Mentor I Brand & Marketing Strategist I Author I Investor I
Hi
My name is Richard Potgoli, and I am a travel enthusiast, love meeting new people and of course a great learner myself, I always motivated to motivate others, and my current profession as Director for Sales & Marketing gives me all the liberty to exercise my charisma to do so, being a Management profession, I could add great values to Business fraternity and share great ideas to explore with current trends. I like to read minds and understand nerves of my clients, and being a professional Psychotherapist and a Counseller helps me to learn and lead people in the right direction to make right decision as well.
THE POWER OF PROFESSING FAITH
Often faith is mistaken with illusion, Illusion does not produce faith, but faith does, The Bible says, in Mark 9:23, All things are possible, if you believe, So, let’s ask us a question, do we actually believe what we hope for, often don’t, Thats what my testimony is all about, I would like to share my near-death experience and how my faith transformed my life into a great hope, when I encountered my faith meeting my hope,
It was July 8th 2018 on a bright and beautiful Sunday afternoon, when my friend along with his wife came to pick me up from a Birmingham Airport in Alabama, we decided to pick some grocery at a supermarket and stopped to have Sunday lunch in an Indian Restaurant that afternoon, after a nice lunch, we head home towards Jaspar on Interstate 22 highway.
If you notice, the drive is a beautiful stretch along the highway with amazing landmarks, churches, crossroads, beautiful villas and lush green landmarks and hilly landscape across the road.
After the flight from Dallas Texas an hour and a half ago, I was sharing my experience how before arriving at Birmingham, my flight was changed due to some technical fault and all passengers were boarded on another flight and finally managed to land in Birmingham safely by God’s grace and our conversion went on other topics and so on.
It was a sunny afternoon, my friend was driving a black for fusion car, and I was sitting at the back and his wife next to him, I was little tired coz I have to wake up little early that day to take the flight from Dallas Texas to Birmingham on IS22 highway, and my eyes were drowsy, and feeling heavy after a nice lunch, after that point, I feel little bumpy and shaky and I suddenly become awake and I saw my friend is struggling to bring the car on track and he has miss the road, he was driving a speed of 180 miles per hour, his wife started shouting in panic and I was disturbed too with a situation which was going out of control, and I knew something is seriously wrong at that moment.
I started shouting to my friend watch yourself, but it was too late, he was completely out of control that afternoon, we went upside down and the car toppled 7-8 times, I knew it’s all over, and I could recall everything in my life that afternoon, I remembered my loved ones at that situation and missed them dearly, in that span, I knew one thing for sure that my all hope is in God only.
At that moment, I started professing the name of Jesus, literally shouting within me, Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus and so on, because I knew there is a supernatural power in the name of Jesus, as it is written in the Holy Bible in Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, that at the mention of the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, those on earth and those under the earth and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord.
While I was proclaiming my faith that hour, in the process the car was toppling, I could feel, I was thrown out of the car from a long distance and felt like falling on the ground very hard, my body was sore, and I feel I am lying on a hard ground, and couldn’t do nothing about it, not move even an inch, but actually I was thrown out of the car smashing the windows and the glass of the behind window smashed my head, face and body and threw me out of the car and I landed on the ground hard. I was completely bleeding from head to toe, and my head and face were bruised badly. At the same time, the car fell away from me a yard upside down, and my friend and wife were struck inside the car.
There I could hear some voices of people gathering around me and the accident spot, the car actually fell away 30-40 meters away from the highway across the hilly areas next to the road.
Around me were people and paramedical persons who arrived on a ambulance and taking score of me and my condition, checking on if I could breathe properly and know my senses and investigating my complete condition at that point.
I could breathe, but my body was completely sore and couldn’t do any action, my eyes were dusty and I couldn’t see properly, in that moment I still proclaiming my faith thanking Jesus for keeping me alive and safe, reportingly.
At that moment, I could hear a voice of lady, she sounded me like an angel to me, with a gentle voice, she whispered in my ear close to me that Jesus has save you, and that moment I felt I am in the perfect arms of my savior, and faith worked and I became hopeful after that confirmation.
I was given the first aid, and anesthesia and I completely went on unconscious, I was picked on helicopter ambulance that after and taken to University of Birmingham, Alabama Hospital in Birmingham central.
I was placed in an operation theatre for treatment, and much before I got conscious back, I went through a terrible experience of near-death experience which was fearful experience of my life I cannot forget.
I felt, I was drifting deep down in the universe in a position I was dead like, and only my conscious was awake, and I couldn’t do anything about it, yet I was still professing my faith in God, and thanking Jesus all the while, unless I got my conscious back suddenly, at that moment I found myself around the doctors treating me, I felt I was choked on my throat and couldn’t breathe properly and I shouted the someone to help me breathe coz I was feeling breathlessness, I couldn’t control anymore and I removed my oxygen cover and threw away and took a long breathe, and I felt at that moment that I got my life back. It was nearly a second life experience indeed.
I was taken to a room in the hospital after treated, I really felt so isolated in the room, I couldn’t tell anyone how I was going through, all the vague ideas hitting my mind at that instance, was missing my loved so much, but couldn’t inform them about the incident coz they were so far in India and would be really worried, my only hope at that moment was my faith and that is when my faith met my hope and revived me again and I felt some strength in me.
It was around 3pm in the midnight, everything was calm and quiet, I couldn’t lie down either on bed coz my body did not allow me as the pain was so high that I could only sit all night, at that moment, I felt the peace of God surrounded me, and the tears in my eyes started flowing themselves, I opened my heart to God, and asked Lord, why should I go through all this in my life and why did you keep me alive in the first case, I could only take out my frustration, pain, anger, anxiety only on God and nobody else at that moment.
Then, I heard clear gentle voice speaking to me, saying, Because I live, so ye shall also live, in John 14:19 (Holy Bible) and “Those who trust in me, will never be disappointed”, in Isaiah 49:23 (Holy Bible). It was blessed assurance indeed.
While I was in the hospital, all the nurses, doctors and attendees were so gentle and nice to me and I could feel the healing touch of an angel in them, I started miraculously getting healed emotionally and mentally, and it all took just a weeks’ time, and finally my doctor comes to me and said, hey Richard, I have a news for you, with a report card in his hand and I was in fear to hear what he would say, he said, I am truly surprised to see your medical reports, after such a intense accident of a kind, nothing is damaged in your body except the bruised on your body externally, and internally your body is intact and fine, It’s a miracle.
When I heard those words from the doctor, my heart jumped with joy and I within myself started glorifying God and praising him for what God has done in my life and it’s a miracle indeed.
After a week, with all the treatment and physiotherapy and medication, I was discharged from the hospital and I walked with joy in heart, praising God for he is indeed a living and a miracle God for those who trust in him, In Isaiah 40:31, But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.
Our faith has lot of power, unless we profess it, it has no Hope, So, I hope my story will inspire many, and help others so that their faith is revived. Remember God is Real,
Shalom & God Bless!
