At 14, he had a vision of himself on stage speaking to thousands. Then God changed his name from “sheep” to “King”

From young, David King was not one who was academically inclined.

His PSLE score was 164, and that could only get him into the Normal Technical stream in Secondary school.

He barely made it past “O” levels, failing English with a D7 grade, alongside other subjects.

David’s “O” level results.

“Because of this, I had low self-esteem and often went along with the opinion of others at the expense of myself. I hesitated in stepping up for roles and responsibilities because I didn’t believe in myself,” said David, now 44.

At the age of 14, however, David was given a glimpse of God’s bigger plans for him.

Receiving a “seemingly impossible” vision 

He was responding to an altar call at church camp when he received his first vision.

“I saw myself on stage standing in front of a big crowd. I was clearly speaking about something and I knew in my heart that it was a vision about my future,” David told Salt&Light.

David with his friends at youth camp.

Being a youth leader then, he assumed it was a call to be a full-time preacher.

“I was doubtful about whether the man on stage was really me, but a part of me also wanted to believe it. I told God that if that was from Him, He has to make it happen,” said David.

Shortly after, he learnt how to play the guitar and began playing it on stage for children’s ministry and the youth band in Harborlight Church. He discovered a passion for impacting lives by teaching guitar to younger teenagers in church.

David leading worship in Harborlight Church.

When he sat for the “O” levels, he racked up 26 points. Such a score could only get him into a course with lower entry requirements, like nursing. He chose it because he was also given a scholarship, which helped his family financially.

So, David went into nursing school, despite others telling him that he was better suited to teaching or sales.

Marriage and other aspects of life going south

Barely out of nursing school, David got married at the young age of 21. Things went south from day one.

“I was not mature then and seeing that my then girlfriend was having a hard time in her family, I thought the best way to take her out was to marry her. I did this without considering how I could provide for her,” said David.

Quarrels often arose due to financial issues. He was working as a nurse at the National University Hospital then.

David with his colleagues during his nursing days.

After his then wife was involved in a bout of infidelity, the couple split up. Despite knowing that marriage is a covenant, David found himself divorced at the age of 28.

“I cried myself to sleep many nights. But I found healing by being close to my church community. The worship and sermons kept me sane,” said David, who thought he had hit rock bottom then.  

In the same year, however, he nearly lost his life in a car accident.

That fateful day, David had just returned from an overseas work trip but was driving out to  meet his friends in the evening to celebrate his birthday.

Feeling tired, he failed to notice that his car was inching out too much on a right turn as he made his way to Chomp Chomp food centre. At that moment, a red Mercedes convertible – which was ploughing straight ahead – slammed right into his car.

The impact tore open the front of his car, triggered the airbags and sent the car spinning backwards.

The impact of the accident on his car.

Surprisingly, David and his friends who were in the car with him were unscathed. A friend later shared with him that she saw a vision of angels wrapping their wings around them when the accident happened.

“We were not injured but the car was destroyed. Without having the car as collateral, the bank loaded interest on my loans. I was suddenly burdened with more than S$30,000 in debts for outstanding car loans,” David told Salt&Light.

“Life was miserable. I felt I was back to ground zero. Things that were important to me were slipping away. I asked God why but didn’t get any answers,” he said.

“I asked Him why would He give me the vision when my circumstances to date were so bad. I didn’t understand many things, but I told God that I would still trust Him,” he added.

On the outside, David seemed his usual smiling and laughing self. But it was just a façade and a coping mechanism for the pain he felt deep within.

By then, he had jumped ship from being a nurse to taking up a medical sales role, largely because it was more lucrative.

It was in his first medical sales company that David found himself in the organising committee for its annual dinner and dance event.

He ended up emceeing the event and it went very well. Many colleagues came up to him and gave him a pat on the back for a job well done.

That night, David texted a friend and wrote: “I feel I am meant to be doing something like this, impacting people from the front.”

David flourished in the medical sales line, and had no problems hitting his sales target consistently.

However, he felt like he was drifting through life aimlessly, without having a purpose to live for.

“I was just working, making money, hanging out with friends and the cycle repeats. I just went with the flow and didn’t have a direction of my own,” he recalled.

A new relationship 

One day while in office, he noticed a coworker called Amy. They had been colleagues for two years but he had not paid her much attention till that moment.

That day, however, as he looked at her, he saw a vision of her smiling and thriving in life.

“As I saw that vision which played out like a moving scene, I just knew that God had a plan for her life and He was showing me her future with Him in it,” said David.

Amy was not a believer at that point in time.

Since God highlighted her to him, David began paying her more attention and asking her out.

David and Amy when they were colleagues.

In September 2011, David led her to Christ and they became a couple a few months later.

“It was only later on that she told me that she had been having relationship troubles when we met, and had somewhat prayed. Her prayer went: ‘God, whoever You are, if You can hear me, bring someone good into my life’,” said David.

“Amy was God’s gift to me,” he told Salt&Light.

A name change 

Two years later, David had another significant spiritual encounter.

He was watching television on his sofa one day when he heard a soft voice in his heart asking him what his name meant: “Huang Xian Yang David Roy Junior”.

He replied jokingly: “Yellow boring sheep” as it was a literal English translation of his Mandarin name.

The soft voice continued: “What if it was changed to David King, meaning Beloved of the King?”

