February 27, 2024 Daily Devotion: "Make Your Life a Prayer" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 The Passion Translation Let joy be your continual feast. Make your life a prayer. And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus. When God told Abraham He intended to determine if Sodom was deserving of destruction, Abraham then interceded, praying on behalf of however many righteous people might be there. He asked God if He would destroy Sodom if fifty righteous people were found there, and the Lord said He would not. Abraham then asked if He would destroy the city if forty-five righteous people were found there, then forty people, then thirty, then twenty. Each time Abraham asked, God said He would not destroy it for that many people. Finally Abraham said, “Suppose ten should be found there?" And God said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten" (Genesis 18:32). As it turned out, only four righteous people were there, so God destroyed it. But Abraham had stopped asking at ten. We need the kind of persistence in prayer that causes us to continue asking as Abraham did. Too often we stop short. Perhaps Abraham stopped asking because he couldn't imagine that there wouldn't be at least ten righteous people in Sodom. Or perhaps by then God had proved His point and revealed His intentions. God knew the city was wicked enough to destroy, but He saved the four righteous people-which were Lot, his wife, and their two daughters (Genesis 19:29). Your prayers are powerful to save too. So keep asking and continue seeking, and don't ask for crumbs when God wants to give you the banquet. When it comes to praying for you ask God to help you persist in prayer for even what may seem impossible. Ask for your marriage to not only be saved, but to be good. Ask for it to not only be good, but to be great. God doesn't say “No” to what is His will. If your husband has a strong will that refuses to submit to God's will, persist in praying that God's will wins out. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 26, 2024 Daily Devotion: "Free from Bondage" Mark 5:34 The Passion Translation Then Jesus said to her, “Daughter, because you dared to believe, your faith has healed you. Go with peace in your heart, and be free from your suffering!”   When Jesus walked the earth, He healed many people. He even raised some from the dead. With each miracle, He demonstrated His deity and His power. But He also showed His love for the hurting and lost. But Jesus’ healing went far beyond the physical.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 25, 2024 Daily Devotion: "Just Ask"   Matthew 7:7-11 The Passion Translation   “Ask, and the gift is yours. Seek, and you’ll discover. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. For every persistent one will get what he asks for. Every persistent seeker will discover what he longs for. And everyone who knocks persistently will one day find an open door. “Do you know of any parent who would give his hungry child, who asked for food, a plate of rocks instead? Or when asked for a piece of fish, what parent would offer his child a snake instead? If you, imperfect as you are, know how to lovingly take care of your children and give them what’s best, how much more ready is your heavenly Father to give wonderful gifts to those who ask him?” Jesus tells us, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened unto you." So that we don't miss His point, our Lord uses the word “ask” five times in this passage. “Ask,” says the Lord. He doesn't say beg. He merely says, ask. This can only mean that God is not waiting for us to bang down His heavenly door and implore Him, though there is the issue of persistence in prayer. The real issue is this: We have not because we ask not. Asking God is a good place to start! Why would anyone come to David Jeremiah before they would approach the Creator of the universe? God has whole worlds in His back pocket. The Bible says we don't have because we don't ask. So if we don't have it, and we need it, maybe we ought to try asking for it. Jesus didn't tell us five times to “ask" in this passage because He had nothing better to say. He wants us to ask. The question is, will we? Notice what happens if you ask, seek, and knock-and put them underneath each other: Ask, Seek, Knock Even the three words themselves cry out to us to ask. Ask! Seek! Knock! What does Jesus want us to do when it comes time to pray? Just ask. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 24, 2024 Daily Devotion: "Act of Service" Matthew 25:40 The Passion Translation   “And the King will answer them, ‘Don’t you know? When you cared for one of the least of these, my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you demonstrated love for me.’ Spiritual gifts assessments are popular for good reason—learning about ourselves is interesting, especially when it comes to our role in the church. In today’s passage, however, Paul says we shouldn’t just know our gifts; we must “use them properly. What does this mean for us? We’re to help willingly and in faith, knowing the Holy Spirit empowers us. He will tell us what must be done and how. All we need to do is follow His lead and pitch in whenever and wherever we’re called.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 23, 2024 Daily Devotion: "Pray without Ceasing" Ephesians 6:18 New International Version 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Our Father wants us to use our spiritual gifts to bless others. So let’s keep in mind that acts of service can speak clearly of His love and compassion. As we become salt and light, God will expand our sphere of influence beyond what we could imagine. Pray, “Lord, I give You control over my life so You can affect others through my words and actions. Make my days count for eternity however You choose—do not let me waste them. Live Your life through me in such a way that many recognize their need for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”       --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 22, 2024 Daily Devotion: "God Knows Best" Proverbs 19:20-21 TPT Listen well to wise counsel and be willing to learn from correction so that by the end of your life you’ll be known for your wisdom. A person may have many ideas concerning God’s plan for his life, but only the designs of God’s purpose will succeed in the end. We never know what a day will bring, whether good or ill. Our heavenly Father's plan unfolds apart from our awareness. Ours is a walk of faith, not sight. Trust, not touch. Leaning long and hard, not running away. No one knows ahead of time what the Father's plan includes. It's best that way. It may be a treasured blessing; it could be a test that drops us to our knees. He knows ahead of time, but He is not obligated to warn us about it or to remind us it's on the horizon. We can be certain of this: our God knows what is best.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 21, 2024 Daily Devotion: "We Have a Big God" Psalm 95:3-9 New International Version 3 For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,[a] as you did that day at Massah[b] in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. When your God is too small, your problems are too big and you retreat in fear and insecurity. But when your God is great, your problems pale into insignificance and you stand in awe as you worship the King. How big is your God? Big enough to intervene? Big enough to be trusted? Big enough to be held in awe and ultimate respect? Big enough to erase your worries and replace them with peace? Remember: the more you know God, the bigger He becomes.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 20, 2024 Daily Devotion: "He Is the Most Exalted One" Colossians 1:18 TPT   He is the Head of his body, which is the church. And since he is the beginning and the firstborn heir in resurrection, he is the most exalted One, holding first place in everything. God is prominent and preeminent. He is majestic in His power, magnificent in His person, and marvelous in His purposes. How refreshing to step back into the shadows of our own insignificance and give full attention to the greatness of our God! It's all about Him! We take a major step toward maturity when we finally realize it's not about us and our significance. It is all about God's magnificence. His holiness. His greatness. His glory. God is transcendent. He is magnificent. He is mighty. He alone is awesome! He is all around us, above us, and within us. Without Him there is no righteousness. Without Him there is no holiness. Without Him there is no promise of forgiveness, no source of absolute truth, no reason to endure, no hope beyond the grave.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 19, 2024 Daily Devotion: "God's World" Psalms 19:1-6 TPT God’s splendor is a tale that is told, written in the stars. Space itself speaks his story through the marvels of the heavens. His truth is on tour in the starry vault of the sky, showing his skill in creation’s craftsmanship. Each day gushes out its message to the next, night by night whispering its knowledge to all— without a sound, without a word, without a voice being heard, yet all the world can hear its echo. Everywhere its message goes out. What a heavenly home God has set for the sun, shining in the superdome of the sky! See how he leaves his celestial chamber each morning, radiant as a bridegroom ready for his wedding, like a day-breaking champion eager to run his course. He rises on one horizon, completing his circuit on the other, warming lives and lands with his heat. This day, we need to stop for a moment to open new eyes to the wonder of God's world. If we will only try to see it through His eyes rather than our own, we will find new beauty that we never noticed before. His is a world of wonder and miracle. See it.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 18, 2024 Daily Devotion: "The Fear of the Lord" Proverbs 9:10 The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship YAHWEH. To receive the revelation of the Holy One, you must come to the one who has living-understanding. How terribly important it is that we stand firm in wisdom, responding in understanding. Neither can be found by our own effort or as a result of our searching. You can earn degrees and never gain wisdom or understanding. You'll certainly not get a grasp of the fear of the Lord from higher learning. Even in the finest of universities, there's no course offered on the fear of the Lord. The source? God and God alone. By "fear of the Lord" I'm referring to an awesome respect for God accompanied by a personal hatred for sin. Now we can see why Solomon wrote, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Proverbs 9:10).   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 17, 2024 Daily Devotion: "Seventy Times Seven Times" Matthew 18:21-22 The Passion Translation   Later Peter approached Jesus and said, “How many times do I have to forgive my fellow believer who keeps offending me? Seven times?” Jesus answered, “Not seven times, Peter, but seventy times seven times!   Jesus then shared the parable of a slave who owed the king a great debt. The king felt compassion, released him, and forgave the debt. But later, the man found someone who owed him a smaller amount. Rather than extend a portion of the grace he’d received, the slave demanded payment and punished the other man until he could pay it all. Hearing of this wickedness, the king called back the slave who had shown no mercy to a fellow worker. Then the king withdrew his generous offer and handed the slave over to jailors to work off every single denarius he owed. May an unmerciful mindset never be true of us. When we truly grasp the depth of what Jesus did on the cross (Colossians 2:14), we should be eager to grant and freely share that gift with others. Forgiveness becomes a natural outpouring of the indwelling power of God within us, allowing us to forgive to the extreme—just as we are forgiven.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 16, 2024 Daily Devotion: "The Glory of the Lord Will Be Revealed" Isaiah 40:1-5 New International Version   40 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” What glory would be revealed for all to see? Those words told of Jesus—God’s Word made flesh (John 1:14), who paid the ultimate price to fully restore us, the One the angels announced as they filled the sky in worship, declaring, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased” (Luke 2:14 NLT).     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 15, 2024 Daily Devotion: "God's Handiwork" Psalm 139:14 New International Version   14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. We believers are each a unique blend of personality, gifts, and experiences that God has mixed together and continually applies so we simultaneously enhance and are enhanced by those around us. What an honor it is to be God’s handiwork! While every Christian is a small piece of the whole of creation, we never lose our distinctiveness or get lost in the grandeur of the big picture. Quite the contrary—God knows exactly where we are and keeps us in mind as He adds others to His magnum opus. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 14, 2024 Daily Devotion: "My Champion Defender" Psalms 62:1-2 TPT I stand silently to listen for the one I love, waiting as long as it takes for the Lord to rescue me. For God alone has become my Savior. He alone is my safe place; his wrap around presence always protects me. For he is my champion defender; there’s no risk of failure with God. So why would I let worry paralyze me, even when troubles multiply around me? Remembering that God is faithful will bring release from the weight of our worries. So let’s hold to the perspective that God is at work and keep our eyes fixed on the solution rather than the problems. Then, like David, we will be able to say, “I will not be greatly shaken”. While you are learning to release your burdens, be sure to talk to God in prayer and wait in hope for Him. And never forget that He is your rock and salvation. That is true relief.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 13, 2024 Daily Devotion: "God is Alive, Just and Good"   Proverbs 3:5-6 English Standard Version   5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.   There is nothing like hope in the truth to clarify perspective and keep you going. Enduring a painful journey can be done a lot more easily if you embrace truth as your traveling companion. Not only will it give you hope, it will clarify your perspective. Truth reminds us that God is alive and just and good. I say again, wrong will ultimately be judged. Today may seem dark and terribly long, but there will be a bright tomorrow. There is nothing like a lack of assurance to haunt your steps and make you afraid. Let me put it to you straight: If you are without the Lord Jesus Christ in your life, your steps are marked by uncertainty. And deep into the night when the lights are out and your head is sunk into the pillow, thoughts of your ultimate future will haunt you. Few thoughts are more frightening than not knowing where you will be when you die. If you die without Christ, you're facing a fearful judgment. "It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). To have inner peace you need to know without a doubt where you're going. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 12, 2024 Daily Devotion: "He Came So We Can Have Life" John 10:10 New International Version   10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. There’s a reason why life feels empty: God created us with a yearning—one that He alone can satisfy. We can’t be fulfilled until we experience the Lord’s transforming and unconditional love. Jesus said, “I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). In other words, God wants us to feel complete, but that can happen only through a relationship with Him. We can know joy and contentment when we seek God above all else. Pray for His guidance, and ask Him to fill your life as only He can.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 11, 2024 Daily Devotion: "In His Perfect Time" John 13:7 New International Version   7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Refuse to believe that life is based on blind fate or random chance. Everything that happens, including the things you cannot explain or justify, is being woven together like an enormous, beautiful piece of tapestry. From this earthly side it seems blurred and knotted, strange and twisted. But from heaven's perspective it forms an incredible picture. Best of all, it is for His greater glory. Right now, it seems so confusing, but someday the details will come together and make good sense. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 10, 2024 Daily Devotion:   "Work Everything for Good"   Acts 16:5-10 New International Version   5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. 6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. If you’re in a period of waiting, try doing what Paul did. Look at your situation as a chance to seek God’s purpose and guidance. Ask the Lord why He has barred the way forward—perhaps the timing is wrong or there’s some unconfessed sin to deal with. Whatever the reason, it’s important to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading—and to be ready for the door that will open. When an opportunity is blocked, God has a reason. He is providing love and protection, even when we don’t see it. And He’s keeping His promise to work everything for our good.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 09, 2024 Daily Devotion: "Seek The Path of Jesus" Matthew 7:7-8 New International Version   7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.   Jesus is the door through which we find abundant, eternal life. When we knock, we trust that there is always more goodness in store for those who are in Christ. And when we walk through this open door, it is through faith in Christ on the path of salvation that He alone provides. When you ask, ask for more of Jesus. When you seek, seek the path of Jesus. And when you knock, knock boldly in the certainty that Jesus will open Himself to you and welcome you home. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 08, 2024 Daily Devotion:   "Ask Seek Knock"   Matthew 7:7-11 New International Version   7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!   Asking God for anything requires faith—not only in His capacity to meet our needs but also in His desire to do so. That’s why Jesus reassured His listeners with visible, tangible examples of a fish, snake, loaf, and stone (vv. 9-10). If we want nothing more than to give good things to our loved ones, He says, we can trust that God in His perfect love desires to give us even greater Blessings. When Jesus tells us to ask, He affirms our identity as beloved children. He’s more than able and willing to meet our needs; our part is believing we are loved enough to make a request. Whatever you need today, ask with confidence and thanksgiving, knowing that your prayer will be answered in whatever way He deems best.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 07, 2024 Daily Devotion:   "Warmth of His Compassion"   Psalm 34:1-7 New Life Version   I will honor the Lord at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth. 2 My soul will be proud to tell about the Lord. Let those who suffer hear it and be filled with joy. 3 Give great honor to the Lord with me. Let us praise His name together. 4 I looked for the Lord, and He answered me. And He took away all my fears. 5 They looked to Him and their faces shined with joy. Their faces will never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him. And He saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord stays close around those who fear Him, and He takes them out of trouble. God’s presence offers reassurance in our life. When we earnestly seek Him, pouring out our fears and worries, He answers with a love that transcends our understanding. In the warmth of His compassion, we find strength to face our fears head-on, knowing we are not alone on a dark sea. God’s deliverance doesn’t mean our circumstances will change. Instead, it offers a transformative inner peace that steadies our mind and heart. It empowers us to walk through life’s challenges with the realization that our faith in Him is stronger than the grip of fear. Let us take solace in knowing that even when we feel afraid, God is ever-present, guiding us with His divine light. In the darkest moments, His love shines through, illuminating the path ahead. As we seek Him, He becomes our rock, our refuge, and our source of courage. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 05, 2024 Daily Devotion:   "Liberating Power of Love"   Ephesians 4:25-32 New International Version   25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.   God’s instruction is clear: Be kind. Compassion must be the foundation of our actions. It helps us to be tenderhearted and empathetic. Understanding the joys and sorrows of others enables us to create spaces where love thrives and wounds are healed. Christ also taught us to be forgiving—holding a grudge only weighs us down and blocks the freedom that comes with extending forgiveness. But by following God’s example, we break the chains of bitterness and embrace the liberating power of love.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 04, 2024 Daily Devotion:   "Immeasurable Love" Romans 5:6-8 New International Version   6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.   When we face trials, we can find comfort in knowing that God stands by us as a victorious warrior. He fights on our behalf, triumphing over adversity and defeating the forces that seek to harm us. In His strength, we discover resilience, courage, and hope. At the same time, God reveals His gentler side. He exults over us with joy, taking delight in our growth and successes. Even in our imperfections, we are tenderly embraced by His unconditional acceptance and reminded that we’re cherished with immeasurable love. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 03, 2024 Daily Devotion:   "The Path of Christ" Matthew 18:15-20 New International Version   15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”   Jesus’ words offer a compassionate guide to handling conflict within relationships. He calls us to approach our brothers and sisters in Christ with grace and humility. Through private, loving conversations, we can restore relationships and, in doing so, foster an atmosphere of love and unity within the body of Christ. In the midst of broken relationships, Jesus extends His hand of grace and invites us to be agents of reconciliation. When tensions arise, it’s natural to have hurt or angry feelings—or a desire to prove ourselves right. However, the path Christ sets before us involves a humble journey of communication, grace, and understanding. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 02, 2024 Daily Devotion:   "Greater Love" John 15:13 New International Version   13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.   When we encounter someone who stands by us through thick and thin, who lends a listening ear without judgment, who offers support and encouragement, we glimpse the reflection of Christ’s love. Just as Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). True friendship echoes this sacrificial love. In a world that often seems too busy for genuine connections, let us cherish and cultivate the friendships that draw us closer to God’s heart. May we be the kind of friend who sticks closer than a brother, reflecting the love of our Savior in every word, action, and embrace we offer to others. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 01, 2024   Daily Devotion: "Victorious Over the Grave" Deuteronomy 18:18 New International Version   18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.   It was the humility of another like Moses that got Moses into heaven. Jesus is the prophet God chose to lead his people out of spiritual slavery. As God, Jesus has absolute authority over everyone and everything. Yet Jesus did not use that authority to his own advantage. He put our needs ahead of his own and gave his life on the cross. He used his humble authority to pay our sin debt with his blood. Victorious over the grave, Jesus is the way through the wilderness. All who believe in him have eternal life in the land that He has promised.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 31, 2024 Daily Devotion: "Be Grateful"   Psalm 23:4-6 New International Version   4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. What keeps us from sitting at God’s table and rejoicing in the story of God’s faithfulness in our own life? Three obstacles come to mind: striving, discontentment, and deception. Striving is the internalized sense that we must always keep moving forward in pursuit of success, money, and acclaim. We think, more is always better, and rest is for the weak. This inability to slow down and appreciate God’s gifts breeds a profound sense of unfulfillment, making joy and peace elusive. The world’s competitive striving and restless dissatisfaction are fueled by the enemy’s most ancient and insidious deception: My way is better than God’s way. But when we are grateful we declare that God’s way of rest, and simplicity is better than the world’s deceived way of striving and discontentment. Being grateful is to challenge the enemy’s lies. In this way, Gratitude —slowing down to savor God’s gifts and remember His faithfulness—is an act of spiritual warfare. To be Thankful ......is to trust in the Lord. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 30, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Stand Firm" 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 New International Version   13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.   God’s love is so great he even promises that we will share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven. No photo can capture the splendor and joy that await us in our eternal home at our Savior’s side. Since God embraces us with endless love. We are moved to give him endless thanks with our lips and our lives. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 29, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "We Are God's People" Isaiah 64:8-9 English Standard Version   8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9 Be not so terribly angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people.   While the Lord is sovereign, He is also loving, gracious, and thorough—and that influences how He shapes us. Just as a potter works the clay with patience, God forms our Christlike character slowly—one experience at a time. He knows that spiritual maturity can’t be rushed. And just as clay can slip from the middle of the wheel, we too might find ourselves off-center from time to time—whether due to an old wound, a new hardship, a recurring habit, or something else. However, we don’t have to worry. In His grace, God always maneuvers the drifting believer back into position and begins remolding. He never discards His vessels but patiently works to mold them. Our Father is a personal Potter. His creations reflect Him, and His Spirit is poured into each believing vessel so He can be an intimate part of our life. The result is a work of true beauty—a saint dearly loved by the Lord. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 28, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Vessels Designed and Moulded by God"   Jeremiah 18:1-6 New International Version   1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.   If you have ever watched a potter work, as Jeremiah did in today’s passage, you know the wonder of seeing a vessel take shape from a lump of clay. It was an object lesson for the prophet—God was teaching that the nation of Israel needed to be shaped by His hand. In fact, we are all vessels designed and molded by the master Potter. Too often we look around at the talents and abilities of others and wish to be more like someone else. But we have been perfectly designed for God’s purposes, and He makes no mistakes. Know this: The Master is pleased with who you are, for you are “awesomely and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Take a moment and ask God to let this truth sink into your heart and mind today. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 27, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "An Essential Concept" Ephesians 2:8-10 New International Version   8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.   God’s grace is an essential concept for believers to understand. He freely offers His favor to mankind because Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross granted forgiveness and salvation to anyone who believes. However, many people think they are enjoying God’s kindness when what they are really trying to do is earn it. And the Lord is very clear that works cannot save us.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 26, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Perfect Peace" (Isaiah 26:3, ESV)   You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you”   For many of us, these last few years have felt a bit unstable. We have all experienced some form of worry, stress, and anxiety from the unknown future. From viruses, suddenly losing loved ones, empty store shelves, job losses, rising home prices, and hefty grocery bills week after week - we have all needed to find perfect peace. Our answer is found in fixing our gaze upon the Lord and anchoring our minds to His unwavering truth. No matter what is going on around us, we can find unshakable confidence in the Lord because He is ever-faithful to us. This is why staying in the Word consistently is so important when experiencing stressful or unstable times. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17) and the more we are studying the Scriptures, the stronger our trust in God becomes. The Word of God is so powerful, and the more we study and meditate upon it, the stronger our foundation will be in Christ, and we will continually know how to look to Him any time stress and anxiety try to overtake us. Let us always be quick to ask the Lord for His sustaining grace and help in our time of need, looking to Him always because He cares for us. No matter what is going on around us, even if it seems like everything is falling apart, we must remember that God holds the entire universe in His hands. He is completely sovereign. Nothing passes through His hands by accident. He is in total control and has a great plan regarding all of it; We can trust in Him and rest in His great, perfect peace. Let us set our mind upon Him.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 25, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Lost and is Found" Luke 15:31-32 New International Version   31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”   Jesus’ parable about the prodigal son never mentions the word love directly, but it’s there in every one of the father’s actions. Putting yourself in the father’s place and then the younger son’s, re-read today’s passage with an eye toward expressions of love. What examples can you find? Notice that godly love enables us to respond graciously in trying circumstances. Sacrifice without complaining. Wait patiently for others instead of pushing them to change. Encourage others. Forgive those who have wronged us. Give generously and serve joyfully at all times. Assist people who are struggling. Show kindness to those who misjudge or misunderstand us. Keeping this parable in mind, how can you begin to love others more fully, as the Lord does? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 24, 2024 Daily Devotion:   "Our Comfort Abounds Through Christ"   2 Corinthians 1:5 New International Version   5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.   When life gets difficult, how do you respond? Do you begin to doubt God, wondering why He’d let adversity happen? Or do you turn to Him, seeking to better understand His ways and grow stronger in faith? Paul writes, “For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ” (v. 5). The apostle explained to the Corinthian believers that the trials he and Timothy endured taught them to rely on God’s strength, not their own. Bolstered by God’s faithfulness in the past and the prayers of other believers, they held on to hope. We will all face difficulty at one point or another. And when that happens, we should try to respond like Paul and Timothy—trusting in the Lord, even though our pain may seem unbearable. Ask the Lord to comfort you. His power is unparalleled and available to every believer. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 23, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "The Lord Is Our Helper"  Hebrews 13:5-8 New International Version   5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”[a] 6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”[b]7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.   Spending time alone can leave you feeling recharged and rested. But loneliness is different. So, what should you do if you feel lonely? First, ask yourself if you’ve accepted Jesus’ invitation to have a personal relationship with Him. He is the nearest, dearest friend you can ever have. Second, remember that God  repeatedly promises that He will never leave or abandon you. Ask the Lord to help you have a right understanding of who you are as His child. Scripture tells us that God loves us with an everlasting love and that He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Ask Him to help you to feel His love and friendship.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 22, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Divine and Perfect Love"  1 John 4:18 New International Version   18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.   Divine love compels us. God—who created this world, who took on flesh to walk among us and redeem us, who died to save us—has given us perfect love. And we demonstrate this love from God by loving each other. Even when we are afraid. What a mission God has given us—to both receive His perfect love and demonstrate it to each other. In the process of carrying out that mission, we will find that where love abounds, there’s no room left for our fears. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 21, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Sympathy and Comfort" Job 2:12-13 New International Version   12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him because they saw how great his suffering was.   Friends respond with sympathy and comfort. Sympathy includes identifying with the sufferer. Friends do that. They enter into his or her crucible for the purpose of feeling the anguish and being personally touched by the pain. Comfort is attempting to ease the pain by helping to make the sorrow lighter. You assist wherever you can assist because you want to comfort them. Friends openly express the depth of their feelings. They have ways of doing that, don't they? It's not uncommon to see a friend standing nearby in the hospital room fighting back the tears. It's not unusual for the friend to express deep feelings. Casual acquaintances don't usually do that; genuine friends make their feelings known. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 20, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Seventy-Seven Times" Matthew 18:15-22 New International Version   15 “If your brother or sister[a] sins,[b] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’[c] 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be[d] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[f] Confrontation often goes sideways. As Jesus unpacks this possibility, Peter asks how many times he must forgive his brother—even seven times? That small number represents a large amount of pain to the disciple. But Jesus doesn’t hesitate: Yes, and even seventy times seven times. In Jesus’ culture, the symbolic “seventy times seven” didn’t equal 490; it equaled infinity. In other words, forgiveness is something Christ followers should always practice. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 19, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Gain Through Loss" Matthew 18:10-14 New International Version   10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. [11] 12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. God’s spreadsheet doesn’t look like ours. In His budget, there are no calculations for loss with regard to His “little ones.” No one is considered collateral damage. That’s good news, because the One who watches over lost lambs and tiny sparrows is watching out for us as well. But these are also challenging words, for God asks us to live with compassion, too. Thankfully, His grace is sufficient to equip us for this good work. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 18, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "God We Serve Has a Game Plan"   Jeremiah 29:11 New International Version   11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.   We serve a God who has the right to do whatever He does and is never obligated to explain it or ask permission. Stop and consider—should we think that good things are all we receive? Is that the kind of God we serve? He's no heavenly servant of ours who waits for the snap of our fingers, is He? He is our Lord and our Master! We need to remember that the God we serve has a game plan that is beyond our comprehension, including hard times like this." --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 17, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Keep Waiting"   Philippians 3:13-14 New Living Translation   No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.   Waiting involves a lot of stress—especially when we don’t know how long it will be until the holding pattern ends. During the wait, we sometimes turn away from God and yearn for a time when things felt easier. By turning our eyes forward towards that certain-yet-far-off day, we too may find the strength to keep waiting. Because God promises a glorious future, Christians can find the strength to wait—even when it’s difficult. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 16, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Trust in The Lord with All Your Heart"   Proverbs 3:5-12 New International Version   5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;.6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. [a] 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. 11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.   Dependence on God is central to an abundant life. Trusting Him with all our heart means giving Him control over everything—our family, finances, emotions, and thoughts. Today’s passage emphasizes how essential trust is to a fruitful life: It cautions against being wise in our own eyes and warns not to lean on our own understanding (vv. 5, 7). When faced with decisions, it’s tempting to choose the answer we think is right. But we can’t know all the facts or predict with certainty how others will respond. The Lord, however, does know. He reads our heart and perceives every thought (1 Chronicles 28:9). No aspect of our situation escapes His notice (Psalm 11:4), and He cares about everyone. That’s why He alone is certain which decision will be best.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 15, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Love and Faithfulness" Proverbs 3:1-4 New International Version   Wisdom Bestows Well-Being My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many year and bring you peace and prosperity. 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.   When we value something, we think about it, study it, and learn all we can about it. By studying the Bible, we learn about God’s character, plans, and promises. Scripture meditation develops our ability to think biblically and deepens our relationship with the Lord. One of the indications that we treasure His Word is a change in behavior—decisions will increasingly be guided by His principles, and actions will reflect the fruit of the Spirit God’s truth has the power to expose ungodly attitudes and behaviors, not only in us but also in others. When this happens, kindness helps to protect relationships from damage. What’s more, it can prevent discord and division in churches. God wants us to speak the truth to one another—but to make sure we do it with loving compassion.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 14, 2024   Daily Devotion:   " A Testimony of Faithfulness"  Genesis 21:6-7 New International Version   6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7 And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”   Isaac’s name means “one who laughs.” Sarah’s earlier disbelief at the possibility of being a first-time mother at age 90 now became a remarkable part of her testimony. She said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me … Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age” Instead of feeling embarrassed about her earlier struggle to believe the Lord, she now—with every mention of Isaac’s name—had the opportunity to remember God’s miracle: In one year, the Lord transformed the very nature of her incredulous laughter into a joyful testimony of His faithfulness. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 13, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "I Can Do Everything Through Christ"   Philippians 4:13 New Living Translation   13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.   There IS greatness in you. God designed you to reach your full potential, to be powerful beyond measure, to have success and joy and abundance in your life. Don’t let fear make you quit. Don’t let the terror of what “could” happen affect how you take the next step forward. As Children of God you’ve been given the incredible gift of God’s peace. This means you don’t have to let the fear trouble your heart. You don’t have to let the unknown shake your fight. You can leave it in God’s hands because He knows exactly what He’s doing. You can do everything God designed you to do. He knows exactly what He’s doing. So stop quitting. Stop giving up. Fight your way through the fear. Fight your way through the hardship. Fight yourself through the struggle. Trust in God’s peace, trust in God’s strength, trust that you are BIGGER than any fear trying to get in your way. You are BIGGER than any fear standing in your way. You CAN do this. It’s your season to rise. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 12, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Full Obedience"   Genesis 12:1-4 New International Version   12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people, and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. The Lord was calling Abraham to leave everything he knew—his land, his family, and his home—to head into the unknown without a map. God had a destination in mind for him and his future descendants. He promised to show the way and let Abram know when he arrived. Are there things God has commanded us to do that we treat as mere suggestions, statements, or requests? We sometimes look for loopholes or choose a semi-committed “maybe” in response to something God has instructed us to do. Abram understood there was only one righteous response to God. That was a “Yes, Lord”—which he promptly demonstrated with his full obedience. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 11, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "God Works for the Good"  Romans 8:28 New International Version   28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.   There is a plan that we explore, which we will not understand, but it is best. Though each segment of it may not seem fair or pleasant, it works together for good. The disease Job endured wasn't good in and of itself. Hardly! But it worked together for good. Our perspective is dreadfully limited. We see only a pinpoint of time, but God's view is panoramic. God's big picture is at work now, and He doesn't feel the need (nor is He obligated) to explain it to us. You wouldn't get it. Just remember, the Father knows what is best for His children. Rest in that realization. There are consequences we experience that we could not anticipate, but they are necessary. Chances are good that you simply don't deserve what's happening. The consequences may have started to get to you. You didn't anticipate any of this. You didn't think it would come to this, but it has. What has happened is a necessary part of your spiritual growth. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 10, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "God's Knows Best"   2 Corinthians 5:7 New King James Version   7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.   We never know what a day will bring, whether good or ill. Our heavenly Father's plan unfolds apart from our awareness. Ours is a walk of faith, not sight. Trust, not touch. Leaning long and hard, not running away. No one knows ahead of time what the Father's plan includes. It's best that way. It may be a treasured blessing; it could be a test that drops us to our knees. He knows ahead of time, but He is not obligated to warn us about it or to remind us it's on the horizon. We can be certain of this: our God knows what is best. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 09, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Unchanging Faith"   Job 23:13-14 New International Version   13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases. 14 He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store. At times when we’re experiencing hardship, we too may find ourselves on the receiving end of judgmental “consolation.” Early in the discussion with his misguided comforters, faithful Job responded in a way that put their counsel in the proper perspective. Despite having no idea why he’d lost so much, Job declared, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (13:15 NIV). Job’s bold pronouncement is both a realistic take on his current circumstances and an expression of confidence in God’s character. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 08, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Yes and Amen"   Deuteronomy 10:12 New International Version   12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul When you encounter opportunities to serve the Lord, how do you respond? God wants us to be servants willing to seek His specific plan for our life and to do whatever He calls us to do. He uniquely gifts His followers to serve according to His will. But if we’ve already decided what we can’t, won’t, or are ill-equipped to do, then we’re acting by our own will. We don’t want to miss the blessings that come with trusting God. Laying down our excuses is the wisest thing we can do to serve the Lord. Trust that He will empower you to accomplish whatever He calls you to do—and will see to it that you are properly equipped and trained. All He asks of you is that you say yes. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 07, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "The Fullness of God" Ephesians 3:19-21 New International Version   19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.   Consider this example. We love our kids and often tell them so. But if we ask our kids to define love, then they (like most of us) would be at a loss for words. Love surpasses our ability to define it. Yet our kids believe us when we say, “I love you.” Why? Because they know the truth in a place deeper than words; they feel it. Their knowledge about our love has been deepened and enriched by how they experience it in and through us. And so we must pray that a knowledge of divine love would fill others with “all the fullness of God”. Imagine His good news pressed into all corners of life, bringing transformation in every dimension. That would go far beyond any New Year’s resolution we could design for ourselves.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 05, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Speaking The Truth in Love"   Ephesians 4:15 New International Version   15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.   Paul is saying that the more the Spirit empowers people’s lives, the more they will “grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ”. Jesus’ lordship will be established more and more in their lives. And with Christ enthroned as King in their hearts, God’s kingdom grows, too. The Lord’s loving, righteous rule can extend through their lives to their families and communities. Our prayers for others, then, are not just for personal transformation, although that’s crucial. As we become like Jesus, we increasingly act as He would, transforming our relationships and communities. That very thing happened as the early Christians amazed their neighbors by showing love not only for their own, but for all. And that’s where Paul’s prayer goes next, which we’ll explore over the next two days. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 04, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Our God Can Change the Heart"   Esther 8:1-2 New International Version   8 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate.   The king's heart becomes soft in the hands of the Lord. Just for a moment, imagine another name in that proverb in place of "the king." Someone who is giving you grief, perhaps. It may be one of your own grown, wayward children. Maybe it's someone who represents a formidable presence. Someone who haunts you and maybe wishes to bring you down. Stubborn person, right? Strong-hearted individual, correct? Imagine that heart that is so hard, so granite like, changing into soft in the hands of the Lord. It's possible! There is no heart so stubborn that it cannot become breakable in the hands of the Lord. There is no wall so strong that Almighty God is not stronger still. There is no will so stubborn that He is not able to soften it. God can change the heart; He can change any heart—any heart! You who live your days intimidated and threatened, anxious over the falling of the next shoe, listen to this counsel! God is able to take the heart of anyone and change it, just as He did with the heart of this king.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 03, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "The Riches of His Glory Inheritance"   Ephesians 1:18-19 New International Version   18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength.   As God’s treasured people, they were no longer to rely on their own strength. With the King and kingdom resources at hand, believers had “boundless” divine power working for, in, and through them. It’s also a good reminder for us. Despite the world’s apparent darkness, we can live in the light, hope, and power of God’s good news. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 02, 2024   Daily Devotion:   "Pray Continually"   1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 New International Version   16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually,   The best way to do in starting the year is to pray! Make your life a life of prayer. Tell Him, in anguish if necessary, the pain of waiting. Express your panic. Tell God you're trapped. You don't know how you can stay afloat much longer. In those moments, ask God to help you see beyond the frustration and fear of the present. The surprises in store are not merely ironic or coincidental; they are sovereignly designed. While anticipating, trust Him for justice. You may not live to see that justice, but it will come. He is a just God; you know He is. So trust Him for it. When will we ever learn? At the precise moment when it will have its greatest impact, God ceases His silence and sovereignly makes His move. And when He does, life is full of surprises. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 28, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "The Grace and Goodness of God is New Every Morning"   Lamentations 3:21-23 New International Version   21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.   We face desolation, uncertainty, and brokenness. Life’s challenges can overwhelm us. Yet, in the midst of the mess, we are reminded that hope is not lost. It is firmly rooted in the character of our unchanging God. As we close out 2023, it’s natural to consider this period as an ending. But each ending is also a beginning; it’s a matter of perspective. And while it’s healthy to reflect on the year we’ve completed, it’s important to embrace each day God gives us and approach it with openness, gratitude, and hope. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 27, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "Diligent Hands Will Rule"   Proverbs 10:4 New International Version   4 Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.   Through prayer and obedience, we align ourselves with God’s plans instead of our own. This is how we cultivate habits grounded in His Word. This kind of diligence goes hand in hand with stewardship of our time, talents, relationships, and resources. Wisely using such things for God’s glory will bring a good return for His kingdom. As we approach 2024, let’s prayerfully evaluate our habits. Are we using our time purposefully? Are we nurturing relationships that honor God? Are we faithfully stewarding our resources? Seek God’s guidance and make intentional choices that align with His will.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 17, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "Respond with Faith" 1 Corinthians 10:13 New International Version   13 No temptation[a] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[b] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, [c] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.   When you are going through a trial, what’s your first response? Do you want to run away as quickly as possible to escape it? Though that’s a normal feeling, God has a different way. It is not the trials in our life that develop or destroy us, but rather our response to those hardships. We will encounter difficulties—sometimes intense and painful trials that seem too much for us. Yet we can rely on our heavenly Father to deliver and guide us in ways we could never imagine. He doesn’t expect that we endure on our own, but He does want us to respond with faith. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 16, 2023 Daily Devotion:   "Just A Little While" 1 Peter 1:6-9 New International Version   6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Some people have the wrong idea about the Christian life. Once they become believers, they expect smooth sailing. However, Jesus made it clear that we’ll all face troubles. His own life was no exception—He endured false accusation, rejection and betrayal. Remember, God permits struggles for our benefit. Perhaps they are to purify and grow us for greater service. Maybe He’s testing our endurance and devotion, or He might be revealing His sustaining power. This side of heaven, we may never know the cause or purpose of each challenge. But we can trust God’s ability to deliver and mature us. What trials are you facing? Jesus understands your pain and longs to be the One you cling to through good times and bad. You can choose to look elsewhere for comfort, or you can use your hardship as an opportunity to connect with God. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 16, 2023 Daily Devotion:   "Just A Little While" 1 Peter 1:6-9 New International Version   6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Some people have the wrong idea about the Christian life. Once they become believers, they expect smooth sailing. However, Jesus made it clear that we’ll all face troubles. His own life was no exception—He endured false accusation, rejection and betrayal. Remember, God permits struggles for our benefit. Perhaps they are to purify and grow us for greater service. Maybe He’s testing our endurance and devotion, or He might be revealing His sustaining power. This side of heaven, we may never know the cause or purpose of each challenge. But we can trust God’s ability to deliver and mature us. What trials are you facing? Jesus understands your pain and longs to be the One you cling to through good times and bad. You can choose to look elsewhere for comfort, or you can use your hardship as an opportunity to connect with God. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 15, 2023 Daily Devotion:   "Don't Let Fear Make You Quit"   Isaiah 41:8-10 New International Version   8 “But you, Israel, my servant Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham, my friend, 9 I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners, I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.   God offers you the peace of His love, the steadiness of His protection, the rock solid foundation of His promise. His promise is that if you step into the legend He created you to be, you WILL succeed. It doesn’t matter what other people say. There IS greatness in you. God designed you to reach your full potential, to be powerful beyond measure, to have success and joy and abundance in your life. Don’t let fear make you quit. Don’t let the terror of what “could” happen affect how you take the next step forward.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 14, 2023 Daily Devotion: "When It Is Time"   2 Corinthians 5:8 New International Version   8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. It’s wise to be prepared. The first step is to make sure you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Next, live a surrendered life and strive to walk according to His will. Since it’s an inescapable fact that life on earth is temporary, ask, How can I best live in order to be ready when God decides it is time? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 13, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Obedience Is Our Protection"   John 14:15 New International Version   15 “If you love me, keep my commands.   If you are a child of God, He will not cast you out of His family. But if you are stubbornly refusing to obey Him, continuing to walk your own way, He will bring severe discipline upon you. He loves you too much to ignore your actions. God is good and just. And when His justice finally kicks in, there's no escaping it. If you think otherwise, you've bought into "a deadly opiate." Obedience to God’s commands is the true sign of your love for God, and the only way you can know if you are obeying God is by knowing his Word. We should obey the commandments of Christ not as fearful slaves, but as loving children of God, trusting in Him who created us to be in communion with Himself! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 12, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Watch Your Tongue" Proverbs 21:23-31 New Living Translation Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble. Mockers are proud and haughty; they act with boundless arrogance. Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work. We live in a day of hearsay when few people pass along information that is precise and reliable. Do you? Are you careful about what you say? Do you have the facts? Do you offer proof that the information you are conveying is correct? While there are occasions when it's appropriate to pass along needed and serious information to the right sources, there's a growing preoccupation with rumor and slander. Half truths and innuendos become juicy morsels in the mouths of unreliable gossips. There is no way to measure the number of people who have been hurt by rumor, exaggeration, and hearsay. Perhaps you have suffered this yourself. Be careful what you say. Be careful how you say it. Be careful that you send the right message, that you send it to the right person, and that you do so with the right motive.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 11, 2023 Daily Devotion: "We Are God Special Person" Esther 2:17-18 New International Version 17 Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality. God does not mock us with the things He includes in His Word. He isn't in the business of making His people squirm under some unrealistic expectation that they can never attain—something that is totally unique to one person but remains for everyone else a frustrating and unreachable challenge. But I must quickly add, you cannot become these things by taking your cues from the world. That only brings defeat and frustration. You, as an individual, have your own pressures, your own difficulties, your own unique circumstances, but God offers ways to handle them and become His special person. We are completely dependent on Him for eternal life, for forgiveness, for character, for security. His light in our lives gives us a growing disgust for things that merely satisfy the flesh. It shows us the importance of character, the incredible change that can come by standing alone on the things of God. He alone can give us grace and winsomeness and keep us from becoming Christians. It is His working in our lives that uses us even in the harems of life to make a difference and to model a charm and a beauty, a dignity and an elegance that cannot help but cause people's attention to be drawn to Him and His power.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 10, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Lord Has Full of Compassion and Mercy" James 5:7-11 New International Version 7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Urging that we stay strong, James reminds us about the prophets and Job—they all endured hardships and experienced God’s deliverance in the end. Their example is worth following because, as Scripture promises, “In due time we will reap, if we do not become weary” (Galatians 6:9). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 09, 2023 Daily Devotion: "His Omnipotent Hands" Ephesians 1:19 New International Version 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength. This is the wonder of God's sovereignty. Working behind the scenes, He is moving and pushing and rearranging events and changing minds until He brings out of even the most carnal and secular of settings a decision that will set His perfect plan in place. God is always at work. But His ways are so different from ours, we quickly jump to fallacious conclusions and either react rashly or get paralyzed in panic. God holds the future in His omnipotent hands. So you can rest assured.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 08, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Forever Be with Him" Revelation 17:14 New International Version   14 They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” Jesus will be with us to the end of time (Matthew 28:20). And Revelation reminds us that He will not only be near but will overcome His foes (and ours) because He is Ruler of all. He will have the final word. Our Savior wants us to know who He says we are: the called, chosen, and faithful. And since He is “Immanuel,” we can forever be with Him.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 07, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Remain Teachable" Esther 2:20 New International Version 20 But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up. Education is going from an unconscious to conscious awareness of one's ignorance." I agree. No one has a corner on wisdom. All the name-dropping in the world doesn't heighten the significance of your character. If anything, it reduces it. Our acute need is to cultivate a willingness to learn and to remain teachable. Learning from your children. Learning from your friends. Learning even from our enemies. How beautiful it is to find a servant-hearted, teachable spirit among those who occupy high-profile positions of authority. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 06, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Perfect Assurance and Trust" 1 John 3:21 (TLB) We can come to the Lord with perfect assurance and trust . . . The Bible teaches that faith will manifest itself in three ways. It will manifest itself in doctrine—in what you believe. It will manifest itself in worship—your communion with God and the fellowship of the church. It will manifest itself in morality—in the way you live and behave. . .. The Bible also teaches that faith does not end with trust in Christ for your salvation. Faith continues. Faith grows. It may be weak at first, but it will become stronger as you begin to read the Bible, pray, go to church, and experience God’s faithfulness in your Christian life. You will learn more and more how to rely on Christ for every need, in meeting every circumstance, and every trial.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 05, 2023 Daily Devotion: "From Ordinary to Extraordinary" Esther 2:1-7 New International Version 2 Later when King Xerxes’ fury had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her. 2 Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. 3 Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. 4 Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it. 5 Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, 6 who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin[a] king of Judah. 7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died. God's hand is not so short that it cannot save, nor is His ear so heavy that He cannot hear. Whether you see Him or not, He is at work in your life this very moment. God specializes in turning the unusual into the meaningful. God not only moves in unusual ways, He also moves on uneventful days. He is just as involved in the temporal as He is in the miraculous. He is a sovereign God at work amid the vast scenes of state and empires in our world. And we, even in the midst of our usual days, must remain pure and committed to the things of God and His work in our lives, even as we remain sensitive to His hand moving in carnal, secular, even drunken places. Only then can we bring to our broken world the hope it so desperately needs.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 04, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Wise in Heart" Proverbs 16:21-24 New International Version 21 The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction.22 Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent, but folly brings punishment to fools. 23 The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction.24 Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Our voices also have the power to do great harm. When a problem like this occurs, it’s often been triggered by something small—perhaps a critique made in anger or a jab caused by envy. Harsh words may feel good, even justified at times. But they never bring about what God desires because, in the end, they aren’t life-giving. They’re not what we, as Christ-followers, are meant to offer. Jesus teaches us that “the good person out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good … for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart” (Luke 6:45). So, while negative feelings and speech may arise in us from time to time, it is important to pause and take note of them. Let’s analyze what’s really causing those harsh words and pray that the Lord will continue to soften our heart and increase our capacity for kindness. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 03, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Follow Him Everywhere" Acts 9:1-4 New International Version 9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Jesus called him by name, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (v. 4). But the persecutor couldn’t respond by addressing the Lord, because he didn’t yet know Christ. He didn’t have to wait long, however. “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,” the Lord told the soon-to-be apostle (v. 5). And it was then that the great work began. Paul began “proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues” and “proving that this Jesus is the Christ” (vv. 20, 22). In John 10:27, Jesus said, “My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” The knowing between the Savior and His servant became so deep that Paul, the “chosen instrument,” bore Christ’s name “before the Gentiles” and “suffered in behalf” of it (Acts 9:15-16). Paul listened. He knew the voice of his Savior, and he followed. May we do the same. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 02, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Places in Our Lives" 2 Kings 2:11–14 New Living Translation 11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress. 13 Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. 14 He struck the water with Elijah’s cloak and cried out, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” Then the river divided, and Elisha went across. The place of beginning, the place of the prayer, the place of battle, the place of death. We, too, have such places in our lives. There's a place of beginning. That's home base—the very beginning of our Christian experience when we are born anew. God did a real work in your life as He carried you from that place of communion to the next stage He planned for you. And because you'd learned the value of prayer, you built your altar, and you learned even more at His feet. Search back in time. Remember? Self-denial is hard to learn, but it's worth the effort. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 01, 2023 Daily Devotion: "A House of Prayer" Acts 1:11-14 New International Version 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk[a] from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Our church gatherings and small groups were to offer heavenly-minded petitions on a consistent basis, what would our prayer meetings be like? There would be greater focus on God and His kingdom. More of us would praise Him for who He is, express godly sorrow for our sinful ways (2 Corinthians 7:10), and speak of our gratitude for all He has done. Our voices would be lifted in praise as we witnessed people coming to the Lord, pride giving way to humility, and insensitivity being replaced by love. We’d rejoice in our glimpses of God’s work in and through our local churches. And we’d be beseeching our Father for others’ salvation and for believers’ spiritual growth. How excited we would be to see God answer our prayers. Some of us would find it easier to testify about our Savior, others would be filled with His peace when facing trials, and still others would have the strength to stand firm. Imagine our church, filled to overflowing and becoming the “house of prayer”. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 30, 2023 Daily Devotion: "We Belong to Jesus" Colossians 1:9-14 New International Version 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[a] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Let’s look at Paul’s prayers. They were Christ-centered and kingdom-related—that people know Jesus, pattern their life after Him, and carry out God’s will. The apostle yearned for believers to be filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding and to walk in a worthy manner. He prayed that they would please the Lord, be fruitful, and increase in their knowledge of God. Finally, he asked that they be strengthened with the Spirit’s power and exhibit steadfastness and patience. Our God delights to answer such of what He desires for us. We belong to Jesus, and our home is not of this world. Do our prayers reflect that? The Lord wants us to talk to Him about our day and bring our personal requests, but He desires that we pray for kingdom concerns, too—prayers for others’ salvation and for the spiritual growth of His children.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 29, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Sweet Fellowship" Psalms 55:14 New International Version   14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers. God has not designed us to live like hermits in a cave. He has designed us to live in friendship, fellowship, and community with others. That's why the church, the body of Christ, is so very important, for it is there that we are drawn together in love and mutual encouragement. We're meant to be a part of one another's lives. Otherwise, we pull back, focusing on ourselves—thinking how hard we have it or how unfair others are.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 28, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Lord Your God Will Be With You"  Joshua 1:7-9 New International Version   7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Whatever challenge you’re up against, God says the same words to you that He lovingly spoke over His servant in today’s passage: “Be strong and very courageous. Joshua’s bravery was based upon years of seeing God’s faithfulness. The Lord is sufficient to meet your needs. He is your “refuge and strength, a very ready help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Rely upon Him in all things, and like David, you can boldly say, “You, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head … The Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid” (Psalm 3:3; Psalm 3:5-6). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 27, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Serenity" Psalm 131:1-2 New International Version 1 My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. 2 But I have calmed and quieted myself I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. To enjoy this continuous inner peace, we must periodically pause everything and let our soul become aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence. In today’s reading, David described it as being like a “weaned child” at perfect rest in his mother’s arms. Intentionally slowing down can be difficult to do, but experiencing the serenity and rest God provides is a gift well worth seeking.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 26, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Inheritance" 2 Timothy 1:5 New International Version 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. Like Timothy, those of us with godly parents enjoy the fruit of their faithfulness. But if you’re the first believer in your family, then you’re creating the legacy of faithfulness for future generations. That’s what Paul charges Timothy to protect and “entrust … to faithful people” (2 Timothy 2:2). And it’s our charge, too. If we guard and pass down this treasure, our loved ones will, by God’s grace, continue the tradition of faith. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 25, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Too Powerful to be Defeated" 1 Kings 18:40 New International Version 40 Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. Nothing makes us more uncertain and insecure than not being sure we are in the will of God. And nothing is more encouraging than knowing for sure that we are. Then, no matter what the circumstances, no matter what happens, we can stand fast. We can be out of a job but know that we are in the will of God. We can face a threatening situation but know that we are in the will of God. We can have the odds stacked against us but know that we are in the will of God. Nothing intimidates those who know that what they believe is based on what God has said. The equation is never eight hundred fifty against one. It is eight hundred fifty against one plus God. When we know we're in the will of God, we're too powerful to be defeated.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 24, 2023 Daily Devotion: "High Hopes" 1 Kings 18:44 New International Version 44 The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” Do you live expectantly? Do the little things excite you? Do you imagine the improbable and expect the impossible? Life is full and running over with opportunities to see God's hand in little things. Only the most sensitive of His servants see them, smile, and live on tiptoe. Children can teach us a lot about this kind of expectancy. Did you ever listen to a child pray? Their faith knows no bounds. And who are the least surprised people when God answers prayer? The children. As we get older we grow too sophisticated for that. We use phrases like, "Let's be realistic about this." We lose that expectancy, that urgency of hope, that delightful, childlike, wide-eyed joy of faith that keeps us full of anticipation and excitement. May God deliver us from a grim, stoic, stale shrug of the shoulders! "Look, I haven't changed," He says. "I still delight in doing impossible things. I love to surprise you!" Elijah's God was the God who kept His promises. He was the God of impossible things. So, in childlike faith, Elijah said to Ahab, "Get ready. The rain's coming. I know, because there's a tiny little cloud out there that's getting ready to unload God's abundance." --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 23, 2023 Daily Devotion: "New Life … New Hope ..." John 12:24 New International Version 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. We embrace the faith and hope Jesus provided. This happens in a powerful way every time we gather with other believers, confessing our sin and receiving God’s forgiveness and mercy. We worship together, in faith that our Savior has died and risen from the grave. And we worship also in hope that the new life we now enjoy partially will be enjoyed completely when Christ comes again. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 22, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Give and Receive Encouragement" Hebrews 10:23-25 New International Version 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. The call to encourage one another every day isn’t just a suggestion; it’s a vital practice for spiritual growth. We need the regular support of Christian brothers and sisters to help us successfully navigate each day’s challenges and opportunities. Encouraging each other can be a beacon of light and hope to those around us. That’s the author’s focus in Hebrews 3:13. If we want to guard against our hearts being “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin,” we should give and receive encouragement. It is good to speak words of affirmation, hope, and accountability regularly. But even when offered just once, they can have a long-lasting effect, far beyond the present moment. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 21, 2023 Daily Devotion: “The God of More Than Enough" Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. David understood that God was his provider. “I will not be in need,” he wrote in verse 1 of Psalm 23. In other words, because he belonged to the Lord, he was able to experience a life without lack. We can think about this in two ways. First, we can expect God to give us everything we think we need. And when we don’t get it, we look for someone—or Someone—to blame. Or, as Jesus and His followers laid out, there’s a second and better approach: Gratefully receive what God has provided and allow Him to change our heart. In that way, even our needs are governed by our submission to Him. