Dr. Tan Tek Seng

DAILY REFLECTION

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭

When believers surrender to the reshaping work of God’s Word and Spirit, transformation is inevitable. Thoughts are renewed, desires realigned, and priorities reoriented toward God.

Sam Childers, famously known as the Machine Gun Preacher, was once entangled in a life of violence, addiction, and rebellion, his early years were marked by cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol, and heroin. His passion for motorcycles led him into the Outlaws motorcycle club - a world steeped in gang rivalry and lawlessness.

But God’s grace is never intimidated by darkness. In 1992, during a revival meeting at an Assembly of God church, he encountered the living Christ. With the support of his first wife, he surrendered his life to Jesus. That moment of repentance became the catalyst for a journey of radical transformation.

Six years later, on a mission trip to South Sudan, he came face-to-face with the horrors of war. The mutilated body of a child - victim of a landmine - shattered him. In that moment of anguish, he made a vow to God: “Whatever it takes.” That vow birthed a mission.

Sam established a children’s village in Nimule, South Sudan, offering shelter, education, food, medicine, and armed protection to hundreds of orphans abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army. His work, fueled by divine compassion and relentless faith, earned him the Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice in 2013. His life is a living testimony: No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. When the Spirit of God invades a surrendered heart, even the most broken past becomes a platform for healing, justice, and hope.

Romans 12:2 calls believers to reject the patterns of this world and embrace a daily renewal of the mind—a journey of thinking, living, and loving like Christ. As this renewal takes root, something extraordinary happens: our lives begin to reflect the very will of God - good, pleasing, and perfect.

“God will do everything if you will dare to believe.”