GYC SE 2014: The Daily Battle

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GYC Southeast

Anil Kanda

Lion-like Faces

Why don't we start with a word of prayer so we can ask God to get things ready for us.

Father in heaven, thank you again for this time.

We just pray and ask you would bless us with the Holy Spirit.

Lord, we pray that you'd make this time productive.

Dear Jesus, We are here because we are hungry and thirsty for you.

I'm really excited about this conference because we're gonna be talking about a variety of topics.

We're gonna be talking about the daily battle that we have as Christians, as Seventh-day Adventists.

We're going to be talking about relationships.

We're going to be talking about the great controversy.

We're going to be talking about how to make the Bible practical.

How many people would really, really appreciate that?

You know, coming back here, it just reminded me many times of my college experience.

Now I have been to different colleges, public colleges, universities, Seventh-day Adventist colleges, got to speak at a variety of places.

And I really appreciate the last time I came here to speak.

So it was the only time I was invited to Southern because of the fact that I was Asian.

You know India is in Asia, you know that, right?

Every time I tell somebody who's from China or from Japan or Korea.

Hey, I'm Asian, they just look at me and they say, no, you're not.

And they'll look at me and they'll think, they'll say, Africa?

It happened to me several years ago, but I think it was very important.

It actually, a conversation I had earlier today reminded me of this very story.

Some of you have heard this story before, but I'm gonna repeat it.

You know, when I was in Ceres, that's where I pastor, before I became the senior pastor, I was the associate pastor.

And I had a, you know, just a wonderful experience living in this apartment that I was living in.

It was just a single bedroom apartment, and oftentimes I would have to keep company by texting my friends nonstop all day and throughout the night.

And 1 morning, I got up extremely early, around like 4 a.m., and I was doing my devotions.

I was just spending time with Jesus, and I found this powerful verse found in Isaiah 65, I believe it's verse 23 or 22, and it says these words, that before you call, I will answer, and while you are still speaking, I will hear.

And so I read that verse and I was so excited about this, I said, I have to share it with my friends.

So what I began to do, I thought man I have a brilliant idea.

I'm going to text all my friends at 5 a.m.

They're really going to appreciate this scripture verse coming to them.

However, I also accidentally texted 1 of my friends who's an atheist.

This individual was somebody who used to be a Seventh-day Adventist Christian.

He was actually studying to become a pastor.

But then he fell away from the Lord and not only rejected God, he said he was an avowed atheist.

He wanted nothing to do with God, very angry with God.

Last time I talked to him, he was just cursing up a storm.

I mean, he would, every other word, I mean, it had to be censored.

And so, you know, when I accidentally texted him, I looked back on my phone and I thought to myself, uh-oh, I'm about to receive a text message that I can't repeat in public.

And so I put the phone down, I'm like, I'm going to go back to sleep, maybe I'll wake up, maybe it'll be pleasant.

And sure enough, the light came on on the phone and it was him.

And so I opened up the text message and you know what it said?

It said these words Thank you, brother Now I thought to myself.

I wonder why he would say something like that So I texted him back and I said, what do you mean by that?

The awkward conversations that happen at 5 a.m.

And then he says, I just had a very interesting experience.

I had this nightmare and it was just this darkness.

It was just this deep darkness and there was this loneliness that was there.

I felt this extreme, like this void in my heart and this just misery in this dream.

He said, as soon as I came out of the dream, I said, God, if you're there, show yourself.

And all of a sudden, his phone went off, and there was a text message that said, before you call, I will answer.

And while you're still speaking, I will hear.

And you know what he wrote back to me next?

God is faithful and I know that He is going to be answering many prayers this week.

He's going to be answering prayers that we haven't even asked.

The Bible says that before we call, He will answer And while we're still speaking, while still on our lips, He will hear.

You know, 1 day I spoke at a graduation, and I told the students something to remember for the rest of their life.

I said, there are 2 things you have to remember for the rest of your life.

Don't ever forget these 2 words, these 2 phrases.

I said, number 1, don't ever forget there is a God.

And then I said, number 2, you're not him.

This is what the daily conflict is all about, is discovering what God wants to do and what he's calling us to participate in.

Now regardless of what your spiritual background is or what you may term your spiritual condition, I wanna promise you, it is during these times, these conferences, where God opens up a very special window of opportunity to minister to us in an extraordinary way.

Oftentimes, it's during these conferences that God will reveal his plans, his directions, his purposes, his comfort to God's people.

So I really wanna urge you, do whatever it takes to be here each night and during the seminar presentations.

I wanna share with you a very powerful quote found in the spirit of prophecy.

The fallen world is the battlefield for the greatest conflict the heavenly universe and the earthly powers have ever witnessed.

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Lion-like Faces

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