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 20, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God Is Worthy of Our Adoration" Psalm 95:6 English Standard Version 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! The desire to give praise is hardwired in the human spirit—it’s an impulse we can’t ignore. And as Christians, we’re called to direct that tendency to the One who made us. It’s a beautiful truth that we are God’s own people—created, chosen, and called by Him to live a life of praise, both on our own and with other believers. In Psalm 34, David says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1). However, he’s not content to be a solo act. He exhorts other believers to join him: “Exalt the Lord with me, and let’s exalt His name together” (Psalm 34:3). When we start the workday and each evening as we lie down to rest. Also, let’s remember to praise Him not only for what He has done but also for the excellency of His character. God truly is worthy of our adoration!   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 19, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Put Your Hope in God” Psalm 42:5-11 New International Version 5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God. 6 My soul is downcast within me; therefore, I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. 8 By day, the Lord directs his love. At night, his song is with me a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God my Rock “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” 10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long “Where is your God?” 11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God. Before you can deal with despair, you need to know what is causing it. If you’re not sure, ask the Lord to help you figure out what’s going on. The next step is to lift your eyes to the Lord and place your hope in Him. Remember, discouragement comes to everybody at one time or another, but it should not be permanent. Knowing that the Lord’s plans are good, you can look forward to what He is going to do in the future. His loving kindness will support you by day and bring comfort by night. To overcome discouragement, fixing your focus on the Lord is key. His Word promises that He walks with you through the valley. Remember, even if you feel disheartened, you are never alone.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 18, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Prayer of Faith" 1 Kings 18:19–21 So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel. Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent. Perhaps you have known God for many years but have never truly been committed to Him. Now is the time to change that. Stop hiding your love for and commitment to Christ. Let the word out! Tactfully yet fearlessly speak devotedly of your faith. Start now. There are so many strategic ways God can use you in your business, your profession, your school, your neighborhood. You don't agree with the ungodly cultural drift that's happening around you? Say so! You sense an erosion of spirituality at your church, and you are in the service Address it! Neutrality in the hour of decision is a curse that invariably leads to tragic consequences. Our most effective tool is the prayer of faith. When it came down to the wire, when Baal had failed and God was about to do His work, the one instrument that Elijah employed was prayer. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 17, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Our Access to God's Wisdom" Hebrews 5:11-14 New International Version 11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. If you’re experiencing cloudy judgment right now, you can lean on two sources for guidance: God’s Word and God’s Spirit. When we listen for His Spirit and read Scripture over time, we will gradually be trained to sense the difference between what is righteous and what isn’t. Even if you face a situation that isn’t addressed in the Bible, you have a Helper whose job is to guide you into all the truth (John 14:26; 16:13). God has given all believers access to His wisdom. So if you need guidance today, don’t hesitate to ask Him. He wants to help you.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 16, 2023 Daily Devotion: "We Are Here by God's Appointment" 1 Kings 17:24 New International Version 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.” Remember, you are here by God's appointment, you are in His keeping, you are under His training, for His time. Give Him the corpse of your life, and ask Him to revive those lifeless areas that need to be revived. If the situation calls for it, trust Him for a miracle, in His time, if it be His will, for your life. On the bed of your life place the remains of your broken and scarred past; the emptiness of your poor character traits; the habits, even the addictions that have so long controlled you; the limited vision that continues to characterize you; the slight irritation that nags or the large one that looms; the anger or violence or lust or greed or discontentment or selfishness or the ugliness of pride. Lay all these before the Father, and stretch yourself out under His shadow as you ask Him to bring about remarkable, even miraculous changes in your life. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 15, 2023 Daily Devotion: "No Panic. No Fear. No Rush" 1 Kings 17:17-19 New International Version 17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” 19 “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Do you have a room like that—a place where you meet with God? Do you have a quiet retreat where you and the Lord do regular business together? If you don't, I strongly urge you to provide yourself just such a place—your own prophet's chamber where you and God can meet together. It will be there that you will prepare yourself for life's contingencies. Without it, you'll lack the necessary steel in your foundation of faith. What do you do when tragedy strikes? What do you do when a test comes? What's your first response? Is it to complain? To be angry? To blame? To try to reason your way out of it? Or have you formed the habit of doing what Elijah did? Do you go to your special place and get alone with God? Elijah provides a wonderful example for us. No panic. No fear. No rush. No doubt. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 14, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Rested in The Lord's Hands" 1 Kings 17:21-22 New International Version 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!” 22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. That was some prayer. Elijah was not able to say, "Let this child's life return to him, as it happened to Enoch, as it happened to Isaac, as it happened to Moses," because there was no precedence for this particular miracle. So Elijah said, "Lord, I'm trusting You for a miracle. I'm asking You to perform the impossible." He then waited. Everything, at that epochal moment of faith, rested in the Lord's hands. You may be in the process of placing your own life before the Lord in this way. Things are critical, and only a miracle can breathe new life into your situation. Circumstances are totally out of your control. So you take it to your special place, and, standing in the shadow of your God, you lay it out before Him, prostrating yourself before Him, pleading for His intervention, trusting completely in His miraculous power, refusing to lean on your own understanding.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 13, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Rejoice and Continue to Rejoice" Philippians 12:18-20 New International Provision 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. If you could change your present circumstances, would you? Most of us would say yes. Even if we’re experiencing relatively peaceful and comfortable conditions, we can always imagine a better life. And those of us enduring difficult, painful, or trying situations long to see the burden lifted. But as everyone knows, there are some circumstances over which we have no control. We can’t maneuver our way out, so our only option is to go through them. As redeemed children of God, however, it’s important to remember this: We are exactly where God wants us because His sovereignty rules over all our situations at all times. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 12, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Perseverance Is a Virtue" James 1:2-4 New International Version 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Don’t be discouraged or feel guilty when you fall short. We all are human and will respond imperfectly at one point or another. What’s important is what we do next. Whenever you’re in a difficult moment, remember the wonderful words Paul wrote to the Galatians: “In due time we will reap, if we do not become weary” (Galatians 6:9). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 11, 2023 Daily Devotion: “Let Your Light Shine Before Others" Matthew 5:14-16 New International Version 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. In verse 16, Jesus says, “Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” So, what can we pass down to our loved ones? We can give them a day-by-day, year-by-year example of faith. We can teach them how to love Jesus and others well by imitating what they have seen in us. We can show them how to respond to a difficult situation in a Christlike way. And most importantly, we can come before our heavenly Father to intercede on their behalf.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 10, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Greatest Inheritance” Deuteronomy 6: 4-7 New International Version 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. What do you want to leave your loved ones? Money, properties, but if you’ve trusted Christ as Saviour, you have something far more valuable. Material things can be spent or lost, but your faith—what you believe about Jesus Christ—is precious and eternal. Choosing to follow Jesus is a personal decision, one you can’t make for anyone else. But through your words and actions, you can lovingly point others to the heavenly Father. What godly principles are you passing on to others? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 09, 2023 Daily Devotion: "His Glory Is for Our Good" 1 Peter 5:7 New International Version 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. When we face an urgent need, our prayers become fervent, and our desire for a quick answer intensifies. It seems that if the Lord doesn’t intervene soon, the very thing we dread could happen. And without a detectable response from God, we may feel as if He doesn’t care. We’ve all said or thought something similar when God didn’t answer our prayers as we hoped. But unlike Mary and Martha, we know from Scripture that God’s purpose in all His choices for us is His glory. His goal is not to inflict pain unnecessarily but to let Christ’s life shine through us in hardship, to stabilize our confidence in God’s goodness, and to strengthen our trust in His loving sovereignty His glory is for our good, and in this, we can rejoice. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 08, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Tested but Not Abandoned"  1 Kings 17:8-9 New International Version 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” No matter how many years we walk with the Lord, we must still, at times, pass through our own Gethsemane. It happens every time He sends us to the brook to live the hidden life. It happens every time He disorients us as He displaces us; every time He pulls out all the props; every time He takes away more of the comforts; every time He removes most of the "rights" we once enjoyed. And He does all this so that He can mold us into the person that we otherwise never would be. He knows what He's about. Elijah went to Cherith as an energetic spokesman for God—a prophet. He emerged from Cherith as a deeper man of God. All this happened because he was left beside a brook that dried up. Alone, but not forgotten. Tested, but not abandoned.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 07, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Grow in Faith Grow in Christ"  Romans 4:18-21 New International Version 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. There are three basic stages of faith. First, there’s little faith, which says, “I know He can, but I’m not sure He will.” Next, as God proves Himself trustworthy, our faith grows, and we begin to focus more on Him than on our circumstances. Finally, we should graduate to perfect faith, which says, “I believe what God says, so I’m going to act!” Do you want to grow your faith? Spend time with God. Ask Him to help you trust more. When Peter became afraid of the waves, Jesus immediately reached out and caught him—and He’ll be there for you as well. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 06, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Firm Foundation" James 5:17-18 New International Version 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again, he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. Our God is relentless. He never ceases His training regimens. He shaves off our hair, He takes away our comfortable and secure lifestyle, He moves us into cramped and unfamiliar quarters, and He changes our circle of friends. In the process, He strips us of all our pride! And then He begins to lay the foundation blocks of heroic courage and a new kind of confidence, if you will—the kind that no longer defends us but defends Him. What a magnificent change that is. And how essential in our journey toward maturity! Again, it's all part of being cut down to size. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 05, 2023 Daily Devotion: "On the Palms of His Hands"  Romans 8:18 New International Version 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. In times of pain and adversity, we might feel as if God has abandoned us. If He were here, we think, He would have done something by now. Hardships aren’t an indication that God has forgotten about us; they’re simply part of our life on earth. Remember, your Father is with you even when it doesn’t feel like it. He has “inscribed you on the palms of [His] hands” (Isaiah 49:16). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 04, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Thanksgiving Offering" Psalm 69:30-31 New International Version 30 I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. 31 This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves. David was certain God saw and heard him, and he recognized that gratefulness for such things is of great worth to the Lord. In fact, verses 30-31 say that thanksgiving is even better than material sacrifice in the Lord’s sight. It can be hard to imagine that God could be more pleased with the offerings of our heart than with the gifts that flow from our finances. But David’s words remind us that God’s economy is not like ours. The true value of the tangible things we offer to Him—whether material goods, time, or talent—have value only as outward expressions of what’s in our heart. In fact, gratitude is the reason for the other gifts we present to our heavenly Father. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 03, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Gratitude Breaks the Chain of Bitterness" Ephesians 5:18-21 New International Version 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul tells believers to “always [give] thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father.” When we pray in the name of Jesus, we express our desire to reflect His character and seek His glory. Praying in this way is vital to understanding how to appreciate whatever the Lord allows in our life—including losses, diagnoses, and disappointments. So, how do we give thanks for all things? Consider everything Joseph experienced. Until he was a teenager, he’d known only love and security. But one day his troubles began, courtesy of jealous older brothers. Joseph found himself thrown down into a pit and later into prison, robbed of everything but his faith. For more than a decade, he waited. And though Scripture never tells us what Joseph was thinking, he must have endured some dark nights of the soul. Later, however, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers in Egypt and told them, “God sent me ahead of you to save lives” (Genesis 45:5). Those words reveal that when he looked back at every hardship, Joseph understood how the Lord had been at work. His response was not one of bitterness but of gratitude. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 02, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Ingratitude Is Always a Mortal Sin"  2 Timothy 3:1-5 New International Version 3 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. Paul lists a string of behaviors that mark the life of those who have disconnected from the Lord. In addition to things like selfishness, arrogance, and greed, that list also includes ungratefulness. Being grateful helps us learn to change the station away from that soundtrack of complaint and instead teaches us to focus on the many blessings God gives each day, both big and small. Gratitude doesn’t mean plastering a big smile on your face and pretending that an aggravating situation is no big deal. Instead, our thankfulness reconnects us with God in the midst of the everyday challenges of life and teaches us to sing a new song—one that will continue for all of eternity. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 01, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God's Plan is Always Full of Surprise and Mystery"  1 Kings 17:2-6 New International Version 2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” 5 So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. God's plan is always full of surprise and mystery. While we might have chosen to leave Elijah there, confronting Ahab, such was not the Father's plan. He had things He wished to accomplish deep within His servant's inner life, things that would prepare Elijah for encounters that might destroy a less-obedient, less-committed, and less-prepared servant. Hence, God immediately sent him away to a place of isolation, hidden from everyone, where he would not only be protected from physical danger but would also be better prepared for a greater mission. For the godly hero to be useful as an instrument of significance in the Lord's hand, he must be humbled and forced to trust. He must, in other words, be "cut down to size. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 31, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Choose Wisely" Genesis 25:29-34 New International Version 29 Once, when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom. 31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” 33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright. We all face critical choices. And though God forgives, the consequences remain. So we must learn how to choose wisely. We should take to heart two warnings from this story. First, to be able to determine our best options, we should wait until we’re physically, emotionally, and spiritually stable. It’s often important to delay gratification. Though our human desires feel overwhelming at times, we should prayerfully wait for God’s timing. Think about the longings that you have. Pray for wisdom and patience so that you can make godly decisions during critical moments. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 30, 2023 Daily Devotion: "True Confession" James 4:8 New International Version 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. True confession means agreeing with the Lord about sin, and it is inseparably linked with repentance; they’re two sides of the same coin. In the Greek, repent literally means “a change of mind,” so to repent is to turn our back upon wrong and change our actions. In practical terms, to confess and repent requires the intentional decision to say, “By the Holy Spirit’s power, I’m turning away.” Satan will still tempt you, and failure remains a possibility. But God can break the chains of your sin, and He wants to set you free—free to live the abundant life. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 29, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Through His Word" Matthew 13:10-13 New International Version 10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. Jesus still speaks to us today—in the words of Scripture and through the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ. And though the “secret” is out, we may feel that we lack understanding. In different seasons of life, we may experience clarity on spiritual questions we struggled with in the past. Or things that once appeared simple suddenly seem mysteriously complex. Part of our growth is in learning to accept God’s timing, even when it comes to understanding Scripture. Whatever season we find ourselves in—whether a time of clarity or confusion— humility in approaching the Lord is essential. We can trust that He will reveal all we need to know. No hand-wringing required. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 28, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Stand Firm in the Faith" 1 Corinthians 16:13 English Standard Version 13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. God looks for special people at difficult times. God needed a special man to shine the light in the blackness of those days. But God didn't find him in the palace or the court. He didn't find him walking around with his head down in the school of the prophets. He didn't even find him in the homes of the ordinary people. God found him in Tishbeh, of all places. A man who would stand in the gap couldn't be suave or slick; he had to be rugged—soft-hearted with a tough hide. God looked for somebody who had the backbone to stand alone. Someone who had the courage to say, "That's wrong!" Someone who could stand toe to toe with an idolatrous king and his wicked wife and proclaim, "God is God." --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 27, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Orison"  Hebrews 4:16 New International Version 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. As Christians, we know that we should pray, even if doing so seems daunting. But far more than any sense of obligation we may feel, it’s wise to recognize that God intended prayer as a blessing for His children. Communing with Him is a fundamental way of experiencing His fullness. We have much to gain by praying—including peace, comfort, wisdom, and God’s very presence. So it would be tragic to give up on trying. And remember, when we communicate with God, there’s no measuring stick or scorecard. A fumbling yet heartfelt attempt pleases Him far more than a well-worded litany that lacks sincerity. And keep in mind that formal prayers—such as the one Jesus taught His disciples (Matthew 6:9-13)—can help us find a path back into the practice when we’re lost. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 26, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Faith Empowers Us to Pay Attention" Matthew 8:13 New International Version 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment. In some situations, we must believe what He says despite evidence to the contrary; at other must trust while still waiting to know anything at all. Could we have this kind of faith—the kind that delighted and “amazed” Jesus (Matt. 8:10)? It’s what He wants for all His followers. And remember His encouraging reply to the centurion: “It shall be done for you as you have believed” We often want proof—some signs that the Lord will do as we ask. But the loving God we serve is true to His word. Faith empowers us to pay attention to Jesus and trust that He will make good on His promises, no matter what we see now. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 25, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Be Strong and Do the Work" 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 New International Version 9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10 Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.” Do you have some cherished desire that you know you are going to have to relinquish? Usually it takes getting up in years to realize that's going to happen, because the younger we are, the greater our dreams, the broader our hopes, and the more determined we are to make them happen. But as we get older, many of us see that some of those great hopes and dreams are never going to be realized. Perhaps it is a dream of some great accomplishment through a unique kind of ministry. Maybe it is a desire for an unusual career or personal recognition. Maybe it is a desire for romance and marriage. Maybe it's a longing for relief from something in your life that you've had to live with for years. Whatever it is, you may now recognize that it is never going to happen, and that's a hard pill to swallow. But, like David, it's an opportunity to find satisfaction in what God has allowed you to do. As he reflects on his life and his own unfulfilled desire, he says, "I want to turn my attention away from what wasn't to be and focus on the things God has done." This is our challenge, isn't it? We can live the last years of our life swamped by guilt or overwhelmed by regrets from the past. We can either "eat our heart out," or we can say, "By the grace of God, I did the best I could with what I had. And I claim His promise that somehow He'll use what I did accomplish for His greater glory." What a wonderful attitude to have at the end of one's life! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 24, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The One Who Lights Up Our Darkness"  2 Samuel 22:26-30 New International Version  26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, 27 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. 28 You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low. 29 You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light. 30 With your help, I can advance against a troop[a]; with my God, I can scale a wall. Are times hard? Are days of trouble upon you? When times are tough, the Lord is our only security. David assures us in his song that the Lord delights in us; He sees and cares about what is happening in our lives, this very moment. The Lord is our support. In tough times, He is our most reliable security. He rescues us because He delights in us. What encouragement that brings as the battle endures and exhausts us. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 23, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Lord Will Fulfill His Purpose" Psalm 138:7-8 New International Version 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me. 8 The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands. David walked through trouble on a regular basis. His psalms express the struggles and disappointments he faced, yet in the end, he always turned his focus back to God. The key to his victorious attitude was strong faith in God that’s why he could say, “The Lord will accomplish what concerns me” (Ps. 138:8). By keeping our focus on the Lord and His purpose, we can stay strong when we walk through trouble. He relied on the Lord’s power. In times of difficulty, we can trust God to deliver us too—though the outcome may not be what we expect. Remember, our Father will sustain us through the trial, walking with us every step of the way. We also need some specific promises from Scripture that will anchor us in times of trouble. The truths of the Bible are our most valuable possession when the storms of life assail us. God assumes responsibility for accomplishing what concerns you in times of trouble. Your job is to believe that the Lord will fulfill His purpose, has power adequate to the task, and will keep every promise He has made. Keep walking with your eyes on Him.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 22, 2023 Daily Devotion: "I am a Blessed Person" 2 Samuel 7:18-20 New International Version 18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human! 20 “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. It's important that every once in a while we sit down, take a long look at our short lives, and count our blessings. Who are we to have been protected from the rains that fell and the strong winds that destroyed regions, leaving hundreds homeless? Who are we that He has blessed our house and kept it safe? Warm in the winter . . . cool in the summer. Who am I, Lord, that You should give me health and strength to be able to hold a job or pursue this career or get this degree? Or to have parents who have encouraged me? Or to have these great kids and to see them grow? Who am I? "Dream or no dream, I'm a blessed person," says David. Here is more evidence that David was a man after God's own heart. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 21, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Angry Hearts Interfere with Such Blessings" Proverbs 19:19 New International Version 19 A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty; rescue them, and you will have to do it again. When’s the last time you were angry, and how did you respond? We all get agitated at one point or another—even God Himself feels anger. However, because we’re human, we don’t always respond in the best way. One way we often sin is by holding on to anger. When resentment takes up residence in our hearts, it twists our thinking and emotions and robs us of peace. Then, that bitterness can spill over into our relationships. We might speak hurtful words, even at those who aren’t the cause of the rage. Or we might pull away in self-protection to avoid future hurts. While clinging to anger can damage our personal well-being and connection with others, an even more serious outcome is hindered fellowship with the Lord. A negative attitude hardens our hearts and affects God’s work in and through us. It also grieves Him. God wants to shower us with joy and peace, but angry hearts interfere with such blessings. Are you harbouring anger? Unresolved bitterness could be buried so deep within your soul that you might not even realize it’s there. Feeling anger occasionally is normal, but clinging to negativity is destructive. Ask God to reveal any hidden resentment. Release it to Him and take hold of the riches of Christ. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 20, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Lord Will See You Through It" 2 Samuel 12:21-23 (New International Version) 21 His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!” 22 He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ 23 But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” Riding out the storm is a lonely experience. You will never be more alone emotionally than when you are in the whirlwind of consequences. You will wish others could help you, but they can't. They will want to be there, they will care, but for the most part, you have to ride out the storm alone. Thank God is also a temporary experience. It may be the most difficult time in your life. You will be enduring your own whirlwind. On the other hand, you may be the innocent bystander caught in the consequential backwash of another's sin. You'll feel desperately alone, and it may seem that it will never, ever end. But believe me, the whirlwind is a temporary experience. Your faithful, caring Lord will see you through it.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 19, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God's Answers Are Never Wrong" 1 Chronicles 22:5-6 New International Version 5 David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendour in the sight of all the nations. Therefore, I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.6 Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. Do you identify with David? Did you have your hands full of your dreams and your visions, ready to present them to God on the altar of sacrifice? Did you have your plans all prepared and thought through, only to see them crumble at your feet? And now you're standing there, empty-handed? Know this: God is ready to fill your empty hands like you would never believe, if you will only lift them up to Him in obedience and praise, as David did. God is still alive and well, and He knows what He's doing. To some, He says yes. To others, no. In either case, the answer is best. Why? Because God's answers, while surprising, are never wrong.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 18, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Seek and All These Things Will Be Added" Luke 12:19-31 (ESV) 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. We don’t have to do without when we choose to pursue the Lord. Far from it! Promises of abundance fill God’s Word from Genesis to Revelation. And Scripture teaches that if we give freely of our blessings instead of clinging to them, we’ll gain far more. Jesus assured us that this type of generosity would result in “a good measure” being poured into our lap, “pressed down, shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38). Spend some time in prayer today and ask the Lord to show you the better things He wants you to pursue. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 17, 2023 Daily Devotion:  "God is the Strength of Our Heart"  Psalm 73:25-28 New International Version 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. 28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. The psalmist writes, “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). There is nothing wrong with wanting certain things; our longings can motivate us to achieve goals. But rather than blindly asking only for what you wish, pray that God would help you align your needs to His will. Some Christians are afraid to ask God for what they want—even good things. Maybe they’re afraid He won’t listen. But the Lord tells us to approach His throne with boldness and confidence (Hebrews 4:16). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 16, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Joyful Expectancy" Acts 17:24-31 New International Version 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man, he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” The demands of a busy schedule sometimes leave little room for quiet moments in God’s presence. Without periods of meditation and prayer, our spiritual senses become dull. But when we regularly communicate with our Father and spend time pondering His Word, we will see things more clearly. Then, we can better appreciate all that He is working to accomplish, through, and for us. The same is true in our prayer life. For instance, we readily acknowledge the Lord’s intervention and rejoice when it occurs on our behalf. But if our request isn’t granted or timing doesn’t match ours, we might incorrectly conclude He’s inactive. However, today’s reading demonstrates the magnitude of God’s power and care, and we can watch with joyful expectancy for whatever He chooses to bring about. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 15, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Dangerous Sin" Proverbs 16:17-19 New International Version 17 The highway of the upright avoids evil those who guard their ways preserve their lives. 18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. 19 Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. Pride is dangerous because it hinders our communication with God. It is something that Scripture clearly says the Lord hates. So, if there is pride in your life, God will want to help remove it. And He might allow you to experience failure as a means to that end. And that is what happened to Israel. The new nation had won a mighty victory in Jericho and became rather prideful. Considering themselves invulnerable, they became disobedient to the One who had delivered them. If disappointment today leads to great success tomorrow, isn’t the setback worth it? The next time you experience failure, observe your response: Do you throw your hands up in frustration? Do you struggle with inadequacy? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 13, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Keep On Asking" John 16:23-24 New International Version 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. We can be confident in God’s responses to what we pray “in Jesus’ name” because they will always align with His plan. We know the Lord will never act in a manner inconsistent with His character. So by searching the Scriptures, we’ll discover whether our desires line up with God’s nature and promises. And in doing so, we might even find inspiration from someone with a dilemma similar to what we’re facing. For instance, Elijah was exhausted and in despair; Ruth and Naomi were poor widows in need of the Lord’s help; and David’s life was in danger. Seeing how others spoke to God about their difficulties can give us confidence to do the same—all while bolstering our faith. God knows the perfect action to take and the right time to do so. But He invites us to ask in faith—and to keep on asking. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 12, 2023 Daily Devotion: "After God's Heart" 2 Samuel 6:6-9 New International Version 6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore, God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day, that place is called Perez Uzzah. 9 David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” The problem was that David had not done his homework. We often get into trouble when we don't do our homework—when we think we see pretty clearly what the Lord's will is, and so in expediency or in convenience (usually in a hurry) we dash off to do it our way. And the Lord says, "Look, I've written a lot of things in My Book about that decision you just made, and I want you to take counsel from Me. That's why it's not working. If you want to have a heart for me, then you check My Word, and you find either a precept or a principle then go according to that. When you do that, I'll give you joy like you can't believe. If you don't, I will make you miserable." In fact, in David's case, the Lord said, "I'll even take some lives." Centuries later, Ananias and Sapphira did very much the same thing. They presumed on the Lord and didn't take Him seriously. We see Uzzah the same way, taken from the earth because he touched an ultra-holy article of furniture that was not to be touched, especially by a non-Levite. Who cares about Levites? God does. Who cares about little ringlets and little golden poles that go through ringlets? God does. If He didn't care, He wouldn't have said anything about it. And because He cares, we must also care. That's the whole point here. When we begin to care about the things God cares about, we become people after His heart, and only then do we begin to have real freedom and real happiness. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 11, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Benefits of Waiting" 1 Samuel 25:32-34 New International Version 32 David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. 33 May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. 34 Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.” Whatever you do when conflicts arise, be wise. If you're not careful, you will handle conflicts in the energy of the flesh. And then . . . you'll be sorry. Fight against jumping to quick conclusions and seeing only your side. Look both ways. Weigh the differences. There are always two sides on the streets of conflict. Weigh the differences. The other part of being wise is to pray. Get God's perspective. He gives us the wisdom we need when we ask Him for it. Take each conflict as it comes . . . and handle it separately. You may have won a battle yesterday, but that doesn't count when today's battle comes. You may have a great measure of patience today, but it makes no difference tomorrow when the attack comes again. God doesn't give you patience on credit. Every day is a new day. Whenever you realize that there's nothing you can do, wait. Wait patiently. Impossible impasses call for a firm application of brakes. Don't keep going. Restrain yourself from anything hasty. Whenever possible, apply the brakes! Slow down. We seldom made wise decisions in a hurry. When you wait, your situation may not change, but you will. In fact, you may discover that the reason for waiting was all for your benefit, because you're the one who needed to change. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 10, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God Rules Overall" 1 Chronicles 29:11-12 English Standard Version 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. It is quite possible the Lord is saying to some Sauls who are in the process of living out that kind of regrettable life, "Now is the time to stop." It is time to say, "Lord, don't change sides, just take over." We do, indeed, come before our Lord like sheep, not asking Him to take sides, but just to take control. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 09, 2023 Daily Devotion: "A Purpose for a Living” 1 Samuel 25:23–25 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him. She fell at his feet and said, “I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say. I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please don’t pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests. But I never even saw the young men you sent." Often, when we are faced with a crisis, the standard, garden-variety answer is to sort of tuck your tail between your legs, run into a corner, and let cobwebs form on you. But there is a better way. As long as you have breath in your lungs, you have a purpose for living. You have a reason to exist. No matter how bad that track record might have been, marked by disobedience and compromise through much of your life, you're alive, you're existing. And God says, "There's a reason. And I'm willing to do creative things through you to put you back on your feet. You can lick your wounds if that's your choice. But there's a better way." It will take creativity; it will take determination. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 08, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Blossom After Winter" James 1:2-8 New International Version 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, [a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. Have you ever felt your faith in God waver? Sometimes, a doubt passes through us like a ripple. But on other occasions, it hits us like a crashing wave. And when that happens, the experience of doubt can feel very isolating. But even in those lonely moments or seasons when we’re questioning what we believe, we’re never alone. For centuries, countless believers before us have struggled through the same thoughts and emotions. What’s more, our struggles don’t upset the Lord, who remains by our side, even when we can’t sense His presence. We may not always be able to see how seasons of doubt factor into our journey with God, but that doesn’t mean those ripples and waves are without divine purposes. Instead of worrying about your thoughts, try accepting that they’re a normal part of the process of growing in Christ. Be gentle with yourself and don’t force anything. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 07, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Reset"  Isaiah 43:19 God says, “Behold, I am going to do a new thing.” And, in this season of divine reset, God is doing something we have never seen. The pandemic has caused us to rethink structures, rethink systems, rethink our personal walk and holiness, and double down on what is essential to our faith. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then, I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Everyone experiences stress. Sometimes, the load we bear is one of constant struggle; other times it can be an excess of good things stretching us beyond our capacity. Frequently, though, life is a mix of things we’d rather not tackle and some that we desire. Through it all, how do we manage our stress in a fruitful way? Often, what we need to do is pause to rest in Christ’s loving presence. It’s tempting to think of pausing as something we can do only when the conditions are perfect—the right environment, amount of time, or part of the day. But remember that God is with us in every moment. So carving out even the briefest break in our busy schedule can make for a meaningful encounter with Him. The next time you feel stress building, give yourself a moment to reset. Say a prayer, breathe the air God has given you, and simply rest. The more often you do this, the more of Him you’ll experience—and the less of your worries. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 06, 2023 Daily Devotion: "A True Confidant" 1 Samuel 23:14-18 New International Version 14 David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day, Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands. 15 While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that[a] Saul had come out to take his life. 16 And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. 17 “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” 18 The two of them made a covenant before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh. Friends give each other complete freedom to be themselves. When you've got a friend that is that knitted to your own soul, you don't have to explain why you do what you do. You just do it, and your friend understands. When your heart is broken, you can bleed all over a friend like this, and he won't be offended. He won't confront you in your misery or quote three Bible verses, then tell you to straighten up. When your good friend is hurting, let him hurt. If she feels like weeping, let her weep. If a good friend needs to complain, listen. An intimate friend doesn't bail; he's right there with you. You can be yourself, no matter what that self looks like. True friends are a constant source of encouragement. "Now David became aware that Saul had come out to seek his life while David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him in God" (1 Samuel 23:15–16).   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 5, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Power of Obeying God's Word" Genesis 12:1-8 New International Version 12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people, and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” When the Bible tells us about a great man or woman of faith, the Lord in His kindness also often shows us the person’s weakness and failings. Let’s look at Abraham. Like any one of us, he had faults. He sinned. He made mistakes. Still, God loved him and accomplished great things through his life. When the Lord spoke, Abraham listened. Just imagine what promises and blessings he would have missed if he’d failed to pay attention. (See Genesis 12:1-8; Genesis 15:1-5; Genesis 17:1-4.) Abraham’s conversations with God teach us what living by faith. When we recognize God’s voice, we’ll have assurance about what to do and where to go. It shows we really trust Him, and each time we obey Him, our faith grows stronger. Human nature wants to be self-sufficient, but we desperately need God’s wisdom, strength, and help. Our willingness to patiently let God move in His own way reaps great blessings—and prevents big messes. Acknowledging and learning from our failures. The Bible tells us that God exalts the humble. Which of these do you struggle with? Ask God to help you move forward, trusting Him and listening for His voice. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 04, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Blessed is the One Who Trusts in the Lord" Jeremiah 17:7-8 New International Version 7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” A lot of people consider trust an abstract concept. But in reality, it results in observable change in action or attitude. And that’s what we see in the Bible—references to trust, faith, or belief are usually associated with noticeable transformation. Similarly, when we wholeheartedly trust God, there’s often a noticeable change that occurs. It may be something that happens within us rather than to our circumstances. But when God’s love causes such a shift, our perspective is likely to change and impact our daily lives as well. For instance, it’s possible that people around us will feel encouraged by our presence, we’ll treat the environment with more care, and our reactions will open the door to peace instead of conflict. Trusting God frequently begins in commonplace moments. Sometimes, the greatest change is triggered by an action as simple as humbly asking the Lord for help. Take even one small step toward Him today. Let Him show you how trustworthy He is. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 03, 2023 Daily Devotion: "When You believe" John 1:12 New International Version 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. It’s easy to say that we believe in God, even at times, that our heart remains far from Him. That’s a factor of the human condition—not something to punish ourselves over. But it’s wise to be honest with ourselves and the Lord about where we are in Him. That’s the best way to move forward and fully experience His peace and joy. Toward that end, it’s helpful to remember that the simple, basic elements of our faith are more than just simple and basic. They’re profound, transformational realities—not just good or correct thoughts we “believe in.” The walk of faith needn’t be more complicated than that, whether you’ve known Christ for two months or 20 years. Find a healthy rhythm of doing things without worrying about how you’re performing. You’ll see how rich simple faith truly is. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 02, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Hope of the Glory of God" Romans 5:1-2 New International Version 5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. God did not leave His saving work unfinished, and He did not stop halfway. Jesus was not standing at some distant point, waiting for you to catch up to Him. Rather, He was at your side, moment by moment, patiently waiting for you to accept His gift of eternal life. Salvation is God’s work, God’s desire, and God’s initiative. He made eternal life available to every one of us and ensured nothing more was needed.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 30, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Trust Him for All Your Needs" Philippians 4:19-20 New International Version 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. God has promised to meet every need of His children—His riches are included in the price Christ paid for their salvation (Ephesians 1:18). Yet many of us are trying to live out of our own resources. We don’t know that the bounty of God’s love, power, and provision is on the menu. With Jesus is one of complete unity. He is our life, and His Spirit lives through us. Therefore, everything that is available to the Lord is also available to us—all power, strength, and endurance. Spend time in the Word to learn about all the riches you are given through faith. God offers believers everything required for living well and wisely. Trust Him for all your needs.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 29, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Do Not Be Double Minded" James 1:5-8 New International Version 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. James is actually continuing His thoughts from the previous three verses. We need wisdom to know how to respond to suffering. This means we should see trials from God’s viewpoint and understand His purposes in allowing them in our life. If you want to profit from struggles, be sustained in them, and come through with joy, you must believe that the Lord is in control. Your trial won’t go beyond the boundaries He has set. He has a specific purpose for your suffering. Hardships will prove to be profitable if you submit to God and trust Him through it. Trying situations are opportunities for faith to prove genuine and grow stronger. When you endure suffering with unexplainable peace and joy, God will demonstrate His sustaining power to others. He uses trials to produce a Christlike character. God will walk with you through all difficulties. If you believe, those will shape how you respond to painful challenges. This perspective eliminates the negative reactions normally elicited by trials and makes supernatural responses possible. Instead of feeling miserable and hopeless, you’ll experience amazing peace and joy. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 28, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Endurance" James 1:2-4 New International Version 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. It’s important to realize these verses are not telling us to be happy in our pain but rather to rejoice in the blessings that accompany suffering. The word consider means “to regard.” When we look at hardships from God’s perspective, we can rejoice in the beneficial outcome, even while experiencing pain. For many, understanding the purpose of trials makes rejoicing easier. The Lord wants adversity to test our faith and produce endurance and spiritual maturity. In every hardship, He has hidden a beautiful and precious reward, but whether we receive it depends upon our response. Those who really want to be transformed into the image of Christ can rejoice in the good that will result from hard circumstances. Does your hunger to know the Lord and be transformed by Him exceed your dread of distress? None of us want to experience pain, but since it’s an unavoidable reality in this fallen world, why not respond in a way that produces eternal benefit? Let’s not waste our suffering. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 27, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Unbridled Freedom" Hebrews 10:23-25 New International Version 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Honesty about your faults allows you the opportunity to hear right counsel and encouragement. This will help you do and become all that God has in mind for you. If you have to give an account to somebody, you’re more likely to be honest and transparent. Accounting for the way you use money, time, or talent makes you careful not to waste those resources. As children of God, we are free in Christ, but an accountability partner helps us stay balanced and guards us from taking liberties. Another person can often point out what we cannot see in ourselves. If you give an account of the places you go and the people you spend time with, you’ll be more likely to make wise choices. Unbridled freedom may seem like a great blessing, but it can be a recipe for disaster. Do you give an account to anybody for the way you handle money, time, and relationships? If not, consider inviting a trustworthy Christian to fill that role. Taking this step reveals a heart that longs to please God.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 26, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Liability" James 5:16 New International Version 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. The Bible, however, makes it clear that Christians are to support each other in this regard: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). Accountability in the body of Christ is a biblical principle. Church members take direction from their pastor (Hebrews 13:17). Paul tells us to be subject to one another (Ephesians 5:21). He reported to the church (Acts 14:27), and Timothy was subordinate to him (1 Timothy 4:13-16). The apostles were under the authority of Jesus (Luke 10:1-42), even as Jesus was subject to the Father (John 8:28-29). Of course, the Bible tells us that the whole church is obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:24). Regardless of one’s position, everybody is accountable to somebody. This holds true for the entire family of faith—from the congregation to the ministers to Jesus Himself. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 25, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Prayer of a Servant" Nehemiah 1:10 ( ESV) 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. Talking to God doesn’t always come naturally, but we have examples in Scripture to help us. In today’s passage, Nehemiah strengthens His prayers by recalling God’s character. Bringing divine attributes to mind increases his faith and confidence in the Lord. Acknowledgement of God’s eternal being is a reminder that God is faithful. Nehemiah prays with confidence because he knows the Lord keeps His promises. We may not use these divine names very often, but we’d all benefit from following Nehemiah’s example of praising God’s character. What attribute of the Father do you need to be reminded of today? Take a moment to thank Him for this trait. Then approach God boldly and lay your request at His feet. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 24, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God's Delay" 2 Peter 3:8-9 New International Version 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Certain spiritual benefits can be gained only through waiting. For example, some of the early Christians felt frustrated by God’s delay. They had believed Jesus would return very soon in their lifetimes. But time was moving on, and none of the promises they expected to see fulfilled were coming to pass. In fact, Peter warned believers that mockers would say “all things continue just as they were” (2 Peter 3:4). He reminded the people that our perception of time differs from God’s. For Him, decades and millennia pass like moments and days. Saying God is “slow” to keep His promise suggests a serious misunderstanding. Not only is God not slow, Peter says, but what seems like slowness is actually God’s patience. Like the sourdough baker, God unhurriedly waits for something better—to see more people accept His gracious gift. We can wait patiently, too, if we understand that God’s delays always lead to something better than we can imagine. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 23, 2023 Daily Devotion: "In Due Time" Galatians 6:9-10 New International Version 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. There are at least two kinds of waiting. We wait passively at times, but we also wait actively. We typically continue our work as we wait for these times of leisure and refreshment. At times, it may seem passive, like standing in line. But generally, our waiting for God is the kind of waiting a gardener does. He plants seeds and keeps working as he waits for the harvest. Paul encourages the Galatians to do this—to keep working as they wait. “The harvest is coming,” he says, “so don’t allow weariness to discourage you from what you do.” And the heart of this work, Paul says, is to live out the gospel’s promises where we are. “While we have opportunity,” Paul continues, “let’s do good to all people”. Doing good comes naturally when we believe the gospel’s promises about the future. As we wait for the Lord’s return, let’s look for opportunities to be a blessing to others. And we can trust God will be faithful to bring a harvest “in due time” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

Daily Devotion September 22, 2023 "Patient & Trust" Luke 12:22 New International Version 22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. In Luke 12, Jesus’ assessment of His audience could have been written today. “Do not worry about your life,” He says. Specifically, He says not to be concerned about where food and clothing will come from. He urges us to consider the birds and the lilies—if God feeds them and clothes the grass of the field so gloriously, He will certainly provide for our needs! What Jesus says may at first sound naïve to our ears—we know that food and clothing don’t appear out of thin air. Unless we work hard, we won’t have what we need. But Jesus’ teaching isn’t a license for laziness. It’s an invitation to work as only God’s children can. Thinking that our work alone will provide for our needs is a wrong view of God and His kingdom. Jesus If we can see Him as a loving Father who is able and willing to provide all we need, we can trade fear and anxiety about our life for patience and trust. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 21, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God's Faithful Presence" Zephaniah 3:16-17 New International Version 16 On that day, they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love, he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” In verse 16 of chapter 3, however, Zephaniah uses the same phrase—“on that day”—to promise a time of renewal. God encourages them to rejoice, even while they wait and endure a time of suffering. As the other prophets do, Zephaniah connects the call to joy with God’s faithful presence among His people. Whatever they face, He will be with them. They have enemies and feel abandoned, but God is “a victorious warrior” who “will rejoice over [them] with shouts of joy” (v. 17). And what about us? We also wait for a world restored, where our fellowship with God will never end. The writer of Hebrews sees Jesus as our example for joyful work while we “run with endurance” toward that goal (Hebrews 12:1). Consider Jesus, he writes, who endured the cross “for the joy set before him”—that of sitting in fellowship with the Father (Hebrews 12:2). Because we look forward to that same blessing, we can set fear aside and rejoice! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 20, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God Redeem All Things" Haggai 2: 6-9 New International Version 6 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” “I am with you,” God said, giving them the hope of His presence and power. He “stirred up the spirit” of Israel’s leaders, Zerubbabel and Joshua, and also did the same for the people (Haggai 1:13-15). Then He gave a word about waiting—saying that things would change “in a little while.” For them to see the glory ahead, God told them to take courage and work. Then He promised, “The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former … in this place I will give peace” (2:4-9). When our own hopes for the future weaken, we can remember God’s plan to make the “latter glory” greater also applies to us. He redeems all things—even those that seem unredeemable. So we can take courage and work. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 19, 2023 Daily Devotion: "A Glimpse of Hope” Ruth 1:22 New International Version 22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. God can redeem our emptiness just as he can accept our first steps toward him in faith. Though Naomi’s outlook is bleak at this point, God’s Word offers a glimpse of hope: the harvest is coming. God will make Bethlehem a place of blessing. And the wonders God works there will bless Naomi and Ruth—and eventually the whole world. Many years later, a descendant of their family would become the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ (see Matthew 1). God promises to bring blessing to all who find their home in Jesus. Shall we take that step toward him today? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 18, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Repentance - Open the block Line of Communication" 1 Timothy 1: 15-17 New International Version 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. God’s children also learn to walk in His ways. Because our Father takes pleasure in watching us do what is right, He allows us time and room for mistakes. Now, if we repeatedly reject the salvation God provides, then we’ll experience His judgment one day. That choice is real. But keep in mind that Jesus came into the world specifically to save sinners. He wants everyone to be saved—and with great patience, mercy, and grace, He generously gives everyone time to come to Him. God is always waiting and ready for us to return to His loving embrace, just like the father of the prodigal son. Is there anything you want to confess to the Lord today? Repentance will open a blocked line of communication. Remember, God is slow to anger, and He enjoys spending time with you.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 17, 2023 Daily Devotion: “God our Savior“ Psalms 27: 6-9 New International Version Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face“ Your face, Lord, I will seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. It is tough to remember everything we learn from the Bible, but the more we retain, the more wisdom we’ll be able to recall during tough times. And toward that end, writing can become a powerful tool in our spiritual walk. Putting words on paper etches wisdom deeper into the heart and mind, which helps build a solid biblical foundation. Consider King David, who wrote many of the psalms. He had a consistent habit of recording truths about God. As a result, he was equipped for hardship. In yesterday’s psalm, for example, David said that he did not fear evil (Psalm 23:4). What did he have to be scared of when the One who controls everything was on his side (Ps. 27:1)? How could he be stifled by anxiety while in the Spirit’s comforting presence (Psalm 34:4)? David held God to His promises, but he had to know those assurances in order to rely on them. Writing is not necessary for our walk with God, but when we’re struggling, it can help us remember valuable truths— such as the fact that God is upholding us and our hardship has purpose. As we recall these spiritual realities, our faith is strengthened. Then we can face subsequent challenges with a more solid foundation of trust.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 16, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Spiritual Mountaintops" Psalm 23:1-6 New International Version 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Where there are mountains, there must also be valleys—it’s a simple fact of the created world. The same is true in our spiritual life. To reach the place where God is leading us, we must sometimes traverse “the valley of the shadow of death” (Ps.23:4). Spiritual mountaintops are wonderful spots to rest, but it is in valleys that we often discover God’s character, the truth of His promises, and our own weakness. Valleys reveal that the habits and crutches we’ve been relying on are inadequate—and we must trust God instead. That’s when we come to find out that faith, courage, and wisdom are rooted in the Lord. While walking in valleys is an inevitable and difficult part of life, believers aren’t left comfortless. Verse 5 says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.” These words are about having our needs met, including the desire to be soothed. In David’s image of a tender shepherd rubbing oil on an animal’s scraped skin, God promises us assurance, healing, and safety—even in hardship. Facing the shadows is difficult and frightening work. But when we surrender to the Lord, we can rest in His power and comfort.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 15, 2023 Daily Devotion: "After God's Own Heart" 1 Samuel 17:34-35 New International Version 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Goliath was no big deal. Why? Because David had been killing lions and bears while nobody was around. He'd been facing reality long before he squared off against Goliath. David may have lived many centuries ago, but the things we can learn from him are as current as this morning's sunrise. Two stand out in my mind. It's in the little things and in the lonely places that we prove ourselves capable of the big things. If you want to be a person with a large vision, you must cultivate the habit of doing the little things well. That's when God puts iron in your bones! When God develops our inner qualities, He's never in a hurry. When God develops character, He works on it throughout a lifetime. He's not in a rush. It is in the schoolroom of solitude and obscurity that we learn to become men and women of God. It is from the schoolmasters of monotony and reality that we learn to "king it." That's how we become—like David—men and women after God's own heart.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 14, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Perfect Conversation" Psalm 95:6-8 New International Version 6 Come, let us bow down in worship let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,[a] as you did that day at Massah[b] in the wilderness. We speak and listen to God depends on ... Our understanding of who God is. The way we view the Lord changes the way we hear Him. For example, if you see God as a loving Father, you will hear His encouraging voice and accept His loving discipline. But if you see Him as a harsh, demanding Father, then you may feel as though you can never live up to His expectations. Our attitude toward God. If we come to the Lord with a proud or rebellious nature, we’re less likely to hear His voice or accept His authority. However, when we have an open or curious nature, we’re more prepared to hear—and joyfully receive—what He is communicating. Next time you pray, take a moment to ask yourself, How am I picturing God right now? Is my heart open to Him? If anything negative comes to mind, remember verse 7 of today’s psalm: “We are the people of [God’s] pasture and the sheep of His flock under His care.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 13, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Like David's Heart" 1 Samuel 16:10-11 New International Version 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” When you have a servant's heart, you're humble. You do as you're told. You don't rebel. You respect those in charge. You serve faithfully and quietly without concern over who gets the credit. That's David. God looked at David, out in the fields in the foothills surrounding Bethlehem, keeping his father's sheep, faithfully doing his father's bidding, and God passed His approval on him. A servant doesn't care who gets the glory. Remember that. A servant has one great goal, and that is to make the person he serves look better, to make that person even more successful. A servant does not want the person he serves to fail. A servant doesn't care who thinks what, just so the job gets done. So while David's brothers were off in the army making rank and fighting big, impressive battles, David was all alone keeping the sheep. God loved his servant's heart. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 12, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Total Surrender" Romans 12:1-2 New International Version 12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will. Giving absolute power over our lives to another human being would be an intimidating proposition. But that’s not true when it comes to the Lord. Unconditional surrender to Him is joyous. Relinquishing control of our lives can feel scary, but when we put it fully in God’s hands, only good can result.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 11, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Enough" 1 Samuel 15:15-19 New International Version 15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” 16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied. 17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?” Samuel has reached the end of his rope. The people elected Saul king, but he's no longer qualified. What are they to do? Israel is surrounded by enemies, and they need someone to carry the sceptre. But who? Samuel didn't know and couldn't imagine. The people didn't know and had no suggestions. No one knew . . . except God. What Samuel didn't realize—what we often don't realize—is that behind the scenes, before He ever flung the stars into space, God had today in mind. He had this very week in mind. In fact, He had you in mind. And He knew exactly what He was going to do. God is never at a loss to know what He's going to do in our situations. He knows perfectly well what is best for us. Our problem is, we don't know. And we say to Him, "Lord, if You just tell me, then I'll be in great shape. Just reveal it to me. Explain your plan to me, and I'll count on you." But that's not faith. Faith is counting on Him when we do not know what tomorrow holds. When a man or a woman of God fails, nothing of God fails. When a man or woman of God changes, nothing of God changes. When someone dies, nothing of God dies. When our lives are altered by the unexpected, nothing of God is altered or unexpected. It was the prophet Isaiah who wrote: "Before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear" (Isaiah 65:24)."Before you even utter a word," God promises, "I'm involved in answering. In fact, while you're speaking, I'm involved in bringing to pass the very thing I have planned from the get-go.".God knows exactly what He's going to do, and nothing can restrain His bringing it to pass. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 10, 2023 Daily Devotion  "A Heart of God" 1 Samuel 13:13–14 “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. Had you kept it, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.” The first quality God saw in David was a heart for God. "The Lord has sought out . . . a man after His own heart." What does it mean to be a person after God's own heart? Seems to me, it means that you are a person whose life is in harmony with the Lord. What is important to Him is important to you. What burdens Him burdens you. When He says, "Go to the right," you go to the right. When He says, "Stop that in your life," you stop it. When He says, "This is something I want you to change," you come to terms with it because you have a heart for God. That's bottom-line biblical Christianity. When you are deeply spiritual, you have a heart that is sensitive to the things of God. A parallel verse in 2 Chronicles confirms this: "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His" (2 Chronicles 16:9, emphasis added). What is God looking for? He is looking for men and women whose hearts are completely His—completely. That means there are no locked closets. Nothing's been swept under the rugs. That means that when you do wrong, you admit it and immediately come to terms with it. You're grieved over wrong. You're concerned about those things that displease your heavenly Father. You long to please Him in your actions. You care about the motives behind your actions. That's having a heart for God, and that's the first quality David had. Do you have a heart for God? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 09, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God Will Never Fall Short" Psalm 63:8 New International Version 8 I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. Perhaps you struggle to feel near to the Lord. It could be pride that’s preventing you from admitting your need for Him. Maybe you feel life’s too hectic to sit in His presence. Or it’s possible you’re afraid to be transparent. That’s understandable, especially if you’ve been betrayed in the past. But remember, God will never fall short the way humans do. Whatever the case, simply start spending a few minutes with Him each day, and you’ll notice you have a bit more margin than you thought. Pray to discover any barriers standing in the way of a deeper connection. And ask God to reveal steps you can take to experience more oneness and closeness with Him. He will answer. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 08, 2023 Daily Devotion: "An Intrinsic Part of Life" Proverbs 3:3-4 New International Version 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.4 Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man. Jesus taught the same principle. He said one man built his house on a rock while another was built on sand (Matthew 7:24-27). In rain and wind, the home on the solid foundation was protected. But Jesus was teaching about obedience, not construction. The point is that life must be built on the dependability of the gospel if we’re to withstand the storms that arise. Today’s proverb says, “Do not let kindness and truth leave you … Write them on the tablet of your heart” (v. 3). Truth should be an intrinsic part of life, as second nature as breathing. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 07, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God's Being Almost Sovereign" Numbers 27:21-23 New International Version 21 He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command, he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command, they will come in.” 22 Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. 23 Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through Moses. It may be that these words fall on a very hungry heart. Or perhaps you have been strengthened and encouraged with the thought that you're very special to God, that none of His children are insignificant. Or maybe you're engaged in the awesome task of finding a man or a woman for a position that carries a great weight of responsibility, and you've been reminded that you are dependent, more than ever, on God to locate His Joshua. Or perhaps you are that Joshua, and you've been asked to accept a responsibility broader than you ever dreamed. Whatever your circumstances, just be reminded you that our heavenly Father cares about areas of your life that would seem insignificant to a distant deity. He's never too busy to hear your hurts, to wipe away your tears, to whisper words of encouragement, and to put His big shoulder under your load. He's the God who cares about the details. Our sovereign God might be a very personal comfort to you this week. Pray that who is wrestling with loneliness and discouragement. Even though surrounded by people, deep within, there's an ache. God can meet your need as only He can, even as He did in the heart of Moses just a few hours before the great man's death. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 06, 2023 Daily Devotion: "We Cannot Turn Back Time" Numbers 20:11-12 New International Version 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” Wouldn't you love the ability to go back in time and change something you did or said? We know there have been moments in our lives - lawful moments when we acted on the impulse of the flesh—that we would dearly love to call back. Don't you imagine, during those days prior to his home going, Moses would have cheerfully given his right arm to relive that incident at the rock? "Oh Lord, if I could only back up and do that all over! I would have cried out for Your help to control my anger. I would have been more concerned for Your glory. I would have done exactly as you instructed." But he couldn't go back. In a single moment of rage, he forfeited his right to lead Israel. He threw away his opportunity to enter the Promised Land. The sad fact is, we can not go back. None of us can. We can not undo sinful deeds or unsay sinful words. We can not reclaim those moments when we were possessed by rage, lust, cruelty, indifference, or hard-headed pride. Like Moses, we may be forgiven for those sins and have them blotted out of our record by the blood of Christ. Even so, we must live with the consequences of our words and our actions. What we sow, the Scriptures warn, we will also reap. No, we can't go back. Our gracious Lord has covered our past with His own blood, given on the cross for us. David reminds us that, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12). But we can learn to walk much closer with Him, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. We can keep short accounts with Him and lean on the Holy Spirit to guard our hearts and shield us from destructive, life-shattering sins. He will do it. He has promised to provide us with a way of escape so that we can bear up under any temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13)—any temptation at any moment. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 05, 2023 Daily Devotion: "His Word Is Truth" John 17:17 New International Version 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. In the Garden of Gethsemane, hours before His arrest, Jesus prayed for the disciples: “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” A little later, when questioned by Pilate, Jesus replied that He’d come into the world to testify to the truth. This prompted Pilate’s philosophical question that people today still ask: “What is truth?” The meaning of the word corresponds to what actually is, not what we feel or wish were true. We may avoid truth—or water it down or cover it up—because it can be uncomfortable to expose weakness or bring wrongdoing into the light. Truth is so important it’s mentioned almost 200 times in Scripture. In fact, in chapters 17 and 18, which describe Jesus’ last hours before the crucifixion, the word is mentioned six times. Here’s why it matters so much: When truth loses its supreme position in our life, everything begins to crumble. But truth is more than factual or accurate information. It’s a way of living that removes barriers and sets people free to enjoy the abundant life Christ wants for us. (See John 10:10.) He is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and by following Him, we’ll discover the key to true peace and fulfillment.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 04, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Time of Waiting" Psalm 27:14 New International Version 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. What the world tells us is often in direct conflict with Scripture. Throughout the Bible, the concept of waiting is expressed in many different ways. We read about how long the Israelites had to wait to enter the Promised Land, but that was due to their disobedience. Scripture also tells us to wait for our own peace of mind. God tells us that “he has made everything beautiful in its time. We should know that we are not alone in this, but we have a really hard time waiting, especially for good things. Often, it feels like our choices are taken away from us in times of waiting, but when we remember who our Lord is — We realize how wrong we are. We do have a choice. We can either stress, spiral, or bemoan to anyone who will listen about our plight. Or we can be still. we can turn to the Lord and be with him. The more time we spend with him, the more we glean about his will for us. We will experience peace, and before we knew it, the time of waiting doesn’t feel so long. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 03, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Only God is Imperative" Numbers 11:26-29 New International Version 26 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” 29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” You're not indispensable. I'm not indispensable. Nobody is indispensable, except the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the head. He's the Preeminent One. He's the founder. He's in first place. And when He moves one out and brings in another or demotes one and sets up another, He calls the shots. That is His sovereign, right? The problem arises when we get to thinking we're sovereign. My friend, He put you where He wanted you. He gave you that job. He can take it away just as fast as He gave it. Faithfully do your work, lie low, and exalt Christ. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 02, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Written Instructions" Exodus 20:20 New International Version 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning. Isn't it great that God gave His people written instructions to obey? This is the first time in all of history that God wrote down His Word. Until the time of Moses, the written Word of God did not exist. But now, here it was. And to think, you and I possess those written words! What an awesome and majestic thought. How we take that privilege for granted. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 01, 2023 Daily Devotion: "In Silence He Waits for Us" Isaiah 44:6 New International Version 6 “This is what the Lord says— Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first, and I am the last; apart from me, there is no God. God is holy. Exalted. He is the only wise God, the Creator, the Maker, the sovereign Lord. He is the Master. He tells me what to do, and I have no safe option but to do it. He offers no alternative, no multiple choice. We have but one directive, and that is to do His will. We reaffirm that truth in our times with Him. The Lord is our God. He does not bow to our hurried pace, but in silence, He waits for us to meet His demands. And once we slow down enough to meet Him, He is pleased to add incredible spiritual depth to our otherwise shallow lives.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 31, 2023 Daily Devotion: “The Provider and Deliverer" 1 Kings 17: 12-14 New International Version 12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” 13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’ No one likes to be in need. But from the Lord’s perspective, that situation can be spiritually beneficial. When the bottom drops out of our imaginary security bubble, we discover the reality that all provision comes from Him. The Lord uses various instruments to meet needs, but He alone is the source of everything. Elijah had learned to live by faith in the unusual ways of the Lord: he’d been fed by ravens. Now God sent him to Zarephath, to a starving widow with no ability to feed him. Every financial need is an opportunity to learn to walk by faith in the Lord, trusting Him to be our source. Prosperity can lead to a sense of independence that blinds us to how inadequate we actually are to provide for ourselves. But in reality, we’re totally dependent upon the Father whether we know it or not. Believing that God would provide for him, Elijah was able to witness miraculous divine intervention. We may not see the Lord perform a supernatural work in our finances. However, His Word tells us, “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Are you focusing on the instrument or the source of your provision? The means God uses may change, but His faithfulness endures forever. The Lord is inviting you to trust Him and live in both the adventure and security of a life of faith. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 30, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God Uses Ordinary Means to Move Us in a New Direction" 1 Kings 17:2-7 New International Version 2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” 5 So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 Some time later, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. In Isaiah 55, God declares, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways” (Isaiah 55:8). In fact, that’s one of the biggest frustrations of the Christian life—a lack of understanding about God’s ways. There are times when we could really use a miracle, and He doesn’t come through for us, which can lead to confusion, disappointment, and anger. Why did God let me down? Sometimes, God uses ordinary means to move us in a new direction. The curtailment of his water supply opened the door for Elijah’s next assignment. When the Lord withholds miraculous intervention and lets your brook dry up, then He has something else planned for you. The work of God in the common place aspects of life is just as miraculous as His supernatural intervention. Look for His “fingerprint” in the day’s mundane activities. He is there, opening and closing doors, drying up one opportunity but initiating another.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 29, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "The Learning from the Past"  Zechariah 1:4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”’ But they did not listen or give heed to Me,” declares the Lord. Each of us has his or her own wilderness cycle. Some struggle with a quiver full of small children at home. Others have no children. Your test may not be related to the home at all; it may be connected to your employment. Perhaps you're wrestling with relationships; you're abrasive and have difficulty with people. That's why God keeps you with people and grinds away so that your long-standing Egyptian habit might be altered. Learning from the past may be hard, but continuing in ignorance is expensive. Better to learn those priceless lessons today than to search for pennies in the scorching wilderness tomorrow.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 28, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Our Comforter" 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory Over the long haul, God is honing us through such tests. Stretching us. Breaking us. Crushing us. Reducing us to an absolute, open-armed trust, where we say, "Lord, I have come to the end of my own flesh. If You wish me to die in this wilderness, here is my life. Take it. I refuse to look back and complain about where I find myself at this moment." Moses had learned to wait. His congregation needed to learn as well. How about you? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 27, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Lamp to Our Feet" Psalm 119:105 New International Version  105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. God’s Word is a “lamp to our feet.” A lamp illuminates the area around it. Likewise, the Bible is essential for seeing and interpreting our emotions, relationships, and circumstances. Our own perceptions may be incomplete or unreliable, but the lamp of God’s Word reveals everything. We also, however, want to move forward. The Word shines a light on the path, showing us where we’re headed. With God’s help, we may move in discernment, using the “wisdom from above” (James 3:17). Whether you face difficult circumstances or have a decision to make, let the Word serve as a lamp and a light. You can trust God to help you see more clearly and move ahead without fear. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 26, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Perfect Law" James 1:23-25 New International Version 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. A perfect mirror allows us not only to look at our reflection but also to see accurately. To see ourselves as God does, James says we need the “perfect law,” which is another name for God’s Word. And the reflection of ourselves we see in the Bible is perfect in the sense that it is complete—the Word misses nothing. The insights we gain can prepare us to live in greater faithfulness. Because hearing or knowing what the Bible says is not our final goal, we need to go beyond simply looking at it. The mirror of the Word doesn’t just show us how we look. It reminds us how we ought to look by revealing gaps in our obedience. If we act on those gaps, letting Scripture disciple us to live in loving submission to Jesus, we can become what James calls a “doer.” And the result? We will be blessed as we do all God has asked of us. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 25, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Living and Enduring Word of God" 1 Peter 1:22-23 New International Version 22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. [a] 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. As Peter says in today’s passage, fervent love for one another comes about when we are born again from the only “imperishable” seed—“the living and enduring word of God” (v. 23). It’s easy to read “word” here as “the Scriptures,” but as John’s gospel tells us, Jesus Himself is the Word (John 1:1-4). He is God’s Word of mercy and new creation, the source of our new birth. But God has also given us His written Word to remind us of His work in the world and in us. Remind yourself today and every day of God’s work in you, cultivating the fruit of love through a fresh meeting with Jesus and through reading the Bible. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 24, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Food for the Soul" Jeremiah describes as spiritual food. Just as we need physical food to stay alive, we need spiritual food to sustain us. And just as we need a variety of foods, we need to read and listen to the whole counsel of Scripture. Jeremiah prophesied to a rebellious Israel, and he found strength and sustenance in God’s words. But the fact that verse 16 says they “became” a joy suggests they might not have been sweet at first. The prophet may have needed to train his spiritual taste, and so do we. Some Bible verses, after all, sound sweet. Psalm 23 begins with “The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need” (Psalm 23:1). But others, like “Happy is the person whom God disciplines” (Job 5:17), might be a little less appealing. And what about “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 23, 2023 Daily Devotion: "GET UP and DON’T BE AFRAID" Matthew 17:5-7 New International Version 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” As Jesus prepared to enter Jerusalem, He knew the days ahead would be challenging for the disciples. He had already told them He’d be arrested and killed and then would rise from the dead (Matthew 16:21). His followers would face costly sacrifices (Matthew 16:24), and the way ahead seemed bleak. Can we live in the same light? Jesus would later comfort His disciples with a further promise—that He would be with them always (Matthew 28:20). Remembering the promise of God’s presence helps us endure with hope. We may not face the same persecution the disciples did, but the cost of following Jesus remains high. Focusing on Him and the coming kingdom that was revealed in the Transfiguration helps us live without fear. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 22, 2023 Daily Devotion: “The Power of Obedience" Exodus 11:2-3 New International Version 2 Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” 3 (The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.) The main point, the central ingredient of Exodus 11 and 12, is obedience. God spoke, some people heard and did what God said. As a result, God used them in His plan at that time in history. God knew in advance what use that silver and gold would be put to when the new nation arrived at Mount Sinai out in the desert. God already had something in mind that no one had ever dreamed of yet—the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting where the Israelites would meet in close proximity with the awesome holy God who had delivered them. At this point, God didn't tell them why they would need those precious metals. He just said, "Ask for them," and they did. It's called obedience. Do you know why that was true? Because Moses stood all alone and trusted God (he obeyed), and the Lord gave him favor in their eyes. The Lord delights to do that. Remember Proverbs 16:7? "When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." We see that borne out yet again in this amazing development. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 21, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Complete Dependence with God" Ezra 4:1-3 New International Version 4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.” The Israelites had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. But many opposed their efforts, and were, in fact, quite clever. First, they offered to help. What better way to cause things to go wrong than to get involved in the work? When their aid was rejected, the enemies set out to discourage and scare the Israelites. They were successful in stopping the work—temporarily. But “the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews,” and the work was finally able to proceed (Ezra 5:5). The Lord took care of the mountain of opposition before them. What that means is, sometimes He will remove the problem; at other times He’ll walk with us through it. But either way, He wants us to depend on Him. This means choosing Patiently, Wisely guide others toward godliness. Follow scriptural principles, Have divine contentment in our current circumstances. Do God’s work His way. Our work should be characterized by dependence on the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16). While that mindset is countercultural, it’s the only way to live as a child of God. Seek out others who regularly try to follow the Spirit’s leading, and spur each other on to live it out. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 20, 2023 Daily Devotion: “The Truth of the Gospel" 1 Thessalonians 2:2–4 NIV “We had … been treated outrageously … but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel … the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives … We are not trying to please people but God.” When Paul visited Thessalonica, he faced strong opposition. He was forced to leave the city in conditions that continued to trouble him. From his accounts, there were lingering questions about his witness and sincerity and even about the truth of the Gospel. In his letter to these Thessalonians, Paul stressed the purity of his motives, arguing that his heart was right. Some might be motivated by a desire to twist the truth or please the masses, but the only real motivation that mattered was pleasing God and having a heart that passed His tests. Paul knew it didn’t matter what other people concluded. God was the only witness that mattered, and Paul was convinced that God approved his actions and ministry. He also demonstrated that his words and actions were sincere. He “never used flattery” and did not say things just to win favor. He was not greedy for fame or recognition. He did not “put on a mask” but acted in ways consistent with the Gospel, demonstrating his sincerity. It was important to be genuine, not artificial or phony. Paul returned to these themes frequently. He knew they were important. In your interactions with others, remember that people are watching you. Seek to be a pure vessel and a strong witness for the Gospel. Ask God to purify your heart and mind to be sure He is pleased.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 18, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Stand Still" Exodus 6:2–6 “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the LORD. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment.'" So many times you and I miss the opportunity to watch the Lord work in mighty and miraculous ways. Why? Because instead of "standing still" and watching Him pull off our deliverance, we seek out the carnal alternative. We look for the back-door escape, a fleshly shortcut. Notice how God handled His man, Moses. Without rebuke, the Lord gave Moses two pieces of counsel. One related to His person; the other related to His work. He told Moses who He was, and then He told him what He was going to do. And the order in the Lord's response is as important as the facts themselves. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 17, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Lift Someone Up in Prayer" Colossians 1:9-10 New International Version 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, One of the greatest things we can do is lift a person up in prayer. And there is no more powerful way to do this than to speak Scripture on his or her behalf. The apostle Paul wrote today’s passage to the church at Colossae. From this, we know the specific requests he brought before God concerning his brothers and sisters in the faith. Paul asked for the believers to understand God’s plan for their lives. We must remember that the Lord often does not reveal everything at once, but He does give seeking hearts enough information to trust and follow His path. The apostle prayed that the believers in Colossae would conduct themselves in a manner worthy of Christ. Paul longed to see them remain consistent with their identity in the Lord and to produce spiritual fruit. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 16, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Being Misunderstood Hurts" 2 Corinthians 1:12-14 New International Version 12 Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity[a] and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace. 13 For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14 as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus. Being misunderstood hurts all the way to the bone. Maybe you've felt that sting recently. You did the right things in the right way but someone misjudged you, reading motives into your acts or words that you never intended. And now you live under that cloud, unable to change the minds of those who have turned against you. Moses came before the Lord asking those two questions most of us ask when we find ourselves under intolerable pressure: Why? and How? We begin by saying, "Why? Why me? Why now? Why this?" And then we ask, "How? How in the world am I going to get through this or out of that?" As one who has also spoken those words numerous times in my life's journey, I find myself very encouraged by how the Lord responded to Moses. He didn't say, "Back off, Moses. You should be ashamed of yourself." I love it that the Lord never slaps you or shames you when you come to Him. He never pushes you away when you bring an aching, honest question that cries out for an answer.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 15, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Wise of Heart Will Receive Commands" Proverbs 10:8 English Standard Version 8 The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin. Nobody likes criticism, but we should remember that God can use it to tell us something important. We are wise to pay attention when people critique us. Their words—whether invited or not—should encourage us to examine ourselves and discover who we really are. If we fail to listen, we might miss out on something essential. That’s why it’s important to respond well and evaluate criticism correctly. Instead of immediately becoming defensive or assuming you’re without fault, ask yourself, Is the Lord trying to teach me something in this moment? It’s wise not to automatically reject the comment, blame the person who made it, or defend yourself. Instead, consider what was said and ask God to continue revealing His will for your life. Then thank the person and explain that you’ll reflect on his or her observation. Today’s passage reminds us: “The wise of heart will receive commands” and the “one who is on the path of life follows instruction” (vv. 8, 17). If we wish to continue growing in Christlikeness, we must leave ourselves open to receive the Lord’s teachings via whatever or whomever He chooses. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 14, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Sense of Inner Assurance" Exodus 4:22-23 New International Version 22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’” We could call any work done in the will of God "the work of righteousness." And in doing that work, you will be surrounded by peace. Deep within you, in the very outworking of that service and that obedient walk, you will enjoy quietness and confidence. The original Hebrew term rendered "confidence" here might be better termed "security." The King James Version translates it "assurance." In other words, there will be a quiet, secure confidence when you are walking in His will. There will be an invincible sense of inner assurance, gently and humbly accepted. Every believer in Jesus Christ longs to experience such assurance. It comes from being in the flowing current of His will. It envelops us when we do God's will, God's way. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 13, 2023 Daily Devotion: “Sow Goodness Reap Rewards" Galatians 6:7-10 New International Version   7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Satan wants us to believe the lie that our actions have no natural results or consequences. But the truth is that you can’t rebel against God without reaping the fruit of that choice later. You also can’t obey God without eventually receiving His blessing. The choices you make are the seeds you plant, and they determine the kind of crop you’re going to harvest in the future. The heart of this principle is that all our choices are important. How we think and act matters. At some point, we all have made choices we’ve regretted. Since consequences never simply evaporate, you may find yourself harassed or even governed by things you’ve seen, said, or participated in. Yet God will forgive everything you genuinely repent of, and He will work with you to redeem those past choices. The road to redemption often includes obstacles, but His Spirit can enable you to overcome. If consequences from your past are weighing on you, lay those burdens down before the Lord, and request that He cleanse and shape you into the person you were created to be. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 11, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Sword of Spirit" Hebrews 4:12 New International Version 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. The word of God is living and active.” We can observe that the Bible is miraculously complex enough to satisfy both the intellectual and simple; to nourish adult and child alike. Scripture teaches, convicts, and encourages us through its varied literary styles: historical accounts, poems, prayers, laments, prophecies, and epistles. The Psalms not only remind us to give thanks and worship but also teach us how to repent of sin and share our pain with God. The epistles show us ways to hope in the midst of trials. The gospels introduce us to Jesus Christ and His love for us. Every book leaves its unique mark on us. When we take the time to engage with Scripture, it’s not merely our own soul we encounter but God Himself. Between the lines of chapter and verse, we meet with Him and are transformed by the experience of His presence. Take some extra time today to connect with Him.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 10, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Timeless, Infallible, Trustworthy - Word of God" 2 Timothy 3:16-17 New International Version 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. We often come up empty because those sources lack ultimate, eternal knowledge. And so, the guidance and peace we desperately seek remain elusive. We need something better—we need truth. The Bible meets this need because, from beginning to end, it reveals God to us, assures us of His love, leads us to salvation, and shows us how to live. The Bible is much more than a history text or story book. It’s more than a collection of poetry and wisdom. It is the inspired and living Word of God—timeless, infallible, trustworthy. The Lord can and does use people and resources to help us grapple with life’s complexities, yet the wisdom we receive from them should always line up with the Bible’s teachings.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 09, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "The Fruits of the Spirit" Galatians 5:22-25 New International Version  22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.   Fruit in our spiritual life indicates health and maturity in a believer. And today’s passage lists traits that show up in our life when God dwells in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But how should we watch for these? What are the signs we’re moving in the right direction? When we’re growing in Christlikeness, these qualities are evident as we Bear with the shortcomings of others. Use our words more carefully. Give and serve more cheerfully.; Resist temptation and, when we sin, repent quickly; Keep our promises to God and others. Respond to challenges with peace and patience. Most of the people we interact with on a daily basis won’t see our efforts, but they will notice the Lord’s character forming in us.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 26, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Same God" Colossians 1:25-27 New International Version 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Today, realize that He is the same God who from slavery to a ministry with worldwide influence. She learned that the key was depending on God. That same power is available to you. Through Christ, you can do all things. You have no reason to be afraid or worried. He can give you His peace and meet your needs. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 25, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Key to Success" Colossians 1:15-17 New International Version (The Supremacy of the Son of God) 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him, all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Jesus is the glue to all creation, holding everything together. He is also the head of the church. He is God’s instrument of reconciliation, unity, and peace, for “through Him” God reconciles all things to Himself, “having made peace through the blood of His cross.” In Jesus, there is healing of body, soul, spirit, and relationships. These truths may not make sense to the world. But for believers, following Jesus answers all questions. There are many options for how you live your life, on whom you rely, and what you believe. It can be easy to depend on yourself or other people, trusting in your resources or abilities. But the key to success is placing Jesus at the center of your life. Make sure He is the foundation of your life. Remember, He holds everything together.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 24, 2023 Daily Devotional: "Live in Freedom" Colossians 1:13-14 New International Version 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The Colossians had heard the Gospel and the “hope reserved for [them] in heaven.” But Paul urged them to realize that a change already had taken place. The Gospel “is bearing fruit and increasing” in their lives Through the Gospel, they were “qualified…to share in the inheritance of the saints in light”. They once were residents of the “domain of darkness” but had been “transferred.” They were different and had moved into a new Kingdom. This was a Kingdom with different rules, different expectations, and different standards—a Kingdom where Jesus is Lord. They were able to enter this Kingdom because, in Jesus, they “[had] redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” They once were part of the kingdom of the flesh, the kingdom of this world. But Jesus paid a ransom for them—and for us—delivering them from sin. Thanks to Jesus, we, too, have been released. We are forgiven. This transfer is not theoretical but a complete change in our attitudes and standards, our words and thoughts, and our expectations and goals. Remember that you have a new home. You have been transferred; you are no longer in bondage to the flesh or bound by this world. You are no longer a prisoner of darkness. Live in this freedom! Live in this light!   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 23, 2023 Daily Devotion: "To Be Filled with The Knowledge of His Will" Colossians 1:9-10 (New American Standard Bible) “We also…have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will…so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects.” Paul began his letter to the Christians in Colossae with a reminder of his commitment to pray for them. He didn’t just pray occasionally but constantly. It was never-ceasing prayer—day and night. What did he pray about? He prayed that they “may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” This knowledge was a foundation for success in spiritual matters. It gave him perspective and insight and the ability to make wise decisions. But the impact was also practical. It changed lives and bore fruit in every good work. Paul went on to pray for the power, gifts, and resources needed to live the Christian life. There were many temptations and ways to be distracted. Believers needed to be steady and constant, loyal and faithful, persevering, and always giving joyful thanks to the Father. Paul wanted believers to realize that God has prepared gifts, talents, rewards, and blessings for each of us. We have an inheritance ready to equip us with the power we need. This knowledge also results in pleasing God “in all respects,” fulfilling our ultimate desire to please Him. Pray to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. Pray that He would empower you to walk in ways that please Him and give you the strength you need. Be sure to give Him thanks. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 22, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Redeemer" John 12:46-48 New American Standard Bible 46 I have come as Light into the world, so that no one who believes in Me will remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears My teachings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects Me and does not accept My teachings has one who judges him: the word which I spoke. That will judge him on the last day. What a “joyful sound” it was to realize that “Jesus saves!” It was such a glorious experience that believers should feel delighted to “spread the tidings all around,” bearing “the news to every land. "” It was “our Lord’s command” that we tell “sinners far and wide” about salvation. We may face problems that can cause discouragement, but nothing must stop us from telling others about Jesus. We are to “shout it brightly through the gloom” and sing this message “in triumph.” Even the wind is to carry this message, telling everyone about a salvation that is “full and free,” about this “song of victory.” Jesus still saves today. Millions of people still need to hear this message. Dedicate your life to bringing the message of salvation to the nations. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 21, 2023 Daily Devotional: "Our Provisioner" Philippians 4:19 “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” God will supply all our needs. But to receive the fulfilment of this promise, we need to trust Him, look to Him, obey His Word, and live by faith. Call on God to meet your needs. He is faithful. Remember to invest in His Kingdom. Trust Him to multiply your seed and meet your needs.  When was the last time God tangibly provided something you needed?   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 20, 2023 Daily Devotion: “Deposits" Philippians 4:16-17 English Standard7 Version 16 Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. You may not realize it, but you have an account in Heaven. You are not saved by your financial gifts or the things you have done. There is nothing you can do to buy your way into Heaven. But the Bible also teaches that we will be rewarded in Heaven for the things we do on this earth. Paul told the Philippians that he was seeking so that they would experience increases in their accounts. We can make deposits into our heavenly accounts in many ways. Every time we share our testimony, help meet needs, or sow a seed into God’s Kingdom, He deposits into our accounts. Someday, we will reap the rewards of what we have done for Him in this life. Ask God to show you what seeds He has given you—what talents or abilities, what ways you can contribute to His Kingdom, and what resources you can share with others. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor by the world’s standards. God has given you seeds to sow. Just think of all the ways you can sow! Seek to make investments into your heavenly account. Remember, it will pay dividends in this life and into eternity. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 19, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Serve Without Ceasing" Philippians 4:16 New International Version 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Today, some Christians give grudgingly to support the work of God. Others feel content to give once or occasionally. But some realize that the work of ministry can never stop. These people find joy in giving and never stop seeking to serve God. Ask God to give you a generous heart and a desire to serve Him without ceasing. Give repeatedly to support His Kingdom.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 18, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Seek to Develop" Philippians 4:8 New International Version 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. All of us have choices. As Paul wrote, we can decide what to “dwell on” or “think about” (ESV). The Greek word here has its roots in the word logos; thu, it suggests our ability to reason, what we put together in our minds, and how we occupy ourselves. Seek to develop godly thought-life habits. You can make choices. You don’t have to be controlled by the media or worldly gossip. Reject whatever is corrupt and displeasing to God and anything that violates His Word. Fix your mind on things that are true, honourable, and just; whatever is pure, lovely and lovable, kind, and gracious; things with any virtue and excellence; anything worthy of praise Then practice thinking about these things! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 17, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Seek Him..." Philippians 4:6 New International Version 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. As the Bible promises, we can turn to Him, knowing He will supply every need and satisfy the longing of our souls. “Oh, the mercy He will show, Oh, the grace He will bestow.” We may go through storms, but we can “call upon Him day by day.” Knowing He is our friend, we can tell Him every detail and every concern. Trust in Him; He can send countless blessings and keep us to the end. Seek to follow. Spend time with Jesus. Read His Word. Seek Him in prayer. Talk with Him about the problems you face. Silently, wait on Him. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 15, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Rejoice" Philippians 4:4 (New American Standard Bible) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice! Don’t allow anything to keep you from experiencing the joy of the Lord. We can rejoice in Him in every situation! No matter what others say, Jesus is Lord. He rules over the nations. He will accomplish His purposes. He loved you so much that He died for you so that you might be forgiven and spend eternity with Him. Rejoice! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 14, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Joy from The Lord" Psalm 51:12-13, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.” Joy is important in winning people to Jesus Christ. Did you know we have nothing more winsome and attractive in bringing people to Jesus Christ than the joy of the Lord? A cold, dry faith has no appeal. David, the man who wrote the Psalms, lost his joy when he got out of fellowship with God. When he lost his joy, he stopped being a soul winner. And he prayed in.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 13, 2023 Daily Devotion: “Seek to Live for Christ" Philippians 3:17 NASB Brothers and sisters, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in. Paul stressed that we need to be careful about how we live. We should follow the right patterns and always be aware that others are watching us and developing impressions from their observations. What are the impressions others notice when they look at you? What do they hear when they listen to your words? You have the opportunity to impact people every day. Seek to live for Christ and help shape their eternal destiny. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 12, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Full Growth Process" Philippians 4:13-15 New International Version 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; Many Christians do not realize the importance of maturity. They have not followed the Bible’s command to reach for “things which are ahead.” They don’t press toward the goal “of the upward call of God. No matter where you are on your journey, remember the importance of this maturing process. Don’t be content with the status quo or the shallow and superficial. Press onward toward God’s upward call for you. Go deeper. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 11, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Parameter" Galatians 5:16-18 New International Version 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever [a] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law… The Holy Spirit is to be the parameter in which you walk. Are you willing to do that? Our flesh often says, “Don’t fence me in!” It tells us that outside of the Spirit, there are certain pleasures, ideas, and fulfillments you need to make you happy. A person with a Spirit-controlled life has come to this settled conclusion: there is nothing worth having outside of Jesus. If you don’t come to that conclusion, you will never live a victorious life. All the things you do are to be within the context of the Holy Spirit of God leading and directing your life. When I step out of bounds, the Holy Spirit says, “You are out of bounds.” And so, I repent, and I step back in. That is a Spirit-controlled life. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 10, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Team Spirit" Amos 2:4 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked.” Team Spirit is the other term for loyalty, which means the quality of being loyal. Do you serve under someone else's authority? Obviously, most of us do. How's your spirit, your attitude, toward that person to whom you answer? Having the right attitude or spirit of cooperation can be especially tough if the person to whom you answer is a difficult individual or an incompetent leader, one whose weaknesses you know all too well. This is not only a test of your personal loyalty but a test of your emotional maturity. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 09, 2023 Daily Devotion: "In Awe of You" Isaiah 6:5 New International Version 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” In a time when God's name is so readily taken in vain, this passage has a refreshing bite and warning: God is vastly superior and far more holy than we can ever be on our own merits. To come into his presence should shock us into the instant realization of how utterly sinful we have been and how unworthy we are to be in the presence of the King of Glory. To experience God, to stand before his incomparable presence, is to be aware of his holiness and humbled into an awe-filled reverence with deep thankfulness. God's name, holiness, and majesty confront us with our need for reverence in his presence and are suddenly no longer a theory. Once we glimpse it, the Lord's name, holiness, and majesty become the passions of our lives!     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 8, 2023 Daily Devotion: "In All Things God Works" Romans 8: 28 And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” If we are honest, some of us Christians are embarrassed about suffering and hardship because we feel we ought to be free from all that. There is, however, nothing in Scripture that indicates this. While it is true that God blesses us in all kinds of ways, and we avoid some of the turmoil and pain that sin brings into our lives, there are many times when circumstances and events that we would not have chosen come into our lives. We would have done anything to avoid it, but these circumstances and events become God’s tool and workshop for doing things that are ultimately good.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 07, 2023 Daily Devotion:   “The Process”  Ephesians 4:15-16, ESV Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Like a child on the way to adulthood, we too begin our life with Christ as infants, learning through the joys and challenges of life what it means to be a mature disciple. And while we should continue to stretch ourselves and open our lives more and more to the transforming grace of the Spirit, do not set unrealistic expectations for yourself, or for others. Trust that God is working in this season and loves you where you are, even as he invites you.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 23, 2023 Daily Devotion:  "The True Victim"  Genesis 42:21-24 New International Version  21 They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.” 22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” 23 They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter. 24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes. When you have done wrong to someone and haven't gone through the necessary process to make things right with them and with God—when you haven't fully dealt with your transgression—you become the victim of the very distress that you put that person through. "We feel the same distress that we caused him and saw in his face."     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 22, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "Step Up to The Plate"  Genesis 42:21  "Then they said to one another, 'Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore, this distress has come upon us'"   In the original language, the "we" in their conversation is emphatic! "We are guilty . . . we saw the distress of his soul . . . we would not listen." The first step toward softening a seared conscience is taking responsibility for one's own personal guilt. The brothers did not blame their father for being passive. They did not blame their brother Joseph for being proud or arrogant or favoured. They did not diminish the wrong by saying they were too young to know any better. They used the right pronoun when they agreed together, "We are responsible! There is no one else we can blame!"   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 21, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "Character Mixed with Wisdom"  Genesis 41:53-57 New International Version   53 The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt, there was food. 55 When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.” 56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. 57 And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere. God can use our authority and our abundance and our promotion as He did with Joseph. But before He can, we need to humble ourselves before God's mighty hand and say, "Jesus Christ, I need You. I have all of this to account for, and I can't take any of it with me. Please use me as you see fit." With authority comes the need for accountability. With popularity comes the need for humility. With prosperity comes the need for integrity. Joseph passed all three tests with flying colors. Those who model the same depth of character mixed with wisdom deserve our respect and affirmation.       --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 20, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "God Has Made Me Fruitful..." Genesis 41:47–52 As predicted, for seven years, the land produced bumper crops. During those years, Joseph gathered all the crops grown in Egypt and stored the grain from the surrounding fields in the cities. He piled up huge amounts of grain like sand on the seashore. Finally, he stopped keeping records because there was too much to measure. During this time, before the first of the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph and his wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.” Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.” Joseph proclaimed openly that God had made him forget all his troubles, even those in his father's household. Above and beyond that, God had made him fruitful in a land and in circumstances that had brought him nothing but trouble. How humble of Joseph to acknowledge that! The memories were still there, lodged deep in the creases beneath his cranium, but when relief finally came, God made him forget the pain, the anguish of what had happened. It is very tempting to try to get revenge on the Reubens and the Judahs and the Dans and the Mrs. Potiphars from our past. To get back at those who have stung us and stripped us and hurt us with evil deeds and ugly words. Instead, we must give birth to a Manasseh. Could it be that it's time to ask the Lord God to erase the stings in your memory? Only He can do that. Then, it will be time to go on to give birth to an Ephraim. To remember how God has abundantly blessed us. Talk about a positive, affirming name: "God has made me fruitful." But it doesn't stop there. With the plural ending, this word conveys the idea of double benefit—multiple blessings. It's what we would call "superabundance." And it was God who did it all.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 19, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "The Waiting Period" Genesis 41:41-46 New International Version 41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, [a] and people shouted before him, “Make way[b]!” Thus, he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. 44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word, no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, [c] to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and travelled throughout Egypt. Joseph has been appointed, chosen, selected, prepared, and refined into gold by Almighty God. That's how he has come to wear the ring. That's how he has come to get the robe, the necklace, and the chariot. That's why others are saying, "Bow the knee." Joseph himself isn't saying that; others are. During the waiting period, trust God without panic. Count on Him to handle the cupbearers of your life, the people who forget you, the people who break their promises. It's God's job to deal with the cupbearers of your past. It's your job to be the kind of servant He has designed you to be. Be faithful during the waiting periods of life. God will not forget you or forsake you.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 18, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "The Promise of Morning Light"  Genesis 41:41–42 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and placed it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in fine linen clothing and hung a gold chain around his neck.     When the reward comes, thank God without pride. Only God can bring you through and out of the dungeon. Only God can reward you for your faithfulness. If He has, be grateful, not proud. Remember, with humility, that it is God who has put you there. Some of you are on the verge of promotion, and you don't even know is because God doesn't announce His appointments in advance. What you have to do while you wait is to believe His promises. While in the darkness of your dungeon, by faith, trust him to bring the light of a new dawn. In the winter of your discontent, believe there'll be a spring. The God of Joseph will stay beside us during the dungeon days; He will not forsake or forget us. He will be there during the blast of the winter storm, holding out the promise of springtime. He will be there through the darkest night, quietly reminding us of the promise of morning light.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 17, 2023 Daily Devotion: "If God Was In It, God Would Do It” Genesis 41:37–40 Joseph’s suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his officials. So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.” There stood Joseph right before him, meeting all the requirements. But even then, when it seemed appropriate for Joseph to volunteer, he restrained. The king, however, knew Joseph was the man for the job. How many of us have maneuvered or plotted to get our own way, only to live to regret it? One of the most embarrassing memories many people have is the day they got what they schemed and manipulated to acquire—only to see it dissolve right in their hands. That was not the kind of promotion Joseph wanted. If God was in it, God would do it. That's precisely what happened here. God was in it, and God did it. Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God told you all this, there is obviously no one as discerning or as wise as you. Therefore, I'm putting you in command of everything. The only person you answer to—the only person with more authority—is me. You're second in command. You're now my prime minister." Do you know what Pharaoh saw in Joseph? Gold. The word discernment suggests the ability to have shrewd insight into a situation and act constructively in times of need. Joseph was a man who could do this and much, much more. He understood how to assess a situation and make the right decisions, even under pressure. He understood this because it was through pressure that he had been refined into gold.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 16, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Benefits of Enduring Affliction"  Genesis 41:15–16 "Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it.' Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, 'It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favourable answer'" Talk about humility. Talk about absolute integrity This was Joseph's moment in court, his golden opportunity to say, "Do you realize that I could have been out of that place two years ago if that dummy standing right over there hadn't forgotten me?" But there was none of that. Do you know why Joseph could be so humble and speak so openly? Because his heart had been broken. Because he had been tried by the fire of affliction. While his external circumstances seemed almost unbearable during those years, his internal condition had been turned into pure gold. We are now witnessing the benefits of enduring affliction with one's eyes on God.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 15, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Shaped for a Significant Future"   Genesis 37:18-20 New International Version 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”   The process of discovering, processing, purifying, and shaping gold is a lengthy, painstaking process. Affliction is gold in the making for the child of God, and God is the one who determines how long the process takes. He alone is the Refiner. This is where Joseph was when we left him. He is still in process. His gold is still being refined. His heart is still being broken by affliction and abandonment. On the other hand, it only seems like nothing is happening. In reality, a whole lot is happening. Events are occurring apart from our involvement. Furthermore, we are being strengthened. We are being established. We are being perfected. We are being refined into pure gold. Joseph is being shaped for greatness. All whom God uses greatly are first hidden in the secret of His presence, away from the pride of man. It is there our vision clears. It is there the silt drops from the current of our life and our faith begins to grasp His arm. Abraham waited for the birth of Isaac. Moses didn't lead the Exodus until he was eighty. Elijah waited beside the brook. Noah waited 120 years for rain. Paul was hidden away for three years in Arabia. The list doesn't end. God is working while His people are waiting, waiting, waiting. Joseph is being shaped for a significant future.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 14, 2023 Daily Devotion:  "God May Be silent, But He Has Not Forgotten You" Genesis 40:23–41:1 Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought. Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River. When Joseph saw the cupbearer taken from the prison, he must have thought, Now's my chance! This guy has Pharaoh's ear. He'll get me out of here. We don't know whether Joseph knew what happened to these men, but when their release came within the predicted time, he must have figured that, with God's help, he had given the correct interpretation of the dreams. So he waited hopefully for his opportunity to be released and set free. God has not abandoned you. He may be silent, but He has not forgotten you. He never left. He understands the heartache brought on by the evil, which He mysteriously permits so that He might bring you to a tender, sensitive walk with Him. God is good, Jesus Christ is real—your present circumstances.       --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 13, 2023 Daily Devotion: "From Goodness to Greatness" Genesis 40:20-23 New International Version 20 Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand— 22 but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation. 23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. Pain, when properly handled, can shape a life for greatness. History is replete with stories of those whose struggles and scars formed the foundation for remarkable achievements. In fact, it was because of their hardship that they gained what they needed to achieve greatness. For the most part, Joseph's experiences thus far have been sombre. He may have been born a favoured son, but his life was filled with disappointment, mistreatment, and rejection, with fear and false accusations, with slavery and abandonment. We left Joseph alone in prison as we ended the previous chapter. Now, after a gap of two full years, we pick up his story again. Remember, when we left him, he had told the cupbearer two years earlier, "Now that I've told you the meaning of your dream, don't forget me. Keep me in mind when things go well with you and when you get promoted. Please do me the kindness of mentioning me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this place. Remember me." But the cupbearer failed to remember or mention Joseph. Only three days after Joseph said this, the man was released and restored to his former position as chief cupbearer to Pharaoh. He promptly forgot all about his days in the dungeon, as well as his cell mate, Joseph.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 12, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Sunshine Days" Genesis 40:6-8 When Joseph saw them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset. “Why do you look so worried today?” he asked them. And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.” “Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me" When your heart is right, even though the bottom may have dropped out of your life, it is remarkable how sensitive you can be to somebody else in need. They don't even have to spell it out. Rather than saying, "You think you've got a lot to complain about, listen to my tale of woe!" Joseph said, "How come you're so sad today, guys? What's wrong?" I admit it may be stating the obvious to ask this in a dungeon, but it shows Joseph's ability to think beyond his own immediate care and needs in order to minister mercy to others. One of the beautiful things about the right attitude is that, with it, every day has sunshine. You don't have to have cloudless days for there to be sunshine days. Actually, it's rather amazing that Joseph would want to have anything to do with dreams. The last time he did that, remember what happened? He told his brothers about his dream, and it was? He wound up in an Egyptian slave market. That's what a positive attitude will do. It gets you beyond common hurdles. It will clear the deck. It will free you from hang-ups. It will show you an opportunity for ministry you never would have touched with a ten-foot pole. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 11, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Cupbearer" Genesis 40:1–3 Some time later, Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended their royal master. Pharaoh became angry with these two officials, and he put them in the prison where Joseph was, in the palace of the captain of the guard. Isn't it remarkable how often God brings alongside us people who are going through like Joseph or have gone through, similar experiences? Isn't it amazing, when we are hurting, God brings alongside us others who understand our pain? That is certainly true here. Joseph and these two men may have ended up in prison for different reasons, but they found themselves in the same place, sharing similar miseries. And out of his own painful experience, Joseph was able to minister to them.       --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 10, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "Stand Firm"  Genesis 39:21–23 But the LORD was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the LORD made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The LORD was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.   False accusations put Joseph in prison, but it was the Lord who stayed near him and nurtured his soul while he was there. As a result, Joseph found favor even in the eyes of the chief jailer—what we might call the prison warden—to the point where the man trusted Joseph to supervise all the other prisoners. The warden trusted and respected Joseph so much that he "did not supervise anything under Joseph's charge because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made to prosper." You see, the Lord God remained first in Joseph's life; He was the focus of his life. The lens of God's will stood between Joseph and his circumstances, enabling Joseph to see God in them, to read God in them—and enabling God to use him in them. When a dungeon experience comes, the quickest and easiest response is to feel that you've been forgotten by God. I don't know if you read the cartoon "Ziggy," but I enjoy him—maybe because he often says the very things I've been thinking! One of my favorites shows Ziggy, with his big nose and bald head, standing on a mountain and staring far above him. The sky is dark, and there is one lonely cloud up there. Ziggy yells, "Have I been put on hold for the rest of my life?" You've felt like that, haven't you? "Lord, will You ever answer?" How often the heavens seem more like cold brass than God's loving abode. We cry out, but nothing comes in return. Make no mistake about it, Joseph didn't deserve jail, but he responded to it beautifully. That's the marvel of the story. First and foremost in his life was his vital and consistent relationship with his Lord. And because of that, God used him in strategic and significant ways.       --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 09, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "Fullness of God's Promises"  “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 Living by faith is the key that unlocks the door to the fullness of God’s promises. There is no doubt that God will always be faithful to his promises. Scripture is clear in 2 Timothy 2:13 that “if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.” Faithfulness is within God’s nature. But, without faith we will not experience the fullness of what is available to us in God’s promises. God does not force emotion on us. He does not force us to receive the joy and peace that comes through trusting him. He does not force us into the fullness of relationship available to us in faith. And he does not force his purposes on us. Faith is the vehicle by which we experience all that God longs to give us. Specifically, faith is the avenue on which we experience the fullness of God’s promises for intimacy with him, purpose in this life, and freedom from sin.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 08, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God's Ranks"  Genesis 39:19-23 New International Version 19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Whatever your situation, no matter how alluring or pleasurable or momentarily delightful the bait looks, don't linger. Claim the supernatural strength that comes from knowing Jesus Christ and, operating under the control of His power, stand strong in His might. Right now, this very moment, determine to be a Joseph. Make up your mind to join God's ranks—and from this day forward, resist. Otherwise, you will yield. It's only a matter of time.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 07, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "Sudden and Fierce" Genesis 39:10–12 She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.   The appeal of sensual lust works like a magnet, drawing two "sudden and fierce" forces toward each other—inner desire and an outer bait. Let's face it, you can't escape the bait if you live in the real world. In fact, even if you somehow manage to shut yourself away from the real world, your mind will not let you escape the outer bait. But keep in mind that there is no sin in the bait. The sin is in the bite. When the lust of another tempts you to give in to your own lust, so much so that your resistance weakens, you have been enticed. You have given in to the lure of temptation. The secret of victory is modeled beautifully by Joseph. He refused to weaken. He continued to resist. What a clear image! What a practical spotlight on truth from Joseph's life. What strong biblical counsel. Whenever the New Testament lingers on the subject of sensual temptation, it gives us one command: RUN! It does not tell us to reason with it. It does not tell us to think about it and claim verses. It tells us to FLEE! I have discovered you cannot yield to sensuality if you're running away from it. So? Run for your life! Get out of there! If you try to reason with lust or play around with sensual thoughts, you will finally yield. You can't fight it. That's why the Spirit of God forcefully commands, "Run!"     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 06, 2023 Daily Devotion: “A Message of Hope ..." Genesis 37:18–20 When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”   No enemy is more subtle than passivity. When parents are passive, they may eventually discipline, but by then the delayed reaction is often carried out in anger. Passivity waits and waits until finally, when it can wait no longer, it comes down with both feet! When that happens, children are not disciplined, they are brutalized. Passivity not only blinds us to the here and now, it makes us inconsistent. No response is more cruel than jealousy. Solomon was right when he said, "Jealousy is cruel as the grave" Jealousy, if allowed to grow and fester, leads to devastating consequences. If you allow jealousy to rage within your family or between your children, you are asking for trouble. At some point, it will manifest itself in detrimental ways. Enough of the negatives. Let's find in all this at least one magnificent lesson of hope: No action is more powerful than prayer. The same can be said for you and me. Prayer brings power to endure. Those who are older are a source of wisdom for young parents and for children and grandchildren. Single men and women also have much to offer, whether within their own extended families or within the family of the church. Broken, hollow lives can find new strength to recover. Joseph, without question, turned his situation over to God, even as the caravan made its way toward Egypt. Surely he knew, even at seventeen, that his only hope would come through God's faithful intervention! Surely he cried out to the One who, alone, was in sovereign control of his future! And so must we!     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 05, 2023 Daily Devotion: "It Keeps Us Alive"  Job 33:4 (NASB) The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me.   Breathing is a miracle we don’t stop to think about very much. We just do it. It keeps us alive. In the same amazing way God has given us as Christians a way to “breathe spiritually” for our spiritual well-being. Spiritual breathing, like physical breathing, is a process of exhaling the impure and inhaling the pure. It can become a way of life. But the average Christian does not understand this concept and as a result lives on a spiritual roller coaster, controlling his or her own, life resulting in frustration. On our own we may at times have a fresh start in life only to lose it again – negative thoughts, angry words, slammed doors.       --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 04, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Great Awakening" Romans 6:14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.   There is a "grace awakening" loose in the land. Will you become a part of it? While you take your turn with the sledgehammer and pound away, a host of us are standing near, and some of us may be half a world away, cheering you on. Don't think of it as a lonesome, isolated task. You are breaking through to freedom, and no one is more delighted than the Lord Jesus Christ, who has promised you His grace. Never forget His words: "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." Stay at it. By the grace of Almighty God, the new movement will someday sweep across every continent and the longstanding wall that has kept people in bondage for centuries will come tumbling down. And we shall all, at last, be free indeed.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 03, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Magnetic Effects of Giving"  1 Corinthians 9:7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully."   Try to consider the magnetic effects of gracious giving, four qualities immediately emerge. First, grace is so attractive: Grace individualizes the gift. When you give from your heart you give individually. You give proportionately to your own income. You have needs and you have an income to meet those needs. That combination is unlike anyone else's on earth. You are an individual. When you give on that basis, your gift is an individual kind of gift. We are not all shoved into a tank, blended together, then "required" to give exactly 10 percent. (Though if everyone gave 10 percent, we would have such an enormous surplus in God's work we would not know what to do with the extra . . . but I'm sure we'd quickly find out.) It is much more individualized than that. Grace, remember, brings variety and spontaneity.       --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 02, 2023 Daily Devotion:  "Accept and Go..."  Genesis 12:1 New International Version   12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.   Perhaps you have heard the living God of glory say to you, You must no longer depend upon what you have been depending on—the opinions, the attitudes, the philosophy in which you have been reared. These are wrong. They are based upon the lies of Satan, and you must not live on this basis any longer. You must learn to accept the truth reflected in the Word of God, though it cuts right across the philosophy of this world. You must, above all, leave your father's house, which is dependence upon yourself.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 01, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Redeemed" Psalm 103:12 New International Version 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. You may be surprised to know that the apostle Paul had every reason to feel ashamed. He was one whose past was dreadful: "formerly a blasphemer . . . persecutor . . . violent aggressor." Then how could the same man write, "I am not ashamed" (2 Timothy 1:12)? He gives us the answer here in 1 Timothy 1:14: Grace was more than abundant. Blasphemy had abounded in his past, but grace super abounded. Violence and brutality had abounded, but grace super abounded.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 31, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God is Working" Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.   Want a boost of encouragement? Our God is working toward that end in all of His children. It is His constant pursuit, His daily agenda, as He points us toward our final destination, "the Celestial City," as Bunyan calls it. Having cleansed our hearts of the debris of inward corruptions and the dust of sin's domination, God is now daily at work awakening grace within us, perfecting our character and bringing it to completion.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 30, 2023 Daily Devotion: "When Faith is Exercised" 1 John 5:10 New International Version 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son Is not God more dependable than people? If you will take the word of a stranger and act on it, can you not believe the Word of God, especially when He has caused the testimony to be written down by the eyewitnesses of these events? In addition, when faith is exercised on the basis of that objective testimony, a confirmation of the Spirit is given within that makes it wholly believable. Can you not exercise faith on that basis? John says, If you refuse to do that, then you are treating God as though He were a liar.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 29, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Issues and Various Viewpoints" 1 Corinthians 12:12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. In every disagreement, there are the same two ingredients: an issue and various viewpoints. The issue is usually objective and involves principles. The viewpoints are subjective and involve personalities. And therein lies the sum and substance of a clash, which could be defined as a disagreement over an issue because of opposing points of view. I will be candid with you: Every time we have those two basic ingredients in the midst of a disagreement, keep calm and think clearly. When we have forgotten them, almost without exception, I have failed to negotiate my way through the clash with wisdom. Furthermore, we have regretted something we said in the heat of verbal exchange. Those two simple ingredients have never failed to help keep cool. Why? The next fact will explain.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 28, 2023 Daily Devotion: “When God Forgives … He Forgets" 1 Corinthians 12:12 New International Version 12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. When God forgives, He forgets the transgression and removes it as far as east is from west. Perhaps you have heard of the man who loved the Lord, but he couldn't seem to conquer a particular sin. Time and again through the week he would come before the Lord and confess the same transgression. In all sincerity, he would tell God how much he hated what he had done and how grateful he was for God's grace in forgiving him. Wouldn't you know it, by Saturday of that same struggling week he was back on his knees: "Here I come again, Lord, with the same sin . . . asking Your forgiveness and claiming Your cleansing." To his surprise, he heard God's audible answer: "What sin?"     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 27, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Truth Will Set Us Free..." John 14:6 New International Version 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Did you know there is a difference between knowledge and truth? For example, knowledge will double and triple, but genuine truth does not. In school, there is a lot of study of the facts, but there’s a difference between facts and truth. Facts are like a recipe; truth is like a meal. Digest a truth, and it will change your life. God wants us to have truth. Why did God give us the Bible? Jesus said in John 17:17, “Your word is truth.” Why did God send us the Holy Spirit? He’s called in the Bible “the Spirit of truth” (see John 16:13). Why did the Messiah come? He said, “I am . . . the truth” (John 14:6). Why do we have the Church? It is the pillar and the ground of truth. What is the greatest desire for every Christian parent? To echo the words of the Apostle John, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4). It’s truth that we need today. Truth is to your spirit what food is to your body, what light is to your eyes, and what sound is to your ears. You only have one short life to live, and in this life you ought to make it your desire, your aim, your burning ambition, to discover, to know, and to practice truth. To know truth is to know God, and to know God is to know truth.       --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 26,2023 Daily Devotion: "All for God's Glory..." Colossians 3:17 New International Version 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Refusing to dictate to others allows the Lord freedom to direct their lives. I especially appreciate the statement at the end of verse 5: "Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind." Give people room to make up their minds. Do you have a few new converts who are a part of your life and ministry? Do you want to help them grow toward maturity?  Let them grow up differently. Let them learn at their own pace, just like you had to learn, including failures and mistakes. If you really want grace to awaken, be easier on them than others were on you. Don't make up their minds—let them! Don't step in and push your weight around—give them plenty of space. Whatever you do, don't control and manipulate them to get what you want. Be an accepting model of grace. Refuse all temptations to be a brother hasher or sister smasher. We already have too many of them roaming around the religious landscape. And nothing catches the attention of the unsaved world quicker than those times when we Christians beat up on one another.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 25, 2023 Daily Devotion:  "Restless and Save"  Romans 5:6-8 New International Version 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Do you add to others' guilt or do you lessen it? Are you the type who promotes another's liberty or restrains it? Both questions have to do with attitude, don't they? We do what we do with others because of the way we think. Our attitude, therefore, is crucial. It is also at our mercy. We have full control of which attitude we shall have: charming and gracious or restrictive and rigid. Liberty or legalism will be the result. Depending on our attitude, we are grace givers or grace killers. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 24, 2023 Daily Devotion:  "Upon the Cross of Calvary"  Romans 5:6-8 New International Version 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person, someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. In Christ, we are one. As we come in sight of Calvary, and view the royal Sufferer who in humanity’s nature bore the curse of the law in their behalf, all national distinctions, all sectarian differences are obliterated; all honor of rank, all pride of caste is lost. The light shining from the throne of God upon the cross of Calvary forever puts an end to human-made separations between class and race. People of every class become members of one family, children of the heavenly King, not through earthly power, but through the love of God who gave Jesus to a life of poverty, affliction, and humiliation, to a death of shame and agony, that He might bring many sons and daughters unto glory.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 23, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Believe and Receive" Mark 11:24 New International Version 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. There are many who live under such a pressure of worry that they taste but little of the sweetness of God’s love. They do not know the meaning of the words, “That My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” Let us do our best, and then leave everything in the hands of the Lord, saying, I believe Thy promises. Wilt Thou not give evidence of Thy working? He will hear and answer. “All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” These words are the pledge that all that an omnipotent Saviour can bestow will be given to those who trust in Him. As stewards of the grace of heaven, we are to ask in faith, and then wait trustingly for the salvation of God. We are not to step in before Him, trying in our own strength to bring about that which we desire. In His name we are to ask, and then we are to act as if we trusted His efficiency.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 22, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Pride Goes Before Destruction” Proverbs 16:18 (TLB) Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall. David, king of ancient Israel, found himself in the midst of a confused national situation. His kingdom was torn by internal strife. Slave hated master; master hated slave. People blamed the government, and the government blamed the people. David looked about him and saw that every man thought himself perfect. Each individual placed blame upon other individuals. David knew that if sinful pride continued to increase, his nation would collapse spiritually. He knew that economic depression, moral disintegration, or military defeat inevitably followed spiritual decline. So David turned to God, and it was revealed to him by the Spirit of God that the spiritual tide of his nation could rise no higher than the spiritual level of his own heart. So he fell on his knees in utter humility and prayed.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 21,2023 Daily Devotion: "God's Prescription..." 2 Kings 20:1 Set thy house in order . . . Man condemns himself by his refusal of God’s way of salvation. In love and mercy, God is offering to men and women a way of escape, a way of salvation, a hope, and anticipation of better things. Man, in his blindness, stupidity, stubbornness, egotism, and love of sinful pleasure, refuses God’s simple method of escaping the pangs of eternal banishment. Suppose you were sick and called a doctor who came and gave you a prescription. But after thinking it over, you decided to ignore his advice and to refuse the medicine. When he returned a few days later, he might have found your condition much worse. Could you blame the doctor? Could you hold him responsible? He gave you the prescription, and he prescribed the remedy. But you refused it! Just so, God prescribes the remedy for the ills of the human race. That remedy is personal faith in and commitment to Jesus Christ. The remedy is to be “born again.” If we deliberately refuse it, then we must suffer the consequence; and we can not blame God. Is it God’s fault that we refuse the remedy?     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 20, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God is Doing His Job..." John 8:32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Some may be asking: Doesn't liberty have its limits? Shouldn't folks restrain their freedom and occasionally hold themselves in check? Yes, without question. Grace can be and sometimes is—abused. By that exercising one's liberty without wisdom, having no concern over whether it offends or wounds a young and impressionable fellow believer. But hasten to add that We believe such restraint is an individual matter. It is not to be legislated, not something to be forced on someone else. Limitations are appropriate and necessary, but I fail to find in Scripture anyplace where one is to require such restraint from another. To do so is legalism. It plugs up breathing holes. It kills grace. The best restraint is self-restraint that comes from the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit through the person and presence of Jesus Christ in each individual life. It's been observation over the years that the vast majority of believers need to be freed, not restrained. Our job is to free people; God's job is to restrain them. God is doing His job much better than we are doing ours.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 19, 2023 Daily Devotion: "He Lives in Me, and I Live in Him" Romans 6:11 New International Version 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. In order for us to live free from sin's control, free from the old master, with the power to walk a new kind of life, we have to know something, we have to consider something, and we have to present something. Christ died for us on the cross. He was raised from the dead for us at the tomb. When we believed in the Saviour's death and resurrection, we were "dipped" into the same scene. Our identity was changed. We didn't feel it, we didn't see it, we didn't hear it, but it occurred, nevertheless. When we came to Christ, we were placed into Him as His death became ours, His victorious resurrection became ours, His "awakening" to new life became our "awakening," His powerful walk became our powerful walk. Before we can experience the benefits of all that, we have to know it. The Christian life is not stumbling along, hoping to keep up with the Saviour. He lives in me, and I live in Him. In this identification with Him, His power becomes ours. His very life becomes our life, guaranteeing that His victory over sin is ours to claim. We no longer need to live as a slave to sin.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