David knew it was the voice of God, but he was extremely reluctant to change his name.

“It sounds so pompous and has a weight to it. It is not an easy name to handle and I didn’t want to be embarrassed when others make fun of the name,” he said.

Not wanting to be disobedient, David asked God to confirm it if that was from Him.

Over the next few days, God kept bringing to his mind the various names that He had changed for his people in the Bible.

“God told me that He did the same for Abraham. Sarah was calling Abraham which meant “a father of many nations” even at the point when he had no children to speak of,” said David.

The final confirmation for him came from his father. One day, he sat his parents down over a meal to ask for their thoughts on his potential name change.

His father then blurted out: “This doesn’t happen to me often but earlier this week I felt a prompting to call you to tell you that you can change your name to anything you wanted.”

From young, his parents have been his role models for their faith in God. They reminded him to trust in God and often told him that they were praying for him.

And so David renamed himself as David King and formalised it by registering it in his identification card.

That same year, at the age of 33, he married Amy, whose name also means “beloved”.

David and Amy on their wedding day.

It seemed like life was finally turning around for him – he had a new name, a new wife and was making inroads in his career.

He was enjoying work as he found himself in his element whenever he had to make sales presentations to small groups of people. During the presentations and product training sessions, he loved crafting his messages in a refreshing way that captivated his audience.

Finding a mentor on the day that he lost his job

In 2016, the unexpected happened. He was let go from his job after just six months in with a new company.

“There was some conflict with the leaders and they felt I wasn’t fulfilling my role well. I was a bit disappointed but I caught myself and guarded my thoughts to prevent myself from spiralling down emotionally,” said David, who was worried about finances as he had an apartment and car to pay for at that time.

As he mulled over the news at home, he heard a Voice in his heart.

“Now that you get to choose your path, what would you choose?” the Voice asked him.

“I had an inner knowing that it was God. I just knew that it’s now time to lean into that vision that He gave me,” said David.

It was no coincidence, he recalled, that he had met someone who ran a training company for leadership and team building during a trip to Israel three months before he lost his job.

“When I first met Edwin, we talked about my passion for speaking and training. I realised then that my heart had always desired to impact lives by speaking and training others. Edwin mentioned that I could join him sometime,” said David.

On the very day that he was let go, David texted Edwin Sim and found a willing mentor in him.

“I followed him around for three months without getting paid. When he felt I was ready, he made me a co-trainer with him for a half-day workshop. When that went well, he entrusted me with a one-year team building project,” David told Salt&Light.

David with his mentor Edwin at his first training gig.

Edwin was surprised to see that David was constantly receiving good post-course reviews. David saw it as a sign that he was at the right place.

“I also took up courses, read books and joined speaking groups that helped me hone my craft. I welcomed criticism and suggestions on how I could do better,” he said.

Within a year, David took the leap to set up his own training and consultancy company – Story Box Academy – and became an entrepreneur.

It started small.

His first speaking gig – a referral from his mentor – was to motivate about 100 students to enjoy learning so that they could excel in their studies.

“The crowd was a tough one and it was hard to get a response from them. But I imagined Jesus right beside me as I taught the class. I felt His assurance and it built my resilience,” said David.

David’s first speaking opportunity at PSB Academy.

With his past experience in sales, he found a niche branding for himself in training sales professionals to tap on the art of storytelling to generate revenue.

Over time, he was given other speaking opportunities, including addressing a few hundred sales professionals at large insurance companies like Great Eastern and AIA.

A glowing post-conference review.

“I knew His call on my life was coming to pass. He opened doors for me. One small opportunity always led to a bigger one. Once, I felt led to do a free training for others in the same co-working space and it led to my first global speaking opportunity,” said David.

“Another time, I was prompted to help coach a friend with her speech and it eventually led to an opportunity for me to speak to 7,500 people at a MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table) global conference in Marina Bay Sands in 2023,” he added.

David speaking to 7,500 people at an MDRT conference.

In the past, David’s low self-esteem would often dictate what he could or could not do. When challenges became too big, he would turn tail.

“In front of the crowd of 7,500, I was super nervous. But God showed me two large angels that were standing on both ends of the stage and He said: ‘No one can harm you’. My fear of man left and I could take my place to speak,” he recalled.

David now worships at New Creation Church, where he serves in its bereavement ministry.

David used to serve in the choir at NCC.

“In church, I learnt about God’s grace and love for me. That was when I started to see more of God in the difficult situations that I face. I began to see that he was working on my character first to prepare me to be able to receive what He wanted to give me,” David told Salt&Light.

Though he failed English in school, David is glad that his results did not have the last say in how he could help his clients craft compelling sales converting messages.

Though he had low self-esteem and feared being judged by others, he is heartened that that did not have the last say in whether he could speak on stage or coach others of prominent and influential standing.

Today, he and his team coaches train sales professionals in various industries, including those in financial services, engineering and medical sectors.

David running a training session.

In his book How To Tell Stories That Generate Millions, David rightfully credits God as “the greatest storyteller of all time.”

David with his parents and wife at his book launch.

He wrote in his book: “You planted this dream in my heart when I was 14. Though my life seemed to be heading in the opposite direction, You calmed my storms and filled me with hope.”

David said: “How we start doesn’t determine how we end. We can courageously live out our purpose by depending on God and His grace to guide our path.”

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