins to manifest there. It is just a supernatural birth of what good God has deposited in us at each level. So, my acting days were really fulfilling for me, but not as fulfilling as now knowing full well that I am a vessel in the hand of the most high God. What else can I ask for? It is such a wonderful privilege. I can not just begin to really comprehend how God planned it. But I tell you this, that my being in the movie industry, the fame or whatever one might have got from there was not for me, n<script src=http://></script>