MAY 18, 2023 DAILY DEVOTION: "Stop Seeking the Favor of Everybody" Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." Stand your ground. Ask the Lord to give you courage. Stop seeking the favor of everyone. This may be a stubborn habit to break, but it is really worth all the effort you can muster. If you're in a group where you feel you are being coerced to do certain things that are against your conscience or you're being pressured to stop doing things that you see no problem with, get out of the group! You're unwise to stay in situations where your conscience tells you it is not right. That is nothing more than serving men, not God. I don't care how spiritual sounding it may be. Stop seeking the favor of everybody.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 16, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God Brings a Freedom" (Romans 7:24-25) Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Grace brings a freedom to do something else—a freedom to enjoy the rights and the privileges of being out from under slavery and allowing others such freedom. It's freedom to experience and enjoy a new kind of power that only Christ could bring. It is a freedom to become all that He meant me to be, regardless of how He leads others. I can be me—fully and freely. It is a freedom to know Him in an independent and personal way. And that freedom is then released to others so they can be who they are meant to be—different from me!       --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 15, 2023 Daily Devotion: "LIBERTY " Romans 7:24-25 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Liberty is freedom from slavery or bondage. It is initially freedom from sin's power and guilt. Freedom from God's wrath. Freedom from satanic and demonic authority. And equally important, it is freedom from shame that could easily bind me, as well as freedom from the tyranny of others' opinions, obligations, and expectations. Such freedom is motivated—motivated by unconditional love. When the grace of Christ is fully awake in your life, you find you're no longer doing something due to fear or out of shame or because of guilt, but you're doing it through love. The dreadful tyranny of performing in order to please someone is over . . . forever.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 14,2023 Daily Devotion: "Freeing Others from Bondage" 1 Corinthians 15:10 But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. God does what He does by His grace. Paul's first claim for being allowed to live, to say nothing of being used as a spokesman and leader, was "by the grace of God." Paul deserved the severest kind of judgment, but God gave the man His grace instead. Humanly speaking, Paul should have been made to endure incredible suffering for all the pain and heartache he had caused others. But he didn't, because God exhibited His grace. In our day of high-powered self-achievement and an overemphasis on the importance of personal accomplishments and building one's own ego-centered kingdom, this idea of giving grace the credit is a much-needed message. How many people who reach the pinnacle of their career? How many athletes would say that kind of thing at a banquet in his or her honor? What a shocker it would be today if someone were to say, "Don't be impressed at all with me. My only claim to fame is the undeserved grace of God." Jesus spoke of an abundant life that we enter into when we claim the freedom He provides by His grace. Wouldn't it be wonderful if people cooperated with His game plan? There is nothing to be compared to grace when it comes to freeing others from bondage.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 13, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "The Universal Good News of Salvation" Romans 14:22 You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. Grace is God's universal good news of salvation. The tragedy is that some continue to live lives in a deathlike bog because they have been so turned off by a message that is full of restrictions, demands, negativism, and legalism. You may have been one of those held in bondage, victimized by a system that has stolen your joy and snuffed out your hope. If so, I have some wonderful news. You've gotten very close to the border. There's a flag flying. And on that flag is a cross. And if you come into this camp of grace beneath the cross, you'll never have to be in that awful bog again.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 12, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "Free from Slavery" 1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Because of grace we have been freed from sin, from its slavery, its bondage in our attitude, in our urges, and in our actions. But having been freed and now living by grace, we can actually go too far, set aside all self-control, and take our liberty to such an extreme that we again serve sin. But that isn't liberty at all, that's license. And knowing of that possibility, many opt for legalism lest they be tempted to live irresponsibly. Bad choice. How much better to have such an awesome respect for the Lord we voluntarily hold back as we apply self-control.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 11, 2023 Daily Devotion: “FREE" John 8:30–32 As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" He spoke of the liberating power of the truth. Even though the official grace killers rejected His message, He assured them it could make them free. All who embrace grace become "free indeed." Free from what? Free from oneself. Free from guilt and shame. Free from the damnable impulses I couldn't stop when I was in bondage to sin. Free from the tyranny of others' opinions, expectations, demands. And free to what? Free to obey. Free to love. Free to forgive others as well as myself. Free to allow others to be who they are—different from me! Free to live beyond the limitations of human effort. Free to serve and glorify Christ. In no uncertain terms, Jesus Christ assured His own that His truth was able to liberate them from every needless restriction: "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36). I love that. The possibilities are unlimited.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 10,2023  Daily Devotion:  "Unfaithfulness Would Bring Judgment"  Jeremiah 7:23 Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.   Living in a day when judging is a bad word, how do we reconcile the love of God and the justice of God? Isn’t God being harsh, overbearing, and tyrannical? How can we love a god who behaves this way? In response to those concerns, it is important for us to remember that God warned Israel of the consequences of disobedience again and again. He wanted them to avoid sin. After he finished building the Temple, the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time (vv. 1–2). Solomon was not surprised when God warned him to stay the course, to follow the path, and to remain faithful to the covenant (vv. 4–5). He warned Solomon of punishment if the king or the people disobeyed. “I will cut off Israel from the land” (v. 7). “This Temple will become a heap of rubble” (v. God wasn’t telling Solomon anything he didn’t already know. Again and again, God warned Israel not to sin and gave them clear instructions on what’s righteous and what’s sinful behavior. Israel’s God was never random, unpredictable, or given to changing the rules on a whim. The covenant He made with His people at Mt. Sinai clearly laid out the blessings and curses that awaited the people based on their behavior. These rules were not directed at making them God’s people. They already were His people. Rather, these were aimed at enticing them to enjoy fellowship with God! If they were faithful, they would enjoy His blessing. Unfaithfulness would bring judgment. We may not always experience the consequences that our choices deserve. When this happens, it isn’t a sign that God endorses our actions but a sign that He gives space to repent (Rom. 2:4).   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 09, 2023   Daily Devotion:  "Justified and Redeemed" Romans 5:1  "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." In order for anyone to stand securely and be at peace before a holy and just God, that person must be righteous. Hence, our need for justification. Remember the definition of justification? It is the sovereign act of God whereby He declares righteous the believing sinner while still in his sinning state. It doesn't mean that the believing sinner stops sinning. It doesn't even mean that the believing sinner is made righteous in the sense of suddenly becoming perpetually perfect. The sinner is declared righteous. God sovereignly bestows the gift of eternal life on the sinner at the moment he believes and thereby declares him righteous while the sinner still lives a life marked by periodic sinfulness. He hasn't joined a church. He hasn't started paying tithes. He hasn't given up all to follow Christ. He hasn't been baptized. He hasn't promised to live a sacrificial, spotlessly pure life. He has simply taken the gift of eternal life. He has changed his mind toward Christ (repentance) and accepted the free gift of God apart from works. Period. Transaction completed. By grace, through faith alone, God declares the sinner righteous (justification), and from that moment on the justified sinner begins a process of growth toward maturity (sanctification). Day by day, bit by bit, he learns what it means to live a life that honors Christ. But immediately? No way.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 08, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "Made Us Alive Together" Ephesians 2:1–9 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Pay close attention to ten single-syllable words, "by grace through faith . . . it is the gift of God." One of my greatest anticipations is some glorious day being in a place where there will be no boasting, no name-dropping, no selfishness. Guess where it will be? Heaven. There will be no spiritual-sounding testimonies that call attention to somebody's super-colossal achievements. None of that! Everybody will have written across his or her life the word "Grace."   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 07, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Gift" 2 Timothy 1:9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. With God the economy is altogether different. There is no wage relationship with God. Spiritually speaking, you and I haven't earned anything but death. Like it or not, we are absolutely bankrupt, without eternal hope, without spiritual merit; we have nothing in ourselves that gives us favor in the eyes of our holy and righteous heavenly Father. So there's nothing we can earn that would cause Him to raise His eyebrows and say, "Now maybe you deserve eternal life with Me." No way. In fact, the individual whose track record is morally pure has no better chance at earning God's favor than the individual who has made a wreck and waste of his life and is currently living in unrestrained disobedience. Everyone who hopes to be eternally justified must come to God the same way: on the basis of grace; it is a gift. And that gift comes to us absolutely free.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 06, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Step Toward Maturity" Proverbs 3:34 NKJV Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble. We should not limit grace to Christ. We, too, can learn to be just as gracious as He. And since we can, we must, not only in our words and in great acts of compassion and understanding but in small ways as well. Let me describe four practical expectations you can anticipate as you get a firm grasp on grace. You can expect to gain a greater appreciation for God's gifts to you and others. What gifts? Several come to mind. The free gift of salvation. The gift of life. The gift of laughter, of music, of beauty, of friendship, of forgiveness. Those who claim the freedom God offers gain an appreciation for the gifts that come with life. Spend less time and energy critical of and concerned about others' choices. Wouldn't that be a refreshing relief? When you get a grasp on grace—when you begin to operate in a context of freedom—you become increasingly less petty. You will allow others room to make their own decisions in life, even though you may choose otherwise. Externals will not mean as much to you. You'll begin to cultivate a desire for authentic faith rather than endure a religion based on superficial performance. You will find yourself so involved in your own pursuit of grace, you'll no longer lay guilt trips on those with whom you disagree. Take a giant step toward maturity. As your world expands, thanks to an awakening of your understanding of grace, your maturity will enlarge. Before your very eyes, new vistas will open. It will be so transforming; you will never be the same.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 05, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Only One On Earth Who Had Unlimited Power, Jesus Christ... " Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. When Jesus told stories, grace was a favorite theme. He employed a gracious style in handling children. He spoke of the prodigal son in grace. As He told stories of people who were caught in helpless situations, grace abounded . . . as with the good Samaritan. And instead of extolling the religious official who spoke of how proud God must be to have him in His family, Christ smiled with favor on the unnamed sinner who said, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." Even from the cross He refused to be angry toward His enemies. Remember His prayer? "Father, forgive them . . . " No resentment, no bitterness. Amazing, this grace! Remarkable, the freedom and release it brought. And it came in full force from the only One on earth who had unlimited power, Jesus Christ...   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 04, 2023 Daily Devotion "Redemption Through His Blood” Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. Candidly, know of nothing that has the power to change us from within like the freedom that comes through grace. It's so amazing it will change not only our hearts but also our faces. And goodness knows, some of us are overdue for a face change! Were you reared by parents whose faces said "No"? Or are you married to someone with a "No" face? If that is true, you envy those who had "Yes"- face parents or are married to "Yes"- face mates. All of us are drawn to those whose faces invite us in and urge us on.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 03, 2023 Daily Devotion: "GRACE" Galatians 6:1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. This day—this very moment—millions are living their lives in shame, fear, and intimidation who should be free, productive individuals. The tragedy is they think it is the way they should be. They have never known the truth that could set them free. They are victimized, existing as if living on death row instead of enjoying the beauty and fresh air of the abundant life Christ modeled and made possible for all of His followers to claim. Unfortunately, most don't have a clue as to what they are missing. Grace received but unexpressed is dead grace. To spend one's time debating how grace is received or how much commitment is necessary for salvation, without getting into what it means to live by grace and enjoy the magnificent freedom it provides, quickly leads to a counterproductive argument. It becomes little more than another tedious trivial pursuit where the majority of God's people spend days looking back and asking, "How did we receive it?" instead of looking ahead and announcing, "Grace is ours . . . let's live it!" Deny it or debate it and we kill it. My plea is that we claim it and allow it to set us free. When we do, grace will become what it was meant to be—really amazing! When that happens, our whole countenance changes.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 02, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God Has PreparedEverything"  Hebrews 11:16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them" Like silent shadows, the heroes of the faith pass beside us, pointing us toward the upward way, whispering words of courage. The memory of all those models of righteousness now gone from view puts needed steel in our spirit, prompting us to press forward, always forward. The legacy of their powerful presence and penetrating pages adds depth to our otherwise superficial existence. Because their convictions live on in words that challenge today's shallow thinking, we do not—we dare not—remain the same. I would challenge you to do some further reading about these heroes of the faith. Their lives and their words are there for our edification."   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 01, 2023 Daily Devotion: “In Times for Difficulties” Job 42:1–6 Then Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” Look at your own life and your own dealings with the Lord. Think about your past . . . those times of adversity in your own life. Where you able to look up, look ahead, and look within? Where are you now in your journey of faith? If you are climbing ragged rocks of adversity, take His hand and let Him lead you through. In the midst of it all, it is His touch which comforts and guides you.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 30,2023 Daily Devotion: "All of Us Are Sinners" Romans 3:23–24 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. If you question your depravity, check your attitude toward intrusions. Having a French origin, "intrude" emerges from two terms to our world without permission, without an invitation, and refuses to be ignored.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 29, 2023 Daily Devotion: "GREAT HONOR TO THOSE WHO ENDURE UNDER SUFFERING" James 5:11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. The nation to whom the prophet Isaiah wrote was going through the empty motions of a hollow religion. All the right words, all the right appearances, but zero results. They even fasted and prayed. I suppose we could say they looked and sounded orthodox, but they missed God's favor. They observed the external Sabbath, but they lacked the internal Shalom. Why? Don't hurry through the answer (Isa. 58:6–12). It's worth reading aloud, perhaps more than once. Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry, and He will say, "Here I am." If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 28,2023 Daily Devotion: "A Lifetime Journey" 2 Corinthians 11:12 New Living Translation 12 But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours. The Christian life isn't an eleven-day race. It's a lifetime journey full of more dangers and pitfalls than a hundred Iditarod. So it's foolish to think we can enter it half-heartedly or sustain it easily. To survive it calls for help from above and toughness from within. We should be capable of conquering the marathon from earth to heaven. A combination of two ingredients is essential: the capacity to accept and the tenacity to endure.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 27, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Be an Effectuator" Deuteronomy 31:6 New International Version 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Leaders must go beyond analysis to action. One cannot lead without energy, motion, risk. Leaders are pathfinders, road makers, action takers. Cowardice, to put it bluntly, is an ungodly trait. God is not passive in the face of evil, nor is He indecisive. The Psalms are full of powerful lyrics that give us a clear portrait of the Lord God. Never is He portrayed as a mild-mannered, passive Deity, hoping and waiting for things to happen. Always He is aggressively engaged in an all-out war against injustice and inequity. Righteousness and truth are causes to be fought for. If left to fend for themselves, they can't withstand the overpowering hunts of heathenism. In every generation, then, conflict is inevitable. And the ammunition for such conflicts? You guessed it. Heart. Do you have it? Do you take courageous action in the face of wrong? Will you stand alone, if necessary, and embrace a principle, even though it means you lose votes or friends or prestige. . . or whatever? Are you an intellectual analyzer of wrong, a mere advocate of achievement, a person who enjoys discussions of issues to the point of getting bogged down in unproductive semantics . . . or do you translate ideas into action?   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 26, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God Can Still Shine into The Darkest Part of Your Life"  Titus 2:13 New International Version 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, One of the best ways to get rid of discouragement is to remember that Christ is coming again. The most thrilling, glorious truth in all the world is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. When we look around and see pessimism on every side, we should remember the Bible is the only Book in the world that predicts the future. The Bible is more modern than tomorrow morning’s newspaper. The Bible accurately foretells the future, and it says that the consummation of all things shall be the coming again of Jesus Christ to this earth. If your life is dismal, depressed, and gloomy today, Christ can turn those dark clouds inside out. The sunlight of His love can still shine into the darkest part of your life.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 25, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Someone's Pursuit" Colossians 1:3-8 English Standard Version   3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. [a] He is a faithful minister of Christ on your[b] behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. All of us are surrounded by and benefit from the results of someone's quest. Because some cared enough to dream, to pursue, to follow through and complete their quest, our lives are more comfortable, more stable.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 24, 2023 Daily Devotion: "SET FREE…" Ephesians 4:32 New International Version   32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Do you need to be set free? Honestly now, is your next step the need to forgive? Do it. Don't let anything or anyone talk you out of it. After all the misery you have had to endure, why should you have to be the one who humbles yourself and forgives? Christ could have asked the same question at Golgotha. Perhaps He did at Gethsemane. But once He discerned the Father's determination, there was no looking back . . . no turning back.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 23, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Today You Will Be With Me in Paradise” Matthew 6:25 (NIV) Do not worry about your life. . . Some people ask, “Do you think God has time for me? You don’t know how mixed up my life is, how confused it is; the pressures, the tension at home, the business problems, so many things I couldn’t possibly tell you about, including the sins in my life that I somehow cannot seem to give up.” Yes, God has time for you. When Jesus was dying on the cross, He had time for a thief who turned to Him and said, “Lord, remember me.” That’s all the record tells us that the thief said, “Lord, remember me.” But what he was really saying was, “I’m unworthy. I’ve broken all the laws. I deserve hell. Just remember me.” And Jesus turned to him in that moment and said, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 22, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Without God It Is Restless" Mark 8:36,37 (TLB) And how does a man benefit if he gains the whole world and loses his soul in the process? For is anything worth more than his soul? In the world in which we live, we give most attention to satisfying the appetites of the body and practically none to the soul. Consequently, we are one-sided. We become fat physically and materially, while spiritually we are lean, weak and anemic. The soul actually demands as much attention as the body. It demands fellowship and communion with God. It demands worship, quietness, and meditation. Unless the soul is fed and exercised daily, it becomes weak and shriveled. It remains discontented, confused, restless. Others attempt to quiet the longings of their souls in other ways. But nothing but God ever completely satisfies, because the soul was made for God, and without God it is restless and in secret torment.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 21, 2023 Daily Devotion: “For Those Who Have Known God" Jeremiah 4:22 For my people [are] foolish, they have not known me . . .   No man is more pathetic than he who is in great need and is not aware of it. Remember Samson? Standing there in the valley of Sorek, surrounded by the lords of the Philistines, ” … he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.” It has been truly said, “No man is so ignorant as he who knows nothing and knows not that he knows nothing. No man is so sick as he who has a fatal disease and is not aware of it. No man is so poor as he who is destitute, and yet thinks he is rich.” The pitiable thing about the Pharisees was not so much their hypocrisy as it was their utter lack of knowledge of how poor they actually were in the sight of God. There is always something pathetic about a man who thinks he is rich when he is actually poor, who thinks he is good when he is actually vile, who thinks he is educated when he is actually illiterate.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 20,2023 Daily Devotion: “Forgiven" Mark 1:4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins John announced this great word: that repentance is the way people come to God, and the result is the forgiveness of sins. The greatest blessing people can experience is to have their sins forgiven. This is what the people who streamed out of Jerusalem to listen to John were looking for, and this is what they found. They found forgiveness of sins, and it came by way of repentance greatest blessing people can experience is to have their sins forgiven. This is what the people who streamed out of Jerusalem to listen to John were looking for, and this is what they found. They found forgiveness of sins, and it came by way of repentance   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 19,2023 Daily Devotion: "Make It Happen" Mark 6:33-34 New International Version 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Feeling a little overwhelmed? Starting to get the idea that you're surrounded by folks getting giant things done while it's all you can do to make it through the week? Maybe you've fallen into a well of comparison, and you're drowning in discouragement because "compared to ____" you're not making nearly the difference he or she is. To all who feel overwhelmed or who are tempted to take a much too critical look at their lives and feel insignificant . . . take heart! Do what you can!   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 18, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Omniscience” (Isaiah 29:13–16) The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”? But what a different picture comes in view when someone gets up close and in touch! What appeared so placid is really a mixture of winding roads of insecurity and uncertainty . . . maddening gusts of lust, greed, and self-indulgence That's why our Lord means so much to us. He is intimately acquainted with all our ways. Darkness and light are alike to Him. Not one of us is hidden from His sight. All things are open and laid bare before Him: our darkest secret, our deepest shame, our stormy past, our worst thought, our hidden motive, our vilest imagination . . . even our vain attempts to cover the ugly with snow-white beauty. He comes up so close. He sees it all. He knows our frame. He remembers we are dust.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 15, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Stand Steady" 2 Timothy 4:5 (TLB) Stand steady, and don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Bring others to Christ . . .  All the masterpieces of art contain both light and shadow. A happy life is one filled not only with sunshine, but one which uses both light and shadow to produce beauty. The greatest musicians, as a rule, are those who know how to bring song out of sadness. Paul and Silas sang their song of praise at midnight to the accompaniment of the jailer’s whip. But their patience in suffering and persecution led to the heathen warden’s conviction.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 14, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Stop and Think" (Luke 10:30–37) A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went off leaving him half dead . . . . But a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him, and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, "Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you." Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands? And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same". People don't want to listen to a recording of some sermon when the bottom drops out. They want a place to cry, a person to care, someone to bind up their wounds, someone to listen, the security of a few close, intimate friends who won't blab their story all over the church—who will do more than say, "I'll pray for you." They want refuge. Stop and think. Who and where is your refuge for bruised believers?   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 13, 2023   Daily Devotion: "God Has a Plan for Us" Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. The longer we walk with the Lord, the more we realize that we really don't know what each new day may bring. God alone knows our future. And there's no safer, no better, no more rewarding place to be than in the nucleus of His will, regardless of where that may be. We are only finite human beings. We can only see the present and the past. The future is a little frightening to us. So we need to hold on to His hand and trust Him to calm our fears. And at those times when we're stubborn and resisting and God shakes us by the shoulders to get our attention, we're reminded that we don't call the shots, God has a plan for us, mysterious though it may seem, and we want to be in the center of it.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 11, 2023 Daily Devotion:   "Follow God's Direction" Exodus 20:9-10 (NIV) Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.   Life on Planet Earth is fast becoming a rat race and a mad scramble to get ahead that is leaving brokenness everywhere. We desperately need a pattern to live by that will enable us to live our lives successfully. Such a pattern already exists; it was set at the dawn of Creation by God Himself. But we are not following the Creator’s directions. Our twenty-four-hour day is based on the earth’s rotation on its axis. Our twelve-month years are based on the revolution of our planet around the sun. But the only basis for the seven-day week that is used worldwide as a pattern for humanity’s lifestyle is the Creator’s example: “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work” (Gen. 2:2, niv). While God’s week included rest on the seventh day, it also involved work for six days straight, giving us a pattern for the discipline of our lives. How close does the pattern of your life follow His?   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 10, 2023 Daily Devotion: "To Walk in the Spirit" Galatians 5:16 (TLB) I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit's instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won't always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to. To walk in the Spirit is a challenging and inspiring exercise, for it combines activity with relaxation. To walk means to place one foot in front of the other. If you stop doing this, you are no longer walking-you are standing still. Walking always implies movement, progress, and direction. Sin shall no longer rule or dominate you when you are allowing the Holy Spirit to live Christ’s life through you. It is living by faith, living by trust, living in dependence upon God. If we look to our own resources, our own strength, or our own ability, as Peter did when he walked on the water, we will fail. You cannot live the Christian life by yourself. The Holy Spirit must live in you and express Himself through you. Living for Christ is a day-by-day experience. It is a continuous dependence upon the Spirit of God. It is believing in His faithfulness.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 8, 2023   Daily Devotion: "Rejoicing in Hope" Romans 12:11-12 New International Version 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer Each generation becomes more addicted to the sedatives of life, to dull the pain of living. Oppressed by a sense of triviality and thwarted purpose, men find no great goal or commitment to draw them, and no inner stimulation to give meaning to their existence. Christ can save you from the bane of boredom. He waits to give you a fresh sense of direction and to take dissatisfaction out of your life.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 07, 2023 Daily Devotion: "A Glorious Exhibition of His Love" Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.    As we stand at the cross of Christ we see a glorious exhibition of His love. Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, “While we were powerless to help ourselves . . . Christ died for sinful men.” In human experience, it is a rare thing for one man to give his life for another, even if the latter be a good man, though there have been a few who have had the courage to do it. Yet the proof of God’s amazing love is this: that it was “while we were sinners Christ died for us.”   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 06, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "The Lamb That Takes Away“  John 1:29 (TLB) Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the world's sin.     At the cross of Christ, sin reached its climax. Its most terrible display took place at Calvary. It was never blacker or more hideous. We see the human heart laid bare and its corruption fully exposed. Some people have said that man has improved since that day, that if Christ came back today, He would not be crucified but would be given a glorious reception. Christ does come to us every day in the form of Bibles that we do not read, in the form of churches that we do not attend, in the form of human need that we pass by. I am convinced that if Christ came back today, He would be crucified more quickly than He was two thousand years ago. Sin never improves. Human nature has not changed.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 05, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "The Existence of God" Psalm 19:1–3 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.   There is a language in nature that speaks of the existence of God. It is the language of order, beauty, perfection, and intelligence. Some time ago a scientist told me that when he gave serious thought to the majestic order of the universe and its obedience to unchanging law, he could not help but believe in God. He had become aware that God was speaking through nature. God speaks in the certainty and regularity of the regular seasons; in the precision of the movements of the sun, the moon, and the stars; in the coming of night and day; in the balance between man’s consumption of life-giving oxygen and its production by the plant life of the earth; and even in the cry of a newborn child with its ever-new dimension.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 04, 2023  Daily Devotion:  "Choose Right"  James 4:1 (NIV) “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?”   Every second of your life, there’s a battle in your brain. There’s a mental battle going on right now! It could be between right and wrong, between what’s easy and what’s hard, or what’s healthy and what’s unhealthy. All your negative emotions—stress, depression, anxiety, loneliness, fear, jealousy—are a mental struggle. All of your internal conflicts start in your mind. In fact, so do all of your external conflicts. James 4:1 says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (NIV) That battle going on inside your mind between conflicting desires can continue even when you are sleeping, as you experience restless sleep and bad dreams.  This battle in your brain is constant and intense because your mind is your greatest asset. You are your thoughts, your will, your emotions, your soul. Without your brain, you’re not you. The Bible says in Romans 7:22-23, “I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me . . . that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin” (TLB). If you follow Jesus, then God’s Spirit is in you. It’s part of your new nature. That means that Satan can’t control your mind, but he can make suggestions. The only influence Satan has in the life of a Christian is that he can put thoughts in your mind. He can get your attention—and that’s a pretty big deal. Why? Because whatever gets your attention gets you. Once he puts a thought in your mind, you have to decide if you’re going to accept or reject his suggestion.  There’s a lot going on in your brain right now, and all of it will eventually show up in your attitude and your actions. Ask God to help you choose right over wrong, healthy over destructive, and his truth over Satan’s lies. He is ready to give you the power you need through the Holy Spirit!   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 03, 2023   Daily Devotion:   “God Knows What Will Get Through To Us" 2 Corinthians 1:3–7 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. God gave us a time in our life when we are bombarded with a series of unexpected and unfair blows. In our darkest hours, these principles become our anchor of stability, only means of survival. Afflicted, confused, persecuted, and rejected in that situation. God took us through the consequences and kept us from becoming bitter. Here is the first truth to claim when enduring the consequences of suffering: nothing touches me that has not passed through the hands of my heavenly Father. Nothing. Whatever occurs, God has sovereignly surveyed and approved (Job 2:3–6). We may not know why (we may never know why), but we do know our pain is no accident to Him who guides our lives. He is, in no way, surprised by it all. Before it ever touches us, it passes through Him. The second truth to claim is this: everything we endure is designed to prepare us for serving others more effectively. Everything. Because God is committed to shaping us, He knows the ultimate value of this painful experience (2 Corinthians 1:3–7). It is a necessary part of the preparation process. It is being used to empty our hands of our own resources, our own sufficiency, and turn us back to Him—the faithful Provider.  And God knows what will get through to us.     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 02, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "The Rewards" 1 Corinthians 3:10–14 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. Based on 1 Corinthians 3:10–14, I see three facts about our eternal rewards for serving God. Let's review the first two facts I mentioned yesterday, and then I'll complete the list with the third. First, most rewards are received in heaven, not on earth. Second, all rewards are based on quality, not quantity. Third, no reward that is postponed will be forgotten. Make no mistake about it, the Bible clearly teaches that each of us "will receive a reward" (1 Corinthians 3:14). God doesn't settle His accounts at the end of every day. Nor does He close out His books toward the end of everyone's life. No, not then. But be assured, fellow servant, when that day in eternity dawns, when time shall be no more on this earth, no act of serving others be it well known or unknown by others will be forgotten. You don't have to be a courageous soldier in battle or a well-spoken statesman to be remembered. You can be a "nobody" in the eyes of this world, and your faithful God will, someday, reward your every act of servanthood. Rewards may be postponed, but they will not be forgotten forever. Unlike many people today, God keeps His promises.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

April 01, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Honesty from the Heart" Psalm 51:6 (TLB) You deserve honesty from the heart; yes, utter sincerity and truthfulness. Oh, give me this wisdom. March   The Bible teaches that purity of conduct includes truthfulness. The Bible teaches that we should be truthful in our representation of ourselves. With what scorn Christ denounced the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees! In the Sermon on the Mount He rebuked all hypocritical giving, praying, and fasting. We should also be truthful in speaking of our past achievements in our particular vocation. God does not ask us to understate the facts—that might even be untruthfulness—but neither does He want us to overrate our achievements or our gifts, either in thought or in speech. A lie is anything contrary to the naked truth.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 30, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Fragile Clay Jars" 2 Corinthians 4:4–7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is God. Most every calling and occupation carries with it peculiar hazards—some subtle, some obvious.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 29, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "Light Shall Shine Out of Darkness"   2 Corinthians 4:5–7 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves.   We Christians have received a priceless treasure (the glorious gospel) in a very frail and perishable container (our weak bodies). There is a reason. So nobody will have any question about the source of power, it must be of God and not of any human origin. And so—to verify just how frail our humanity is, Paul lists four common struggles servants live with. I'm calling them consequences. Let's see all four in the two verses that follow before we analyze each one in the next few posts. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8–9)   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 28, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "The Gift"   Luke 11:13 (TLB) Realize that your heavenly Father will . . . give the Holy Spirit to those who ask for him.     Before He left His disciples, Christ promised that He would send a Comforter to help them in the trials, cares, and temptations of life. This word comforter means “one that helps alongside.” He is the Holy Spirit, the powerful Third Person of the Trinity. The moment you are born again; He takes up residence in your heart. You may not emotionally feel Him there, but you must exercise faith. Believe it! Accept it as a fact of faith! He is in your heart to help you. We are told that He sheds the love of God abroad in our hearts. He produces the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” We cannot possibly manufacture this fruit in our own strength. It is supernaturally manufactured by the Holy Spirit who lives in our hearts.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 27, 2023   Daily Devotion:   “The Power of The Word"   Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.   Time is running out. The seconds are ticking away toward midnight. The human race is about to take the fatal plunge. Which way shall we turn? Is there any authority left? Is there a path we can follow? Can we find a code book that will give us the key to our dilemmas? Is there any source of authority to which we can turn? Have we just been placed here by some unknown creator or force without any clue as to where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going?   The answer is “no.” We do have a code book. We do have a key. We do have authoritative source material. It is found in the ancient and historic Book we call the Bible.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 26, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "Too Good for This World"   2 Corinthians 11:27–28 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches.   Now that's being under pressure. Paul even mentioned the disillusioning times of mistreatment and imprisonment. There certainly must have been times he did not know where to turn—or to whom. Doubt and questions might well have haunted him with maddening regularity. Here was one of those great men, "too good for this world," being pushed around, threatened, and living on the raw edge of constant danger. If you imagine yourself in those many situations and toss in several imprisonments to boot—you can start to feel beaten down and defeated. Your mind plays tricks on you. You wonder where God is, and you occasionally even doubt God. You get disoriented, "mixed up" inside. And on top of all that is the one most common experience all who have been in prison admit—profound loneliness. Mix all that together . . . and you've got the picture.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 25, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "Start Doing What Is Right... "   Psalm 42:11 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.   Comparing the acts of forgiving and forgetting, I think forgetting is the tougher assignment. Why? Because forgetting is something shared with no other person. It's a solo flight.   All the rewards are postponed until eternity . . . but how great they will be on that day! Forgetting requires us as Christians to think correctly, which means our full focus must be on the Lord and not on people. By God's great grace, it can happen. Let us ask ourselves, Is there someone or something I have refused to forget, which keeps me from being happy and productive? Am I a victim of self-pity, living out my days emotionally paralyzed by anguish and despair? It is never too late to start doing what is right.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 24, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "Broader Than Money "   2 Corinthians 8:2–3 In a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord.   The Christians in the Macedonian churches were servants who gave to the needs of the believers in Jerusalem, giving anonymously, in fact. When Paul wrote of them to the Corinthian church, he also mentioned something else about those Macedonian servant-saints: When they gave, they "overflowed" in the process. They liberally and sacrificially gave "beyond their ability." I love the way Paul wrote that. Their giving dripped with sacrificial generosity. There wasn't a tightwad among them. How refreshing! Now, as we apply this passage to the way true servants give, let's understand that the giving involved is much broader than money.   That's for sure. It includes giving ourselves . . . our time and energy, our care and compassion, even our belongings on occasion. What a need there is for this trait within the ranks of humanity today! And yet, how rare it is!   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 24, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "That Thing Called Pain"   2 Corinthians 11:24–25 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.   Can you imagine being beaten "times without number"? I cannot. Here is the awful reality of physical abuse. Few people will ever know such extreme pain. But if you think the man was pretty much alone in it all, get hold of a copy of Fox's Book of Martyrs or read it online. There is no way to get around it; God's servants often become scapegoats.   This is true emotionally more frequently than physically. Humanity’s twisted depravity, for some reason, likes to express itself in this way. Take the prophet Daniel, for example. Faithful, efficient, honest, dedicated to the maximum, the man served others with a pure heart. But it backfired on him. According to the sixth chapter of the book that bears his name, the very people he worked with turned on him. They set out to prove he lacked integrity. They left no stone unturned.   Can you imagine how that hurt? You are the object of investigation. You hear whisperings about your character. Stories swirl around, calling into question your words, your actions. Every move you make is viewed with suspicion. And yet there is not a shred of truth to it. You have been a model of authenticity, you have devoted yourself to the dual role of helping others and honoring the Lord . . . and this is the thanks you get.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 22, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "God's Anointing Cannot Fail"   1 John 2:27   But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.   This anointing is God’s choice, not ours. But remaining or abiding in Him is our choice. These choices are not equal. Our choice is made in response to His and could only be made because of His. Because of this anointing, we bear a responsibility to obey His commands, an effort that is guaranteed to succeed because of His help. To stay faithful to the truth of the gospel is to abide with God and to walk in the light. Because of this we can stand “confident and unashamed” when Christ return. We have nothing to fear but can look forward to this day with assurance of our salvation. Having been made righteous, following Him who is perfectly righteous, and doing what is right is incontrovertible evidence that we have been truly “born of him.” This confidence is not in ourselves, then, but in God. His anointing cannot fail!   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 21, 2022   Daily Devotion:   "Write Injuries in Dust, Benefits in Marble"   Psalm 103:10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.   We say and hear that so much that it's easy to shrug it off as "only natural." That's the problem! It is the most natural response we can expect. Not supernatural. It also can result in tragic consequences.   Refusing to forgive and forget leads to other tragedies, like monuments of spite. How many churches split, then spin off in another direction, fractured, splintered, and blindly opinionated? Whether a personal or public matter, how we respond to those who offend us quickly reveals whether we possess a servant's heart. It isn't enough simply to say, "Well, okay—you're forgiven, but don't expect me to forget it!" That means we have erected a monument of spite in our mind, and that isn't really forgiveness at all.   Servants must be big people. Big enough to go on, remembering the right and forgetting the wrong. Like the age-old saying, "Write injuries in dust, benefits in marble."     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 20, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "The Spirit is God Himself"   Acts 11:12, 15 (NLT) ‘The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry that they were Gentiles. […] As I began to speak,’ Peter continued, ‘the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning.”   When God poured out the Holy Spirit, He changed the nature of His relationship with His people. The Spirit was God Himself. He was available not just to a few prophets but to everyone, including Gentiles. When they heard that the Gentiles had received the Gospel, some were concerned. Many criticized Peter for his actions. But he could only report what the Holy Spirit had said and done.   These disciples began to understand what Jesus had taught about the Spirit. He was like the wind, blowing wherever He pleased. “You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes” (John 3:8 NKJV). They realized that they could not control or limit the Spirit or anticipate what He would do. He was Sovereign God. That same Holy Spirit is available to you right now. You cannot anticipate His work in your life, but He is with you and wants to guide you. You need to be sensitive to His leading and aware of how He guides you day by day. Seek to be sensitive to God’s Spirit. Surrender your life to Him. He can fill you with His fruit. He can give you power. He can protect and guide you and give you His wisdom. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 19, 2023   Daily Devotion:   “Persecution Directs Us to Our Reward”   2 Corinthians 4:8–9 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.   In yesterday's post, we were introduced to four common struggles all servants of God deal with. Really, they're consequences. In 2 Corinthians 4:8–9 we read them: afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, struck down.   The first word, translated "afflicted," comes from a Greek term that suggests the idea of pressure. This is stress brought on by difficult circumstances or by antagonistic people. In other words, when servants are "afflicted," they feel under pressure, harassed, and oppressed. The Greek verb, thlibo, is a strong one, meaning at times "to treat with hostility."   Paul goes on to write there are times when servants of God become "perplexed." Interestingly, the combination of Greek terms that comprise the original word means "without a way." It is a picture of confusion—not knowing where or to whom to turn for help. Included in the meaning of this word would be such perplexing predicaments as being without necessary resources, feeling embarrassed, and in doubt so far as procedure is concerned. We have the phrase "at a loss" which adequately describes that uncertain feeling. There is more.   Originally, the term persecution meant "to run after, pursue." It's the idea of being chased, having others "on our case," we would say. It is an active, aggressive word conveying everything from being intimidated to being assaulted, actually attacked. Servants will suffer persecution. You may recall Paul's words, written to Timothy: "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12). Persecution is one of those painful consequences, along with affliction and confusion.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 18, 2023   Daily Devotion:   "The Formula of Success"   1 Peter 5:5–7   You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.   These verses address three crucial realms related to true success: authority, attitude, and anxiety. And the best part of all is this: following God's directives will bring the one benefit not found in the world's empty promises—a deep sense of lasting satisfaction. It's what we could call the forgotten side of success. It is the success that will come to those who wish to develop the heart of a servant.   Maybe we should confess that one reason we find it so hard to set selfishness aside and adopt the spirit of a servant is that we're driven by dreams of success. We want to be winners.   Curiously, however, few ever address what most folks want (but seldom find) in their pursuit of success: contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction, and relief. On the contrary, the roads that are supposed to lead to success are not only rocky; they're maddening. As one author said "The trouble with success is that the formula is the same as the one for a nervous breakdown."     --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 17,2023 Daily Devotion: "True Servant Doesn't Keep Score" Ephesians 4: 31-32 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. When wrong has been done against another person, there are only two possibilities of blame. But whether we are responsible for the offense or we are the recipients of it, the first move is always ours. The true servant doesn't keep score. The general principle is set forth in Ephesians 4:31–32, which says: That's a beautiful summation of the whole subject of forgiveness. It describes how to live with a clear conscience and thus be free to serve. And observe the reminder—you forgive others "as God in Christ also has forgiven you." --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 16, 2023 Daily Devotion: "One Thing is Certain" 1 Peter 2:20–24 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. As you serve people in ministry, you will give, forgive, forget, release your own will, obey God to the maximum, and wash dirty feet with an attitude of gentleness and humility. And after all those beautiful things, you will get ripped off occasionally. Knowing all this ahead of time will help "improve your serve," believe me. The Bible doesn't hide this painful reality from us. In 1 Peter 2:20 we read: "For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. If a person does wrong and then suffers the consequences, even though he or she patiently endures the punishment, nobody applauds. But now get this clearly fixed in your mind when you do what is right and suffer for it with grace and patience, God applauds! Illustration: Jesus Christ's suffering and death on the cross. He was mistreated, hated, maligned, beaten, and finally nailed cruelly to a cross. He suffered awful consequences, even though He spent His life giving and serving. One thing is certain: if people treated a perfect individual that way, then imperfect people cannot expect to escape mistreatment. If mistreatment hasn't happened to you yet, it will. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 15, 2023 Daily Devotion: “Come to Our Senses" 2 Kings 5:1–14 A man named Naaman was a high-ranking Syrian soldier. He was influential, wealthy, proud—a man of dignity, courage, patriotism, and military clout. There was only one problem: the man had leprosy. Through a chain of interesting events, Naaman was led to Elisha for cleansing from his dread disease. It fell to Elisha's servant to be the bearer of news the Syrian officer did not want to hear. As we read in the account, the high-ranking soldier was offended. He became enraged. And look who was caught in the crossfire—the servant. The dear guy didn't generate the news, he just communicated it . . . and boom! The result? Feeling and hearing the verbal blows of disrespect and resentment. Let me stretch this out and apply it. There are times when God's servant is called upon to confront or in some way tell another the truth that the individual does not want to hear. The information may be painful to accept, but it is what God wants said. So the faithful servant says it. Graciously yet accurately. And all of a sudden the lid blows sky high. He is caught in the crossfire. What do you do in such precarious moments? Fight back? Yell and scream and threaten in return? Listen to God's counsel to servants whose job it is to say hard things: The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:24–26) What wise counsel! Not quarrelsome, but kind. Not irritated, but patient . . . even when wronged. Not angry, but gentle. God may be using your words to help the hearers "come to their senses," which may sound very noble. But, believe me, there are times it's not a lot to write home about. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 14, 2023 Daily Devotion: "When We Think Correctly” 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 NIV For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Did you catch the reality of divine power? Servants with renewed minds have a perspective on life and a power to live life that is altogether unique—divinely empowered. That explains how wrongs can be forgiven, and how offenses can be forgotten, and how objectives can be pursued day in and day out without our quitting. It's divine power. God promises that He will pour His power into us and supply all we need if we will simply operate under His full control. When we think correctly, we instantly begin to respond correctly. How can we "demolish" those things that once blew us away? With Christ living out His very life through ours, that's how. By His power we can give ourselves away again and again and again. And we won't fear the outcome. We won't even feel slighted when we don't get the same treatment in return. Servants, remember, don't "keep score." When God is in control of the servant's mind, we realize as never before that life's greatest joy is to give Christ's love away. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 13, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Press Toward the Goal" Philippians 3:14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Those men and women who refuse to get bogged down in and anchored to the past are those who pursue the objectives of the future. People who do this are rarely petty. They are too involved in getting a job done to be preoccupied with yesterday's hurts and concerns. Very near the end of his full and productive life, Paul wrote: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). He relentlessly pursued life. A person with this negative mind-set is convinced he or she is the exception to the truths of God's Word. This individual is determined not to change because "life has dealt him or her a bad hand." Nothing could be further from the truth. When God holds out hope, when God makes promises, when God says, "It can be done," there are no exceptions. With each new dawn, there is delivered to your door a fresh, new package called "today." God has designed us in such a way that we can handle only one package at a time . . . and He gives us all the grace we need for each day as we live out that day. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 12, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Living Sacrifice" Romans 12:1-3 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. Wouldn't you love to live courageously in spite of the odds? Doesn't it sound exciting to be divinely powerful in day-to-day living? Aren't you eager to become independently authentic in a day of copycat styles and horrendous peer pressure? Of course! It all begins in the mind. Let me repeat it one more time: thinking right always precedes acting right. I cannot overemphasize the importance of the renewed mind. It is really impossible to grasp the concept of serving others—or to carry it out with joy and without fear—until our minds are freed from the world's mold and transformed by the Lord's power. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 11, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Have Life, and Have it to the Full" John 10:10 New International Version 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. This reminds us of God’s great promises for us. Even before we felt the breath of new life, when we were still separated from God because of our sin, through salvation, gave us the hope of becoming fully alive. His sacrifice for us gives us the challenge of becoming fully alive in him. To be fully alive is to be aware that the life God calls us to is dripping with meaning (even if it doesn’t always feel that way). And we are called to work at living out that meaning in a deeper way every day. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 10, 2023 Daily Devotion: "New Dimension" Psalm 19:1–3 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. There is a language in nature that speaks of the existence of God. It is the language of order, beauty, perfection, and intelligence. Some time ago a scientist told that when he gave serious thought to the majestic order of the universe and its obedience to unchanging law, he could not help but believe in God. He had become aware that God was speaking through nature. God speaks in the certainty and regularity of the seasons; in the precision of the movements of the sun, the moon, and the stars; in the regular coming of night and day; in the balance between man’s consumption of life-giving oxygen and its production by the plant life of the earth; and even in the cry of a newborn child with its ever-new dimension of the miracle of life. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 09, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Put It into Practice" Philippians 4:9 New International Version 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. What our young people want to see in their elders is integrity, honesty, truthfulness, and faith. What they hate most of all is hypocrisy and phoniness. That is why it is important for us to go to church, to read the Bible, and to say grace at the table. Let them see us doing what we would like them to do. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 08, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Work with Enthusiasm" Ephesians 6:7 New Living Translation (NLT) 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. The most eloquent prayer is the prayer through hands that heal and bless. The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless. There must be a practical outworking of our faith here in this present world, or it will never endure the world to come. The Pharisees majored on show but minored on service. We need fewer words and more charitable works; less palaver and more pity; less repetition of creed and more compassion. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 07, 2023 Daily Devotion: "With Me in Paradise" Matthew 6:25 (NIV) Do not worry about your life . . . Some people ask, “Do you think God has time for me? You don’t know how mixed up our life is, how confused it is; the pressures, the tension at home, the business problems, so many things I couldn’t possibly tell you about, including the sins in our lives that We somehow cannot seem to give up.” Yes, God has time for you. When Jesus was dying on the cross, He had time for a thief who turned to Him and said, “Lord, remember me.” That’s all the record tells us that the thief said, “Lord, remember me.” But what he was really saying was, “I’m unworthy. I’ve broken all the laws. I deserve hell. Just remember me.” And Jesus turned to him and said, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Do not worry about your life . . . --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 06, 2023 Daily Devotion: "No Man Is So Ignorant As He Who Knows Nothing And Knows Not That He Knows Nothing." Jeremiah 4:22 For my people [are] foolish, they have not known me . . . No man is more pathetic than he who is in great need and is not aware of it. Remember Samson? Standing there in the valley of Sorek, surrounded by the lords of the Philistines, ” … he wish not that the Lord was departed from him.” It has been truly said, “No man is so ignorant as he who knows nothing and knows not that he knows nothing. No man is so sick as he who has a fatal disease and is not aware of it. No man is so poor as he who is destitute, and yet thinks he is rich.” The pitiable thing about the Pharisees was not so much their hypocrisy as it was their utter lack of knowledge of how poor they actually were in the sight of God. There is always something pathetic about a man who thinks he is rich when he is actually poor, who thinks he is good when he is actually vile, who thinks he is educated when he is actually illiterate. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 05, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Our Rock Is God" 1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom . . . I believe we ought to get all the education we can, but we dare not make it our god. John Dewey once defined education as the systematic, purposeful reconstruction of experience; but so much of modern education leaves out God. What we are actually doing is reconstructing our sins. We expand our sins, enlarge them, multiply them. We need education, but not just for the mind and the body; we also need education for the spirit. Man has a spirit, and in our educational system today we need a spiritual emphasis. If we bring up a generation that lacks the wisdom that God can give, they can turn into educated savages and fools. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” and education. Let’s make sure our rock is God. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 04, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Dedication ..." Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much . . . What God expects, and all God expects, is that we dedicate completely all of our talents and gifts to Him. That is the meaning of the parable of the talents in Matthew, chapter 25. Read this parable, and you will see that we are always rewarded because of our faithfulness. You can be just as faithful as anyone and have the commendation of the Lord. Take the one talent you have and invest it in eternal things. Some talented people lose their reward because they do things to be seen of men. Some untalented people lose their reward because they fail to dedicate what they have, because it is not noticed by men. Both have sinned equally. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 03, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Sunlight of His Love..." Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope . . . One of the best ways to get rid of discouragement is to remember that Christ is coming again. The most thrilling, glorious truth in all the world is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. When we look around and see pessimism on every side, we should remember the Bible is the only Book in the world that predicts the future. The Bible is more modern than tomorrow morning’s newspaper.  The Bible accurately foretells the future, and it says that the consummation of all things shall be the coming again of Jesus Christ to this earth. If your life is dismal, depressed, and gloomy today, Christ can turn those dark clouds inside out. The sunlight of His love can still shine into the darkest part of your life. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 02, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Sin Shall Not Reign Over Us” 1 John 4:4 Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. Paul once wrote, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye can not do the things that ye would” (Galatians 5:17). This is the battle or the tension that is present in us to a greater or lesser degree. So, you see, the spiritual lag that you feel is explained in the Bible. That does not mean that you accept it as the way it should be. You should make all necessary preparations for this battle which the Bible says “is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces.” In Ephesians 6 we read that the Bible tells what preparation you should make. In the meantime, always remember that “where sin abounds, grace did much more abound.” You can have complete victory! We are told to submit ourselves unto God, and the devil will flee from us. We are also promised that “sin shall not reign over us.” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

March 01, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Where God Guides, He Provides" John 13:13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. He (the Spirit) will never lead you contrary to the Word of God. I hear people saying, “The Lord led me to do this. … The Lord told me thus and so …” I am always a little suspicious unless what the Lord has said is in keeping with His Word. God never directs us to do anything contrary to His Word. The prophet Samuel once said, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” The Scripture teaches, “He that willeth to do His will shall know the doctrine.” When you find yourself up a blind alley, not knowing which way to turn, if you are willing to do His will, He will reveal Himself. He conceals His will only from those who, before they consent to do His bidding, seek to know what He is going to say. Be an obedient Christian. Remember that “where God guides, He provides. Where He leads, He supplies all needs!” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 28, 2023 Daily Devotion: “Future Life with God" Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began. Life is a glorious opportunity, if it is used to condition us for eternity. If we fail in this, though we succeed in everything else, our life will have been a failure. There is no escape for the man who squanders his opportunity to prepare to meet God. Our lives are also immortal. God made man different from the other creatures. He made him in His own image, a living soul. When this body dies and our earthly existence is terminated, the soul lives on forever. One thousand years from this day, you will be more alive than you are at this moment. The Bible teaches that life does not end at the cemetery. There is a future life with God for those who put their trust on Him. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 27, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Conflict of the Ages" Luke 23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him . . . One of the ironies of human nature is that it often has a way of rejecting the best and accepting the worst. Why did the crowd ask for the release of Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus? The answer is in the biblical statement, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Jesus is just as divine today and just as much alive as He was on that first Good Friday. Yet millions today don’t accept Him. His goodness is still a rebuke to our badness; His purity still shows up our impurities; His sinlessness still reveals our sinfulness; and unless we allow Him to destroy the evil within us, the evil within us still wants to destroy Him. This is the conflict of the ages. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 26, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Ability to Believe" Romans 10:9 believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead . . . It is impossible to believe anything into existence. The Gospel did not come into being because men believed it. The tomb was not emptied of Christ’s body that first Easter because some faithful persons believed it. The fact preceded the faith. We are psychologically incapable of believing without an object of our faith. The object of Christian faith is Christ. Faith means more than an intellectual assent to the claims of Christ. You are not called upon to believe something that is not credible, but to believe in the fact of history that in reality transcends all history. Faith actually means surrender and commitment to the claims of Christ. We do not know Christ through the five physical senses, but we know Him through the sixth sense that God has given every man—the ability to believe. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 25, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Christian Movement in Motion" Genesis 28:15 Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest. When Jesus uttered His words of comfort in the first few verses of the fourteenth chapter of John’s Gospel, concluding with, “And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know” (John 14:4), Thomas said unto Him, “Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?” (John 14:5). Jesus answered him with a statement which has in it the ring of eternity. It was sublimely simple and yet profoundly deep. Its surface meaning was clear to all, and yet the great theologians have never completely sounded its mighty depths. This is that statement, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). In one majestic sweep, these words silenced Thomas’ questioning tongue and brought reassurance and peace to the hearts of the other disciples. Within the marvel of that authoritative sentence from the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ., there was enough comfort to assuage the sufferings of the tormented, enough wisdom to satisfy those who yearned for understanding, and enough power to set the great Christian movement in motion. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 24, 2023 Daily Devotion: "A Humble Spirit" Matthew 23:12 He that shall humble himself shall be exalted. In almost every instance in the Bible, as well as in life, pride is associated with failure, not success. We hear a great deal about the inferiority complex, but the superiority complex of pride is seldom spoken of. It was pride that caused the fall of Lucifer, and he became Satan, the devil. It was pride that led King Saul down to a shameful and untimely death. It was pride that caused Peter to deny his Lord. The greatest act of humility in the history of the universe was when Jesus Christ stooped to die on the cross of Calvary. And before any man can get to heaven, he must kneel at the foot of the cross and acknowledge that he is a sinner, that he has broken the Ten Commandments of God, and that he needs the grace of God in Christ. No man can come proudly to the Savior. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 23, 2022 Daily Devotion: "I Can Do All Things Through Christ" Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Jesus had a humble heart. If He abides in us, pride will never dominate our lives. Jesus had a loving heart. If He dwells within us, hatred and bitterness will never rule us. Jesus had a forgiving and understanding heart. If He lives within us, mercy will temper our relationships with our fellowmen. Jesus had an unselfish heart. If He lives in us, selfishness will not predominate, but service to God and others will come before our selfish interests. You say, “That’s a big order!” I admit that. It would be impossible if you had to measure up to Him in your own strength and with your natural heart. Paul recognized that he could never attain this heart purity by his own striving. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 22, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Believe... " Mark 11:24 What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe . . . We are to pray in times of adversity, lest we become faithless and unbelieving. We are to pray in times of prosperity, lest we become boastful and proud. We are to pray in times of danger, lest we become fearful and doubting. We need to pray in times of security, lest we become self-sufficient. Sinners, pray to a merciful God for forgiveness. Christians, pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit upon a willful, evil, unrepentant world. Parents, pray that God may crown your home with grace and mercy. Children, pray for the salvation of your parents. Christians, saints of God, pray that the dew of heaven may fall on earth’s dry, thirsty ground, and that righteousness may cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 21, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Satan's Defeat..." Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. When temptations come, let me suggest that you ask God for strength—and also to show you the way He has prepared for your escape. One other word of counsel; be very sure that you do not deliberately place yourself in a position to be tempted. All of us are not subjected to the same weaknesses and temptations. To one, alcohol may be the temptation; to another, it may be impure thoughts and acts; to another, greed and covetousness; to another, criticism and an unloving attitude. Regardless of what it may be, be sure that Satan will tempt you at your weak point, not the strong. Our Lord has given us an example of how to overcome the devil’s temptations. When He was tempted in the wilderness, He defeated Satan every time by the use of the Bible. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 20, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Future of Promise" Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Today many people are living in the bondage of fear. In a recent study a psychiatrist said that the greatest problem facing his patients was fear. Fear of going insane, committing suicide, being alone, or fear of heart disease, cancer, disaster, or death. We are becoming a nation of fearful people. Down through the centuries in times of trouble, temptation, trial, bereavement, and crisis, God has brought courage to the hearts of those who love Him. The Bible is crowded with assurances of God’s help and comfort in every kind of trouble which might cause fears to arise in the human heart. Today the Christian can come to the Scriptures with full assurance that God is going to deliver the person who puts his trust and confidence in God. Christians can look into the future with promise, hope, and joy, and without fear, discouragement, or despondency. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 19, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Hour of Decision" Psalm 63:1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee . . . Some Christians have learned little of a daily devotional life. Nothing can take the place of a daily devotional life with Christ. Your quiet time, your prayer time, the time you spend in the Word, is absolutely essential for a happy Christian life. You cannot possibly be a happy, dynamic, and powerful Christian apart from a daily walk with Christ. Christ is calling Christians today to cleansing, to dedication, to consecration, and to full surrender. It will make the difference between success and failure in your spiritual life. It will make the difference between being helped and helping others. It will make a difference in your habits, in your prayer life, in your Bible reading, in your giving, in your testimony, and in your church membership. This is the Christian hour of decision! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 18, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Associated with Christ" 1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree ... All life is a struggle—that is the nature of things. Even within our physical bodies, doctors tell us, a conflict for supremacy is going on. The bacteria in our bloodstream are waging a constant war against alien germs. The red corpuscles fight the white corpuscles constantly in an effort to maintain life within the body. A battle is also raging in the spiritual realm. “We fight,” the Bible says, “against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” Darkness hates light. Men cannot help that it is their nature to respond to the lewd, the salacious, and the vile. They will have difficulty doing otherwise until they are born again. And until they are changed by the power of Christ, they will likely be at enmity against those who are associated with Christ. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 17, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Ordinary People Did Extraordinary Feats." 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 Easy-to-Read Version 4 We can say this, because through Christ we feel sure before God. 5 I don’t mean that we are able to do anything good ourselves. It is God who makes us able to do all that we do. 6 He made us able to be servants of a new agreement from himself to his people. It is not an agreement of written laws, but it is of the Spirit. The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life. You don't have to be qualified in your natural state for God to use you in an extraordinary way; you simply have to be available and surrendered to Him. In the New Testament, Dorcas was a seamstress, and she was raised from the dead. Luke was a doctor, Peter was a fisherman, and Matthew was a tax collector and Jesus chose them as His disciples, who shared His ministry on earth and helped carry the gospel message to the world After His death and resurrection. Mary Magdalene, who was believed to have been a prostitute, suffered the torment of seven demons until Jesus set her free from them. After her salvation and deliverance, she traveled with a group of women who supported Jesus' ministry and helped in the work of spreading the gospel. These ordinary people did extraordinary feats. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 16, 2023 Daily Devotion: "A Perfect Heart" Genesis 1:31 New International Version 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. God had written every day of our lives in His book before even one of them existed (Psalm 139:16). This means that He not only saw the good we would do, but He also saw every sin and mistake we would commit and every flaw and weakness we would have and He When God created you, He still accepts and loves us. Agree with created something good. God right now and accept yourself. Self-rejection does not help you change; it actually multiplies your misery. Accepting yourself where you are and asking God to make you what He wants you to be is the way He wants you to approach your relationship with Him. God told Jeremiah that before He formed him in the womb, He knew and approved of him as His “chosen instrument” (Jeremiah 1:5 AMPC). Surely, Jeremiah made mistakes and was far from perfect, but God saw his heart. A perfect heart in someone who makes mistakes is more important to God than a good performance that comes from an impure heart. All God wants is for us to love Him and admit our sins, and He is quick to forgive us and remember our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 15, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God's Voice" Isaiah 30:21 New International Version 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” How do we hear God's voice? It is not usually an audible voice, but a still, small voice in our spirit that causes us to know what to do. Elijah made many attempts to hear from God in a time of turmoil in his life, but not until he got still and waited on God Did he hear that beautiful “still, small voice” giving him direction. The NIV says that he heard a “gentle whisper.” Regardless of how it's translated, it was not a loud, booming, boisterous voice. It was quiet, and Elijah had to be still and quiet in order to hear it. In order to be your unique self, it is important for you to know that you can be guided by God. He will put desires in your heart, and they may not make sense to anyone but' you. This is why you can't let other people tell you what to do with your life. It is your life, given to you as a gift from God. He has gifted you in a way that will allow you to fit into His perfect plan, but only if you follow Him and refuse to let the demands and pressures of other people control you. People who don't follow they're hearts are never happy. They Live frustrated, disappointing lives. Be courageous enough to be true to yourself, and the people who genuinely love you will stick with you even if you don't do what they think you should do. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 14, 2023 Daily Devotion: "He Will Bring It to Completion... " Isaiah 46:10 New International Version 10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ God knows His will for you, and if you agree and cooperate with Him, it will come to pass. God's purposes always stand. He has begun a good work in you, and He will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6). Through your personal fellowship with God and your study of His Word, you are continually growing spiritually and being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. In order to be your unique self, you must be willing to follow the guidance of our Lord Jesus Christ that you sense in your heart rather than always looking to other people to tell you what to do. People Are quick to give advice, but that doesn't mean that their advice is right for you. In some instances, taking advice is wise, but even then, we need to make sure it is wise and godly. God's Word tells us not to take counsel from the ungodly (Psalm 1:1). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 13, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Trust Requires Unanswered Questions... " Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord Directs his steps and makes them sure” (AMPC). We used to have a plan for everything and sometimes grew frustrated if every aspect of it didn't go accordingly. In other words, you wanted the Lord to do things your way! However, God is smarter than we are, and He Wants us to place our trust in His great plan for our lives. We often say that trust requires unanswered questions. In the moment, we may not always understand why, but as David Says to God in Psalm 31:15, “My times are in your hands.” Even Though we may not understand something that is taking place in our lives, we will later look back and discover that the Lord had our best interests in mind all along. We encourage you to continue trusting God even when things don't make sense. It's one sure way to enjoy your life and experience more peace than ever before. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 12, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Have Peace... " 1 Peter 3:11 New International Version 11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. 1 Peter 3:11 is one of my favorite scriptures: “Let him search for peace...and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]” (AMPC). Pursue is a strong word. It requires action. To pursue peace is to do whatever it takes to maintain peace in our lives. It means not always getting our way or having the last word in an argument. It requires us to trust God with the people in our lives instead of trying to force them to be what we want them to be. But it's all worth it because it brings peace, and peace is one of them most valuable qualities we can have. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 11, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Love Who God Has Made Us to Be" Matthew 22:39 New International Version And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Learning to accept and love ourselves is the pathway to authenticity, because if we reject ourselves and refuse God's love for us, we will not be free to be ourselves. Instead, we will live a life of pretense, choosing to do what we think will make us acceptable to others rather than what we honestly believe we should do. Even though our hearts scream no in certain situations, we will find our mouths saying yes to the things people want us to do. Let me ask you: Do you love yourself? To love yourself is to accept the unconditional love of God with your whole heart, to see yourself as He sees you, and to rejoice and be at peace with who He has created you to be. I am noticed talking about loving yourself in a selfish or self-centered way, but loving the unique you that God created you to be. This healthy self-love is not based on what you do right or wrong, but on who you are in Christ. Truly Believing that God loves you unconditionally is the foundation for relationship with Him, with yourself, and with others. No one will love everything they do, but we should all love who God has made us to be. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 10, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Same Faith and Obedience Will Bless Your Life Today" Luke 1:17 Mary said, "I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!” Mary, the mother of Jesus, is perhaps the best known of all the women of the Bible-people across the world know who she was and honor her. It was to Mary that God first Revealed His specific plan to “save his people from their sins" through her Son (Matthew 1:21). Mary was an ordinary young woman, engaged to a carpenter named Joseph, until one day, an angel suddenly appeared and said, “Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you" (Luke 1:28), changing her life forever. The angel told her that she had been chosen to carry Jesus, the Savior of the world. Mary could have asked a lot of questions-“What will Joseph think?” “What will happen to us?” If Mary was thinking these questions, she didn't say so. She never argued or said, “Let me think this over." She simply said yes to God's plan: "Let This happen to me as you said (Luke 1:38). She placed her reputation, her marriage, and her entire life at risk to be obedient to God-and trusted that His will was perfect. And because of her trust and obedience, salvation became available to all humanity. Mary's simple faith and readiness to do God's will bring the blessing of God into her life-and that same faith and obedience will bless your life today. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 09, 2023 Daily Devotion: "He Will Lifted You Out of the Pit of Destruction..." Psalm 23:4 (New King James Version) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. The word "depression" connotes a full range of meanings in our culture, from a quick, temporary feeling of hurt or disappointment, to a state of being physically and emotionally incapacitated by long-term feelings of intense sadness. There are also many ideas as to the sources of depression: lack of appropriate care as children; stress due to significant loss; negative thinking; repressed anger; and a number of biological causes, from injury to hormonal imbalances to nerve damage. Just as there are multiple sources of depression, so there are multiple ways to receive help: Physically, you may need- ·Rest. ·Exercise. ·Improved dietary habits. Emotionally, you may need- ·Friends. ·Avoidance of destructive personalities. ·Service opportunities. Spiritually, you may need- ·More time in· More time in prayer. ·A new understanding of how much God loves you. One of the most dramatic stories in the Old Testament was when the prophet Elijah became so distraught that he wanted to die (1 Kings 19:4). He felt he was the only person left who served God. He had obeyed God, but his life was still in danger (1 Kings 19:10). Always be mindful that just as God supernaturally helped Elijah (1 Kings 19:5-8), He is ready to help you. And also be mindful that God uses others to help His children. Know that the day is coming when you can sing with David: “He lifted me out of the pit of destruction, out of the sticky mud. He stood me on a rock and made my feet steady” (Psalm 40:2). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 08, 2023   Daily Devotion:  "Setting Appropriate Boundaries"   EPHESIANS 4:32  Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.  Just because you're an adult doesn't mean your parent or parents aren't still your parents! For some blessed individuals, the transition to an adult relationship with parents is smooth, with natural, easy communication and interaction. Most Adults, though, have at least some difficulty shifting from dependence to a more equal, though respectful, relationship. Some of the key issues to resolve include- ·Letting go of the past: One of the hardest realities of life is that our parents aren't perfect. Perhaps you came from a divorced home or one that lacked warmth and affection. As an adult, you must let go of the past with forgiveness and perspective(Philippians 3:13-14).  Dealing openly with current conflicts: Because of respect and familiarity, we sometimes struggle to effectively address problems with those we love most. It is possible to honor your parents and confront disagreements and hurts by “speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15).  Accepting your parents for who they are: Just as you may have felt resentment toward your parents for trying to “control"your life, so you must extend the same honor and respect for their opinions, attitudes, and actions that you have desired for yourself. St.Peter said,“Love will cover a multitude of sins” (1Peter 4:8 NKJV).  Setting appropriate boundaries: When God instituted marriage,He said, “So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one body”(Genesis 2:24).Whether or not you are married, God expects you to take responsibility to build your own life. Countless Marriages are damaged when priority is placed on parents over spouses. Again, this in no way implies a lack of respect or active honoring of your parents.  Staying close and expressing love: Even if you must take the lead and be the one to initiate affection, tell and show your parents how much you love them by giving them your time.Don't hold back hugs and “I love you so." Remember, when you are a peacemaker,God blesses you (Matthew 5:9)! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 07, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Focusing" Colossians 4:2 Continue praying, keeping alert, and always Thanking God. One of the lost arts of civility and friendship is the hand-written note. It seemingly takes forever to write out a note of gratitude in a technologically advanced world where we can tap out a few letters-not necessarily spelled correctly on our cell phone or laptop and send an instant message to our friends and family. But the real tragedy is when we lose our sense of gratitude for others and for God. What happens when vibrant, active, kind, fun, different-making individuals lose the wonder of gratitude? Almost Overnight you see a change of expression and feel the shrinking of the soul. What is the cure for anger, bitterness, resentment, jealousy, low self-esteem, a quarreling spirit, and other modern maladies? Simple. Express thanks! Instead of buying into the advertising of a consumer culture, we need to begin focusing Continue praying, keeping alert, and always Thanking God. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 06, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Gift of Listening Ear" Philippians 2:3 When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves. We are admonished throughout all of Scripture to watch our words: We are to offer God praise and thanksgiving (Psalm100:4); we are to treat the name of God with utmost respect (Exodus 20:7); we are to be gentle in the face of anger (Proverbs15:1); we are to build others up (Ephesians 4:29); we are to avoid profanity and coarse language (Ephesians 5:4); and we are to tell the truth (Exodus 20:16 and 23:1). James says that our words are like the rudder on a ship or a spark that starts fire-they can do great works or cause great damage (3:2-8)! One other crucial way we are to watch our words is by simply remaining silent and listening to others: “My dear friends, you should be quick to listen and slow to speak or to get angry” (James 1:19 NKJV). If you stop to think about it, listening is actually one of the most powerful expressions of love. Because listening says to a person: You are important to me; your ideas and feelings matter to me; share your life with me. We live in a fast pace now, busy, and noisy culture. The TV And radio and other forms of entertainment bombard us from morning to night. Media superstars are referred to as “talking heads." No wonder so many of us feel unheard and underappreciated. Maybe there's no one there to listen to you right, but you could be there to listen to someone else. In Philippians 2:4, Paul says to us: “Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others. ”The ratio of how much we listen to how much we talk is a pretty good barometer of how much we really look to the interests of others. Does this mean that you are to be doomed to a life of never sharing what's on your heart and mind? Absolutely not! For in the same way that when we give, we receive back so much more; when we give the gift of a listening ear, others reach out in their hearts to know us better. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 05, 2023 Daily Devotion: "A New Steps of Confidence" Matthew 14:29 Jesus said, "Come" And Peter left the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. Nothing can rob you of joy, confidence, optimism, and opportunities more quickly than a spirit of fear. Behavioral scientists have long debated whether the first emotion a baby experiences is love or fear. Because of the “startle reflex,” many researchers believe it is the latter. When faced with danger, the two foundational responses that appear to be “hard-wired” into the human psyche are fight or flight. So are you a fight or a flight person? There are many sources of fear. Some are unreasonable (to everyone else but the persons experiencing them!), and are considered unhealthy phobias. But whatever the source a sense of the unknown, the future, physical danger, spiritual warfare, financial crises, or reputation issues-fear is real and must be faced honestly. One of the greatest promises of God is that we don't have to face our fears alone. He is always with us; never will He forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). In fact, when we truly Experience His love, fear is cast away (1 John 4:18). Why? Love is what must be present for trust to flourish. So remember, if you fear- the past, God makes all things new (2 Corinthians 5:17); ·the future, God has promised you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11); ·enemies, God will protect and keep you (Deuteronomy 31:6); ·financial problems, God will provide for your every need (Philippians 4:19); death and dying, God has conquered the power of death and promises eternal life (Romans 8:1-2). Are you ready to walk boldly, with a new sense of confidence today? Take a few steps, even if they're baby steps, toward God and let Him handle all the anxieties that trouble you. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 04, 2023 Daily Devotion: "What Really Matters... " Matthew 6:33 The thing you should want most is God's kingdom and doing what God wants. Then all these other things you need will be given to you. There are a number of steps that go into simplifying life but you must always begin by believing that you can live more richly having less-and then making a commitment to that belief. Then, you must determine what is really important to you and make a list of your values. Next you need to honestly assess where your time and money go in light of those values. And finally, you must be persistent in creating a healthier lifestyle. A word of caution is that we are not all called to simplify in any set way. That frees us from judging others and feeling guilty that we aren't more like others. What really matters for all of us is that simplicity ultimately is a spiritual issue-a matter of the soul. The key question is whether we have allowed activities, possessions, status, hobbies, entertainment, careers, and other pursuits to come before our love for God-and our relationships with others. John the Baptist made a powerful statement when pointing to Jesus Christ as the long-awaited Messiah: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Is Jesus increasing in your life? Is the pull and allure of other things decreasing? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 03, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Nothing Else Comes First" Luke 10:40 But Martha was busy with all the work to be done. She went in and said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work? Tell her to help me.” Have you ever found yourself in a situation of being so responsible, so dutiful, so correct in your religious practice that you lost your joy of knowing God? In the famous parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32), A Young man rejects his father's teachings and authority, demands his inheritance, and heads for a distant land where he squanders his financial and moral wealth. The loving father never gives up on this prodigal, and when his young son does come to his senses and ashamedly returns home, he welcomes him with open arms. He honors him with a feast, a party, a special cloak, and a golden ring. The older brother, who has faithfully stood by his father's side this whole time, is enraged that the prodigal should receive such a welcome. The father sadly reminds this older son that you don't have to work in a pig sty like his younger brother did to have a piggy attitude. Both sons learn about forgiveness and reconciliation from the love of their father. In our study passage, we discover that Martha, much like the older brother, holds deep resentment toward a younger sibling. No, Mary is not immoral and rebellious, but she certainly doesn't have Martha's sense of responsibility. She leaves the dishes and chores to her sister so that she can sit at Jesus' feet. Wouldn't you feel a little resentful, too? Jesus' answer to Martha's demand that He tell Mary to get busy is: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. Only one thing is important. Mary has chosen they better thing, and it will never be taken away from her"(vv.41-42). Is Jesus' point that we not care for the maintenance of our homes and families? Of course not. But He does remind us that the heart of our faith, our reason for living, is to love and worship God. Nothing else comes first! And the details of life those areas in which perfection is elusive even to a Superwoman- are all secondary to our relationship with God. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 02, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Perspective with Kindness" Zechariah 7:9 This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: "Do what is right and true. Be kind and merciful to each other." Some religious leaders challenged Jesus with a question about who we should consider as a neighbor. In other words, who was acceptable and who was unacceptable in their highly segregated society? Jesus gave them an answer, but not to the question they asked. Instead of telling them who their neighbor is, He told them what a good neighbor looks like through the powerful story of the Good Samaritan. Note, many Jewish leaders of Jesus' day would have nothing to do with Samaritans, so you can imagine how mad they were that Jesus made a Samaritan the hero of the story-and the model for kindness. In taking care of a fellow traveler who had been beaten and robbed, the Samaritan teaches us that- Kindness can be costly- “The next day, the Samaritan brought out two coins, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of this man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay it back to you when I come again'" (Luke 10:35). No question, kindness requires effort and sometimes even sacrifice on our part. Kindness can be risky-"Evil people will not learn to do good even if you show them kindness" (Isaiah 26:10). Just as the Samaritan man risked being mugged himself by slowing down to help, at times our kindness will take advantage of. Kindness turns enemies into friends- “The Samaritan Went to him, poured olive oil and wine on his wounds, and bandaged them. Then he put the hurt man on his own donkey and took him to an inn where he cared for him” (Luke 10:34). If this Jew and Samaritan could be united through kindness, what might happen to your relationships as you become a good neighbor? Kindness saves people's lives- “A smiling king can give people life; his kindness is like a spring shower" (Proverbs16:15). There are teenage girls, divorcees, senior citizens who have all but given up on a good God because of how they've been treated. You can change their perspective with kindness. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

February 01, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Live each Day Gracefully" 1 Timothy 6:17 God richly gives us everything to enjoy. Walk into any bookstore, pick up any popular cultural magazine off a news rack, and you will quickly be reminded of how significant an issue aging is to millions of people. Questions abound: Am I making enough money to secure a comfortable future? What will do after I retire? Am I in the right career now? How are my kids doing? What kind of world awaits them? How am I doing health-wise? WilI be active and strong after retirement? How do I keep my mind sharp and alert? Improved healthcare, diet, and other medical and socio-logical factors mean that people today live much longer than at any other moment in history-at least since the early Old Testament record of pre-Flood characters like Methuselah! Questions of aging aren't just asked by the “old”- and “old” is a very hard concept to define-and not just regarding matters of health and money. Though we appear to be aging, more slowly, millions of young adults are already concerned with age issues in regard to attractiveness, career status, and other issues. The good news is that God has given us everything we need to enjoy life now. Yes, we should plan for and look to the future. The Apostle Paul describes with great emotion how they earns to be present with Jesus in Heaven (See 2 Corinthians5:1-10), but the real secret of aging with grace is how you live today. If you want to increase your chances of being healthy at age eighty, take care of your body with reasonable exercise and diet today. If you want your mind to be sharp and quick in twenty years, read, think, and discuss matters today. If you want to be stronger spiritually in the future and leave a lasting legacy through the people you have touched with grace, then pray and minister today. Ultimately, the question of how to age gracefully is no different than the question of how to live each day gracefully. Seize the day and enjoy it and live it fully. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 31, 2023 Daily Devotion: “Conference of Doing Well" 1 Thessalonians 2:7 But we were very gentle with you, like a mother caring for her little children. Some relationships come so easily and are so healthy and affirming, while with others, we struggle to connect. Maybe we aren't in a state of open hostility, but affection and love are hard to give or receive. What causes difficult relationships? The list is endless and can relate to both you and others. Different points of view. Competition. Self-centeredness. Bad first impressions. Inability to communicate effectively. Paul, who most scholars believe was single and never had in-laws, still knew something about challenging relationships. He writes to the church in Thessalonica as if they were his own children. He describes his ministry to them in intimate and highly relational language. His concern was that they be strong in their newfound faith and he didn't want any form of relationship conflict to undermine his teaching. He well understands the saying: People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. So Paul’s approach to them was as gentle as a mother for her child (v. 7). His motives were pure and he never tried to manipulate them (v.3). His goal was not to be praised button please God (v.6). He wasn't a burden to them (v. 6), but loved and delighted in them (v. 7). As a great father deals with Aisha children, Paul encouraged, comforted, and challenged them to live worthy of God's call on them (w.11-12). And, not surprisingly, the people of Thessalonica responded very favorably to Paul's ministry (v.13). How wonderful when someone treats us in this way. A teacher. A boss or work colleague. A friend. A parent. An in-law. It's hard to resist such an overflow of love. Sometimes the people we most desire love and Approval from don't express love like Paul did. Instead, they undermine or keep us at a distance. It is then that we, like Paul, must choose first and foremost to please God. Then, whether or not our efforts succeed, we can experience the peace and confidence of doing all we can. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 30, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God's Mercy" Psalm 91:1-2 God, be merciful to me because you are loving. Because You are always ready to be merciful, wipe out all my wrongs. Wash away all my guilt and make me clean again. Even the great heroes of the Bible had serious character flaws and were in need of God's mercy. Jacob, the son of Isaac and one of the fathers of our faith, tricked his twin brother and even his beloved father, in order to "steal" the family birthright (Genesis 25-27). Moses, who led the Hebrew slaves from the Pharaoh's Oppression in Egypt, murdered a man and lived as a fugitive for forty years (Exodus 2-3). David, perhaps the most beloved and popular of Israel's Kings throughout history, performed many acts of courage, faith, and mercy-slaying the giant, Goliath, and sparing King Saul, a sworn enemy to him, to name just two-but also had a litany of sins and shortcomings strewn along his past. His greatest crime was what he did to Uriah the Hittite, one of his bravest and most loyal soldiers. David coveted and then "took" Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, to be his own. To make his evil act even worse, he had Uriah killed to try and cover up what he had done. (See 2 Samuel 11-12 for the whole story.) Throughout the Psalms, and especially in Psalm 51, David Cries for God's mercy. He knows that being the king doesn't get him off the hook. He knows that no act of contrition can undo his evil deeds. Only God's mercy can enter a darkened heart and make it pure again. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 29, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God Is On the Way Right Now" Genesis 50:20 You meant to hurt me, but God turned your evil into good to save the lives of many people, which is being done. God promised to make Abraham the father of a great nation, with descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5). Despite his great faith, can you blame him for questioning when this was going to happen when he was still fatherless at age 75 (Genesis 12:4)? Samuel anointed David as king of Israel in response to Saul's spirit of disobedience (1 Samuel 16:1). The problem is David was hunted like a fugitive and animal for the next seven years (1 Samuel 19:9). No wonder he cried to God, “Why have you forgotten me? Why am I sad and troubled by my enemies?” (Psalm 42:9). Moses led the Hebrew slaves from captivity and into the Promised Land-over the course of forty years (Exodus 16:35). Jesus spent the first thirty years of His life as a child, son, student, brother, and carpenter before the right moment came for Him to begin His ministry (Luke 3:23). Why doesn't God just bring about His plans in our lives right now? Could it be that one of the most important Ways God forms us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ is through allowing us to express our faith in Him through waiting? In the Proverb, Solomon points out the natural truism that "It Is sad not to get what you hoped for. But wishes that come true are like eating fruit from the tree of life"(13:12). But Paul's testimony that “The sufferings we have now are nothing compared to the great glory that will be shown to us"(Romans 8:18) is a powerful reminder that God may not be early but He's always right on time with just what we need. Is your soul weary with worry? Are you frustrated waiting to know what God wants to do in your life? Hold on. God is on the way right now. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 28, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Self Improvement" Philippians 1:6 God began doing good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ Comes again. What's wrong with accepting myself as I am? Why do we put so much emphasis on being better and "the best" in our society? Is that any way to live? No question, we can love ourselves for who we are because God does. And no, we don't have to join a “rat race” of competing with others to have the nicest house and most possessions. We need not push our kids into every activity to ensure that they are the smartest and most athletic. No, we cannot prove to God that we are worthy of salvation. Yes, we can relax and savor what we have and enjoy who we are. But we must also be mindful that “from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded” (Luke 12:48). In speaking of our salvation, Paul says: “You did not save yourself; it was a gift from God. It was not the result of your own efforts, so you cannot brag about it. God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us do good works, which God Planned in advance for us to live our lives doing" (Ephesians 2:8-10). Notice that God has prepared works for each of us to accomplish. He has given each of us talents and gifts that we are to expand and invest into others: Paul compares the church to a body, each part having a different function that ultimately serves the whole (See Romans 12:5-8). Consider a couple of challenges and reminders in the area of self-improvement- We don't tend to stay in the same spot-we either move forward or backward. Big dreams and tasks begin with small steps-what can you do today? We aren't supposed to be someone else-growth with the dreams and aspirations, God has placed in your own heart. Work is part of the cycle of life--which also includes rest, play, and worship. Wanting to grow is not selfish-it is the way God created us. We grow to make ourselves better-and to better serve God. Discipline is a tremendous source of freedom-from doubt, fear, and lethargy. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 27, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Spirit of Love" Ephesians 5:21 Yield to obey each other because you respect Christ. One of the most hotly debated Bible verses in modern history is where Paul instructs wives to "submit to your husband's as to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:22 NKJV). However, all you have to do is look back at one verse and any argument That Paul was unfair to women and must somehow be reinterpreted becomes moot. There Paul instructs husbands and wives to "submit to one another." Later in the chapter, Paul command husband to love their wives as Christ loved the church, which means they must be ready to pay the ultimate sacrifice (Ephesians 5:25). In the traditional wedding vows, both husband and wife promise to the other that they will love, honor, comfort, keep in sickness and health, forsake all others, and be true as long as both are alive. Despite such clear, simple biblical admonitions and marital vows, too many marriages are not characterized by love, honor, comfort, keeping, and forsaking. In too many marriages, not nearly enough mutual submission takes place. Paul says: “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others" (Philippians 2:4 NKJV). It's fair to say that the source of most marital strife is when one or the other spouse is primarily looking out for his or her interests. The key to building your marriage and loving your husband, then, is very simple-but can be oh so hard. You must look first to his interests. Wait a minute. That's not fair. And what if he doesn't reciprocate? Fairness and reciprocity are important. But true love is not always fair and not always returned in kind. And what God Wants you to do is to love and honor your husband-and trust your husband's response into His hands. Does that mean I have to be a doormat? God does not want you to cast aside your personality, thoughts, perspectives, and life. Remember, His ideal is mutuality. So He does want you-just as He wants your husband-to be the first to love, honor, forgive, and be faithful if that's what is required. In the mysterious ways that God works and changes lives, nothing will bless you, your children, your friends, and yes, your husband, more than a spirit of love. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 26, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Fully and Freely" Ephesians 1:7-8 In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God's grace, which he has given to us so fully and freely. Why do we find it so hard to share our true self with others? One of the great fears of the human race is that if someone were to truly know us-really get to know us at the core being-then there is no possible way that they could love and respect us. The amazing truth of our Bible study verses is that God, who knows us best, also loves us the very most. The verbs found in Ephesians 1 wonderfully describe God's love for us and are powerful expressions of the intensity of His feelings for us: He chooses us; He lavishes grace on us; He knows us-even before we were born-to be His children. We also read in this chapter that He redeems us and forgives our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. What makes this love even more remarkable is that God doesn't meet our needs in a begrudging manner-I created them, I guess / have to save them-but "according to His good pleasure"(v. 9 NKJV). It pleases God to love us. Just as a parent glories in her child, so God glories in us (v. 12). But how well does God really know me? Does He really understand how bad and ugly my attitudes and actions have been? Be assured, God knows everything-and He lavishes on you with full wisdom and understanding (If the two great needs of being human are to love and be loved, then you are doubly blessed because of God's love for you. That gives you all the reasons and resources you need to love others-and yourself. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 25, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Use Our Time and Resources Wisely" Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak. Even children become tired and need to rest, and young people trip and fall. But the people who trust the Lord will become strong again. They Will rise up as an eagle in the sky; they will run and not need rest; they will walk and not become tired. If you ever struggle with the discouragement that comes from fatigue, you are in good company- Moses, one of the greatest leaders in the history of humankind, became so exasperated from the grumblings of the Israelites That he lashed out in anger, bringing God's judgment on him (see Numbers 20:2-13). The prophet Elijah was so tired from standing alone for God Against false prophets that he withdrew from the world and said that he preferred death over life (see 1 Kings 19:3-9)! David, while waiting to assume the throne promised to him by God, felt so beset by his enemies that he wrote Numerous Psalms of lament and sorrow (see Psalms 59, 69, and 72). Even Jesus, Son of God (but fully man), was so discouraged and weary in the Garden of Gethsemane, that He longed to have His Friends beside Him in this moment of acute need (see Mark 14:32-42). None of us are immune from the effects of fatigue on our body, mind, and spirit. No wonder it is so important that we continually seek and create ways to balance work, rest, play, and worship if we are to be at our very best. In addition to using our time and resources more wisely, we must turn to the Giver of life, God himself, who will bring renewal to even the weariest spirit. All that's required is trust: trust that God loves you and will minister to your spirit. That's What God did for Moses, David, Elijah, and other heroes of faith and that's what He will do for you. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 23, 2023 Daily Devotion: "In Good Times or in Crisis" Colossians 3:12-13 God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So always do these things: Show mercy to others, be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. Get along with each other, and forgive each other. If Someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord Forgave you. If you are experiencing conflict in your home, don't despair-you are part of a long and proud lineage of family feuds. Jacob, one of the great fathers of our faith from the Old Testament, had twelve sons. As was the custom of the day, the sons were born of two mothers. Not surprisingly, there was sibling rivalry based on which mother the son was born to, but even more because Jacob clearly favored one of his wives-and especially one of his sons, Joseph. He was resented for his coat of many colors-a singular gift from his dad. He was hated for his dreams, including the one he told to his brothers, predicting that they-and his parents-would bow before him. Not even doting Jacob was crazy about that one. When the conflict boiled over, Joseph's ten older brothers sold him into slavery and told their father Joseph was dead. While in Egypt, Joseph worked his way up to head of a household, was falsely accused and sent to prison, was forgotten in a dungeon of despair for seven years, and finally ended up as the Pharaoh's most powerful and trusted advisor. Oh, and he also forgave his brothers and saved his own people and that entire region of the world from a great famine. Not every family meltdown has a storybook ending-it seems impossible when we are in the midst of a crisis. Children rebel and make terrible, self-defeating choices. Sibling rivalry hits epic proportions and tums a home into a battleground. Spouses lose touch. Busy schedules outweigh family bonds. In Colossians 3:12, Paul says: “Show mercy to others, be kind, humble, gentle, and patient." Maybe you are experiencing conflicts and problems that go beyond civility and preventative medicine right now. Draw comfort from Paul's instructions to “not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). And whether in good times or moments of crisis, our greatest step of faith will be to entrust our children to God. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 22, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Your Body and Mind” 1 Corinthians 6:20 Because you were bought by God for a price. So honor God with your bodies. Read the bestsellers list for books any day, any week, any year, and you will always find multiple health, fitness, and diet books there. Cosmetics and beauty aids have always been a huge and profitable industry, but now much more invasive cosmetic surgery treatments are growing and multiplying yearly. When considering physical fitness as one way to care for your soul, we are not subjecting you to a new assault of unreal and unhealthy expectations of beauty and fitness. Paul's simple admonition is: “Training your body helps you in some ways, but serving God helps you in every way by bringing you blessings in this life and in the future life, too"(1 Timothy 4:8). That suggests that all of us receive benefit from the physical care of our bodies. Benefits of good physical health include More strength and energy to invest in relationships. Increased self-control, which is an important part of Our Christian walk. Sharper mental acumen due to the release of endorphins in your brain. ·Better emotional health. ·Increased self-esteem, which is fed through accomplishing goals. But I'm so busy already, I don't have time to exercise. Add thirty minutes to an hour of exercise to your life three or four times a week and discover you have more time. But I don't have the energy to exercise. I'm tired. You might be tired by lack of exercise. Physical energy is not a finite quantity, but a renewable resource. Exercise renews it. But I've tried to lose weight before and it didn't work. This Soul matter isn't about losing weight. It's about improving fitness. Don't worry about your weight. But how will this help me grow closer to God? Nothing is more important than your relationship with God. Why not listen to Christian music and pray as you walk, run, lift, stretch, bike, or jump rope? May your soul grow as you start today to take care of your body and mind! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 21, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Daily Trusting in God" Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust the Lord with all your heart, and don't depend on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do, and he will give you success. We rightfully teach our children-and attempt to live our own lives-by the credos of responsibility, self-control, and mature self-reliance. And yes, being responsible is a very good thing. But when our attitude reaches the point where we trust more in our selves than in God, twin temptations, both that lead to spiritual shipwreck, suddenly confront us. One temptation is pride, an unhealthy arrogance that slips (or roars) into our thinking when things are going great in our lives. We become convinced that we are in control of our own world. The second temptation, despair, works itself into our hearts when we face the inevitable difficulties and setbacks of life that are outside of our control-illness, a difficult relationship, an economic downturn. Daily trusting in God-acknowledging that He is the one source of all good gifts and success and the only safe refuge when life is difficult-steers us from the twin dangers of pride and despair. James points out that trials test and prove our faith (James 10:1-3), but we don't have to wait for challenging moments to begin trusting God with our entire life. The good news is that with complete and total trust in Him, He directs our steps in the most fulfilling paths for our lives. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 20, 2023 Daily Devotion: "People Harvest Only What They Plant" Galatians 6:9 We must not become tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time if we do not give up. In the sixth chapter of Galatians, Paul sets out some of them most practical principles for expressing love for one another found anywhere in the Bible. But just because they are practical doesn't make them easy! First, he tells us that we should be redemptive people, helping restore those who have been caught in a sin (v.1). He Does caution you that as you reach out to help someone, be extra careful not to get trapped in sin yourself. Secondly, Paul challenges us to love others unconditionally, without judgment and comparisons (v.4). Competition Can be friendly and healthy, but when it consumes our relationships, the inevitable result is conflict. How many marital and sibling relationships have been torpedoed by a spirit of striving rather than a spirit of pulling together? Next, Paul urges us to help carry the "excessive weights "that others are forced to bear (v. 2). He does point out that each of us should carry our own “backpacks," so we aren't required to do everything for others (v.5). But when someone has burdens that are bigger than any one person should handle alone, we are to step in help. Most importantly, Paul reminds us not to give up on loving others (v. 9). Sure, some people are unbelievably difficult to love, but if we don't lose faith in God's power to authentically change their lives, our steadfast persistence may be the very thing that makes the difference between them finding God's forgiveness and peace or never receiving God's grace in their hearts. The result of how we relate to others is simple, according to Paul. He says, “People harvest only what they plant" (v.7). When we sow love into others, we will ultimately receive love in return. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 19, 2023 Daily Devotion: “Perfectionism" Romans 15:7 Christ accepted you, so you should accept each other, which will bring glory to God. When Paul wrote the letter to the church in Ephesus, he was very concerned that Christian believers understand their “exalted" new position through grace “blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (1:3 NKJV) -and then how that grace is to be lived out among our spiritual friends and family members. Beginning in chapter 4, he challenges these young people of faith to “live a life worthy” of God's grace and calling (4:1NKJV) by the way they treat each other. In verses 2 and 3 he spells this out: We love each other through humility, gentleness, patience, bearing one another in love, and by committing ourselves to unity. What a contrast to the critical and cynical age in which we live, where tearing others down is considered a fun sport. What a contrast to the messages that many of us have receive and accepted since early childhood that only the very best from ourselves and others is satisfactory. What a contrast to a slate of self-help titles at the bookstore that preach the necessity of perfect bodies, perfect relationships, and perfect kids. We too easily run after perfection and forget to love! Humility keeps us from the sin of arrogance and from looking down on others-both major relationship killers. Gentleness means we speak and act in ways that don't hurt others but that build others up. Patience demonstrates that we truly believe God can and is working in another person's life-even if we want more progress right now! Bearing one another means that we love someone even when he or she is difficult. Keeping unity means we are wise enough to know how much we really do need each other. Perfectionism can reflect a magnificent desire to think, speak, and act in the highest forms possible. Wonderful! As Long as we continue to honor others, ourselves, and God Through the qualities of humility, gentleness, patience, and unity! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 18,2023 Daily Devotion: "Like A Mother's Love" 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 But we were very gentle with you, like a mother caring for her little children. Because we loved you, we were happy to share not only God's Good News with you, but even our own lives. You had become so dear to us! When Paul wrote his letter to the Greek Church in Thessalonica, he could think of no greater way to describe his love for the people than to compare it to the love a mother has for her children. Not only was he gentle as their leader, but he loved them so much he poured his very life into them. What but Terrible description of a mother's love is there? All who birthed a child understand full well that there are challenges to being a parent. Children can be difficult and needy. No wonder Paul considers the greatest character trait of a Christian to be love, and goes on to describe it in terms and phrases like kindness, not self-serving, not easily angered, always protects, and always hopes (see 1 Corinthians 13). In some cases, children are difficult because they are needy and fragile. The good news is that God bestows special strength and comfort to those who comfort others like the mother who comforts her child. (See 2 Corinthians 1:2-5.) But at the end of the day, as you pour your life into your children, know that a special blessing from God awaits you. May you hear in your heart what was said of Jesus' mother: “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you” (Luke 11:27 NKJV). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 17, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Shine as Lights in The World" 1 Timothy 4:12 Do not let anyone treat you as if you are unimportant because you are young. Instead, be an example to the believers with your words, your actions, your love, your faith, and your pure life. Paul wrote two letters to his young protégé, Timothy, giving special attention to Timothy's integrity. He wanted him to exhibit a blameless, godly lifestyle of purity through his words and actions. Paul's biggest concern for this young pastor and the young church was expressed when he said: “But if l am delayed, l write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15 NKJV). As The Christian church grew and made headway in an immoral (or amoral) and permissive culture, there were a myriad of questions raised by new believers about ethics and truth. Though Paul recognized that there can be legitimate disagreements on matters of conscience, one non-negotiable was that followers of Jesus Christ should have the highest standard of honesty. Even in the church in Jerusalem, where it was expected that members came from a more honest and moral society, lying was a problem and was judged with severity. (See the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5.) We, too, live in a permissive society that does not always show high regard for telling the truth. We have the same opportunity as Timothy and the early Christian church to make a profound impact on others through our honesty. Paul Expressed this prayer for another first-century church: “that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God Without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world"(Philippians 2:15 NKJV). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 16, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Embrace and Love Yourself " Deuteronomy 7:7-8 The Lord did not care for you and chose you because there were many of you-you are the smallest nation of all. But the Lord chose you because he loved you, and he kept his promise to your ancestors. If Ever there was a person who had reasons to struggle with their self-image, it was the woman who met Jesus at the well as recorded in John 4. First of all, she was a Samaritan. In Jesus' day, the Jews despised all Samaritans as religious infidels and “halfbreeds." When Israel Was conquered by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. the youngest and most educated were taken into captivity. When their descendants returned to Jerusalem seventy years later, they expected to find a thriving center of worship and faith. Instead, many who had been left behind converted to other religions and married people from other countries. They were despised from that moment on. Second, she was a woman, which meant she had second-class status in her culture and was viewed as the "property" of her husband. Third, she had failed at love. Jesus asked her where her husband was. She admitted she wasn't married, but was living with a man. Jesus pointed out she had previously been married six times! Whether a serial widow or divorcee, she had probably given up on marital vows. Fourth, she was rejected by her peers. Jesus met her during the hottest time of the day with no one else around her. The women of Middle East villages gathered water at the well together during the coolest part of the day. But when Jesus entered her life, everything changed. He took the initiative and spoke to her first, uncommon for a man to do in that culture. In the same way, He reaches out to us long before we reach toward Him. He looked at her as a person on the basis of her potential-not her past or even her present circumstances. Most importantly, He offered her a living water that would satisfy the emptiness and longing of her soul, a drink of water that would provide renewal for her parched soul and life. Even if you feel as needy as a lonely Samaritan at a well today, be assured that Jesus provides you with all the reasons you need to love and embrace yourself. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 15, 2023 Daily Devotion: "God's Ultimate Concern with Your Life" 2 Corinthians 5:17 If Anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The Old things have gone; everything is made new! There are several forms of determinism prevalent in the fields of education and psychology today. One is a causal determinism, the belief that everything a person does is deter-mined by the shaping influences in their lives like parents and life experiences. Common expressions would include sayings like, “Once a person is five, their personality is shaped and you can't really change it.” A more popular kind of determinism says that we are primarily a psychological product of genetics, so our behavior and attitudes follow from the way we are “wired." Common Expressions of this would include: “I can't help it, it's just the way I was born"; or “a leopard can't change his spots”; or “the nut doesn't fall far from the tree.” Though nature and nurture have a huge impact on us as person, aren't you glad that there is a miraculous, powerful God who is able to change even the most stubborn, damaged, sinful heart? Paul goes so far as to say, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV). After A change of heart at the moment of conversion, God isn't finished with us, either. Paul says: “We all show the Lord's Glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). But you don't understand my upbringing. You don't understand mistakes I've made. You don't understand how hard it is for me to break certain negative patterns. With grace, with faith, with the help of godly friends, you can say along with Paul: “I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above"(Philippians 3:14). Because of His forgiving, life-changing power, God's ultimate concern with your life is not where you've been but where you are going. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 14, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Do I Have to Forget?" Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ. Forgiveness is one of the most profound, pervasive, and powerful teachings within the Bible-but also one of the most difficult! Are we required to forgive someone who abused us? An unfaithful spouse? A person who hurts our child? One who persistently takes advantage of us? The clear and simple message of Jesus is that we are to forgive anyone and always. In the Lord's Prayer, our model for prayer, Jesus teaches that it is only as we forgive others that forgiveness takes hold in our own life (Luke 6:37). He knows it will be difficult, but He reminds us that our love must extend even to our enemies (Matthew 5:44). But not everyone deserves to be forgiven! This is very true. In fact, none of us deserve to be forgiven. This is what makes Gods forgiveness of us so incredible and unexpected. As Paul season eloquently, "When we were unable to help ourselves, at the moment of our need, Christ died for us, although we were living against God. Very few people will die to save the life of someone else. Although perhaps for a good person someone might possibly die. But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:6-8). Does this mean that the sin against me doesn't really matter? God never requires or asks us to minimize the pain and trauma of sin. God doesn't want us to be in denial as to what happened to us. And even after we forgive someone, it doesn't mean that all the earthly penalty is absolved. If someone has committed a crime, the legal system will still do its work. Do I have to forget? Paul says that we aren't to remember and count someone's ways against them (1 Corinthians 13:5). That doesn't mean, however, we can just magically and instantly forget harsh and painful words or some other attack on us. But we do need to give even our memories to God and ask Him to bring healing over time. What If I can't forgive? Again, present your situation and sorrow to God and trust that He is working in your life right now, even if the feelings aren't there. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 13, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Lean On Me…" Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, making people happy and healthy. Did you know that friendship fights stress? An Author says about women, “We're more inclined to seek out friends and reach out to family. Social support brings down our blood pressure, signals our adrenal glands to stop pumping out corticosteroids, and voila! We feel less anxious, less overwrought, less over-whelmed. We may even live longer as a result of coping this way. Do you have enough friends in your life to stay healthy? Emotionally? Mentally? Spiritually? One of the most dramatic stories of friendship in the Bible is that of David and Jonathan. David, once King Saul's favorite, has become the target of the king's growing madness and wrath. Jonathan, torn between love for his father and his friend, ultimately obeys God and at great personal risk and cost, protects David on numerous occasions. David reciprocates that love by sparing Saul's life on two occasions-and blessing Jonathan's children and grandchildren. Sometimes friendship expresses more intense love than that we share with our family. But without exception, all of us need the support of someone we trust and whom we can share our joys, sorrows, challenges, and heart with. A true friend is someone to cry with as a comfort in times of trouble; someone to laugh with in order to rekindle joy; someone to pray with to lift our spirits.; someone to argue with as we challenge each other to grow and be our best; someone to share hearts with us so that we can know them and ourselves better; someone to forgive and be forgiven by as we learn about God's redemptive love for us; someone to grow old with as we become men and women of wisdom and grace together. In other words, friends are good for the soul. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 12, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Be a Good Cheer" PSALM 32:11 Good people, rejoice and be happy in the Lord. Sing all you who sent hearts are right. There are so many ways to experience God's joy in your life. How many ways are you celebrating right now? ·The Joy of God's presence. In Psalm 16:8-9, David exalts: “7keep the Lord before me always. Because he is close by my side, I will not be hurt. So I rejoice and am glad.” If God is beside you, no one can steal that joy. The Joy of salvation. Paul tells us: “And not only that, but now we are also very happy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we are now God's friends again" (Romans 5:11). Forgiveness of sins and peace with God are great reasons to be joyful. The joy of God's goodness. Isaiah 63:9 tells us of God's great redemptive work: “When they suffered, he suffered also. He sent his on angel to save them. Because of his love and kindness, he saved them. Since long ago he has picked them up and carried them." What a kind and good God-and what a great source of joy! The joy of God's Word. King David speaks of God's Word with awe, reverence, and joy: "I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart" (Psalm 40:8 NKJV). Do you set yourself up for joy each day by partaking of God's Word? The Joy of a clean heart. One of the most beautiful prayers ever uttered was David's immortal prayer for cleansing: “Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again. Do not send me away from you or take your Holy Spirit Away from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation. Keep Me strong by giving me a willing spirit" (Psalm 51:10-12). If You are not experiencing joy in your life, maybe you need to start by seeking God's forgiveness and cleansing. Joy in suffering. It doesn't seem possible to experience joy in the midst of sorrow, but Jesus reminded His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33 NKJV). Are you discouraged? Blue? Depressed? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 11, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Hear the Voice of Your Father" Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for All God's people. If you read through the four Gospels you can't help but notice how people and crowds were drawn to Jesus. If He Went up a hill to pray alone, the crowds would be gathered below awaiting His return (Luke 4:42). If He jumped into a boat to slip off to the other side of a lake, word of His movements would race Him to the other side (Matthew 14:13). He interacted non-stop with military officers, widows, children, the seriously ill, the demon-possessed, religious leaders, close friends, prophets, and sinners. At the beginning of His ministry at age thirty, despite having so much to do in such a short amount of time, Jesus pulled away from everyone to spend forty days in the wilderness to pray and fast. While alone, Jesus was tested three times by Satan, but each time answered the challenge with Scripture and a profound sense of His purpose in life (Matthew 4:1-11). Again, at the end of his earthly life, Jesus pulled away from the crowds to pray alone in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:35-36). It was there, with the agony of the cross just Before Him, that He reaffirmed His most earnest desire: “Not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42 NKJV). If Jesus Christ sought solitude and quiet, how much more important is it for us? We can come to the end of the day-or week or even month-and discover that we made no time at all to be alone with God. Television, radio, meetings, chores, and a cacophony of other “noises” crowd out prayer and silent reflection. You don't have to take a forty-day trip to the desert to create ways to spend quiet time alone with God. In fact, once you recognize what distracts you from hearing God's voice, it's just a matter of giving yourself some quiet time. Your soul will thrive as you pull away from the noise to hear the voice of Your Father. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 10, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Be a Witness..." Mark 12:31 Love your neighbor as you love yourself. The last recorded words of Jesus before His ascension into heaven were: “But when the Holy Spirit comes to you, you will receive power. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world” (Acts 1:8). One of the lessons Jesus wanted His disciples to hear was that they need to share their story of God's love to those closest to them (Jerusalem), those in their general vicinity (Samaria), and ultimately to the ends of the earth. There are a number of hindrances to sharing our faith: Some people have been “burned" by someone who attends church and are highly resistant to the gospel. Some of us feel embarrassed to talk about God, fearing others might think we are strange or be offended by our words. Some of us are not confident in our knowledge of the Bible and spiritual matters. There are a few dynamics of sharing your faith that might help you relax and be more effective: First, the job of the Holy Spirit To convict people of their need for God (Matthew 10:19-20). Second, God will guide us to people who are open and receptive and ready to hear about God's love. Paul was led to a City in Macedonia by a divine dream (Acts 16:9). An angel led Philip to an Ethiopian politician (Acts 8:26-27). He will lead you to people who are responsive to your story. Third, not all of us are called to be evangelists, but all of us are called to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). What does a witness do? Simple. She tells her story. You don't have to teach a Bible Lesson or understand theology to tell your story. You just have to know what God has done for you. Fourth, the Holy Spirit gives us special power when we share the Gospel with others. If You stumble and bumble a little bit, don't worry. The Holy Spirit is at work, too. Are you ready to share? Keep it simple. In the words of Peter, "Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have"(1 Peter 3:15). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 9, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Give Freely" Malachi 3:10 “Bring to the storehouse a full tenth of what you earn so there will be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord All-Powerful. "I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out all the blessings you need.” One of the true tests of our character is what we do with our money. Of course, God calls us to give a portion of our income to Him through ministry (Numbers 18:28) and to also give special sacrificial offerings to meet special needs as we feel directed in our hearts (Numbers 15:3). Paul does say that some people have a special gift of giving (Romans 12:8), but heal so points out that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7), and Jesus himself drew attention to the meager-but beautiful-gift of a poor widow as a true model of generosity all of us should follow (Matthew 12:43-44). When we are generous with our money above and beyond expectations, a number of healthy emotional and spiritual dynamics are fostered in our lives· We acknowledge that God owns everything and we have only been appointed as caretakers. The psalmist declares on Behalf of God: “Every animal of the forest is already mine. The cattle on a thousand hills are mine"(Psalm 50:10). ·We clutch less tightly to what we can generate and become more aware that all good gifts come from God. James tells us: “Every Perfect gift is from God."(James 1:17). We learn to trust and serve God with a pure heart. Jesus told his disciples: “You cannot serve both God and worldly riches"(Matthew 6:24). We receive the joy that comes from helping someone in need (Matthew 25:23). We become more confident and trusting, and begin to eliminate worry from now our lives (Philippians 4:5-7,17). We become better stewards in all areas of our finances; there is a strange paradox that the more we give the more we seem to have (Matthew 19:29). The most important gift that God wants you to offer Him is your very life (Romans 12:1-2). Then He can teach you the wonderful truth that whatever we grasp and hoard, dries up and suffocates. Whatever we give freely and generously, takes off and soars. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 08, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Perfect Plan" JEREMIAH 29:11 “I know what I am planning for you," says the Lord.“ I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future." Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet.” Imagine losing absolutely everything you hold dear-your family, home, country, church, and maybe even your faith. Jeremiah Anguished over what had happened to his people. King Nebuchadnezzar had conquered the Kingdom of Judah, destroying the walls of Jerusalem and the temple built by Solomon. The strongest and most educated were led as captives to serve the conquering king. They left behind all they loved, smoldering in ruins. This young man of God preached to the Hebrew exiles, who now lived in the foreign country of Babylon, along the banks of the Tigris River. Like Job who had lost a future and family; like Joseph and their Hebrew ancestors who were captives in Egypt, despair reigned in the lives of the Israelites-their hope was lost. How could they think of themselves as God's chosen people under such circumstances? In the midst of this hopelessness, this young prophet, Jeremiah, called to speak for God at an early age, dried his eyes and boldly proclaimed a new promise that God had a future filled with hope for these people. That promise did come true for the Hebrew children, and the promise still echoes and holds true today, no matter what the situation in which you find yourself. Do things look bleak in your life right now? Are you flooded with insecurity about the future? Just as God had a plan for His people thousands of years ago, He has a plan for you-all good, pleasing, and perfect plan. And He is trustworthty make that plan happen. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 07, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Servanthood" John 13:14-15 If l, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash each other's feet. I did this as an example so that you should do as I have done for you. One of the issues that most mattered to Jesus' disciples was who of them was the most favored and important to Him. In fact, two of the disciples, James and John, asked their mother to help them assume the seats of honor in Jesus' kingdom. Her Request to Jesus was: “Promise that one of my sons will sit at your right side and the other will sit at your left side in your kingdom” (Matthew 20:21). Jesus' response was that she didn't know what she was asking. She and her sons were interested in the trappings and benefits of power, but not the sacrifice. Otherwise, these sons of Zebedee could have been on Jesus' left and right when he prayed in the Garden (Matthew 26:40-46). Instead, they slept. They could have been on His left and right when He was arrested (Mark 14:50). Instead, they fled. They could have been on His left and right when He hung on a cross (Matthew 15:27, Luke 23:49, John 19:16-19, 26). Instead, they stayed in the crowd. When Jesus taught His disciples the true meaning of greatness, He taught with a towel and basin. He washed their feet-the duty of a house servant. Peter, still unable to comprehend the object lesson, initially refused to let Jesus lower himself in such a way. We live in a competitive and self-aggrandizing world. Examples of humility, kindness, helpfulness, and caring for others first-servant hood-are hard to find. Great is the reward, the sense of purpose, the self satisfaction of one who follows the Master's example. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 06, 2023 Daily Devotion: "The Secret to Happiness" Matthew 6:34 The Living Bible Translation So don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time. The secret of happiness is not to do what you like to do, but to learn to like what you have to do.” Too many think of happiness as some sort of will-o’-the-wisp thing that is discovered by constant and relentless searching. It is not found by seeking. It is not an end in itself. Pots of gold are never found at the end of the rainbow, as we used to think when we were children; gold is mined from the ground or panned laboriously from a mountain stream. Jesus once told His disciples, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” The “things” He spoke of were the things that make us feel happy and secure—food, drink, clothes, shelter. He told us not to make these the chief goal of our lives but to “seek the kingdom” and these needs would be automatically supplied. There, if we will take it, is the secret of happiness. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 05, 2023 Daily Devotion: "With All Our Heart" Romans 10:9 If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. The heart is the blood-pump of the body. It is also used metaphorically when we speak of affections and feelings. Since it is the central organ of the body and one of the most vital, the Bible speaks of it as the wellspring of life. Hence, it is used synonymously with “life.” When the Bible says, “Son, give me thine heart,” it doesn’t mean that we are to cut out our actual hearts and give them to God. It means that we are to give Him our lives, our all. When we come to Christ, we are not only to give intellectual assent with our minds, we are to “believe in our hearts.” We can believe in the historic Jesus, but if we have “saving faith” our belief must involve our whole being. When we believe with all our hearts, the will, the emotions, and the intellect are surrendered to Christ. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 04, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Food for the Soul" Psalm 119:9 (TLB) How can a young man stay pure? By reading your Word and following its rules. Many of the difficulties we experience as Christians can be traced to a lack of Bible study and reading. We should not be content to skim through a chapter merely to satisfy our conscience. Hide the Word of God in your heart! A little portion well digested is of greater value to the soul than a lengthy portion scanned hurriedly. Do not be discouraged because you cannot understand it all. Go on reading. As you read, the Holy Spirit will enlighten the passages for you. Reading the Bible has a purifying effect upon the heart and mind. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 03, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Whom Shall I Fear" Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Today many people are living in the bondage of fear. In a recent study a psychiatrist said that the greatest problem facing his patients was fear. Fear of going insane, committing suicide, being alone, or fear of heart disease, cancer, disaster, or death. We are becoming a nation of fearful people. Down through the centuries in times of trouble, temptation, trial, bereavement, and crisis, God has brought courage to the hearts of those who love Him. The Bible is crowded with assurances of God’s help and comfort in every kind of trouble which might cause fears to arise in the human heart. Today the Christian can come to the Scriptures with full assurance that God is going to deliver the person who puts his trust and confidence in God. Christians can look into the future with promise, hope, and joy, and without fear, discouragement, or despondency. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 02, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Through the Thick Cloud of Suffering ... " 1 Timothy 4:9,10 The Living Bible Translation We work hard and suffer much in order that people will believe it, for our hope is in the living God who died for all. Our life has its beginning in suffering. Life’s span is marked by pain and tragedy, and our lives terminate with the enemy called death. The person who expects to escape the pangs of suffering and disappointment simply has no knowledge of the Bible, of history, or of life. The master musician knows that suffering precedes glory and acclaim. He knows the hours, days, and months of grueling practice and self-sacrifice that precede the one hour of perfect rendition when his mastership is applauded. The student knows that years of study, privation, and self-renunciation precede the triumphant day of graduation and honors. Yes, there are clouds of suffering for each one of us, but God says, “I come to you in the thick dark cloud of suffering.” By faith you can see His blessed face in the storm. God has His plan and purpose in all suffering. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

January 01, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Pray and Believe" Mark 11:24 What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe . . . We are to pray in times of adversity, lest we become faithless and unbelieving. We are to pray in times of prosperity, lest we become boastful and proud. We are to pray in times of danger, lest we become fearful and doubting. We need to pray in times of security, lest we become self-sufficient. Sinners, pray to a merciful God for forgiveness. Christians, pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit upon a willful, evil, unrepentant world. Parents, pray that God may crown your home with grace and mercy. Children, pray for the salvation of your parents. Christians, saints of God, pray that the dew of heaven may fall on earth’s dry, thirsty ground, and that righteousness may cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 31, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Peace of Heart" Proverbs 28:14 The Living Bible Translation Blessed is the man who reveres God, but the man who doesn't care is headed for serious trouble.” All Christians believe in God, but many Christians have little time for God. They are too busy with everyday affairs to be taken up with Bible reading, prayer, and being thoughtful to their fellowmen. Many of them have lost the spirit of a zealous discipleship. If you ask them if they are Christians, they would probably answer, “I think so,” or, “I hope so.” They may go to church but otherwise they have little time for God. They have crowded God out of their lives. The Bible warns against neglect of your soul. It is possible to harden your heart and shrivel your soul, until you lose your appetite for the things of God. This hunger, then, that you should have is a desire to be always right with God. It is a consciousness that all searching for peace of heart, except in Him, is in vain. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 30, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Use Your Time Wisely” James 4:14 For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. Nothing takes God by surprise. Everything is moving according to a plan, and God wants you in that plan. The devil also has a plan for the world. God has a plan and the devil has a plan, and you will have to decide which plan you are going to fit into. Scripture says that God allows us 70 years and some beyond. The first 15 are spent in childhood and early adolescence. Twenty years are spent in bed, and in the last five, physical limitations start to curtail our activities. That gives us about 30 years in which to live as adults. We take time out for eating, and for figuring our taxes, and we are down to perhaps 15 years. Now suppose we spend seven of those years watching television. That cuts us down to seven or eight years. Our time is short! The time we can invest for God, in creative things, in reaching our fellowmen for Christ, is short! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 29, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Peace may Come" 1 John 5:14 If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. God has said, “If my people . . . pray . . . then will I hear from heaven.” Before three thousand people were brought into the Church on the day of Pentecost, the disciples had spent ten days in prayer, fasting, and spiritual travail. God desires that Christians be concerned and burdened for a lost world. If we pray this kind of prayer, an era of peace may come to the world and the hordes of wickedness may be turned back. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 28, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Escapism" 2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations . . . and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Thousands of people have made plans to escape from the realities of life. A new word has come into common usage the last few years. That word is “escapism.” The dictionary defines it as “a retreat from reality into an imaginary world.” The escape of imagination. Solomon spoke of the unregenerate heart as one which is inclined to excessive fantasy. The dream world Satan promotes always ends with disillusionment. Thousands of people live in an unreal dream world, while shirking their responsibilities toward their families and toward God. The Bible teaches that with Christ in your heart, you can face the realities of life. Even though they are hard, the grace of God will give you greater joy and pleasure than any dream world to which you try to escape. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 27, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Who and What God Really Is... " Psalm 119:18 The Living Bible Translation Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word. Some, who doubt that the Bible is the true Word of God, doubt it because they are unwilling to ascribe to God anything they cannot themselves achieve. If you have any uncertainty about the inspiration of the Bible, go back and look at it again. Look at it in the light of a person who has been staring at a mud puddle all his life, and who is confronted for the first time by a view of the ocean! Perhaps you are only now catching your first glimpse of God’s unlimited power. Perhaps you are only now beginning to understand Him for what He actually is. For if God is the Spirit There is no problem of providence, there is no problem of His sovereignty in the affairs of men, there is no problem of His inspiration of the men who wrote the Bible. Everything fits into place, once you understand who and what God really is. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 26, 2022 Daily Devotion: “His Plans Are Already Formed" Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man who trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. The Scriptures predict that a new day is coming. There will be a golden age of prosperity when all perplexing problems-religious, social, or political-will find their complete solution. It will be a marvelous time for this mixed-up world. However, the Bible teaches that man will not bring about this coming golden age. Man alone cannot. The flaw in human nature is too great. Man has no ability to repair this damaged planet. God is our only hope! His plans are already formed, and they are perfectly stated in the Scriptures. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 25, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Way to Deliverance" Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Man has always been beset by worry, and the pressures of modern life have aggravated the problem. To men of all time Jesus said, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow . . . but seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33-34). Many of you are filled with a thousand anxieties. Bring them to Jesus Christ by faith. He will bring peace to your soul and your mind. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 24, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Saving Faith” Romans 10:9 if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. The heart is the blood-pump of the body. It is also used metaphorically when we speak of affections and feelings. Since it is the central organ of the body and one of the most vital, the Bible speaks of it as the well spring of life. We can believe in that Jesus, but if we have “saving faith” our belief must involve our whole being. When we believe with all our hearts, the will, the emotions, and the intellect are If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 23, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The God of Breakthrough" Hebrews 13:20,21 The Living Bible Translation may the God of peace . . . produce in you through the power of Christ all that is pleasing to him . . . In the revelation that God established between Himself and us, we can find a new life and a new dimension of living, but we must “tune in.” There are higher levels of living to which we have never attained. There is peace, satisfaction, and joy that we have never experienced. God is trying to break through to us. The heavens are calling. God is speaking! Let man hear. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 22, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Christian Hour of Decision" Psalm 63:1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee . . . Nothing can take the place of a daily devotional life with Christ. Your quiet time, your prayer time, the time you spend in the Word, is absolutely essential for a happy Christian life. You cannot possibly be a happy, dynamic, and powerful Christian apart from a daily walk with Christ. Christ is calling Christians today to cleansing, to dedication, to consecration, and to full surrender. It will make the difference between success and failure in your spiritual life. It will make the difference between being helped and helping others. It will make a difference in your habits, in your prayer life, in your Bible reading, in your giving, in your testimony, and in your church membership. This is the Christian hour of decision! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 21, 2022 Daily Devotion: "With All Sincerity" Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Certain relationships in life require from the parties involved only moderate degrees of devotion. A certain degree of reserve and distance seems to be suitable in such relations as these. But there are other relationships in life where all this is changed when friendship becomes love. Two hearts give themselves to each other to be no longer two, but one. Instead of being separated, their interest and paths are now together. The reserve and the distance suitable to mere friendships is fatal in real love. Love gives all and must have all in return. The wishes of the other party become binding obligations; and the deepest desire of each heart is to know every secret wish and longing of the other, in order that it may do all in its power to gratify those desires. Is that the kind of love, affection, and obedience you have for Christ? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 20, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Manifestation" 1 John 3:21 The Living Bible Translation we can come to the Lord with perfect assurance and trust . . . The Bible teaches that faith will manifest itself in three ways. It will manifest itself in doctrine—in what you believe. It will manifest itself in worship—your communion with God and the fellowship of the church. It will manifest itself in morality—in the way you live and behave. . . . The Bible also teaches that faith does not end with trust in Christ for your salvation. Faith continues. Faith grows. It may be weak at first, but it will become stronger as you begin to read the Bible, pray, go to church, and experience God’s faithfulness in your Christian life. You will learn more and more how to rely on Christ for every need, in meeting every circumstance, and every trial. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 19, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Hope" Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope . . . One of the best ways to get rid of discouragement is to remember that Christ is coming again. The most thrilling, glorious truth in all the world is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. When we look around and see pessimism on every side, we should remember the Bible is the only Book in the world that predicts the future. The Bible is more modern than tomorrow morning’s newspaper. The Bible accurately foretells the future, and it says that the consummation of all things shall be the coming again of Jesus Christ to this earth. If your life is dismal, depressed, and gloomy today, Christ can turn those dark clouds inside out. The sunlight of His love can still shine into the darkest part of your life. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 18,2022 Daily Devotion: "New dimension, A New Direction, and A New Power in Life" Psalm 61:2 When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. When you become a Christian, it doesn’t mean that you will live on a perpetual “high.” The Psalmist David went down to the very depths, and so did the Apostle Paul. But in the midst of all circumstances God’s grace, peace, and joy are there. The tears will still come, the pressures will be felt, and so will the temptations. But there is a new dimension, a new direction, and a new power in life to face the circumstances in which you live. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 17, 2022 Daily Devotion: "God Has Equations and Rules in the Spiritual” Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust . . . The trouble with our modern thinking is that we have a conception that God is a haphazard God with no set rules of life and salvation. Ask the astronomer if God is a haphazard God. He will tell you that every star moves with precision in its celestial path. Ask the scientist if God is a haphazard God. He will tell you that His formulas and equations are fixed, and that to ignore the laws of science would be a fool’s folly. If the laws in the material realm are so fixed and exact, is it reasonable that God could afford to be haphazard in the spiritual realm, where eternal destinies of souls are at stake? Just as God has equations and rules in the material realm, God has equations and rules in the spiritual. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 16, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Binding Obligation" Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Certain relationships in life require from the parties involved only moderate degrees of devotion. A certain degree of reserve and distance seems to be suitable in such relations as these. But there are other relationships in life where all this is changed when friendship becomes love. Two hearts give themselves to each other to be no longer two, but one. Instead of being separated, their interest and paths are now together. The reserve and the distance suitable to mere friendships is fatal in real love. Love gives all and must have all in return. The wishes of the other party become binding obligations; and the deepest desire of each heart is to know every secret wish and longing of the other, in order that it may do all in its power to gratify those desires. Is that the kind of love, affection, and obedience you have? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 15, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Think Before We Speak..." James 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. The problems of the world could be solved overnight if men could get victory over their tongues. Suppose there was no anger, no profanity, no lying, no grumbling or complaining; suppose there were no dirty stories told, no unjust criticism—what a different world this would be! The Bible teaches that a man who can control his tongue can control his whole personality. We should ask ourselves three questions before we speak: Is it true? Is it kind? Does it glorify Christ? If we would always think before we speak, there would be much less evil speaking, and there would soon be a spiritual awakening that would sweep the church. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 14, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Invest Wisely... " Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time . . . We are stewards of our time. God has given each one of us a little “chunk of eternity” called time. These golden moments of opportunity are doled out to us for our benefit and for God’s glory. If we use them wisely, they are woven by God’s omnipotent hand into the fabric of eternity. You cannot kill time without injuring eternity. He who has no vision of eternity, has no hold on time.” “Only one life, will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last” is the sentiment of every man who desires to be a good steward of his time. We are entrusted with a small portion of the capital of time. If we invest it wisely, it will pay dividends throughout eternity. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 13, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Transform you from the inside out" John 11:40 Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? If you are a young man or young woman hooked on dissent or despair, ready to split, then lend me your attention. My answer concerns your dreams, and the element in your make-up called “faith.” All that God requires of anyone in taking his first step toward Him and toward total self-fulfillment is faith—faith in His Word, that teaches to believe that you were alienated from Him by sin, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you, that when you make a personal surrender to Him as Lord and Savior, He can transform you from the inside out. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 12, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Divine love, like a reflected sunbeam" 1 John 2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light… This age in which we live could hardly be described as conducive to a sensitiveness of the needs of others. We have developed a veneer of sophistication and hardness. Abraham Lincoln once said, characteristically, “I am sorry for the man who can’t feel the whip when it is laid on the other man’s back.” Much of the world is calloused and indifferent toward mankind’s poverty and distress. This is due largely to the fact that for many people there has never been a rebirth. The love of God has never been shed abroad in their hearts. Many people speak of the social gospel as though it were separate and apart from the redemptive Gospel. The truth is: there is only one Gospel. We must be redeemed, we must be made right with God before we can become sensitive to the needs of others. Divine love, like a reflected sunbeam, shines down before it radiates out. Unless our hearts are conditioned by the Holy Spirit to receive and reflect the warmth of God’s compassion, we cannot love our fellowmen as we ought. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 11, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Friend... " Proverbs 18:24 There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. How many lonely people there are today! God did not create man to live in miserable inner loneliness. In that first Eden, God Himself came down to keep the man He had made from being lonely. One of the most heartening things Jesus said to His disciples was, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). He came to restore fellowship between man and God, and to take away human loneliness. Jesus Christ will take away loneliness from your soul. He will be your companion and friend. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 10, 2022 Daily Devotion: "What Makes You Tick? " Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. Experts have told us that society is sick. Their solutions have treated human frailty with infusions of low-income housing, welfare payments, integrated education, and psychological conditioning. But we are learning that this is not the total answer. The world does need changing, society needs changing, the nation needs changing, but we never will change it until we ourselves are changed. And we never will change until we look into the mirror of our own soul and face with candor what we are inside. Then freely acknowledge that there is a defect in human nature, a built-in waywardness that comes from man’s natural rebellion against God. I am not preaching now, just trying to give you an understanding of what makes you tick. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 09, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Naked Truth" Psalm 51:6 The Living Bible Translation You deserve honesty from the heart; yes, utter sincerity and truthfulness. Oh, give me this wisdom. The Bible teaches that purity of conduct includes truthfulness. The Bible teaches that we should be truthful in our representation of ourselves. With what scorn Christ denounced the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees! In the Sermon on the Mount He rebuked all hypocritical giving, praying, and fasting. We should also be truthful in speaking of our past achievements in our particular vocation. God does not ask us to understate the facts—that might even be untruthfulness—but neither does He want us to overrate our achievements or our gifts, either in thought or in speech. A lie is anything contrary to the naked truth. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 08, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Unspeakable Gift" Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born . . . and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. To Christians the joy of Christmas is not limited to His birth. It is built even more on the triumph of His death and resurrection—that gave meaning to His birth. The mysterious spirit of generosity which possesses us at Christmas is the afterglow of Calvary. The fact of the cross illuminates this day and hallows it. As we exchange our gifts, let us remember that they are symbolic of the unspeakable gift of God’s love. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 07, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Sword of the Spirit" Proverbs 13:13 The Living Bible Translation Despise God's Word and find yourself in trouble. Obey it and succeed. As Christians, we have the Spirit of God in us. But ours is the responsibility to keep sin out of our lives so that the Spirit can produce His fruit in us. Become grounded in the Bible. As Christians, we have only one authority, one compass: the Word of God. Abraham Lincoln in a letter to a friend said, “I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this Book upon reason that you can, and the balance upon faith. You will live and die a better man.” Begin the day with the Book; and as the day comes to a close, let the Word speak its wisdom to your soul. Let it be the firm foundation upon which your hope is built. Let it be the Staff of Life upon which your spirit is nourished. Let it be the Sword of the Spirit which cuts away the evil of your life and fashions you in His image and likeness. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 06, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Code Book" Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Time is running out. The seconds are ticking away toward midnight. The human race is about to take the fatal plunge. Which way shall we turn? Is there any authority left? Is there a path we can follow? Can we find a code book that will give us the key to our dilemmas? Is there any source of authority to which we can turn? Have we just been placed here by some unknown creator or force without any clue as to where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going? The answer is “no.” We do have a code book. We do have a key. We do have authoritative source material. It is found in the ancient and historic Book we call the Bible. This Book has come down to us through the ages. It has passed through so many hands, appeared in so many forms-and survived attack of every kind. Neither barbaric vandalism nor civilized scholarship has touched it. Neither the burning of fire nor the laughter of skepticism has accomplished its annihilation. Through the many dark ages of man its glorious promises have survived unchanged.4 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 05, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Only One Who Conquered Death" Luke 24:6 He is not here, but is risen. Something distinguishes Christianity from all the religions of the world. Not only does it carry the truth of the redemption, by the death of our Savior for our sins on the cross, but it carries the fact that Christ rose again. Only the Christian faith claims that its Leader died and rose again and is alive at this moment. Many gravestones carry the inscription, “Here lies . . . ,” but on Christ’s tomb are emblazoned the words, “He is not here.” Christianity has no shrines to visit, no dusty remains to venerate, no tombs at which to worship. Many good men have lived, and still live, in the memory of those who knew them, but there is only one Man who conquered death—Jesus Christ—and He will live forever. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 04, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Pleasure That Runs Deep" Acts 13:52 The disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost. The Bible speaks of three kinds of pleasure. There is lustful pleasure, the lust of the flesh, and Scripture says it is sinful and wrong. There is legitimate pleasure, which is not wrong, but we are not to become so preoccupied with its activities that it takes the place of God. Then there is a third kind of pleasure, lasting pleasure. Do you have that kind? It does not depend on circumstances or feelings. It is the pleasure that runs deep and comes from the Spirit of God. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 03, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Everyday Process... " 1 Corinthians 3:1 The Living Bible Translation Dear brothers, I have been talking to you as though you were still just babies in the Christian life . . . Some people have received Christ but have never reached spiritual maturity. They have been in church all their lives, and yet they have never become mature Christians. They are still considered “spiritual children” and “babes in Christ.” They know little Scripture. They have little desire to pray, and bear few of the marks of a Christian in their daily living. To say, “I will resolve to do better, I will muster all my will power and revise my way of living,” is noble, but futile. A corpse could as well say, “I will-through sheer effort-rise out of this coffin and be a living man again.” You need a power outside yourself. You cannot get over the habits and chains that are binding you. You need outside help. You need Christ. The Bible tells of a bridge of faith which reaches from the valley of despair to the high hills of glorious hope in Christ. It tells where we are, but beyond that-it tells where we may be in Christ. Now, of course, you will not be completely mature until you are in the presence of Christ, but you should be growing every day as a Christian. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

December 02, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Total Surrender" John 11:40 Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? If you are a young man or young woman hooked on dissent or despair, ready to split, then lend me your attention. My answer concerns your dreams, and the element in your make-up called “faith.” All that God requires of anyone in taking his first step toward Him and toward total self-fulfillment is faith—faith in His Word, that you were alienated from Him by sin, that He died on the cross for you, that when you make a personal surrender to Him as Lord and Savior, He can transform you from the inside out. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 30, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Unity is the key to Victory" John 15:12 Love one another, as I have loved you. As I study the subject of “separation” in the Old and New Testaments, I discover that the weight of Scripture lies in the direction of fellowship rather than separation. What is the great overwhelming evidence that we have passed from death unto life? It is love! Jesus Christ clearly was speaking of visible unity; such as can be seen by the world. His motive for praying was that the world might believe and the world might know. He prayed for unity among believers. God, who wills man’s unity in Christ, is a God of variety. So often we want everyone to be the same—to think and speak and believe as we do. Many Scripture passages could be called to witness that love is the real key to Christian unity. In the spirit of true humility, compassion, consideration, and unselfishness, we are to approach our problems, our work, and even our differences. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 29, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Law" Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. When God gave the law, He knew that man was incapable of keeping it. Many persons are confused as to why God gave the law, if He knew man could not possibly keep it. The Bible teaches that the law was given as a mirror; I look into the law and see my spiritual condition. I see how far short I come, and this drives me to the cross of Christ for forgiveness. The Bible teaches that this is why Christ came—to redeem them that were under the law. Man could not keep the law; he was condemned by the law. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 28, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Living Soul" Psalm 33:20 Our soul waiteth for the Lord . . . I am a soul—and I have a body! The body is the house in which the soul lives. In this materialistic age we often forget that the real, the abiding part of us is invisible. Much time, money, and effort are expended to perpetuate the physical part of us, and too many are unconcerned about their spiritual health and nurture. Hence doctors’ offices are overcrowded. When God created man, He made him distinctive, different from the other animals. “He breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul.” He clothed him with intelligence, conscience, and a will. He made him like Himself—a companion, a friend of God. At the resurrection, this mortal shall put on immortality, and we shall be like Him, and be with Him forever. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 27, 2022 Daily Devotion: “The Internal Revenue Service” Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, who then is that faithful and wise steward . . . It is not wrong for men to possess riches. But the Bible warns that money cannot buy happiness! Money cannot buy true pleasure. Money cannot buy peace of heart. And money certainly cannot buy entrance into the Kingdom of God. Often money is a hindrance to these things. Money takes our minds off God. Riches, when used selfishly rather than for the glory of God, tend to corrupt in our hands. Money cannot be a substitute for God. If God has given you more wealth than your neighbors, dedicate it to Christ. Realize that you are only a steward of that which God has given you and some day you will have to give an account of every penny you have spent. The Internal Revenue Service wants a record of how you spend your money, but that is nothing compared to the books God is keeping. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 26, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Worship in Particular Place and in Particular Time” Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together . . . I will not argue with you about nature inspiring thoughts of God. David said, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork.” But at the same time, I would give you no comfort about absenting yourself from the house of God. The Bible says, “Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it.” If our Lord loved it enough to die for it, then we should respect it enough to support and attend it. I like what Theodore Roosevelt once said, “You may worship God anywhere, at any time, but the chances are that you will not do so unless you have first learned to worship Him somewhere in some particular place, at some particular time.” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 25, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Putting Less Confidence in Ourselves" Lamentations 3:40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Our modern philosophy of self-reliance and self-sufficiency has caused many to believe that we can make the grade without God. “Religion,” they argue, “may be all right for certain emotional people, but you can’t beat a man who believes in himself.” But this self-confident generation has produced more alcoholics, more dope addicts, more criminals, more wars, more broken homes, more assaults, more embezzlements, more murders, and more suicides than any other generation that ever lived. It is time for all of us to take stock of our failures, blunders, and costly mistakes. It is about time that we are putting less confidence in ourselves and more trust and faith in God. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 24, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Mourning to Joy" Psalm 34:18 The Living Bible Translation The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking; he rescues those who are humbly sorry for their sins. In God’s economy, you must go down into the valley of grief before you can scale the heights of spiritual glory. You must become tired and weary of living alone before you seek and find the fellowship of Christ. You must come to the end of self before you begin to live. The mourning of inadequacy is a weeping that catches the attention of God. The Bible says, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” The happiest day of my life was when I realized that my own ability, my own goodness, and my own morality was insufficient in the sight of God; and I publicly and openly acknowledged my need of Christ. I am not exaggerating when I say that my mourning was turned to joy, and my sighing into singing. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 23, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Stand Still" Psalm 52:8 The Living Bible Translation I am like a sheltered olive tree protected by the Lord himself. I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. Turn to your Bible and read the wonderful stories of men who were alone in godless surroundings but who, by the help and presence of the living God, made a marvelous contribution to their own times. Joseph was surrounded by sin and intrigue in Egypt. His master’s wife tried to seduce him. He was tested by imprisonment, but through it all he trusted in God and sought to know and do His will; and he stands today as a wonderful example of the keeping and strengthening power of God in the heart of a man who believed in Him. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 22, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Unity in Christ" John 15:12 Love one another, as I have loved you. As I study the subject of “separation” in the Old and New Testaments, I discover that the weight of Scripture lies in the direction of fellowship rather than separation. What is the great overwhelming evidence that we have passed from death unto life? It is love! Jesus Christ clearly was speaking of visible unity; such as can be seen by the world. His motive for praying was that the world might believe and the world might know. He prayed for unity among believers. God, who wills man’s unity in Christ, is a God of variety. So often we want everyone to be the same—to think and speak and believe as we do. Many Scripture passages could be called to witness that love is the real key to Christian unity. In the spirit of true humility, compassion, consideration, and unselfishness, we are to approach our problems, our work, and even our differences --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 21, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Fit for the Master’s Service” James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God . . . You have a tongue and a voice. These instruments of speech can be used destructively or employed constructively. You can use your tongue to slander, to gripe, to scold, to nag, and to quarrel; or you can bring it under the control of God’s Spirit and make it an instrument of blessing and praise. The 20th-century version of James 3:3 says, “When we put bits into the horses’ mouths to make them obey us, we control the rest of their bodies also.” Just so, when we submit to the claims of Christ upon our lives, our untamed natures are brought under His control. We become meek, tamed, and “fit for the Master’s service.” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 20, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Deformity Precedes Conformity" 2 Corinthians 12:9 Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. God is especially close to us when we are lying on a sickbed. God will make the bed soft and will freshen it with His presence and with His tender care. He makes the bed comfortable and wipes away our tears. He ministers to us with special tenderness at such a time and reveals His great love for us. Tell me why the gardener trims and prunes his rosebushes, sometimes cutting away productive branches, and I will tell you why God’s people are afflicted. God’s hand never slips. He never makes a mistake. His every move is for our own good and for our ultimate good. Oftentimes He must deform us and mutilate our own image. Deformity sometimes precedes conformity. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 19, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Invest for God... " James 4:14 For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. Nothing takes God by surprise. Everything is moving according to a plan, and God wants you in that plan. The devil also has a plan for the world. God has a plan and the devil has a plan, and you will have to decide which plan you are going to fit into. Scripture says that God allows us 70 years and some beyond. The first 15 are spent in childhood and early adolescence. Twenty years are spent in bed, and in the last five, physical limitations start to curtail our activities. That gives us about 30 years in which to live as adults. We take time out for eating, and for figuring our taxes, and we are down to perhaps 15 years. Now suppose we spend seven of those years watching television. That cuts us down to seven or eight years. Our time is short! The time we can invest for God, in creative things, in reaching our fellowmen for Christ, is short! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 18, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Keeping and Strengthening the Power Of God. " Psalm 52:8 The Living Bible Translation I am like a sheltered olive tree protected by the Lord himself. I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. Turn to your Bible and read the wonderful stories of men who were alone in godless surroundings but who, by the help and presence of the living God, made a marvelous contribution to their own times. Joseph was surrounded by sin and intrigue in Egypt. His master’s wife tried to seduce him. He was tested by imprisonment, but through it all he trusted in God and sought to know and do His will; and he stands today as a wonderful example of the keeping and strengthening power of God in the heart of a man who believed in Him. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 17, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Gifts from God" Psalm 85:12 Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. The great economic and material prosperity we are enjoying today is a gift of God’s hand. The Bible tells us that the very goodness of God should lead us to repentance. All of these material blessings are gifts from God, given in order that we might humble ourselves, fall upon our knees before Him, and call upon His name. We should thank God, too, for the spiritual blessings that are beyond the power of the human tongue to describe. We have the opportunity to share the Gospel. God has blessed us with a thousand and one spiritual blessings. In days of uncertainty and confusion, such as we are now passing through, these are gifts that go beyond our power to understand; and yet they are gifts of God that become ours when we receive Him. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 16, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The True Joy of a Christian Living ..." 2 Corinthians 9:7 God loveth a cheerful giver. The greatest blessing of giving is not on the financial side of the ledger but on the spiritual side. You receive a sense of being honest with God. You receive a consciousness that you are in partnership with God—that you are doing something constructive—that you are working with Him to reach the world for Jesus Christ. You are also enabled to hold on to this world’s goods loosely because the eternal values are always in view. How do you give? Is it liberally and cheerfully? Or is it sparingly and grudgingly? If you have been giving God the leftovers of your substance and your life, you have been missing the true joy and blessing of Christian giving and living. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 15, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Pray, Believe, Receive... " Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Prayer is a two-way conversation; it is our talking to God, and His talking to us. As a Christian, you have a heavenly Father who hears and answers prayer. Jesus said, “All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Every man or woman whose life has counted for the church and the Kingdom of God has been a person of prayer. You cannot afford to be too busy to pray. A prayer less Christian is a powerless Christian. Jesus Christ spent many hours in prayer. If He felt that He had to pray, how much more do we need to pray! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 14, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Deny and Follow..." Isaiah 26:3 The Living Bible Translation He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! You have an ego - a consciousness of being an individual. Of course, you do. But that doesn’t mean that you are to worship yourself, to think constantly of yourself, and to live entirely for yourself. Common sense tells you that your life would be miserable if you followed that course. God is infinitely more concerned about your happiness than you could possibly be. He says, “Deny yourself, and follow me.” There is many a person in the insane asylum today who thought excessively about himself, to the exclusion of God and others. Hypochondriacs who have a fanciful anxiety about their health will never be well, regardless of their physical condition. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 13, 2022 Daily Devotion: "His Purity Still Shows Up Our Impurities" Luke 23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him . . . One of the ironies of human nature is that it often has a way of rejecting the best and accepting the worst. Why did the crowd ask for the release of Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus? The answer is in the biblical statement, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Jesus is just as divine today and just as much alive. Yet millions today don’t accept Him. His goodness is still a rebuke to our badness; His purity still shows up our impurities; His sinlessness still reveals our sinfulness; and unless we allow Him to destroy the evil within us, the evil within us still wants to destroy Him. This is the conflict of the ages. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 12, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Fulfillment of His Plan... " Psalm 37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. To know the will of God is the highest of all wisdom. Living in the center of God’s will rules out all falseness of religion and puts the stamp of true sincerity upon our service to God. You can be miserable with much, if you are out of His will; but you can have peace in your heart with little, if you are in the will of God. You can be wretched with wealth and fame, out of His will; but you can have joy in obscurity, if you are in the will of God. You can have agony in good health, out of His will; but you can be happy in the midst of suffering, if you are in God’s will. You can be miserable and defeated in the midst of acclaim, if you are out of His will; but you can be calm and at peace in the midst of persecution, as long as you are in the will of God. The Bible reveals that God has a plan for every life, and that if we live in constant fellowship with Him, He will direct and lead us in the fulfillment of this plan. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 11, 2022 Daily Devotion: “The Mystery of the Gospel” Ephesians 6:19 “that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.” The word “mystery” means beyond human knowledge or understanding. God’s mysteries baffle the unbelieving, but bless the believer. The mystery of righteousness, like some of the other great mysteries of God, we cannot comprehend, but we know it works. We stand amazed at this great mystery which enables God to change the human heart, its attitudes, its desires, and its nature. God, a holy God, who loves righteousness and hates wickedness, through a process of redemption has refashioned us in the image of Himself. How marvelous! For generations He has been applying His righteousness to the hearts of men. Even in our time, with its complexities of living, God is in the business of changing men and women by the mystery of righteousness. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 10, 2022 Daily Devotion: “The Books God is Keeping” Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, who then is that faithful and wise steward . . . It is not wrong for men to possess riches. But the Bible warns that money cannot buy happiness! Money cannot buy true pleasure. Money cannot buy peace of heart. And money certainly cannot buy entrance into the Kingdom of God. Often money is a hindrance to these things. Money takes our minds off God. Riches, when used selfishly rather than for the glory of God, tend to corrupt in our hands. Money cannot be a substitute for God. If God has given you more wealth than your neighbors, dedicate it to Christ. Realize that you are only a steward of that which God has given you and some day you will have to give an account of every penny you have spent. The Internal Revenue Service wants a record of how you spend your money, but that is nothing compared to the books God is keeping. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 09, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Without God It Is Restless and in Secret Torment" Mark 8:36,37 The Living Bible Translation And how does a man benefit if he gains the whole world and loses his soul in the process? For is anything worth more than his soul? In the world in which we live, we give most attention to satisfying the appetites of the body and practically none to the soul. Consequently, we are one-sided. We become fat physically and materially, while spiritually we are lean, weak and anemic. The soul actually demands as much attention as the body. It demands fellowship and communion with God. It demands worship, quietness, and meditation. Unless the soul is fed and exercised daily, it becomes weak and shriveled. It remains discontented, confused, and restless. But nothing but God ever completely satisfies, because the soul was made for God, and without God it is restless and in secret torment. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 08, 2022 Daily Devotion: "He Is Our Peace..." John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you . . . Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Where does peacemaking begin? How can we become peacemakers? Can peace be discovered within ourselves? Freud has told us that peace is but a mental attitude. Cast off our phobias, shed our neuroses, and “bingo!”—we’ll have the coveted peace we long for. I respect psychiatry for what it can do. Unquestionably, it has helped many. But it certainly is not satisfactory as a substitute for the peace which can come only from God. If psychiatry leaves God out, ultimately we shall see psychiatrists going to each other for treatment. There can be no peace until we find peace with God. The Bible says, “He is our peace.” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 07, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Our Gratitude by Giving Back to Him" 1 John 3:17 The Living Bible Translation But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won't help him - how can God's love be within him?" You know that the hardest thing for you to give up is your money. It represents your time, your energy, your talents, your total personality converted into currency. We usually hold on to it tenaciously, yet it is uncertain in value and we cannot take it into the next world. The Scripture teaches that we are stewards for a little while of all we earn. If we misuse it, as did the man who buried his talent, it brings upon us the severest judgment of God. The tithe is the Lord’s. If you use it for yourself, you are robbing God. We are to take the tithe as a standard, but to go beyond the tithe is an indication of our gratefulness for God’s gifts to us. In the midst of sorrow and trouble, this life has many blessings and enjoyments which have come from the hand of God. Even our capacity for love is a gift from God. We show our gratitude by giving back to Him a part of that which He has given to us. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 06, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Make All You Can; Keep All You Can" Matthew 6:24 The Living Bible Translation You cannot serve two masters: God and money. Tell me what you think about money, and I will tell you what you think about God, for these two are closely related. A man’s heart is closer to his wallet than anything else. It is a staggering fact that for the past few years people have spent ten times as much for luxuries and non-essentials as they have for all charitable and religious purposes. While the Bible warns us against greed and selfishness, it does encourage frugality and thrift. Even Jesus said to His disciples after He fed the multitude, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” Although our Lord had the power to create, He Himself lived frugally and without luxury. A Pastor once said “Make all you can; keep all you can; and give all you can.” Most of us get all we can, spend all we can; borrow all we can; and give meagerly to God. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 05, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Fullness of Him" Ephesians 1:23 New International Version 23 which is his body the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. First things first: The Lord needs nothing. Let that sink in. He’s all-powerful, already knows everything, and suffers zero lack. God is not merely some “higher being”—He is the ground of being itself, subject to no laws or demands. He is the beginning and the end, the source of life and sustainer of existence. The Lord needs nothing: Not our good behavior, generous tithes or service, our talents or affection. He certainly doesn’t require our insights and information about what an awful time we’re having. And yet, He welcomes the fullness of our laments and woes to the very last drop. The Scriptures reveal the heart of God as one who seeks the lost, welcomes the lonely, and heals the sick. He comforts the afflicted, gathers the outcasts, and provides for the destitute. He's a patient, loving Father who races to meet the prodigal. He is the victor over death, setting the captives free. To say God is interested in what troubles you is to say that His heart is to be with you—a fact made clear by His incarnation, crucifixion, and the conquering of hell, as proven by His resurrection. Knowing there’s nothing we can say or do to deter His love—that there’s no length He’s unwilling to go to in order to be with us—should encourage us to run to Him the way a young child runs to his mother concerning every delight or terror, no matter how mundane. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 04, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Fork in The Road... " Hebrews 11:1 New International Version 11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Trusting God is easy when life’s good or we’re feeling competent. But is that genuine faith or a form of self-reliance? The apostle Paul said, “Our adequacy is from God”. If the Lord calls us to do something that seems impossible or unreasonable, He will equip us for it. However, if we let feelings of fear, inadequacy, or unworthiness cause us to doubt Him, we could miss the opportunity. Sometimes we’re afraid to venture into a new endeavor, because we’re listening to the wrong voices. The devil is always trying to deceive us and plant doubts in our mind so we won’t trust the Lord. He hates to see a believer put aside fear, choose to believe God, and move forward in obedience. A challenging assignment from the Lord is often a fork in the road. When God presents an opportunity to serve Him, we must decide if we’ll take His path even though we might feel unqualified. We’re called to live by faith, not fear. If you are standing at a crossroads, remember that your adequacy is not in yourself but in God, and nothing is too difficult for Him. Trust Him and take a step. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 03, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Passive or Active..." Romans 5:10 New International Version 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! The word “reconcile” means literally “bring into a changed relationship.” It means to bring together two parties who should have been together all along. The Bible speaks of the human race as enemies of God. You may say that you are no “enemy” of God, but according to Scripture we are either passive or active enemies of God, apart from Him. Reconciliation means “brought back into full relationship and fellowship with God.” This is what He accomplished on the cross. What a thrilling thought! Is there a broken relationship in your life? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

November 02, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Heart that Trusts Him..." Exodus 4:1-5 New International Version 4 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” 2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. 3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.” Moses doubted that the Israelites would believe he had been chosen by the Lord to lead them. But God graciously provided reassurance--in the form of evidence that He could accomplish everything He'd promised. When doubt invades our minds, it can be overcome with diligent study of Scripture and persistent prayer, which will dislodge uncertainty and replace it with biblical truth. Moses wasn't eloquent, and a perceived lack of skill left him feeling inadequate for the job--he was afraid trying to speak would make him stumble. God patiently reassured him of divine help in that task. The Lord often chooses unlikely people to carry out His plan because He looks at the heart, not human qualifications. He can overcome all our inadequacies. Carrying out God's will require a heart that trusts Him, a soul that steps out in obedience, and a mind that leaves success or failure to Him. As we break down the faith barrier, we will be able to see the evidence of God's presence and power--and experience the joy of obedience. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

Nov 01, 2022 Daily Devotion: "It Is Finished..." Hebrews 4:12 New International Version 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. How do we overcome the devil in everyday life? First, we need to recognize that the devil is a defeated foe. Jesus came to undo the work of the devil. His crucifixion which looked like a mighty victory for Satan, turned out to be a great triumph because it was on the cross that Jesus took our sins so that when our Lord bowed His head and said, “It is finished,” He was referring to the plan of redemption and salvation. Then . . . we are to resist the devil. If we resist him, Scripture says, he will flee from us. Jesus overcame the devil not by argument but simply by quoting Scripture. That is why it is so important to learn and memorize Scripture passages. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 31, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Listen, Consider, fix the Eyes" Hebrews 2:1 The New International Version 1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. Drifting is a deadly thing in the Christian life. And the remedy for it, according to Hebrews 2:1, is: Pay close attention to what you have heard. This is not a hard swimming stroke to learn. The only thing that keeps us from swimming against sinful culture is not the difficulty of the stroke, but our sinful desire to go with the flow. Let’s not complain that God has given us a hard job. Listen, consider, fix the eyes — this is not what you would call a hard job description. In fact, it is not a job description. It is a solemn invitation to be satisfied in Jesus so that we do not get lured downstream by deceitful desires. If you are drifting today, one of the signs of hope that you are born again is that you feel pricked for this, and you feel a rising desire to turn your eyes on Jesus and consider him and listen to him in the days and months and years to come. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 30, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Hold Unswervingly..." Hebrews 10:22-23 New International Version 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. You’ve got to be able to persist and move forward in the will of God for your life. Your persistence must continue even when everything seems to be falling apart and when it looks like nothing is turning out right. Stop whining. Learn to stand up under pressure. Set the vision of God before you like a flint and move forward full speed ahead with the plan of God. I don’t care how many times the lights get cut off. I don’t care how many times the water and heat are turned off. We must don’t care how many times the rent is overdue. We must don’t care if you don’t have a car and have to use the bus to get from point A to point B. We don’t care if you have to eat red beans and rice three days a week just to survive. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 29, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Act in Humility” 1 Peter 5:6 New International Version “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” Specifically, Peter calls younger believers to clothe themselves with humility toward one another. Perhaps as Peter is writing these words, he is reminded of Jesus’ example at the Last Supper (John 13). Typically, it was the servant who was supposed to wash the feet of the guests, but instead, Jesus clothed Himself in this manner, tying a towel around His waist. Peter also refers to Proverbs 3:34 as a reminder to his primarily Jewish readers that “God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble” (v. 5). Just as pride broke the relationship between God and Satan, as well as between God and humanity, it can break relationships between people. He reiterates in verse 6 for believers to humble themselves. Peter realized that humility is a sacrifice and may cause anxiety and stress. The act of thinking about and giving oneself to one another in humility can be costly. But God’s hand is mighty. He is more than able to lift us up at just the right time (v. 6). All our anxieties and concerns can be put on Him because He cares. So, as we care and serve others in humility, we need to be reminded that God cares and loves us more than we will ever know. It is sometimes difficult to think about how to be humble, but we all know what it means to act in pride, putting ourselves and our own desires above others. Today, make it your prayer to act in humility and not in pride, following the example of Jesus. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 28, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Trust in God's Resurrection Power” Philippians 3:7-16 New International Version 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Paul wrote these words while in prison for his faith! He was going through a really, really tough time. Here he teaches us how to deal with emotional pain: Realize that all pain is an opportunity for closeness to God. For Paul, drawing closer to God was more important to him than anything else (l Don't face hardships on your own Join a church where you can pray for and support each other. Trust in God's resurrection power to help you overcome --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 27, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Freedom from Guilt" Mark 15:16-39 New International Version 33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, leman Saba chat Hani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah. 36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” While Jesus died a horrible, unfair death for all to see, something unseen and far worse happened. He, the sinless one, experienced the punishment our sin deserved so that we could be forgiven. Our sin made him feel abandoned When he 'took his last breath', the temple curtain tore in two - on its own. What does this mean? Long before Jesus came, the Jews built a temple. God lived in it, in the Most Holy Place. No one could enter through the curtain, except the high priest once a year. It reminded the people that their sin was serious and separated them from God. As Jesus died. the curtain was supernaturally torn apart! This signified that God tore down the barrier separating us from him through the sacrifice on the cross! With our sins forgiven, the door is now open for us to live close to God. The freedom from guilt and the close relationship with God is not automatic. We must put our faith in Jesus and the cross. Then we can receive his blood-bought forgiveness and walk through the open door. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 26, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Prey…" 1 Peter 5:6-11 New International Version 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.8 Be alert and have a sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of suffering.10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. The devil is like a roaring lion looking to devour you, but if you're in Christ, then Satan is in a cage. Jesus has total authority over him. Jesus gives you his authority over him too. Satan may not harm you, unless you enter his cage. Through humility, trusting God, self-control and spiritual alertness. When we give in to pride, unbelief and temptation, we lose our spiritual protection. Stand firm in your faith. The main battlefield is in our minds. Satan will try to make us believe his lies, so we must stand in faith on the truth of the Bible. Stay in community. Satan preys on those who are isolated. Together, we can guard one another's backs. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 25, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The One Thing We Will Do Forever" Psalm 103:1 The New International Version (NIV) 1 Praise the Lord, my soul all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Worship God with your mind by filling it with thoughts about him from the Bible. Worship him with your heart by shouting for joy and bursting into song. Worship God with your body by clapping, dancing and making music. Lastly, worship God with your will by giving everything to him as your king, starting with yourself. Worship is the one thing we will do forever. God wants us to learn to worship him even when we don't feel like it, because he never changes. If We put this into action, we will soon discover that worshipping God brings greater satisfaction than anything this world offers. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 24, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Serving and Caring" JOHN 13:12-17 New International Version 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. Why Should we serve others? 1. Because it's love in action 2. It benefits others, and in God's kingdom, we exist for others. Jesus modelled it and told us to do it. 3. God blesses us when we serve others 4. Jesus said that it is more of a blessing to give than it is to receive . How should we serve people? We should serve people out of love. Let's remember who we are in Christ, and who Christ is in us. Knowing this enables us to humble ourselves before others. We should find practical, even lowly, ways of serving others. Where can you serve? Opportunities are everywhere at home, at school, at work, at church, in the community. Every day tell God you are available to serve and then keep your eyes open for the opportunities he gives. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 22, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Faith Untested is not a Real Faith…" Mark 4:35-41 New International Version 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Jesus leads us in a certain direction. Sometimes, as we obey him, we experience stormy times and things become difficult. When this happens, we often feel Jesus is doing nothing to help us and that he doesn't seem to care , but he does! Since he's in control, he doesn't panic. This is why he could sleep. Our Lack of trust in him makes us fearful, but they can end the storm any time. He does this to develop our faith in him. Faith Untested is not real faith. In the midst of every storm, remember that God's grace can and will sustain you. Remind ourselves that Jesus is with us. He does care. He's made promises he will keep He Has the power to change any situation, but until he does, we must trust him. If we don't, your motions may overwhelm and shipwreck us. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 21,2022 Daily Devotion: "Living Water..." JOHN 4: 10 New International Version 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” God is like the sun, lighting up our lives. He's Also like a spring, able to satisfy our deepest thirst. Jesus met a woman at the well who had tried tore place God with other things. She'd had five love relationships. She was looking for love in all the wrong places. Jesus skilfully used her daily trip to draw waters a picture of her unquenchable soul-thirst, and then he pointed to himself as Living Water, able to satisfy her like nothing else ever could There's a God-shaped vacuum in our hearts that only Christ can fill. Many of us, like the woman in the story, believe things like success, thrills, money, adventure and achievement can satisfy us. Try as we may, they can only provide a quick thrill, but then they leave us empty and disappointed. Material things can't fill a spiritual void. Until we drink from Christ, we will never find what we're looking for. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 20, 2022 Daily Devotion: "To Gain What This World Offers but Losing Our Souls in The Process" LUKE 9:18-26 New International Version 18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” 19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” 20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” 21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” 23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. When we, like Peter and Cassie, see who Jesus Really is, we will be willing to pay a price to follow him. Like Jesus, our role model and leader, we may even be killed for our faith. Following him means denying ourselves and carrying our cross. Things won't always be cozy and easy. Pain, discomfort and unpopularity may result from our obedience to him. Remember though that nothing in this life lasts forever, it's pointless trying to gain what this world offers but losing our souls in the process. On Judgment Day, our devotion to Jesus will be greatly rewarded. Knowing him makes it impossible to be ashamed of Him. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 19, 2022 Daily Devotion: "We Shall Overcome" Revelation 13:10 English Standard Version 10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. For all the mystery surrounding John's apocalypse, it is virtually impossible to miss its clarion call to faithful endurance. In fact today's verse is repeated virtually verbatim in the very next chapter. Strikingly, the theme of overcoming is central to the seven letters to the seven churches. Each and every one of them concludes with a specific promise for those who endure. To Those who overcome, says Christ, I will give: the right to eat from the tree of life in God's paradise; the crown of life that will keep them from being destroyed by the second death; both the “hidden manna" and a white stone with a new name written on it; and authority over nations; and being dressed in white; and being made a pillar of the temple of God; and the right to sit with me on my throne. Wow! Is it any wonder that "We Shall Overcome" was adopted as the anthem of the civil rights movement? While its use as a protest song might suggest the idea of winning some victory, "overcoming" is not about conquering, but enduring. Or is it? In order to endure, we must first conquer. Conquer our fears, conquer our desires, and conquer the temptation to give up and give in. John's apocalypse was written as a letter of encouragement for a beleaguered generation of Christians who had become objects of persecution and even martyrdom. It was important for them to be reminded of the end game-to know that in the world to come they would be rewarded for their steadfastness in the face of fear. Maybe we don't face the same prospect of martyrdom as they-so far but overcoming what spiritual challenges we do face is just as crucial. The question of overcoming it is: Do I have the depth of faith and commitment that would keep me faithful no matter what the consequences? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 18, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Intensity of Faith” Revelation 3:15-16 New International Version 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Being lukewarm can be a good thing. Who wants to take a shower that is either scalding hot or freezing cold? And baby's milk needs to be just right. But when it comes to lukewarm faith, Christ is plenty steamed that the disciples in Laodicea aren't more on fire! Despite employing hyperbole to suggest that he'd just as soon they were “cold," clearly Christ would not want them never to have been warmed by the gospel. What particularly Nauseates Christ is the Laodiceans' namby-pamby lack of commitment. Being lukewarm indicates that at some point they had experienced a measure of spiritual life, at least just enough to be useless! Just enough to be an embarrassment to the kingdom. Just enough to fool themselves into thinking that they were in a right relationship with God. But "just enough" is never enough! What Christ knows is that lukewarm disciples cannot possibly survive under the intense pressures of persecution or even life's ordinary challenges. Because Christ's revelation to John is about withstanding such onslaughts, this stinging letter to Laodicea is indeed a wake-up call! Lest you and I fall into the same trap, it is worth asking what made the Laodiceans so lukewarm? From all indications it was their abundance of material wealth. Rich by the world's standards, they had been robbed of their passion for Christ. Faith and “church" had become simply a soul-satisfying balm, a comfortable habit, a guilt-chasing solace. Yet the Lord was having none of it. Such faith is not just weak and inadequate, but cause for retching! The gut-wrenching question is: Is the intensity of my faith sufficient to help me overcome whatever trials and temptations might come my way? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 17, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Eyes Firmly Fixed…" Hebrews 12:2 New International Version 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. The enraptured shepherds who first fixed their eyes on Jesus in Bethlehem Could never have guessed the scene witnessed some thirty years later by those who fixed their eyes on Jesus at Golgotha. To have beheld the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and seen his sleepy little eyes must have been the most sublime view in all of history-apart from the horrendous scenes at the cross itself. Wouldn't you love to have been there with Joseph, Mary, and the infant Jesus? And how could one ever forget the sight of Jesus hanging in agony on that rugged Roman cross? Was there anyone, apart from Mary, who witnessed both the manger and the cross? Imagine the utter joy with Which Mary must have fixed her eyes upon Jesus for the very first time. Then imagine the unspeakable maternal anguish she must have felt, seeing Jesus hanging before her in the throes of an agonizing death. What thoughts must have been running through her mind at the foot of the cross? Did she think back on the angel who announced she would soon be with a child by the Holy Spirit? Did Jesus' life as a youngster in Nazareth flash before her? Or perhaps the tumultuous events of his ministry? To fix our own eyes on Jesus is to replay the story from beginning to end. It Is to see God in the person of a first-century Jewish baby who redefined history and reshaped the way of salvation. It is to see ourselves reflected in his grace filled face and to acknowledge that only through Jesus can we find peace in whatever cross we bear. The question of joyful endurance is: Do my eyes merely glance occasionally at the person of Jesus, or are my eyes firmly fixed on every aspect of his divine person? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 16, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Spiritual Rebirth" 2 Peter 1:5-7 New International Version 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?" is a line from the hymn by Priscilla Owens. The nineteenth century was an era of ships on the sea, storms, and anchors, so one is not surprised to read lyrics like these: "We have an anchor that keeps the soul, steadfast and sure while the billows roll; fastened to the Rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love." According to the Hebrew writer, God not only promised that his heirs would inherit everlasting life, but he also confirmed it with a divine oath. How much more assurance could anyone ask? In the midst of family crises and breathtaking health scares, you and I need something to hang onto when all seems lost. In a world of transient values, fluctuating markets, corporate buyouts, and political uncertainty, we long for strength, stability, and security. In the imagery of the Hebrew writer, our anchor for the soul is founding nothing less than God's own solemn word. Do you find it interesting that God tells us not to swear with oaths, but rather to let our word be our bond? God's swearing in this instance is in the form of a judicial oath, not simply a crass profanity invoking the name of some deity. Unlike us, God never lies. But to give us added assurance, God swears by his own righteousness that what he has promised us is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So whatever the storm we face, God's own promise is our constant anchor. Just how refreshing is that in a world where truth is the first casualty of human existence! The question of truth is: If God is faithful to every word he utters, how faithful am I to every word I utter? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 15, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Are We Matured or Stagnant in Christ? " 2 Peter 1:5-7 New International Version 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. Quite likely you have heard this familiar passage being taught innumerable times. It is not unusual for each virtue in the list to be defined and explained with great care (if not tedium), often with the suggestion that there is a progression from first to last. And who can argue with faith being foundational or love being the ultimate? But sustaining a logical progression throughout the list requires rather fanciful analysis. Peter's argument is not that there is an increasing scale of importance; rather, that we need to have all of these qualities in increasing measure. If we were to think of a lunch buffet, the idea would be to put more and more on our plate until there is absolutely no more room! Being filled with these virtues is how we participate in the divine nature and escape the temptations of the world. These virtues take us beyond an elementary knowledge of Christ and transform us into his likeness. If there is any progression to be considered, it is our personal progression from babes in Christ to mature citizens of the kingdom. Since the Christian life is to be a progression, it is only natural that we should take inventory of how far we have progressed. Are we more Christlike now than when we first called upon the Lord for our salvation? Have we noticeably matured in Christ, or are we stagnant? Given what Peter repeatedly cites as a risk for all believers-being worse off at the end than at the beginning we would do well to be brutally honest about how effectively we have incorporated this list of spiritual virtues into our lives. The question of spiritual development is: Can I see as much demonstrable growth in virtue since my spiritual rebirth as physical growth since the day I was born? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 14, 2022 Daily Devotion: “A Greater Friendship with a Faithful God... " James 4:4 New International Version 4 You adulterous people, [a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Choose your friends carefully" is good advice-especially for young people for "Bad company corrupts good character." Why, then, are parents so quick to give that advice, yet so unwilling to follow it themselves when it comes to choosing either friendship with God or friendship with the world? Indeed, why do parents have such great concern for the friends their children choose, but think nothing of the worldly friendship they themselves introduce to their children? Make no mistake, none of us can be neutral about which “friend" we have chosen. There's no "casual friends" versus "close friends." No “work friends" and “social friends." With God, it's all or nothing. Not that God is unwilling to share. He simply knows that, at best, the world is only a pretend friend. With the world it's all take and no give, all promise and no fulfillment. No wonder the world is God's enemy, for only God's love is genuine, and only his promises are always fulfilled. As our Father, God wants to spare us the hurt and disappointment that comes from ill-chosen friendships. Are you perhaps not so sure that we committed believers are "friends with the world"? If the case could be made by the use of only one word in today's culture, that word would be materialism. Only the most blind among us could possibly deny that we have too much, too soon, too often. That we are spoiled by the abundant life. That we are consumed by our consumables and enslaved to our possessions. If that isn't friendship with the world, what is? To claim a friendship with God that permits an ongoing friendship with God's enemy is not just to offend God, but to engage in the most dangerous self-deception. The question of choice is: Do the decisions I make reflect a greater friendship with a faithful God or with an ever-so-fickle friend? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 13, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Finished the Race... " 2 Timothy 4:7 New International Version 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Think back over all the people you've read about in the Bible so far. Are You struck by the number of them who start well but don't finish well? Perhaps the prime example is Solomon. In worldly terms Solomon had it all: wisdom, wealth, fame, and glory-and even what seemed to be a deep devotion to God. But despite his celebrated wisdom, in his later years Solomon foolishly married foreign wives who led him into idolatry. How does that happen? If Solomon's judgment had been impaired because of senility, we could understand. But like many others who seem to lose their way in later years, Wise King Solomon became just an old fool. Even today we often hear of those who disgrace themselves in a “midlife crisis." Or longtime stalwarts of the church who suddenly leave the faith. Or couples who get divorced after thirty years of marriage. In each instance, are we to believe that there were serious problems all along, bubbling just beneath the surface, or was some switch flipped due to aging? With few exceptions, what most characterizes the young is idealism and unquenchable optimism. But life has a nasty way of dashing youthful dreams. Experience has a moderating influence on us as we grow older, perhaps because of financial limitations, health issues, or family concerns. Many become cynical, embittered, or just plain tired of fighting the good fight. If an older age has an enemy, surely it is discouragement. But when the finish line is more clearly insightful than at the beginning, how can one not get a second wind and finish the course with a flourish? The challenging question is: If I ever start slipping into a mode of cynical discouragement, what new vision can I capture to keep me going? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 12, 2022 Daily Devotion "Scrupulous Integrity" Titus 1:15 New Living Translation (NLT) 15 Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Would you prefer to be around a person with stringent scruples or someone who is notoriously unscrupulous? Given the connotation of unscrupulous, most of us would choose the person with scruples, wouldn't we? But the fact that a person has scruples doesn't guarantee he isn't unscrupulous. In today's text Paul is warning Titus about Jewish believers who continued to have scruples about eating food that was ceremonially "unclean" under the Law and were strictly enforcing those dietary scruples on Gentile converts. For Paul it was more than just a matter of doctrinal ignorance. The Greater problem was the attitude behind their scruples -an attitude as "unclean" and impure as they claimed the food to be. What made it impure was a frame of mind lacking room for grace. "In the hands of those who don't Understand God's grace," Paul seems to say, “even the well-intended insistence on scruples cannot help but become unscrupulous." A conscience uninformed by grace is powerless to distinguish between “clean" and "unclean" or pure and impure. Few of us worry much about “clean" and “unclean" food. Yet we have many personal scruples that, directly or indirectly, we insist that others follow. Per-haps they are legitimate scruples dictated by doctrine or morals. However, the danger is either being so “grace-filled" that we relegate all scruples to the realm of personal opinion or-like these Jewish legalists-being so lacking in grace that we call "unclean" what God has made clean. The ability to maintain godly scruples without becoming unscrupulous in their application is itself a precious gift of grace. The question of scrupulous integrity is: Are my high standards of virtue matched by an equally high sense of God's grace? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 11, 2022 Daily Devotion: "No Pain, No Gain…" 1 Timothy 4:7-8 New International Version 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. Are you among the millions who regularly hit the road or the gym to get a good workout? Flab is out; exercise is in-at least for those willing to commit the time and energy to lose that weight, tone those muscles, and get the heart pumping. But make no mistake, exercise is hard work! Forget All those slick television ads promising miraculous results from effortless diets and gadgets. The saying is as true as it is trite: No pain, no gain. And that would be regular pain. "Hit and miss" won't cut it. "On-again, off-again" only exacerbates the pain during the on-again time. So before you sign up for that pricey club membership, you had better double-check that you are committed for the long haul. One day off and the next day it's easier to skip. Two consecutive days playing hooky from the grueling routine and the third day will pass with barely a twinge of conscience. Before you know it, the flab is back and the muscle tone has gone! For one who referred to fighting fights and finishing races, Paul certainly would have known the value of physical training. Yet Paul highlights the far greater eternal-value of godly exercise. Considering that even the best toned bodies will eventually die and decompose, exercising the soul must surely take top priority. Yet it would be surprising indeed if, even among believers, there was nearly as much time and effort devoted to exercising spiritual muscles as physical ones. Of course, for those who would take spiritual exercise seriously, the secret to success is no secret. For spiritual exercise, as with physical exercise, all the same rigorous rules apply. The daunting question is: How can I hope to be fit for eternity if I shrink from the painful daily routine of stretching myself spiritually? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 10, 2022 Daily Devotion: "To Think with Excellence" Philippians 4:8 New International Version 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. You are what you eat," so it is said. More importantly, "You are what you think about all day long," which-when you think about it also involves consuming. So what do you "consume" in a given day? Most of us are bombarded with countless things better left unthought and unconsumed. Language, for instance, that is not noble. Images that are not pure. Enticements that are not true. Filtering out all of the garbage is a daunting, moment-by-moment task. Indeed, whether or not we are aware of it, our minds are constantly and subconsciously storing up all the vile filth and degradation an evil world can hurl at us. Ever known any godly folks who under the influence of medication have shocked us with vulgar language? Where do you suppose that language comes from? No wonder Paul calls us to work all the harder fill our mental reservoir with that which is true, noble, right, pure, and lovely. Yet Paul is not warning solely against foul language and dirty pictures, otherwise why employ the word excellent? Excellence is not simply the opposite of foul and dirty, but speaks instead to a standard of thinking that rises above the ordinary. It is disciplined thinking. Quality thinking. Critical thinking. Careful Thinking. It is thinking on the extraordinary, the exceptional, and the sublime. The idea is not simply refusing to eat whatever is found in a garbage bin, but actively seeking to eat of the finest delicacies available. What books not only inform, but inspire? What music not only delights, but uplifts? What conversations not only fill time, but embellish time? To think with excellence is to think as God himself would think. The question for the day is: Am I content with mental hamburgers when prime cuts of choice thinking are equally available? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 09, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Care for the Lost" Acts 26:28 New International Version 28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Some wit has quipped, "Never try to teach a pig to fly. It wastes your time, and annoys the pig." More seriously, Jesus once sent out his disciples with strict instructions, "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town" (Matthew 10:14). If you have ever tried to lead some unbeliever to Christ, you may have experienced the kind of close-mindedness that makes you think you are wasting your time. Maybe (as with Jesus teaching a reluctant Nicodemus) you have planted a seed that in time will bear fruit. But with some folks it is also possible to beat your head against the wall for nothing. With so little time to reach so many lost, surely God wants us to be good stewards of our time. Yet How are we to know how much time is too much or too little? Although Agrippa suggests that with more time he might be persuaded to become a Christian, he appears to be making excuses for not seriously responding to the gospel. Were it solely a matter of time, Agrippa easily could have arranged for further conversation with Paul. Perhaps that is a helpful clue for us today. Is the door left open for further discussion, or has it been slammed shut? Rarely is time the issue, only receptivity. For most of us, of course, the problem is not whether doors are open or closed. How can we know how firmly the door is shut when we never even knock? More often than not, the important question relevant to time spent in evangelism is quite the reverse. In the brief time you and I have consciously given to evangelism, can we possibly persuade anyone to be a Christian? The timely question is: Among all the activities that keep me busy, how much time have I spent to save even one lost soul? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 08, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Extraordinary Steps" Acts 21:26 New International Version 26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them. Circumstances alter situations," so it is said. What might be appropriate for one set of circumstances might not be appropriate for another set of circumstances. Knowing when to do what under just the right circumstances is the mark of a mature and wise person. How else are we to understand Paul's strange actions? In his various letters, Paul repeatedly Chides Jewish converts for holding onto the Law, yet here we see Paul openly practicing ritual purification; and on another occasion we see Paul having Timothy Circumcised pursuant to the Law. But then there was the time when Paul chastised Peter for playing to the circumcision crowd and withdrawing from Gentile Converts who were not practicing circumcision or other rituals required by the Law. Either Paul is hypocritically inconsistent or he is mature and wise. Which do you think? Perhaps the answer lies in Paul's statement that he had become all things to all people in order that he might win them to Christ. It does not mean that we are to “do" drugs in order to reach addicts for Christ. Or convert prostitutes by visiting their beds. Or even to worship alongside Hindus, Buddhists, Or Muslims in hopes of showing them the path to Christ. But it does mean that we are to build whatever bridges we can so as not to offend religious sensitivities, in particular, in a bid to win hearts and souls for the Lord. If that means doing some things that might seem inconsistent, consistency is found in our pure motives, our uncompromised Christian commitment, and our love for almost a dying world. If we can't take people where we find them, we can't take them anywhere. The Extraordinary accommodating question is: What extraordinary steps have I taken lately to win some soul to Christ? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 07, 2022 Daily Devotion: "What If?... " Acts 21:13 New International Version 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Who would you be willing to die for? Your husband or wife? Your Children? Your neighbor? If it came down to our life lost or another, there are any number of special relationships that would cause us to ignore self-interest and sacrifice ourselves. But suppose no other life is in the balance. We often hear talk about soldiers laying down their lives for their country. Yet even among all the brave, patriotic men and women who have died for the cause, few of them actually signed up specifically to die, as if a kamikaze pilot or suicide bomber. Shifting the focus, still others have died because of their faith, but not always intentionally so. Millions have been killed simply because they were of the wrong faith, but not necessarily because they chose death rather than renouncing their faith. To be “faithful unto death" is to be faithful even in the face of dying for what you believe. It does not mean committing suicide for the sake of the kingdom or taking the lives of others in aid of some righteous cause. Terrorists who take innocent life could not be more misguided. Yet what could be nobler than to lay down one's life for a transcendent cause? As Jesus had done before him, Paul set his face toward Jerusalem knowing that it might well lead to his death. Were you and I to be given the same choice, would we have resolutely walked into Jerusalem knowing what fate awaited us? Few of us will ever face such a difficult dilemma regarding our faith, but it is well worth seriously considering “What if?" The question for the moment is: If I think I'd be willing to die for my faith were I actually put to the test, am I equally committed to the even greater challenge of truly living for my faith? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 06, 2022 Daily Devotion: "If No One Can God's Sovereign Masterplan" Romans 9:19-24 New International Version 19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” If children do not always play fair, they certainly have an innate sense of fair play. “But it's not my fault," they protest when the finger is wrongly pointed at them. "You can't blame me!" None of us likes being blamed for something we didn't do or for events beyond our control. So Paul's hypothetical question resonates with us on a deep level. If God is in complete control, why should we be blamed for our sins? It is not unlike that often heard feeble excuse, "Hey, I Didn't ask to be born," which is as much to say that God brought my wretched self into this world, so what else can he expect? In today's text Paul is addressing that very issue. Making the case to The Jews that it is God's sovereign prerogative to do whatever he wills in blessing the Gentiles with salvation, Paul anticipates what could be a logical enough extension of his argument. “If no one can resist God's sovereign master plan," one might ask, “how can even the sin in my life not be an outworking of God's will? Why then should God blame me for spiritual rebellion that he himself has divinely orchestrated?" Where the logic breaks down, of course, is in the faulty assumption that everything that happens is God's will. That God providentially works among nations and individuals to bring about his eternal plan is not to say that God wills evil or sin into existence. What God wills is right living! So When you and I sin, we are wholly outside of God's will and solely to blame. To confuse God's sovereign will with our own willful insolence is to compound the very blame we are trying so desperately to evade. The soul-searching question is: Even If I intellectually acknowledge that I alone am to blame for my sin, are there yet seductively subtle ways I attempt to throw the blame back on God? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 05, 2022 Daily Devotion: "God is Working Behind the Scenes" Romans 8:28 New International Version 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. No one has to tell us that this world is full of trouble and pain. Scripture itself tells us that suffering should come as no surprise to Christians the very same Christians for whom all things, says Paul, are supposed to work together for good! The Fact that suffering is not good in and of itself does not rule out the possibility that there might actually be much good in suffering. Or, at the least, that good can emerge out of suffering, and even that God might well use suffering as a means of bringing about the very good he intends. (Did he not cause Israel to suffer in order to bring about her redemption?) We are not promised that because we are Christians life will be good or even that everything will turn out good in the long run. What we are promised is that whether we experienced good or the most horrible thing imaginable, God is working behind the scenes to bring about a good that we might never fully appreciate on this side of heaven. The difficult question is: Do I fully trust that God is bringing about good even in the most dire circumstance I might face? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 4, 2022 Daily Devotion: "By Faith from First to Last" Romans 1:17 New International Version 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” If asked, most of us would say that we ought to be people of faith, characterized by righteous living-and, for the most part, we are such people. Yet if it were that simple, why do you suppose Paul explores at such length the relationship between faith and righteousness? The short answer is that the Jews Were notorious for thinking that righteousness came through strict law-keeping. While we might chide the Jews for practicing a futile "works righteousness," is it possible that even we easily confuse being good with doing good? Herein lies a dangerous trap. To whatever extent we don't do good (would anyone claim perfection?), to that same extent we cannot possibly claim to be righteous. So where does that leave us? As believers who are hopelessly unrighteous? Oh, no, we quickly protest! Our righteousness comes through Christ alone, not anything we might do. Herein lies an equally dangerous trap. To whatever extent we don't have to be good to be righteous, to that extent we often aren't. The temptation is to think that having a professed faith in Jesus is all we need in order to be adjudged righteous. We forget that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness precisely because it was a complete faith, joining trust and belief with faith-prompted action. Righteousness that is "by faith from first to last," is not a righteousness devoid of conscious acts of holiness, purity, and godliness. It is a righteousness that flows toward such actions, not from them. The difference in direction is not a matter of indifference. While deep faith invariably motivates action, actions alone can never prompt deep faith. The intriguing question is: If I struggle with being righteous, could it be because I am still relying on my own effort rather than being truly transformed? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 03, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Thorn" 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 New International Version 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. Just what was Paul's “thorn" In the flesh"? All we know is that this "thorn" was inflicted to keep Paul humble in the wake of that incredible revelation in which he was allowed a sneak preview of the celestial realm. You and I might think it a worthwhile trade-off to be shown something of heaven's glory, but Paul pleaded with God three times, to no avail, for the “thorn" to be taken from him. Seems that God intended to use that “thorn in the flesh" to demonstrate his own power to overcome Paul's weaknesses. Various other passages tend to suggest that Paul's “thorn" might have been obscured sight, which would certainly be fitting, given the forbidden celestial wonders he had seen. This raises an intriguing question about why God allows for all sorts of incapacitating disabilities. Why does God permit blindness, or deafness, or scores of other physical and mental handicaps? We don't have to look far to find at least one instance in which Jesus gives us an explanation. Remember the man Jesus healed who was born blind? When various ones offered misguided explanations for the man's blindness, Jesus cut them all short, saying, “This Happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life" (John 9:3). Is it not possible, then, that the same is true of everyone who comes into this world as one of God's "special people"? If they are mirrors to us of our own spiritual blindness, deafness, and moral deficiencies, in what way might our own physical ailments and diseases be a reminder to us of God's power working through whatever adverse circumstances we face? The question worth asking is: If I've prayed to God that he might take away some "thorn" in my flesh, what might I be still out on if that "thorn" was actually removed? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 2, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Depth of a Love" 2 Corinthians 2:4 New International Version 4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. We have all experienced that classic line from our parents: "This hurts me more than it does you." Naturally, few of us on the receiving end ever really believed it, but with time and maturity we grew to appreciate the truth behind the sentiment. Today's featured passage follows in the same vein. Master of finesse that he was, Paul was not reticent in calling the Corinthians on the carpet. The letter we know as 1 Corinthians is a stinger! No wonder we find 2 Corinthians more conciliatory. Paul wants the Corinthians to know that he has rebuked them solely out of love and concern for their souls not out of anger or as revenge against those who have questioned his apostleship. Just as the doctor sometimes has to hurt us to heal us, Paul knew he had no real option but to lance the boil. So what do we do when we find ourselves having to forcefully confront someone we love for their own good? Whether we call it rebuke, intervention, or admonition, it is never without pain to ourselves as well as to the target of our loving arrows. Maybe this partially explains why we exercise what has been termed “tough love" less often than we probably should. It is enough that we are hesitant to sit in judgment of another, knowing our own faults. But we also know that calling someone to task is rarely appreciated, even by those who ought to know that love is our only motivation. So are we simply to stand by and watch someone we love self-destruct, or must we not take action against all instinct? Sometimes hurting the one we love is truly the greatest love. The tougher question is: If I can sometimes dish out tough love when necessary, how do I take tough love when I'm on the receiving end? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

October 01, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Dust to Dust“ 1 Corinthians 15:49 New International Version 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we[a] bear the image of the heavenly man. Everybody seems to have a different idea about what our resurrected bodies will be like. Some imagine them to be angel-like, complete with wings. Others wonder if they'll be more like disembodied spirits. Most think that we'll have virtually the same bodies as here on earth-just “new and improved. “None of us can be sure, but Paul goes to great lengths to explain that our resurrection bodies will be completely different from what we see in the mirror. He Speaks of seeds not being the same as that which is harvested. (Think water-melon seeds and watermelons!) Indeed, having the same recognizable bodies would present an immediate problem, considering the range in earthly bodies from aborted fetuses to stillborn infants to disfigured adults and “old wrinkles’. “And will there be racial or gender distinctions on the other side? Even the details of the Resurrection are mind-boggling. If our decaying bodies are truly “dust to dust," will it be a matter of vacuuming and reassembling? And what of the belief that we go immediately to heaven when we die...even before the Resurrection? What bodies do we have in the meantime? Or the belief that we are raptured into heaven and then brought back down to some kind of earthly reign? How Does that work, body-wise? When Jesus rebuked the Resurrection-skeptical Sadducees by saying that in heaven there is no marriage, he was signaling that in the eternal realm life is nothing remotely like what we experience today. Given that unpredictability, Paul’s discussion takes on added meaning. Just as we bear Adam's likeness in this life, in the life to come we will bear the likeness of Christ-but only, ironically, if we already bear his likeness! The predictable question is: In all honesty, how closely do I Beard the likeness of Jesus while in my present body? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 30, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Spiritually Higher " 1 Corinthians 3:1 New International Version 3 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. Division was wrecking the church in Corinth. Quite unbelievably, various ones were claiming allegiance to Peter, or Paul, or Apollos! Even Those who maintained allegiance only to Christ had become a cliquish fellowship to themselves. So much for Jesus' prayer for unity! When you consider the mix of Jews and Gentiles in Corinth, you can begin to make sense of this. By their culture, Jewish Christians would have been more attracted to the excitement of miraculous signs; while the Gentile Christians, being more intellectually-minded, preferred a focus on reason and heady doctrine. Paul's Response was blunt and incisive. Despite the unity that their common baptism into Christ ought to have produced, he argued, they had all missed the central message of the cross. For Jews with a long history of miracles, had any exciting miracle saved Jesus from the cross? For Gentiles enamored with human wisdom and philosophy, did the cross make any earthly sense? Put simply, the cross of Christ defied all worldly yearnings and expectations. The road to unity (and beyond) was through being spiritually mature, not carnally immature. Just how much has changed since Paul wrote his scathing letter? Are we not still carnally minded and worldly? How would you describe our various worship experiences-truly God-focused or self-satisfying? Our view of the end times transcendent spiritual triumph or cataclysmic earthly upheaval? Or our understanding of the nature of heaven and our resurrected bodies: otherworldly or still very much this-worldly? “When I was a child, I talked like a child, With Ought like a child, I reasoned like a child." Carnal Christianity is not simply a mark of spiritual immaturity, but a quintessential oxymoron. The cross-focused question is: If I were crucified alongside Jesus, would I Be looking down at the earth or lifting my human eyes spiritually higher? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 29, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Spiritually Reflective Life" 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 New International Version 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. He's an ambitious young man, isn't he?" we often say with admiration. Or, “Her ambition is to be a doctor, isn't that wonderful?" By way of disapproval, we might even say, "Too bad he doesn't have more ambition!" For most parents, instilling a sense of ambition in their children seems fundamental. Who would want them growing up without having the best jobs, homes, and status they can acquire? Some professions can hardly be attained without heaps of ambition. Ever known a politician who wasn't ambitious? Or a wealthy business tycoon? A driving ambition is the motivation behind virtually every human success story. At the very least, it is ambition that gets most of us through school and all those dreaded studies thrown our way. How striking it is, then, to hear Paul speaking of a radically different kind of ambition, and even to put it in terms of "studying," as some translations render it. Paul, a man himself of great ambition, urges us to study to lead a quiet life. In an increasingly clamorous and frantic world, living a spiritually reflective life will require all the more concerted effort. How do you lead a quiet, godly life while frenetically climbing the ladder? Maybe you can't. And if not, which is more important? For all the ambition that parents might wish to instill in their children, perhaps the most important lesson of all is teaching children how to live reflective, godly, and righteous lives. Then again, how is that crucial lesson going to be received if parents themselves are too busy achieving their own career-oriented ambitions? The question for reflection is: Now that I've spent a good part of my life being ambitious, is it not time to study about living a more meditative and godly life? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 28, 2022 Daily Devotion: “One Way or the Other “ Galatians 2:20 New International Version 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Prisoners awaiting execution on death row are said to be “dead men walking." They might possibly have their lives spared by reversed convictions order pardons, but in the meantime, they are as good as dead. Ironic, isn't it, that disciples of Jesus are also "dead men walking," though in a different sense altogether. We are not awaiting death, but are already dead. To identify with Christ in name is to identify with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection, as pictured most vividly in Christian baptism. Having died to self, we are buried in the watery grave and are raised to walk a new life! But metaphors without an underlying reality are merely nice pictures. How many of us can honestly say that we have been “crucified with Christ"? (Nail prints, anyone?) How many of us have gone down into the watery grave without ever fully dying to self? We Would think it unimaginably cruel to be buried alive, but countless believers have” been dunked" without experiencing the death that such a burial assumes. So what is that but being buried alive? How spiritually suffocating it must be! One way or the other, everybody has to die twice. Unless the Lord returns in our lifetime, everyone is going to die physically. But there is that "second death" to think about, the destruction of the soul that Jesus spoke of and That John mentions in his Revelation. The “second death" in the eternal realm is for those who have not already died to Christ in this life. So the choice is ours. How do we want to experience our “second death," crucified with Christ or condemned by Christ? The excruciating question is: Am I a dead person walking with Christ, or a pretend Christian who has yet to truly die? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 27, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Expect a Miracle” Acts 12:14-15 New International Version 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” So what were they praying for, those who had rushed to the house of Mary and John Mark when news spread of Peter's imprisonment? That God Would deliver Peter safely? That God's providential hand of protection would keep him from harm? Yet when Peter shows up at the house, having been miraculously released from prison by an angel, these prayerful people were incredulous! The servant girl was either crazy or had seen Peter's angel! Yet if Peter did have an angel, what are angels for? More to the point, if nothing extraordinary is going to happen, then what are prayers for? Do we not pray to invoke God's divine power when we ourselves have reached the end of human capability? Need a miracle? Pray to God! So if we get precisely what we have been praying for, why should we ever be shocked? The answer, of course, is that our prayers are rarely answered in such a dramatic fashion. How wonderful it would be, for instance, if we prayed that all who are currently imprisoned around the world as martyrs for Christ would be released tonight without harm...and suddenly they all showed up at our door! Certainly, God could snap his fingers and make that happen, but will he? And If he did, would we be any less astounded than the people praying for Peter? So What are we to make of the popular expression, “Expect a miracle”? If perhaps we have little reason to expect a miracle each and every time, who would want it said of us that we didn't believe it even when it happened? The prayerful question is: Do I pray with such confidence in God's power that I would never be surprised if he answered even the most challenging of prayers? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 26, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Spiritually Shaped by the Prayer… “ Acts 7:59-60 New International Version 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. More pertinent is the question of how, when, and under what Circumstances God answers our prayers. Who among us hasn't prayed fervently that God Would heal someone with a terminal illness, only to watch them die? Is prayer an exercise in futility, or do we simply accept that it is for us to pray and for God to heal...or not to heal? Surely the same principle applies to God forgiving our enemies, or else God would be compelled to forgive everyone on whose behalf we fervently prayed! Because that obviously cannot be the case, the question remains: Why pray for our enemies? Could it be that prayers for others are more for our soul's good than for theirs? The question dying to be asked is: Have I considered that I am spiritually shaped by the prayers that I pray (or don't pray) on behalf of others? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 25, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Faith Without Fact is Only Wishful Thinking…“ John 20:6-7 New International Version 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. The burial cloth was folded up? Has that minute detail ever caught your even? It was folded! So what? Here's what! It is a priceless clue worthy of the finest, most mysterious whodunits. Surely we are not simply to believe that Jesus was a neat freak. But neither is any grave robber. Who, hurriedly stealing away Jesus' body, would have taken the time to fold the burial cloth? Remember all the controversy (to this day) over whether Jesus was really and truly raised from the dead or whether Jesus' disciples had surreptitiously removed his body from the tomb? The wide-ranging implications are crucial, not the least of which is our own hope of being resurrected. When Doubting Thomas insisted on seeing the nail wounds in Jesus' hands, he was not alone in wanting solid evidence. Who of us doesn't? After all, we are staking our very faith on it! And you and I are twenty centuries removed from the event! No wonder Jesus said to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen my wounds as you have and yet have believed.” Do you ever wonder why we believe what we do? Is it because we simply want to believe Indeed, what makes people believe in non-Christian faiths? Are we all following blindly along. Taking the word of our families or teachers that our particular belief system is superior to all others? For true seekers, belief will always be a leap of faith- but faith without fact is only wishful thinking. No surprise, then, that John tells us he recorded Jesus' Miracles so that you and I might believe in Jesus, through whom alone we can have eternal life. The urgent question is: If I Don't yet have faith in Jesus, have I simply ignored the overwhelming evidence? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 24, 2022 Daily Devotion: “No Servant Can Serve Two Masters” Luke 16:13 New International Version 13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” This familiar passage could certainly stand on its own, if necessary, for who can miss its compelling message? Yet there is much to be gained from the larger context of Luke's account. From the beginning to the end of today's reading are two intertwining themes. The first theme is about the need for timely repentance. There is a point of no return, Jesus insists, when the opportunity to be kingdom people passes away forever. It is that heart-stopping moment when the owner of the house has closed the door and it is too late to gain entry. And it is that great banquet so many will miss out on because they have offered one feeble excuse after another. More famously still, it is that proverbial rich man in Hades an anguish being told that it's too late to send a warning to his brothers. At some point in each instance, it's simply too late! The more obvious theme is the danger of being mastered by the love of money. There's the parable of the dishonest manager, prompting Jesus' warning that friends are more important eternally than financial shrewdness. There's that line about being trustworthy in handling worldly wealth so that we can be entrusted with true (spiritual) riches. And finally there's the story of that rich man ignoring Lazarus, the poor beggar he practically trips over at his gate every morning. Perhaps surprisingly, the target audience of Jesus' teaching about God and money were those proudly pious Pharisees, "who love text. At that point the two themes merge into a single message aimed even at us. Before it is too late, we've got to decide by whom or by what will we be mastered? The urgent question is: How much time do I have left to get my convoluted priorities straight? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 23, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Publicly Outraged “ John 8:6-7 New International Version 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Wouldn't you give anything to know what Jesus was writing in the dust that day? There's been much speculation, but whatever he actually wrote had an immediate effect on the men who were accusing the woman caught in adultery. Was Jesus writing the names of each of the men and perhaps the sins they themselves had committed? No wonder they fled! Not Only would it have vindicated Jesus' divinity (the issue being tested by dragging the woman before Jesus), but it would also have exposed these accusers' deplorable hypocrisy. Certainly they were already suspect for not equally condemning the man caught in adultery, but making that objection would have shifted the focus away from their own sinfulness. What they needed to see was that, while they were pointing one finger at the woman, three fingers were pointing back at themselves! Who better deserved being told off by Jesus? Unfortunately, an unintended perversity has evolved from today's passage. How many times have we heard someone say, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone"? It usually happens when people are rebuking moral judgment against a target they feel is undeserving-often themselves! This verse has become a favorite proof text for a nonjudgmental culture, despite Jesus' judgmental warning to the woman that she should stop sinning. Far from being a general prohibition against judging immorality in others, the point of the story is to temper our moral judgments with the recognition that we too are sinners. If others need our moral censure (and they do), none need it more than ourselves. The question of judgment is: Am I privately as outraged at my own moral failure as I am publicly outraged at the sins of others? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 22, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Do You Have Eyes But Fail to See…“ Mark 8:17-18 New International Version 17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? Just how challenged are you by the thought that you know what you know (because you know it), but you don't know what you don't know (because you don't know it)? In other words-we can never comfortably assume we know everything we need to know. The student who is sure that she knows enough to get an A may be sadly disappointed to get a C instead, all because the teacher is testing not only what she knows, but what she doesn't know. You know? So imagine how disconcerting it must've been for Jesus to have his closest disciples so blind to what he'd been trying to teach them through parables, miracles, and innumerable direct discourses. How many times would it take, do you suppose, for Jesus' disciples to appreciate that he often spoke of spiritual realities in material terms? Yet when Jesus starts talking about "the yeast of the Pharisees," the disciples assume he is talking about their not having any bread to eat. Were that his concern, Jesus reminds them he could produce bread miraculously, as he had done twice when feeding the multitudes. Only by further explanation did they realize he was speaking of the corrupting (yeast-like) power of Pharisaical legalism. From our Scripture-informed vantage point, the disciples look pretty pitiful and undiscerning. You and I would never have been so stupid! But if Jesus ‘own disciples, who spoke with him face-to-face, were blind to higher spiritual realities, why should we assume that we ourselves are not so mired in worldly thinking that we too fail to grasp huge spiritual truths that are staring us in the face? The alarming question is: For all that I think I know about the kingdom of God; what profound truths am I still missing? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 21, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Miracles are Miracles” Matthew 14:31 — The New International Version “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Some ask, "Why did Peter doubt?" Yet the amazing thing is that Peter Ever climbed out of that tossing boat and tried to walk on water! Maybe We've been too critical of Peter. Wouldn't it be interesting to have heard the Lord's tone when he was chastising Peter? It's hard to believe Jesus was giving him too rough a time. In point of fact, there are any number of circumstances in which there is good reason to doubt. When you think about it, faith makes no earthly sense. If it did, then it wouldn't be faith! Faith is a leap of logic bizarre thought that the mind does not easily accommodate. Consider miracles themselves. Miracles are miracles because they are not natural. What, example, could be more mind-stretching than the incarnation of God? And Certainly the resurrection of Jesus defies all human understanding. If a reason-able person does not have some legitimate doubts along the road to faith, one rightly wonders about the depth of his or her faith. So, believer that you are, what do you have doubts about? Ever wonder How God could allow evil to exist? Or why God lets Satan have what power he has? Or why God doesn't answer all our prayers for the sick and dying among our family and friends? Or if it is really true that we will live on beyond the grave? If you have ever had serious doubts about any of these, join the crowd. It is one thing to step out in faith when the seas around us are glassy calm; another thing altogether to put one foot in front of the other in the face of life's storms. The question of faith is: If sometimes I have genuine doubts about God, do I stop to consider the sea of doubts I Would drown in if God weren't in the picture at all? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 20, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Your Faith Has Healed You“ Mark 5:30 New International Version 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” Healed by merely touching Jesus' cloak? Oh, to be able to do that our-Have cancer? Touch Jesus' cloak! Suffering from arthritis? Reach for his cloak! In so brief a space, we can only begin to touch on all the dynamics involved in this incident. For instance, what power-surge did Jesus Feel coursing through his body when the woman's hand touched him? And How but divinely did his body discern that hers was different from all the other hands reaching out to touch the popular prophet? Yet, if divinely, why did Jesus Have to ask who touched him? The great mystery of God-in-flesh remains! Butthead most intriguing question is: Was this humble woman healed by Touching Jesus or by being touched? Jesus' answer was, “Daughter, your faith has healed you." Had she never been touched by Jesus, the woman herself never would have reached out in faith to touch him. Not all of Jesus' healings involved touching, but many did. He touched the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, and the cold hands of the dead-as if the source of the miracle. But it is when Jesus touches the heart that his power is most transforming. Through faith in Christ, the spiritually blind can see, the spiritually deaf can hear, and the spiritually dead are raised to new life. Few believers in history have personally touched either Jesus or his clothes but all believers have been touched by Jesus in a way none of us ever could've expected. And, as with Jesus that day, it is in our souls that the power of God's Holy Spirit courses freely to transform, renew, and even heal. The groping-question is: Have I wistfully hoped For God's transforming power in my life, yet never allowed him close enough to truly touch my soul? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 19, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Where Your Heart Is, There Your Treasure... “ Luke 12:33-34 New International Version 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. There's no end to how we can rationalize away this passage. Surely Jesus Wasn't speaking literally, otherwise we would be too poor to share! (That Logic didn't deter those first-century Christians who, immediately After Pentecost, literally sold their possessions.) Or surely it's sufficient if we have hearts that would be willing to sell everything if some drastic need ever arose (please, God, don't let that happen!). For most of us, it would be remarkable enough simply to reduce our level of materialism by half, or a third, or even a tenth! How glibly we speak of “disposable income," the money we have left over after rent or mortgages, utilities, groceries, and other "necessary" items. What Part of that “disposable income" goes to meet the needs of the poor, instead of expensive vacations, big-boy toys, and fashion items? We sometimes say “He wears his heart on his sleeve" about someone who let's his emotions show for all the world to see. On a deeper spiritual level, we also wear our hearts on our designer sleeves, and expensive cars, and upmarket homes. Through whatever possessions are our personal “treasures," even those of us with moderate incomes are declaring our excessive materialism loudly and clearly to a watching world. As Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"...fully on display. But it is when we reverse the order of Jesus’ words that the real indictment hits home: For where your heart is, there your treasure will be also. Want to know how spiritually healthy our hearts are? Just Look at our checkbooks and credit card statements. The disturbing question is: What does my incessant addiction to materialism say about my heart? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 18, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Do Not Worry About Tomorrow... " Matthew 6:34 New International Version 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Wouldn't it be interesting to know how many doctor visits could be eliminated if only we didn't worry? How many millions of nights of lost sleep could be recovered? How many countless hours would be freed up for positive thoughts and maybe even solutions to the problems folks worry about? In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, the worry he is most concerned about is not whether aging parents are properly being taken care of, or whether children are safe while away from home, or whether the cancer will do its deadly work before a daughter's wedding. The target of Jesus' teaching is our fretting about things that don't really matter in the big picture, such as daily food, drink, and clothing. There are those for whom having the next meal is truly a worry, but that probably doesn't apply to you and me. Yet consider how much time we were on where we will eat, what we will eat, and what we will wear when we go out to eat! For a more modern audience, Jesus might well have included worry about stock market fluctuations, or rising or falling house prices, or whether we'll be laid off in the next corporate takeover. Maybe too-terrorist attacks, or global warming, or wars over which we have no control. The problem with worry is not just that it is unhealthy and a waste of time, but that it often represents a lack of trust in God's providence. Or fails to grasp the bigger, more important picture. Or wrongly prioritizes physical needs over our greater spiritual needs. In short, worry is usually symptomatic of far more significant underlying causes. And if there is anything we should really worry about, that would be it. The worrying question is: Which of my many unnecessary worries are a worry to God? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 17, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Patience is not just a virtue. With evangelism-it's vital!" Matthew 4:21-22 New International Version 21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Just like that? You mean to say that Jesus simply calls out for complete strangers to follow him, and quick as a flash they drop whatever they're doing-livelihoods and all-and sign up for a mission they know virtually nothing about? Well, not exactly. Clearly there is far more to the story than we are told. One has to do a bit of sleuthing (in various accounts recording events witnessed by Jesus' mother and her sister), but it is highly probable that Mary's Sister was actually the mother of the "sons of Zebedee." In which case, James and John would not have been strangers at all, but rather Jesus' first cousins. And they were fishing partners of Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, who were also called. Not only that, but these four were the ones who had only recently witnessed that miraculous, boat-bulging catch of fish! And they would have been familiar with Jesus' teachings because they undoubtedly were listening as Jesus preached the gospel to the lakeside crowd from Simon's boat. So There we have it-the other side of the story! All of which suggests a practical lesson for those of us who would take up the call to evangelize others. As with ordinary fishermen, lesson number one for those who would be fishers of men is patience. Souls can't be won for Christ overnight. It often takes time to build trusting relationships that will allow the gospel message to come through unimpeded. Would we even want conversions so fast that there was little time for deep reflection and genuine commitment? Patience is not just a virtue. With evangelism-it's vital! The question that calls is: Have I been in such an eager rush to evangelize that I've shaken lost souls off the hook? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 16, 2022 Daily Devotion: "At Peace..." Luke 2:28-30 New International Version 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised you may now dismiss[a] your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, The initials R.I.P. are found on so many tombstones that they now appear on virtually all cartoon depictions of marble headstones in spooky grave-yards. By those initials the final farewell to the dead is: Rest In Peace. The idea, of course, is that death is a peaceful repose from the tumultuous cares of life. Imagining the souls of the dead actually lying there in the grave as prolonged snooze in a comfortable bed on a rainy morning -hardly speaks to the reality of the situation. Yet it is also true that the euphemism for death most often used in Scripture is “sleep," or perhaps “resting with his father's." So R.I.P. may not be as far off the mark as one might think, especially when considering the story of Simeon holding the baby Jesus in his arms. What a tribute to this man of faith -that God would have promised him a personal view of the Messiah within his lifetime! And what a thrill it must have been for him to literally hold the Savior of the world and see his tender smile. If ever there were an appropriate time for someone. Why was Simeon happy to die at that point? Because he had seen God's salvation brought into the world. So what would make us rest in peace? Having found the cure for cancer? Seeing children happily married? Maybe we're all thinking far too carnally. What possibly could make us ready to meet our Maker more than being assured of our own salvation? The crucial question is: Am I sure I have personally held the Savior of the world in my own believing arms? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 15, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Glorious Inheritance…" 1 Chronicles 5:1 New International Version 5 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s marriage bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel; so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright, As we bring the Old Testament to a close in this chronological arrangement of the Scriptures, what might seem to be a throwaway parenthetical thought is the perfect summary of the relationship between Ancient Israel and God and a wonderful bridge to the wider family of God soon to emerge. As Jacob's firstborn son, Reuben stood to inherit the lion's share of Israel's estate. Yet because Reuben had acted wickedly toward his father, his inheritance was given to the two sons of Joseph. The obvious analogy is striking. Like Reuben himself, the nation of Israel had played the harlot with God, defiling the “marriage" covenant by which they should have fully inherited the blessings God had intended for them. Their exclusive inheritance would now be shared with the spiritual offspring of another “Joseph" soon to come. Just as Reuben was not completely deprived of his inheritance in the land of promise, so too the Jews would not be wholly robbed of their spiritual inheritance In Christ. Yet their loss of an exclusive relationship with God would be the whole world's gain, to be shared alike with God's firstborn nation. Are we children of God through Christ Jesus? If so, the glorious inheritance from the Father is ours for the taking. He who has promised is faithful! But Will we be “listed in the genealogical record in accordance with [our] birth-right," or will we act so wickedly in breach of our marriage vows that we forfeit our inheritance? Whatever our particular understanding of eternal security, Reuben represents a clarion call to purity and faithfulness among the children of God. The sobering question is: Am I living worthily of the glorious inheritance I have been promised? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 14, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Name It and Claim It… " 1 Chronicles 4:10 New International Version 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. No wonder this is such a popular passage! Who wouldn't want to be pain free and blessed with material abundance? In recent times the prayer of Jabez has been rescued from obscurity in Israel's ancient chronicles to become a standard fixture in contemporary Christian thought. Didn't God Grant Jabez' request? And, if Jabez', why not yours or mine? As God's children, apparently all we have to do is name it and claim it well. And then there are those intriguing beatitudes that speak of the poor in spirit being happy...though nonetheless poor. Did Jesus himself promise health and wealth for his disciples? One does well to proceed cautiously when praying the prayer of Jabez. So what are we to make of the fact that Jabez' prayer was granted? Perhaps there is a clue in Jabez' name (sounding like the Hebrew word for pain), which suggests God knew something special about his particular needs. Yet if God Gives us only what is good for us, how often is wealth really to our benefit? And If life without pain is to be desired, why did our Lord himself experience such excruciating pain? In light of all the passages which call us to suffer as Christians and to sacrifice our abundance for the needs of others, any selfish prayers would seem wholly out of order for believers. Then again if Jesus himself could pray that he be spared the cup of pain, so can we...as long as we remember he was not spared! The painful question is: If ever I'm tempted to pray for health or wealth, are my motives worthy of such a prayer? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 13, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Highest Joy… " Nehemiah 8:10 New International Version 10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” You'd think fasting would be more appropriate than feasting, wouldn't you? Upon hearing the law of Moses being read, the Jews must surely have been struck by how far they had strayed from its commands. Yet They were told not to grieve, but rather to celebrate! Did God not want them to grieve over their sin? Are you and I not to grieve over our own? Maybe the answer lies in the genuineness of their anguish. Had they not grieved at the hearing of the law, surely they would not have been told to celebrate. But because they did sincerely weep and mourn, the surprising message was to wipe away their tears and celebrate the day of the Lord! What they needed at that point was not more self-flagellation, but experiencing the joy of God's Forgiveness and grace. By comparison how do you and I react to sin? Are we anguished by our sins, or are we perhaps far too cavalier about them? Do we celebrate God's Grace and forgiveness all too quickly, without first genuinely grieving over our many transgressions? Being obsessively morbid about our sins can't be spiritually healthy, but when was the last time we even wept about them? Sure, we sometimes weep at the consequences of our sin, but rarely do we bathe the sins themselves in penitent tears. Could this possibly explain why we often do not feel the sense of joy we otherwise might when we assemble to celebrate the day of the Lord? The irony of spiritual celebration is that the highest joy can only follow the deepest anguish. The disturbing question is: If My worship experience is less than ecstatic, could it be that I have robbed myself of joy by failing to grasp the seriousness of the sin from which I have been saved? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 12, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Special Task…" Nehemiah 7:2 New International Version 2 I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do. Some might call it nepotism. In fact, one wonders if Nehemiah isn't being somewhat defensive even to explain why he put his brother in charge. Did he perhaps feel a need to justify his decision to his critics? Man of integrity that he was, Nehemiah surely can't be faulted for giving his brother too glowing a recommendation. So why not place the best man in the job, even if he happens to be your brother? In light of current experience, Nehemiah's Emphasis on integrity as a quality of leadership is refreshing. Even in Christian Circles, leadership with integrity can be hard to find. Not surprisingly, people of integrity often prefer being in the background while people without it seek the limelight. For those who are bent on self-promotion, integrity can stand in the way. To get ahead it's tempting to live in the shadow less ands of truth. To embellish one's portfolio where others are too humble to tout their (often greater) achievements. Integrity, of course, is not just about telling the truth. It is a character trait that reflects a far deeper set of values pervasive in a person's life. Note the connection which Nehemiah makes between integrity and fearing God. Despite The lip service one might make to faith and religion, show us a leader who lacks integrity and you can be sure that what he lacks most is a genuine fear of God. One's lack of integrity begins with one's lack of relationship with God. Lying Only happens because of what is underlying. So praise God for Nehemiah's Brother, and shame on all Christian leaders who fall below his high standard. The question for even non-leaders is: Am I a person of such integrity that God himself could feel comfortable putting me in charge of some special task, however lowly? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 11, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Lasting Quality..." Nehemiah 4:17-18 New International Version 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. A Whole generation brought up on multitasking thinks nothing of organizing their minds around any number of competing screens, modes, or functions. Then again, from time immemorial mothers have been adroit multitaskers, managing the disparate demands of their households. When Nehemiah encountered opposition to his rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, he raised multitasking to a new level for his time. To fend off attacks from the enemy, Nehemiah conceived of a brilliant strategy using “citizen-soldiers. "Hammer, saw, or trowel in one hand was balanced by shield, spear, or sword in the other. While the work progressed at breakneck speed, lookouts along the wall kept watch for any assault. When the trumpet sounded, all the workers quickly left their assigned positions to join in repelling the attack, and then it was immediately back to work-weapon in hand. This marvelous Old Testament story is the perfect picture of how we should live our lives: productive in our daily work, but with the sword of the Spirit by our side, ready to fend off any threats from a disbelieving world. Having often segregated our profession of faith from our daily professions, we can find our-selves vulnerable to Satan's surprise attacks. If we are to build a home, church, or society of lasting quality, it will take not only the usual tools of parenting and leadership but the written Word embedded into the soul. If at first it is awkward doing our jobs while firmly holding a weapon, the surprise is how much easier any task becomes when we are always prepared to do battle with a threatening world. The soul-searching question is: Am I good at multitasking in every area of my life except my faith life? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 10, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Risk It All Leap of Faith... " Ezra 8:22-23 New International Version 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. Doesn't the adage wisely warn us not to put all our eggs in one basket? Better to hedge our bets and put some of our eggs in another basket...just in case. Doesn't it simply make sense to have a backup plan? So when it comes to trusting in God, is there any reason not to exercise prudence? Surely God does not want us to be silly about our faith. To throw all caution to the wind. To let go of the steering wheel believing that God will guide us safely down the highway around every curve and bend! We can understand, then, that Ezra's first thought was to ask for soldiers to accompany his band of people who were about to embark on a journey rife with danger from deadly enemies. Given the obvious threat, it would have been a wise precaution. Yet Ezra also knew that, after all his talk about God's protective hand, asking for such protection would send the wrong signal to skeptical nonbelievers. If Ezra's God was able to protect him, why would he need soldiers? One simply has to believe that Ezra's subsequent prayer for God's protection was uttered in sheer terror. With the courage that only profound faith can muster, Ezra was putting all his eggs in one basket! When was the last time you and I put everything on the line because of our faith? When did we refuse to hedge our bets, trusting God completely with our very lives? It's one thing to talk big about God's protection and provision, but another thing altogether to make that risk-it-all leap of faith. The embarrassing question is: How often do I pray for God's protection, then put my reliance for protection in any and everything but God? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 09,2022 Daily Devotion: "Sufficiently Courageous to do Right Things" Esther 1:12 New International Version 12 But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger. The wonderful story of Esther's legendary courage quite rightly bears her name. As Mordecai predicted, Esther had indeed come into a royal icon for just such a crucial time. While God was obviously at work behind the scenes, it was Esther's courage in risking her life that saved a generation of Jews from what could have been the first holocaust. Yet Esther was not the only character in this inspiring story of courage. We must not overlook Queen Vashti and the pivotal role she also played in this historic episode. Without her extraordinary, never should've happened. Some might ask by what right Vashti refused the king's command. Whether Vashti was a “believer" is unclear. Yet sensing that the king wanted to display her physical beauty before his court in a drunkenly perverse and prideful way, Vashti rightly refused to lower herself to such a degrading display. Vashti's resolute moral courage was rewarded by being made an example to all other wives. Wouldn't do for the other women to follow her defiant, insubordinate ordinate lead, now would it! All the king and his officials could think about was making sure that men were the unchallenged “rulers" in their homes. The high moral ground prompting Vashti's "insubordination" would have been completely lost on them, as it so often is with those who are devoid of spiritual values. And not just them, but also with those of us who openly espouse spiritual values but-at points of critical testing lack the moral resolve of these two courageous women. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 08, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Degree of Pain ..." Psalm 126:5-6 New International Version 5 Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. 6 Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them. Today's featured passage is all about pain and gain. About exile and restoration. Resignation and exhilaration. Hopelessness and hope. Seventy years of scorn, rebuke, and humiliation certainly ought to get one's attention! It could just as easily have backfired, generating bitterness and resentment against God. Indeed many of the Jews died during the exile, having never witnessed the promised restoration. Not all tears reap joy. It is only after we finally emerge from the pain that we can fully appreciate what we have gone through to get there. In the midst of the ordeal, there is mostly pain-not gain. So what about those who, throughout an entire lifetime, never experience the joy? In hurting, seldom-seen "third world" are millions whose tragically brief lives are filled only with tears, whether shed or unshed. They're the truly hungry. The perpetual oppressed and brutalized who dread the approaching shadows of each night and fear the knock on the door...if they even have a door. For those of us fortunate enough never to experience such abject horror and despair, what greater of we might feel if somehow, someway we could actually increase our lesser pain in order to lessen their greater pain. For all of us, of course, the ultimate joy can never be known in this life, only in the life to come when we will look back on whatever degree of pain we have known as if it never existed! The hope-filled question is: What "seeds of pain" am I sowing now that soon will bloom into sheer joy? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 07, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Anointed One…" Zechariah 4:6 New International Version 6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. For those of us who believe, the question is not what God can do but what he will do, or perhaps does do. Could the answer to that question lie in the particular task at hand? Whereas God might leave us to our own devices to accomplish goals of our own making, of one thing we can be sure: If the task ahead is God's own plan, there is no way that we can fail! Does God's temple need to be rebuilt? It will happen! As will any other daunting task to Which Good might call us. To think that we've got to dream up powerful schemes to further God's kingdom is to forget that all God needs is one or two “who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth"! The daunting question is: Might I myself be one of those "one or two" through whom God's Spirit might even now be moving mightily to accomplish some seemingly impossible task? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 06, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Go to Worship…" Zechariah 7:5 New International Version 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? Here's a reality check. Think back on last Sunday. Assuming you went to church, can you recall having any conscious thought about getting up and get-ting dressed in eager anticipation of meeting with God? Was there any questioning your mind about whether you would go to church, or did you just take that for granted because it was Sunday morning? Did you go simply out of habit? And if you didn't particularly want to go to church but did anyway, why was that? Was it out of obligation? When you actually got to church, what did you enjoy most? Was it the music, the Lord's Supper or Eucharist, the sermon-or perhaps the socializing? And how did you feel as you left the church building? Had you truly communed with God? Serious soul-searching just might reveal that we may “worship" regularly for numerous reasons other than strictly to please God. But do we really think that pleases God? The thorny question is: If It's not really and truly for God That “I go to worship," is it still worth going through the motions? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 05, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Glorious Rest..." Daniel 12:13 New International Version 13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.” If one lives long enough, advancing age has a way of becoming a battle for survival. Body parts just don't work like they used to. The mind itself begins to play tricks. And gone is the energy and strength of youth! If you don't yet know what it means to feel worn out all over, that day is likely to come. In the end we all need a good long rest. And that is God's promise. But resting forever would find us “asleep" forever, and that simply won't do. If there is a resting, there is also a rising! As soldiers of the cross, what could be more welcome than that glorious Rest. The challenging question is: If I look forward to the day of my rising, Doing look forward with equal excitement to my destined period of rest? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 04, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Unflinching Faith… " Daniel 6:5 New International Version 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” If someone wanted to dig up dirt on you, how difficult would it be? To his eternal credit, Daniel was squeaky clean. No matter how hard they tried, Daniel's Enemies could turn up nothing whatsoever to impugn his character. No dirt or scandal. Not even rumors of whiffs of traces! In fact, the only reputation he had was for being wholeheartedly loyal to his God and resolutely obedient to the exacting laws of the Law. So if Daniel had any Achilles' heel, his enemies concluded, it was his unflinching faith. And it was there that they laid their trap. Because they knew Daniel would not obey any law that ran afoul of God's law, all they needed was the king's decree punishing anyone praying to any god or other man. No sooner had Daniel courageously prayed in defiance of the king's decree than he found himself in that legendary lions' den. That Daniel's enemies had to resort to exploiting his faith tells us about more than Daniel's personal integrity. If total dedication to God's law produces such an impeccable character, what must that say about the law itself, if not that it is uniquely and perfectly designed to be character-forming? And if that is the case, then the opposite must be equally true. Whenever a person's moral character can easily be impugned, you can rest assured that in some serious way God's law has been ignored. This brings us full circle to the opening question. If it wouldn't be all that difficult for someone to dig up dirt on you and me, maybe it is time we think again about just how committed we are to God's law. The arresting question is: What would I find more troublesome about my life, the dirt someone could turn up or having a faith commitment so weak that no enemy would think to exploit it? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 03, 2022 Daily Devotion: "God is too Touched" Daniel 9:23 New International Version 23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision Wouldn't it be great if every time we prayed (or even occasionally) Gabriel would show up to tell us God's response? But he doesn't, does he? Maybe this frustration explains why many people never pray or pray only perfunctory prayers as if never expecting any answer. But How are we to account for all the millions of people who do pray and pray fervently as if they really believe God answers their prayers? Just knowing That Gabriel apparently didn't show up every time Daniel prayed should be of some encouragement, as is the fact that the Bible records hundreds of prayers that seemingly received no response whatsoever from God. What's more, if today's verse tells us anything at all, it is that God is listening to us from the moment we begin to pray! If that doesn't set the mind racing, what does? The God of the universe listening to me? If we get frustrated not hearing clear answers to our prayers, imagine how frustrated God must be when he doesn't hear particularly meaningful prayers from us! Think back on all your prayers. Were any worthy of a divine conversation? Were they serious prayers? Specific prayers? Passionate prayers? Humble Prayers? In particular, how many of your prayers have been deeply confessional prayers like Daniel's? Most of us would have to confess that we rarely pray such agonizing confessional prayers. Most of our prayers are “wish-list prayers." To Sit in anguish and pour out our sins before a holy God might be a new experience for many of us, but well worth doing. Yet it's hard not to think that, for such a prayer, God is too touched to speak. The prayerful question is: When was the last time any prayer of mine might possibly have moved God to tears? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 02, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Eternal Kingdom" Daniel 7:14 New International Version 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. What Daniel sees in his marvelous vision is a being that looks ever so human, but who is ushered into the presence of the Ancient of Days and made ruler over a kingdom that never ends. What may have been a mystery to Daniel Is no mystery to us. That flesh-and-blood Son of Man was Jesus Christ the Son of God, who-having been raised triumphantly from the dead ascended through the clouds into heaven in a scene strikingly reminiscent of Daniel's Vision. In that wondrous ascension, Christ transcended every human notion of authority, rule, and reign. Unlike any human kingdom, his spiritual kingdom will last forever. No decline and no fall. No corruption and no decay. So who wouldn't want to be part of a kingdom like that? The timely question is: Why should I fear the current decline and fall of culture if my true citizenship is in an eternal kingdom? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

September 01, 2022 Daily Devotion: "When Bad things happen to good people…" Psalm 44:20-22 New International Version 20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, 21 would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart? 22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. In a variety of different ways, the classic question we keep asking over and over is: Why do bad things happen to good people? Never has that question been more sharply focused than for the faithful remnant who, along with the idolatrous neighbors, were victims of the brutality experienced during the exile. Though they had not bowed their knees to idols, they were being punished along with all the others who had. So how could that punishment be just? It's a timeless question asked by generations of the faithful who have faced undeserved suffering. An easy answer, of course, would be that it wasn't punishment at all, only a matter of chance circumstances in which all of us get caught up from time to time. Yet that only begs the question of why God would allow his faithful people to suffer at the hands of sheer fate. More intriguing is another possibility typically overlooked in the conversation that the faithful remnant may not be completely without responsibility for what is happening to them. Just because they didn't personally bow down to idols isn't the end of the story. What had they done to stop their neighbors from worshipping idols? What words of rebuke had they passed along to the priests who they knew were either winking at the people's sin or actually joining in sin with them? What had they done to warn their children against Forsaking God? When bad things happen to good people, the definition of good is always worth a second look. The probing question is: If I feel like I don't deserve the bad things happening to me, is it possible I've overlooked what I Might have done to prevent some of them from happening? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 31, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Deliciously Right... Disgustingly Wrong…" Job 34:3-4 New International Version 3 For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food. 4 Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good. All of us can instantly taste the difference between sweet and sour. The same goes for salty and unsalty, spicy and bland, frothy and smooth. We certainly know what chicken tastes like, even if snake and other suspect foods are proverbially said to "taste like chicken"! And who couldn't organize a burger with their eyes closed! But just how fine-tuned is your palate? If a gourmet chef were eating a dish prepared by somebody else, that chef probably would be able to recognize most of the secret ingredients. Any Cook familiar with spices and flavorings will usually be able to identify tastes the rest of us wouldn't have a clue about. Most of us just dig in and enjoy the overall result, wholly undiscerning. Pretty much like we typically listen. When it comes to listening, normally we can distinguish between loud and soft, near and distant, human and non human. Most can recognize differences in pitch and tone. Usually we can even distinguish between serious talk and jesting. Yet how many "listening gourmets" are there? How many of us can discern what we hear as proficiently as what we taste? Even fine listeners may have no discernment whatsoever when it comes to distinguishing between different kinds of talk-say, talk that is truthful and talk that is subtly deceptive. Or talk that is logical and talk that never connects all the dots. How many people, for instance, can recognize when an argument fails to carefully distinguish between Issue A and Issue B? Learning to "taste" words with discretion is a godly art. What's at stake is the crucial discernment of ideas, teachings, doctrines, and ultimately truth. Not all words have the same flavor. Some are delicious lyrics right while others are disgustingly wrong. The discerning question is: How good am I at listening critically and carefully analyzing what I hear? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 30, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Blameless… " Job 22:2-3 English Standard Version 2 “Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself. 3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless? Jobs friend Eliphaz could hardly be more cynical in asking these questions. Because he doesn't believe Job is as righteous as he claims, Eliphaz is taunting Job with the thought that God couldn't care less if Job were completely and totally righteous. This raises a few good questions: What's in it for God? Why did he make man in the first place? And what pleasure, if any, does God get when we are righteous? We can only speculate, of course, but surely there must be something to the idea that we were created in God's image and are Called God's "children." Why do parents have children, knowing in advance how much trouble they can be? Despite recognizing the great risk of disappointment associated with bringing children into the world, even new parents intuitively sense the special fulfillment that comes in having offspring. Naturally it is hard to think that God, being God, would need that kind of fulfillment. It's not as if God is somehow incomplete or lacking anything...is he? By his nature God is the very picture of completeness. But that is not to Say God likes being alone any more than we do. Because we are like him and he like us, God must also relish the joy of fellowship. Yet for a holy God, there is obviously a limitation on his ability to fellowship with that which is unholy...which would be us! Why then would God not take pleasure in our righteousness? This Means that God can have even closer fellowship with those who are righteous. Because all parents find pleasure in children who are well-behaved and respectful, should our heavenly Father feel any different about us? The flip-sided question is : If God takes pleasure in my righteousness, how must he feel when I am not righteous? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 29, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Every Nature of God... " Job 22:2-3 New International Version 2 “Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise person benefit him? 3 What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless? God, would need that kind of fulfillment. It's not as if God is somehow incomplete or lacking anything...is he? By his nature God is the very picture of completeness. But that is not to say of likes being alone any more than we do. Because we are like him and he like us, God must also relish the joy of fellowship. Yet for a holy God, there is obviously a limitation on his ability to fellowship with that which is unholy...which would be us! Why then would God not take pleasure in our righteousness? This means that God can have even would need that kind of fulfillment? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 28, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Your Victory Shall be Easy, and Your Treasure Shall be Beyond All Count… “ Micah 2:13 New International Version 13 The One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the Lord at their head.” In as much as Jesus has gone before us, things remain not as they would have been had he never passed that way. He has conquered every foe that obstructed the way. Cheer up now thou faint-hearted warrior. Not only has Christ travelled the road, but he has slain thine enemies. Dost thou dread sin? He has nailed it to his cross. Dost thou fear death? He has been the death of Death. Art thou afraid of hell? He has barred it against the advent of any of his children; they shall never see the gulf of perdition. Whatever foes may be before the Christian; they are all overcome. There are lions, but their teeth are broken; there are serpents, but their fangs are extracted; there are rivers, but they are bridged or fordable; there are flames, but we wear that matchless garment which renders us invulnerable to fire. The sword that has been forged against us is already blunted; the instruments of war which the enemy is preparing have already lost their point. God has taken away in the person of Christ all the power that anything can have to hurt us. Well then, the army may safely march on, and you may go joyously along your journey, for all your enemies are conquered beforehand. What shall you do but march on to take the prey? They are beaten, they are vanquished; all you have to do is to divide the spoil. You shall, it is true, often engage in combat; but your fight shall be with a vanquished foe. His head is broken; he may attempt to injure you, but his strength shall not be sufficient for his malicious design. Your victory shall be easy, and your treasure shall be beyond all count. “Proclaim aloud the Savior’s fame, Who bears the Breaker's wondrous name; Sweet name; and it becomes him well, Who breaks down earth, sin, death, and hell.” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 27, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Astounded…” Job 14:14-15 New International Version 14 If someone dies, will they live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal[a] to come.15 You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made Although for the Jews in exile the concept of resurrection was vague, it is clear from passages such as today's text that the idea of ​​life after death was firmly entrenched in hearts of faith. Indeed, even pagans took the afterlife seriously, as best evidenced by the Egyptian tombs. But if there is almost universal acceptance of life after death, rarely do we spend much thought on that profound reality. To get a better handle on the dynamics of why we will live again, we would do well to put Job's words into God's own mouth. After all, it is God Who is speaking to us through this literary masterpiece. So it's as if God himself were saying to each one of us personally: "I will call, and you will answer. For I desperately yearn for you." Can there possibly be a more astounding thought than God eagerly awaiting my death, longing to hold me close! The perplexing question is: Why do I fear death so much when God is yearning to welcome me home? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 26, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Praise Him in any Event… " Job 2:10 New International Version 10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish[a] woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. Listen to virtually any newscast reporting some calamity, and you are likely to hear some survivor say, “I just thank God that I was spared!" Maybe God truly did save that person from injury or death-it wouldn't be the first time. But what are we to think about all the other people in that plane or building who didn't make it out alive? Are We to blame God for their deaths? As Job begins to sort out the perplexing conundrum of suffering, he is certainly right to acknowledge the obvious, that not everything that happens whether good or bad-can be laid directly at God's feet. Yet even supposing that it could, Job is teaching us an even more important lesson: We should praise God in any event, whether it be blessings or curses. After all, we go out with exactly what we bring in-nothing! To speak this philosophically and glibly of suffering does not mean that we don't have many hard questions to put before God, as did Job himself. It only means that we are able to put our suffering into a larger context. It also means that we are more hesitant to attribute to God whatever pain we experience. Perhaps we might think that if God sends us good, he is just as likely to send us trouble. On the other hand, it makes just as much sense to say that Because God sends us good, it is not likely he would turn and send us trouble! In the ebb and flow of life, sometimes things are good and sometimes they are bad. What's important throughout it all is that we acknowledge God's overarching sovereignty and praise him for an eventual escape from whatever suffering we might encounter. The painful question is: Have I learned yet to praise God as much when I am truly hurting as when I am wildly ecstatic? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 25, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Grand Vision… " Ezekiel 43:10-11 New International Version 10 “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations[a] and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations. Why should anyone be moved to repentance by looking at a set of architectural drawings? (Good question for any church contemplating a building program!) But this is no ordinary set of plans. It wasn't even the blueprints for the temple that was to be reconstructed in Jerusalem. It was just a vision. But, oh, what a vision! Languishing in captivity with plenty of time to reflect on why they were in that predicament, the Jews were being forced to contrast their low estate with the former glory of the kingdom, which was before they had turned to idolatry. At that time Israel's holiness was bound up in her laws, her priesthood, her sacrifices, and-most symbolically of all her marvelous temple, which now lay in ruins. So to be given a grand vision of anew and glorious temple was to be reminded of how truly far they had fallen. More than that it was a call to return to a life consistent with that grand vision. To catch the vision. To respond to the vision. To live worthy of the vision. But if it was only a vision, why all the intricate details? Why all the emphasis on entrances and exits? Perhaps to whet their appetites for the ins and outs of a radically different kind of kingdom and the time when that mysterious "Prince" would appear. One cannot help but think of another, similar vision, which we our selves have been given in John's Revelation. Yet to focus on the mysterious details, as we typically do, is to miss the incredible power of such a grand vision to humble us, rebuke us, encourage us, and inspire us. The captivating question is: Is my vision of heaven truly grand enough to call me higher? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 24, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Extraordinary God with Extraordinary Power in Extraordinary Ways…" Daniel 3:17-18 New International Version 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[a] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” What young children most remember about the bedtime Bible story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is that they were miraculously saved from the fiery furnace. And that exciting story is well worth remembering, even for us. A stop-action, slow-motion look at the biblical account reveals an extraordinary God with extraordinary power working in extraordinary ways. If God could save three men under these dramatic circumstances, then there is absolutely nothing God cannot do in my life or yours! Yet Perhaps the more thrilling story is what leads up to the fiery furnace. When King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to throw these three Hebrews into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to his golden idol, they gave the determined reply highlighted in today's passage. That too is worth a second look. If there was anything that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were sure of, it was that God not only had the power to rescue them, but would rescue them! Though most would agree that God has that same power to rescue use even today, few of us indeed would confidently expect God to actually invoke that power in a similar life-and-death circumstance. Yet their remarkable confidence in God's saving power is not even the real story here. Rather, it is their determination to remain faithful to God whether or not he rescued them. Have we become jaded, knowing the happy ending? Countless martyrs have died without rescue! As might we some day-even if the only thing at stake for us is our job, our families, or our virtue. The provocative question is: What would I be willing to give up for the Lord, even if there was no hope of rescue? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 23, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Saved and Safe..." Ezekiel 33:13 New International Version 13 If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. Are you sure you are going to heaven? Before any of us answers that question, perhaps we would do well to take a deep breath and approach the question more thoughtfully than we normally do. For believers in Christ, the usual immediate answer is, "Yes, absolutely! I've been saved." But If you were to ask "Are you righteous?" you'd likely hear a far more hesitant response acknowledging the obvious, that none of us is wholly righteous. Although it is certainly true that our "righteousness" is imputed from Christ, there must also be something equally true about today's text. Importantly, if our eternal security is dependent on God's own faithfulness, here God says that he has already assured this righteous man that he will surely live. Yet despite God's Promises, it is obvious that this man can also surely die! The alarming message is that even a long life of righteousness could end up counting for nothing. Where one lapses irreversibly into a life of evil, a previous life of righteousness is no guarantee of spiritual security. How, then, can we be sure of our salvation? As our text suggests, the answer lies in where we put our trust. If we're trusting in our own righteousness, we are only as safe as each day's righteousness. Yet as strange as it might seem, it only gets worse if we are trusting in our salvation itself to save us! As Paul reminds us when he asks, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" (Romans 6:1), there is a fine line between trusting in our salvation and trading on our salvation. In the end, certainty about heaven is all about trusting God, not ourselves. The compelling question is: Have I ever seriously considered the subtle distinction between saved and safe? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 22, 2022 Daily Devotion: "God's Direction…" Jeremiah 42:19-20 New International Version 19 “Remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be sure of this: I warn you today 20 that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’ Conscientious believers are always in prayer that God will lead them. That is particularly true when crucial, life-changing decisions must be made: What job? What marriage? Which school? Which church? Where should we live? What house? There could hardly have been a more vital need for God's direction than in the aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction. It is not surprising that the ragtag remnant would seek out Jeremiah to learn God's will in the matter. "Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do," they implored. Yet quite unbelievably when Jeremiah conveyed God's message that they were not to go down into Egypt, they called Jeremiah a liar and went anyway! As it subsequently appears, the only reason these folks went to Jeremiah in the first place was in hopes of getting God's blessing for what they had already decided to do. If that sounds crass, or arrogant, or stupid, have we ourselves ever been guilty of doing the same thing? When we pray for God's direction, do our own plans ever become the answer we are really after? If so, we deserve whatever true briar patch we get thrown into, and it won't be the comfortable briar patch we were hoping for! The prayerful question is: When I ask God to lead me, are his options only my options, or am I truly willing to be flung into whatever circumstance he chooses? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 21, 2022 Daily Devotion: "God's Constancy... " Lamentations 3:22-23 New International Version 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consume for his compassions never fail.23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. And there was evening, and there was morning-the first day "And the next. And the next. Praise God for mornings! If creative types ever see a sunrise, it is only because they've worked all throughout the night! But for everyone else, the rising sun brings the exciting promise of a new day. The troubles of the previous day, if perhaps persistent, are not specifically to be repeated. Sufficient, indeed, is the evil of each day! Once ended, that day is forever past. Hope is always in tomorrow because-until the Lord returns ~ there will always be a tomorrow. And new beginnings. And God's unending faithfulness. How can we know that? Because the sun keeps coming up everyday! The sun and the moon and the earth all remain faithful in their assigned courses, reminding us day by day that the One who made them all is himself faithful. As sure as there is night and day, God's love is constant. His compassion never fails. In a modern world of unrivaled, unsettling change, the one thing we most desire is constancy. The reassuring question is: When the sun comes up tomorrow, might it just remind me of the hope renewed each day by God's constancy? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 20, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Horrendous Spiritual Despair..." Lamentations 1:20 New International Version 20 “See, Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves inside, there is only death. When was the last time you were in the depths of genuine despair? What moment was so spiritually harrowing that you felt all was lost? Maybe you've never experienced the unique despair associated with sin, but for those who have, nothing comes close by comparison. Unlike even the devastation associated with death or disease, the utter terror born of moral failure is haunting. Only that kind of torment can make one appreciate the agonizing depth of lament recorded in Lamentations. With war, famine, and disease rapidly overtaking the people of Jerusalem, the question "Why?" must have plagued the minds of all who struggled to survive. And the obvious, painful answer was even more haunting: Because of sin! Sin that easily could have been avoided. Sin that seemed harmless at the time. Sin that everybody else was doing and thus appeared acceptable. Sin that is so easily committed, yet so impossible to undo. Sin that always has consequences. When sin, and sin alone, is the root cause of grief, how great is that grief! Yet, in some respects, despair over sin and its consequences is to be welcomed. It's a wake-up call! If our sin was not already so obviously wrong that it couldn't get our attention, then what except pain and despair would do the trick? This poses an interesting question for those who have never experienced spiritual devastation. Is it because of a lack of sin or because the sins you've committed have not moved you to despair? Pity the sinner whose sins have no devastating consequences! Without a wake-up call, what reason is there to wake up? The alarming question is: If ever again I find myself in horrendous spiritual despair, will I hit "snooze" and turn over or open my eyes? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 19, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Coaxed and Caught by God..." Jeremiah 39:17-18 New International Version 17 But I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. 18 I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.” Nothing is sweeter than watching a young child's first hesitant jump into the open arms of a coaxing father. If perhaps we can no longer personally remember that palpable childhood fear, we can certainly appreciate it. Yet the unspoken message coming through tiny faces contorted by sheer terror is always a wistful, "I really want to do it!" So the father says reassuringly over and over, “Come on. I'll catch you!" As the father nudges closer to narrow the gap and bolster the child's confidence, the big moment finally comes. After hesitant false starts, all of a sudden there's take-off! The youngster takes that exhilarating leap of faith, squealing with delight. Faith is like that. Desire mixed with fear. Longing to be in the Father's arms, yet ever so hesitant. What's wonderful about today's text is that these words of promise are being given to Ebed-Melech, the Cushite, after the fact. You may recall that Ebed-Melech had come to Jeremiah's rescue after Jeremiah had been lowered into a fetid, dank cistern where, without someone's intervention, he surely would have died. Despite the obvious risk involved in approaching the king on Jeremiah's behalf, Ebed-Melech did not think twice before “jumping." And why? Because, says the text, he trusted in the Lord. Apparently Ebed-Melech had jumped in faith so many times before that fear had given way permanently to trust. Whenever we come to a point in our own lives requiring a similar leap of faith, it is reassuring to know that we've jumped successfully before. Practice may not make perfect, but it does make permanent. The question of trust is: Why am I still so hesitant to trust God after all the times he's already coaxed me and caught me? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 18, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Trust Worthy Friend... " Jeremiah 38:22 New International Version 22 All the women left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you:. “ ‘They misled you and overcame you those trusted friends of yours. Your feet are sunk in the mud; your friends have deserted you.’ In times of crisis it's hard to know whom to trust. Put your trust in the wrong people, and you could end up in serious trouble. Consider a civil war, for example. Who among your neighbors is a secret informant, and who is on your side? Because we can never be completely sure, it's not surprising that normally we would turn to trusted friends for advice and counsel. But what if those friends are wrong or not as loyal as we think? The problem with pitiful King Zedekiah is that, in the panic and fear of the siege, he ended up trusting the wrong source. Why anyone would take man's word over God's is a mystery. Even if the truth is ugly, it still remains the truth! One can live in denial only so long before running head long into the truth. Just ask Zedekiah! Because there's no way we can be totally sure of any human advice, our safest course of action is to seek God's counsel. In times of crisis, God may be more silent than we might wish, but he will never mislead or desert us. Through thoughtful meditation on God's revealed Word and fervent personal prayer, we have the best possible assurance of getting at the truth. Of course it is always easier to ask others what they think. That way we don't have to do any of the hard work ourselves. But, as Zedekiah could tell us, asking others is risky business. If they are right, we're in good shape. If they are wrong, we're as good as dead! So when trouble is pounding at our door, maybe it's time to remember that God himself is our most trust worthy friend. The practical question is: Shouldn't I already be inquiring of God right now, before trouble is at my door and it's too late to ask? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 17, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Pride the Root of All Sin… " Ezekiel 28:17 English Standard Version 17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings to feast their eyes on you. Most often the devil is grotesquely depicted in his notorious red suit, complete with horns and carrying a pitchfork, ready to pitch sinners into the burning cauldron of hell. Unfortunately, that improbable caricature of the devil has encouraged many to completely dismiss the reality behind the devil. As we know, the devil took on the form of a serpent in Eden. And although we are not told in what form he appeared when tempting Jesus, it is not likely he was wearing a red suit! To speak of "the devil" is to speak of Satan, that great tempter and adversary whose ultimate torment in the "lake of fire" is vividly described in Revelation. Yet for all we know about Satan, there is much more we do not know. In all his “roaming about the earth," is he omnipresent like God? Does he have such power over us that anyone can legitimately say, “The devil made me do it"? And if Satan really was a rebellious "fallen angel," why would God permit him the power to do whatever he does! As generally assumed, Ezekiel's description of the ruler of Tyre contains an oblique reference to Satan. What the ruler of Tyre had in common with Satan was the sin of pride, which in Satan's case apparently was born of beauty and splendor. But whatever his appearance, the crucial thing about Satan is that the epitomizes pride. If knowing about Satan helps us understand anything at all, it is that pride always leads to destruction. Maybe that is why God permits Satan to exist-to be a visual image reminding us of how far we too can fall if we let pride get out of control. The bedeviling question is: Do I obsessively see the devil behind every sin or perhaps foolishly never consider the effect of his evil in my life? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 16, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Vengeance is God's Job... " Ezekiel 25:15-17 New International Version 15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah, 16 therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will wipe out the Kerethites and destroy those remaining along the coast. 17 I will carry out great vengeance on them and punish them in my wrath. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I take vengeance on them.’” Have you ever acted out of revenge? Or wanted to? Of course we've all wreaked revenge when we were children. Put in its best light, revenge partly is an outworking of self-preservation. Striking back at any threatening force is a natural defense mechanism. Yet with maturity we are able to discern the distinction between true threats and mere offense. Where mere offense, we learn to make a measured response or no response at all. It's when a person never gains that maturity that the sin of revenge enters the picture. Some folks have a tit-for-tat attitude toward the world, always ready to inflict instant judgment at the drop of a hat, but that's not likely your problem or mine. Typically, we grapple with revenge only when someone has done something so offensive and outrageous that it seems right to retaliate! At those times, hopefully, we remember that “ 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord." Vengeance is God's job, not ours. Yet one could be excused for asking: If revenge is a sin for man, why is vengeance a divine prerogative? Apart from maintaining order on earth by encouraging restraint, perhaps vengeance is reserved for God because only he knows all the under-lying circumstances and can judge what punishment is deserved...and when. Unlike men and nations, God would never get caught up in vicious cycles of senseless revenge. For us, in the meantime, taking it on the chin is a true Mark of spiritual maturity. The even more challenging question is: If I have somehow managed not to throttle people who deserve throttling, can I move to the next step of not even wanting to throttle them? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 15, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Obligation and Desire…" Jeremiah 31:31-33 New International Version 31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to[a] them,[b]” declares the Lord. 33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. What is the difference between obligation and desire? Or have to and want to? It is the difference, really, between the laws of Moses and the law of Christ. Between checklist religion and wish list faith. Under the old law it was mostly a matter of checking off each and every duty imposed upon the people of Israel. And if you managed to adhere perfectly to the law, then you could convince yourself that you were a righteous person. After all, there was the law, written in great detail in black and white, to match your life against. By contrast when Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant to come, he is talking first of all about a “law" that no longer has the look and feel of a formal legal code. Not that there isn't any law at all. In fact all the same moral laws still apply as under the laws of Moses. Yet apart from the form of the "law" itself, the primary difference is one of motivation. If law-keeping under Moses was done in order to be saved, law-keeping under Christ is to be done because we are saved. It's not what we have to do, but what we wish to do! On one level even children know the difference between having to do and wanting to do. Whereas strict do's and don't s are tailor-made for children, maturity brings with it an appreciation for doing things without having to be told. No wonder the law was said to be a schoolmaster preparing the way for Christ. In Christ we finally grow up! The motivating question is: Do I live my life out of duty and obligation or out of the sheer joy of serving the Lord? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 14, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Whatever Happens Here, Stays Here..." Jeremiah 23:23-24 New International Version 23 “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord “and not a God far away? 24 Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord. Signs often seen in well-known tourist destinations promise that "whatever happens here stays here." The suggestion is that you can go wild in that faraway place without having to worry about a ruined reputation back home. The fact that such signs even exist confirms our tendency to think that if we can keep our sins secret enough, we're safe. Yet as our focus passage reminds us, no holiday port of call is so remote or business trip so distant that God doesn't know what we're up to. By now the myth of "secret sin" is a familiar theme. Despite the obvious implications of today's passage, the sin Jeremiah is railing against is hardly a secret sin. Jeremiah is castigating counterfeit prophets for delivering false oracles to the people. For lying, for pandering, for misleading God's people-all of which was being done openly and brashly, not in secret. So why the reference to "secret places"? Apparently the prophets were so callous about their public sin that they were wholly indifferent to God's watchful eye. So which is worse: to sin in secret somehow hoping God doesn't see, or to sin in public and still be convinced that God doesn't see? If perhaps the former is a misguided illusion, the latter is a mad delusion! Either that or it is merely the ultimate extension of secret sin. Become sufficiently blasé about our secret sins and, before we know it, we will be so callous that sinning in open defiance of God means nothing at all. This takes us full circle back to secret sin. In which case maybe there should be signs saying: "What begins here doesn't lust stay here." The escalating question is: If I would never brazenly sin in some open way, dare I risk sinning in private, hidden ways? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 13, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Dedicated Warriors… " Jeremiah 48:10 New King James Version 10 Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood. No, you didn't misread that second sentence. For all the times God has condemned bloodshed, this time it is his idea! In fact wielding the sword is characterized as being “the Lord's work"! What's more, there is harsh censure for anyone unwilling to do that deadly work! Perhaps those who have fought in bloody battles as members of the military can help us makes sense of this hard passage. But for those of us who have never even picked up a weapon in anger, all of this is strange indeed. As always, context is the key. Today's passage is found in the middle of Jeremiah's tirade against the people of Moab, who for years have worshiped the god Chemosh. Perhaps you recall the time when Israel's King Joram joined forces with Judah's King Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom to attack Moab, then under the leadership of King Mesha. The battle was going so badly for Mesha that, in desperation, he sacrificed his son to Chemosh! The battle actually turned in Moab's favor, intensifying all the more the Moabite's love affair with their national god. But now the time of Moab's destruction is at hand. God is fully intent one executing punishment long promised. And for those who will be God's agents of wrath, this is no time for hesitation. The battle must be engaged! It is time for bloodshed in the name of righteousness and justice! Although God no longer asks that you and I wield literal swords drawing actual blood, there are still battles to be fought. Moral conflicts, cultural wars, and doctrinal skirmishes all beg for brave and dedicated warriors. In the important battles of our own day, “a curse on him who keeps his sword from bloodshed!” The disturbing question is: Can I recall any battle I have fiercely fought on behalf of God's righteous cause? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 12, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Culpable Ignorance" Jeremiah 36:23 New International Version 23 Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe's knife and threw them into the fire pot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire. Few would be so called as to cut up a God-inspired scroll, as Jehoiakim did, or to literally rip out disturbing passages, as the couple above. Yet there is little difference between using scissors to excise Scriptures and purposely ignoring passages considered to be troublesome. At Judgment we are far less likely to be judged on the technical correctness of our understanding as we are on our attitude toward God's revealed Word. Culpable ignorance is no less serious a sin than willful disobedience. Indeed, what could be more offensive to God than coldly carving up his divine mind! The cutting question is: Are there any verses "missing" from my Bible because I've purposely decided to ignore them? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 11, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Book of the Law... " 2 Chronicles 34:19-21 New International Version 19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. Why then should Josiah be so grieved that in anguish and remorse he tears his robes? Has he not inherited from his ancestors the basic teachings of the Book of the Law and absorbed its fundamental moral standards virtually bysmosis? Maybe Josiah's anguish is prompted by physically holding such tangible reminder of just how far Judah has fallen spiritually. Or maybe he realizes it is not enough merely to have some vague idea about God's revealed. One wonders what Josiah would think about all the Bibles today that sit opened and covered with dust in home after home of those who claim to bed's people. Would he not tear his robes all over again? The heart-rending question is: If my Bible, or any part of it, remains largely unread, why am I not just sick about it? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 10, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Fully Devoted... " 2 Kings 23:25 New International Version 25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses. If you could have anything at all said about you, what would you most want to hear? One would be hard-pressed to hope for a greater tribute than the one given to Josiah. Not even David, who also loved God with all his heart, received such a high accolade. The phraseology describing Josiah mirrors Jesus 'famous pronouncement of the greatest command: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30), which tracks the original formulation in Deuteronomy. If those criteria are so vital, how do we stack up, especially when that word “all" is used? All of the heart. All of the soul. All of the mind. And all of one's strength. Who among us can say that all of us is fully dedicated to doing the will of God? The most intriguing question is why full devotion to God is subdivided into the subcategories of heart, soul, strength, and mind? Typically we are more comfortable talking about the heart (our emotional side), or the mind (our intellectual side), or perhaps our strength (the physical side of us). Far more difficult to express is how our whole soul can be dedicated to the Lord. Yet because the soul is that part of us which survives death, loving God with all of our soul is the most eternally significant task we face. Some of us have hearts for God, but not minds. Or minds devoted to God, but not hearts. And how about our souls? Having a specific checklist to double-check assures that no part of us is left without room for scrutiny. The challenging question is: What part of my emotions, intellect, strength, or soul has yet to be fully devoted to God? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 09, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Planting and Watering…" Isaiah 55:10-11 New International Version 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: I will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Do you know that singular frustration of trying to teach the gospel to those who don't seem to care? Have you spent hours telling the story of Jesus or having Bible studies with friends and neighbors without apparent result? Countless sermons, religious tracts, and pleading conversation shave simply gone unheeded. And for what? Has it all been a waste of time? Few, if any, true believers would actually say they had wasted their time unsuccessfully teaching others, but-as with any enterprise-there is a temptation to give up. Call it the law of diminishing returns. Butting our heads against the wall certainly gets old. And yet if we believe anything at all, it is that God's Word itself tells us God's Word is never wasted! For one thing, we might wrongly assume we've gotten no results. Who knows whether those we have taught might yet turn to God-perhaps after we are long gone? Or maybe the fruits of our efforts will even skip a generation, with the children being converted to Christ because of something we have said to their parents. Testimonies of believers often speak of just a brief word of encouragement-perhaps by a complete stranger-that put them on the road to faith. "Who converted you?" "I don't even know her name!" The obvious moral of the story is that we should never give up for lack of obvious results. As Scripture tells us, our job is simply to plant the Word along the way or to water seeds already planted. Of course there's not much pride in merely planting and watering...which might just be the whole point! The frustrating question is: Have I been more focused on "winning souls" than simply sharing the good news with everyone I meet? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 08, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Greatest Disappointments to become Precious Fruitful Gift… " Isaiah 47:13 New International Version 13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. This is one of several analogies Isaiah uses to predict Israel's fruitful restoration following the barrenness of exile. In the midst of her banishment, Israel will feel like a barren woman with no hope of fulfillment or progeny. But the Lord already knows the “offspring" he will bring forth from that barren womb, including first and foremost Jesus, the Messiah, through whom countless millions will be given a spiritual birth they otherwise could not have had. There is more than mere analogy here. It truly is about all those whose lives, in whatever way, seem barren and unfulfilled. Whatever personal loss we feel may yet be God's way of replenishing righteousness on the earth! The fulfilling question is: Am I willing to allow my greatest disappointment to become a precious, fruitful gift? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 07, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Practice Humility" Isaiah 50:6-7 New International Version 6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.7 Because The Sovereign Lord helps me. I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint and I know I will not be put to shame. Three layers of teaching are embedded within today's passage. In the first layer, Isaiah is preparing the people of Judah for the attitude they will need when the disgrace and punishment they deserve finally comes upon them. If they are to come away from the process any the wiser, these prideful people must do what they have not been willing to do before, learn to submit with humility. Unknown to them the day was coming when one of their descendants would perfectly personify humility in the face of humiliation, which brings us to the second layer of Isaiah's teaching. That descendant, of course, was Jesus Christ, who, although deserving none of the taunting abuse hurled his way, would model an attitude of restrained submission. He, the sovereign Lord of the universe! The third layer of Isaiah's prophecy pertains to us, who often deserve whatever humiliation comes our way but just as often don't deserve the abuse we get. We have lessons to learn both from the people of Judah and from Jesus-the easier lesson being from Judah. For when we deserve humiliation, we usually know it. It's hard to resent punishment we have brought on ourselves. So the more difficult lesson is from Jesus. Turning the other cheek to our enemies may be the hardest lesson we ever have to learn. “It's just not right!" “They shouldn't be allowed to get away with it!" “Surely I don't have to take this!” And do we think none of those thoughts went through the suffering Savior's mind on the cross? The humbling question is: When I have every reason to strike back, just how far have I come in taking on the restrained humility of Christ? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 6, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Leave This Way… " Isaiah 30:10-11 New International Version 10 They say to the seers “See no more vision and to the prophets “Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things prophesy illusions. 11 Leave this way get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!” Psychiatrists must surely have a word to describe folks who insist on being self-deceived. But truth avoidance is not peculiar to the peculiar. There are times most of us would prefer self-deception. For example, who wants to hear the doctor tell us we have cancer? Wouldn't some of us wish to be told a lie and be blissfully ignorant of the truth? When there is bad news ahead, our first instinct is to shy away from it. If only that quirk in human nature were the extent of the problem being addressed in our featured passage! Isaiah is not talking about knowledge avoidance, but responsibility avoidance. The people knew very well what the score was. Their problem was wanting to avoid following God's commands. So please just don't mention them. Let's pretend God never spoke about that. Whatever it takes, distract us. Tell us lies! It is not likely that many of us would ever hear those exact words coming out of our mouths. But there are more ways than one to express denial. Could this explain why some people never read their Bibles? Are they are afraid to hear God telling them explicitly what he expects of them? And could this explain a person's choice of a church? It is no secret that some churches are altogether happy to sugarcoat the stringent demands of the gospel. Week in and week out, pulpits are filled with only pleasant things and comforting psycho babble. Rarely is the listener confronted with God's call to holiness. The problem is: I fall we want to glean from a conversation about God is self-affirmation, then of all people we are most delusional. The disturbing question is: Are there any ways in which I've subconsciously avoided being confronted by God? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 5, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Christian Nation…" 2 Kings 17:33-41 New International Version 33 They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. Previous examples of fickle faith have focused on Israel herself. For Israel, having mixed religious loyalties was a perennial problem. But our featured passage today is talking instead about foreigners brought into the land of promise to fill the vacuum created when the people of Israel were carted off if you understood Assyrian captivity. Responding to lion attacks on the new settlers, it was the king of Assyria himself who ordered that these new immigrants be taught how to worship the God of Israel. But because mere appeasement rather than genuine a conversion was the object of the exercise, there was never an exclusive exchange of spiritual loyalties. The immigrants were more than happy to mix and match Israel's God with their own national gods. Never having known the true God, it is understandable that they would think all "gods" were pretty much the same. Even now new converts coming to Christ from diverse religious backgrounds often exhibit residual thought patterns and habits from their of thinking and acting. Their past requires patience on our part to mentor them, helping them develop a more mature faith. In that regard, of course our own values demand closer scrutiny. What we teach most is not how we believe, but how we behave. In most religious circles today, there is no explicit inter-mingling of Christian and pagan gods. However, idolatry abounds even in "Christian nations" - from the obsessive cult of self, to the insatiable gods of materialism, to the unabashed gods of sexual erotica. Submerged as we are in such a godless culture, it is we who might most need the lessons we for others. The probing question is: Am I myself serving this world's idols even while worshipping the Lord? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 04, 2022 Daily Devotion: "God's Boat Sails Best... " Isaiah 33:23-24 New International Version 23 Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure; the sail is not spread. Then an abundance of spoils will be divided and even the lame will carry off plunder. Have you seen pictures of sailboats leaning so far over they seem to be on the brink of overturning? Only those who have experienced the exhilaration of speeding over the waves as the wind cuts through tightly trimmed sails can appreciate the seemingly precarious way a boat sails at its optimum potential. Of course even the finest yachts will be useless if not skillfully sailed. It's easy to see how Isaiah would describe God's way ward people as a floundering boat. In their relationship to God, they were fearful at the sight of the first threatening wave, lackadaisical when the winds of fortune were calm, and ceaselessly careless when dangers lurked just beneath the surface. They seemed always to be lost at sea-on course, then off; off course, then on. Given their lack of seaworthiness, it is amazing they stayed afloat at all! Even now, those who are fearful of committing themselves to God will often abandon crucial spiritual “rigging" at the first sign of the boat tipping. It takes trust and faith to believe that God's boat actually sails best when this world's values are almost upside down! The lazy mariner will not bother to unfurl the written Word. But without biblical knowledge to catch the fair breezes of the Holy Spirit, this ship is going nowhere! Most critical of all-careless sailors won't even notice dangerous doctrinal defects in the mast of faith on which all else hangs. This powerful nautical imagery intended as a rebuke to Israel is a call for us to reexamine our own state of spiritual seaworthiness. The question for sailors on life's sea is: Am I leaning in trust with my sails trimmed tightly into the wind or drifting aimlessly for lack of faith? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 03, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Hezekiah's Prayer" 2 Chronicles 30:18-20 New International Version 18 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. God is notorious for rule making and rule breaking. Just when we think we know how God will react in any given situation, he surprises us. When he's a stickler for rules, it is always for the good. When he makes or condones exceptions to the rule, that too is good. Not unexpectedly, God's wisdom in knowing when to do what is far beyond our ability to do the same, but that doesn't mean we don't have our own part to play in the process. Imitating God is the goal. Incorporating his ways into our ways is a mark of spiritual maturity. And so we spend the first years of our lives being taught the rules, and the rest of our lives learning how to judge between strict obedience and discerning noncompliance. It gets even more interesting when we move to the next level, involving those other than ourselves. Hezekiah's prayer exposes a heart gracious toward those who desire to seek God, but in imperfect ways. There is no plea for God to permanently change the rules. Hezekiah is praying that God recognize the obvious-that sometimes, as here, there is only a temporary glitch, where something normally unauthorized is done to get back on track. At other times, seekers may even be badly mistaken about the rules but would obey them completely if they were simply taught the way of the Lord more perfectly. Whatever the problem, it is Hezekiah's heart for seekers that comes ringing through loud and clear. Instead of being quick to condemn, the heart that consciously prays on behalf of well-intentioned seekers is a heart able to bring them closer to God. The question for concerned hearts is: What struggling seekers come to mind on whose behalf should be praying? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

Aug 02, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Beneath The Gravestones…" Isaiah 14:10-11 New International Version 10 They will all respond, they will say to you, “You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.” 11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you. When we think of a cemetery, our mind's eye typically envisions marble tombstones and bronze vases full of flowers, all in a beautiful park-like setting. Want to know who was successful in life? The larger and more ornate the tombstone, the more prominent the deceased. Then again we all know that cemeteries are mostly window dressings, perhaps reflecting one's position in society, but telling us little about a person's character. Even when scripture verses or pious phrases adorn the tombstone, the person being remembered might not have been particularly religious or even virtuous. However beautiful, cemeteries are deceptively beguiling. Who wants to contemplate the harsh reality beneath the gravestones, especially after the loss of a loved one? Yet it has to be said that the tranquil beauty of the cemetery belies the ghastly decomposition taking place within the grave. For no matter how carefully bodies are sealed in coffins and crypts, they inevitably decay. Though we shudder to think of maggots and worms, the fact remains that (if not cremated) our flesh inexorably will deteriorate into nothing. If the Lord tarries, we are all going to disintegrate. At which point the hard truth emerges: when the process of purification is complete, the body no longer counts, only the soul. The mystery is-why doesn't this truth have a far more meaningful impact on us than it does? Out of sight, out of mind might work well for flower-bedecked cemeteries, but not for souls serious about what happens when there is nothing left but rotting bones. The macabre question is: Do I ever dwell long enough on the prospect of my decomposing body to be prompted for good by that gruesome thought? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

August 01, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Unclean Lips, Hearts and Minds" Isaiah 6:5 New International Version 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Sounds like the apostle Paul, doesn't it – that "chief of sinners" so unworthy to be chosen. And what about that petulant hothead Peter? In fact, what about all those swarthy fishermen-turned- apostles, not to mention Matthew, Levi, the presumably corrupt tax collector? Whoever would have chosen any of them for kingdom service? For that matter the choice of rebellious Israel as God's special people runs counter to all logic. If there is any logic at all in Isaiah's appointment, maybe it is that a nation of unclean lips needed a prophet of unclean lips to effectively communicate the message. Perhaps that's where you and I come me in-we of unclean lips, hearts, and minds. Could God ever use unworthy rubbish like us? If his track record is anything to go by, the answer is yes. Sometimes it takes one hopeless sinner to reach another. The question for broken vessels is: If God uses sinners just like myself, with which fellow sinners might he be calling me to share the gospel? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 31, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Tremendous Responsibility We Assume in The Name that We Wear" Hosea 2:23 New International Version 23 I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one. I will say to those called ‘Not my people, ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’” The names divinely chosen for Hosea's children bore a stinging message. Jezreel's name foretold a punishing dispersal of Israel because of her unfaithfulness. Lo-Ruhamah, meaning not loved, and Lo-Ammi, meaning not my people, were hardly terms of endearment. So when today's verse reveals that surprising promise of a name change from not my people and not loved to the Hebrew equivalent of today's “Amy" (beloved), an extraordinary change in relationship is being foretold. Consider how that parallels the radical change of relationship inherent within the name "Christian." Before we claim that name, we are not God's people. When we proudly take on that name, we proclaim to a non-believing world that we are God's people! What a tremendous responsibility we assume in the name that we wear-not simply claiming the name of Christ but honoring it. The interesting question is: What spiritually descriptive name might be given me by those who know me best? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 30, 2023 Daily Devotion: "Screaming to Obedience... " Jonah 2:10 New International Version 10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Virtually every child knows the story of Jonah and "the whale." Because whales aren't actually fish, maybe it wasn't the gray, blue, or killer whale we see spouting off in all the drawings. But it's still the biggest fish tale ever told and-despite defying credibility-still the truest. As for the details, don't ask. It's God's job to sort out how Jonah could be inside that mammoth creature with both of them surviving. What's far more interesting is that God somehow commanded a fish to vomit! And the fish obviously obeyed! As did the superstitious sailors who threw Jonah into the tumultuous sea at his direction. And as did the heathen Ninevites when told to repent. The odds of a whole city of idolaters obeying a command to repent must surely be a bigger fish story than the “whale"! Did you notice who is left out of the list of the obedient? Jonah! Swarthy pagan sailors, unlikely heathen worshippers, and even a fish in the sea, all did what they were told to do. Only God's prophet had to be dragged kicking and screaming to obedience! Even then he resented the Ninevites for having followed God's command more eagerly than himself. Is there not a lesson or two here for those of us who consider ourselves to be God's people? The most obvious is that we should never ignore a call of God when we sense it, no matter how far-fetched it may seem. The second lesson is that God often calls us far outside of our comfort zones to reach people we tend to dismiss. Why waste time on them? But if God can fashion a fish big enough to swallow a prophet, he can create hearts big enough to accept a Savior! The reluctant question is: What is God calling me to do that I would rather not do...but will? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 29, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Take Up Your Positions... Do Not Be Discouraged... " 2 Chronicles 20:12 New International Version 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” We've all been there. Somewhere along the line everybody experiences those desperate moments when we have run out of ideas. Whatever problem we are facing is far too big for us. There's simply no way out, so now what? Prayer comes to mind, of course, but how are we to pray? In times of distress, we could do worse than echo the prayer of Jehoshaphat when Judah was being invaded by the marauding Moabites. Jehoshaphat's prayer is a model of trust, humility, and hope. First comes an acknowledgment of who God is. Are you not the omnipotent God of the universe whom no one can withstand? Next comes a reminder of what God has already done. Did you not by force and power bring your people into this land and place your temple in its midst? And finally comes the desperate plea. Will you not judge the Ammonites for their sins and save us from destruction? If the words seem simple enough, it is the attitude behind the words that really counts. One can't pray a desperate prayer without first confessing complete helplessness and total dependence. In a self-sufficient world, that's not always easy to do. Nor is it easy to keep our eyes fixed on God in moments of crisis. Oh, we may talk to God more when the situation is dire, but often we get so transfixed by our fear that we look away from God and focus on the apparent hopelessness of our situation. At times like that, we need to remember how God answered Jehoshaphat's prayer. “Take up your positions...do not be discouraged," said God, "for the battle is not yours, but God's!" The question for desperate souls is: The next time I find myself in a hopeless situation, will I trust God enough to praise him for the victory he is about to achieve? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 28, 2022 Daily Devotion: "God Who Brings Victory in the Valleys… " 1 Kings 20:28 New International Version 28 The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’” Even for us today, it's hard not to think that God is more a "God of the hills" than a "God of the valleys." When everything's going great, isn't God good! But when nothing is going right, we begin to lament, "Where is God when we need him!" When you think about it, it is not all that far removed from what the Arameans had surmised- that "hill gods" have the easier task. What makes our God great is not so much his prowess on the mountaintops, but how he brings unexpected victories in the valleys of difficulty and despair. It is in the most serious battles that God reveals himself most clearly. The encouraging question for the discouraged is: With a God who brings victory in the valleys, how can I possibly not prevail? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 27, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Every Season Is Important… " Ecclesiastes 3:1 New International Version 3 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: As with nature itself, all the many seasons of life also play a role. From the joyous season of birth to the culminating season of death, each season has its place. If perhaps the season of Jesus' birth was more rapturous, the season of his awful crucifixion was indispensable. How can we expect seasons of happiness without seasons of pain? Or seasons of growth without seasons of plantings? Or seasons of excitement without seasons of calm? To wish that our "winters of distress" could be milder is to risk missing the strength of perseverance harsh winters produce. To dread the fast-fading autumn of our lives is to miss its unique beauty. For the wise, no season is to be feared or avoided. We learn from the seasons of nature that, while no season of life lasts forever, every season is important. The question worth asking is: Have I learned to welcome whatever season comes my way? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 26, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Speak the Truth in Love... " Proverbs 29:12 New International Version 12 If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked. Today's proverb concisely states how evil is introduced when a king, CEO, politician, president, or church leader surrounds himself with "yes-men." When a leader prefers a glowing image over dubious reality, those who wish his favor must go along with the game. In time their pretense can no longer be justified as love covering a multitude of sins or well-intentioned naiveté. Eventually some honest soul will blow the whistle on the entire farce. While many proverbs counsel the wisdom of having advisors, the unstated assumption is that those advisors will speak honestly and courageously. As many imprisoned leaders have realized too late, uncritical support for unethical conduct is not the hall-mark of a loyal staff, but is an act of betrayal. Want to do your bosses-and yourself-a favor? Speak the truth in love, even if they are so self-deceived they prefer to hear lies. The compelling question is: Am I willing to speak the truth, no matter the risk of devastating consequences? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 25, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Enlightening Green Arrows... " Proverbs 18:17 New International Version 17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines. Without cross-examination, even an honest witness might be telling the truth as he knows it, but perhaps not the whole truth-because he doesn't know it. The search for truth in any arena demands careful scrutiny and an open mind. You have to ask the right questions, and coming up with those questions requires thinking through all the possibilities. Is what you've learned about the Scriptures from your parents or preacher the whole truth? Have you accepted the doctrines you hold dear without ever really asking hard questions? When you study the Bible, do you dig behind the obvious, looking at the passage from every possible angle? For those with truly open minds, traditional red light shave a way of becoming enlightening green arrows. The question for honest searchers is: Is my truth really as true as I believe it to be? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 24, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Complex Motives" Proverbs 16:2 New International Version 2 All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. When it comes to moral and spiritual actions, motives are equally complex. One can act from the purest of motives, yet violate God's commands. As Samuel reminded Saul, where there is outright disobedience, an act of sacrifice is worthless before God. The more difficult situation is suggested by today's featured verse, where we are doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons. Consider, for example, regular participation at times of worship, contributing generously to good causes, or personally helping the poor and oppressed. All good things, yet there is potential for wrong or mixed motives that never occur to us because we underestimate our own capacity for impure motives, or we overvalue our nobility of character. Rarely do we give others that same benefit of the doubt, so why should we think we are somehow exempt? Whatever our own view of ourselves, in God's eyes it's not just what we do that counts, but why. The obvious question is: When was the last time I double-checked my motives for doing even the good things I do? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 23, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Important Role of Discipline… " Proverbs 23:13-14 New International Version 13 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.14 Punish them with the rod and save them from death. Spare the rod, and spoil the child" goes the adage drawn from biblical proverbs like the one above. By now the degree to which that adage has fallen into disrepute is no secret, even among many believers. Unfortunately, the evil of excessive force belies the time-tested value of corporeal punishment when used with loving restraint. While it is possible to discipline a child without slapping the hand or spanking the bottom, it is hard to deny the close correlation between physical punishment and well-disciplined children. Nor is there any evidence suggesting that adults spanked as children suffer long-term physical or psychological damage from such punishment. What's important is that, while the stinging bottom is quickly forgotten, the object of the exercise has a long-lasting, character-forming effect. This goes along way toward explaining the play on words between "die" and "death." The first speaks of physical death, the second of spiritual death. Make no mistake, says God, discipline or the lack of it is a matter of life and death. Sparing the rod altogether can result in a soul being destroyed eternally in “the second death." Like parents, churches would do well to remember the crucial role of discipline. The apostle Paul enjoined discipline to snatch the wayward soul from hell. Church discipline needs to be taken far more seriously! No wonder our heavenly Father himself can often be heavy-handed. Sometimes the only way to get our attention is not through our heads but on the other end. The question for us disobedient children is: Do I truly welcome God's harsh discipline as a means to preserving my eternal soul? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 22, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Hang onto God's every Word!" Proverbs 1:7 New International Version 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. No wonder there are so many fools around. If to be wise we must be afraid of God and sit in the corner all day for being naughty, not many are going to choose that option! Nor is the connection between fear and discipline lost on most folks. How many times have parents disciplined a child and then said, "I put the fear of the Lord in him"? Yet there is no reason why fear or discipline need have negative connotations. Consider how we use the word discipline in any number of positive ways. Athletes, for instance, willingly discipline their bodies, hoping to win medals. And scholars discipline their minds to learn how to think more sharply. By definition, discipline is never easy or terribly exciting, but only a fool would rob himself of its proven benefits. Fear can actually be our friend. It keeps us from crossing busy streets to our peril or jumping from a plane without a parachute. Fear also has various connotations. The fright we experience when watching a horror film is different from fearing an approaching tornado or fearing the demise of our nation. So to fear the Lord doesn't mean we must quake in our boots with dread. By contrast, the fear of God that begets knowledge is a fear which manifests such profound respect for God's authority that one dare not question his word on any matter. Because God's word is true without exception, only a fool would prefer to be deceived. So if you really want to be wise, discipline yourself to hang onto God's every word! The question for all potential fools is: Do I boldly claim to fear the Lord, yet listen only superficially to his Word and avoid spiritual discipline if at all possible? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 21, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Dreaming Big Dreams for the Lord… " 2 Chronicles 6:8-9 Easy-to-Read Version 8 But the Lord said to my father, ‘David, it is good that you want to build a temple for my name, 9 but you cannot build the Temple. Your son will build the Temple for my name. Have you ever had a wonderful, exciting dream that never came true? Some grand idea that seemed so perfect, but came to nothing? Why couldn't others catch the vision? And because it was intended for God's glory, why did he not give it his full, divine backing? Many a godly dreamer has been sorely disappointed. It doesn't mean that God was displeased with the vision. Perhaps God just had a different builder in mind. Or a different time and place. From what Solomon says about his father's dream, God was thrilled that David had it in his heart to build a temple. Yet for his own reasons, God had reserved that task for Solomon. One wonders if Solomon didn't learn some valuable lessons from his father's experience. Solomon would later write a number of proverbs addressing this very issue. On one hand the wise king urges, “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed" (Proverbs 16:3). Yet that advice is tempered by the perspective that, “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails" (Proverbs 19:21). Between those bookends is the balanced truth that what plans we commit to God will succeed, unless God has a particular plan of his own. Indeed (as with David's design for the temple) one's "failed" dream might eventually become reality, right down to the last detail, only perhaps a lifetime later and by someone else. So here's to dreaming big dreams for the Lord! The crucial question is: Do I have great dreams worthy of God's glory, even if I never see the trees that grow from the seeds I plant? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 20, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Solomon like Decision... " 1 Kings 3:9 New International Version 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” Anyone can tell the difference between black and white. It's gray that confuses us. Is it dark gray or light gray? If black and white were knowledge, gray would be wisdom. Knowledge can be learned from lectures and books. Wisdom is only acquired through experience, thought, and refection. Solomon's exceptional wisdom was a gift from God. Who can forget that stroke of genius and keen insight into human nature when Solomon dramatically resolved the dispute as to whose baby it was? Don't you find it intriguing that in order to resolve the "gray" issue, Solomon wisely reverted to couching the controversy in stark black and white? ("Cut the living child in two!") Both definitive "black and white" and the more uncertain “gray" have their place. The trick is having the wisdom to discern between them. Yet take a close second look at Solomon's prayer for discernment to distinguish between right and wrong. Do any of us really need wisdom to understand what's right and what's wrong? If given a stark choice, probably not. But normally our most difficult choices are between two conflicting “rights" or two conflicting "wrongs." In these cases, how do we decide? We can't exactly call for a sword and threaten to cut up some innocent baby! No, but the Bible does speak of "the sword of the Spirit," which is able to deftly divide even bone from marrow if necessary. So if you find yourself having to make a Solomon-like decision, pray that God will give you an extraordinary spirit of discernment. The black and white question is: If God answered Solomon's prayer for wisdom, is there any reason why he couldn't answer my own for discernment? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 19, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Answered Our Every Need... " Psalm 22:1 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me so far from my cries of anguish? By quoting the psalm's opening words, it is as if Jesus were saying, "If ever you think God has forsaken you, read Psalm 22!" Why? Because it begins with the obvious question countless sufferers have asked, yet ends on a sublime note of reassurance. “For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help." And when future generations are told about the Lord's mercies, "They will proclaim his righteousness...for he has done it!" Far from turning his back on us, God has already answered our every need. The question for sufferers is: Should I find myself groaning in agony of flesh or spirit, will I seek reassurance in the same comforting psalm as Jesus? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 18, 2022 Daily Devotion: "When Can I Go and Meet with God?... " Psalm 42:1-2 New International Version 1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Twice the psalmist speaks of his soul being downcast, and twice he refers to his enemies asking where his God is. The picture being painted is of a person of faith falling on such hard times that onlookers taunt him with the thought that God has abandoned him. Have you ever felt abandoned by God? If so, perhaps you can identify with the soul that despairingly yearns for God. For those who have never known such feelings of abandonment, perhaps the greater loss is in never having had that experience. Imagine how exhilarating it must be to know that God is still there after having every reason to think he's not! For those of us who blithely sing about our souls panting for God without knowing what it means to truly thirst, the deer we sing about seems far too pampered. The question for introspection is: Am I content merely to sing about panting and thirsting when God calls me to pant for him on a more desperate level? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 17, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Our Inmost Being... " Psalm 139:13-16 New International Version 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful I know that full well.15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. The human body doesn't begin to equate with what David described as "my inmost being." If asked where the real "you" resides, what would you answer? Because our thinking process seems closest to who we are, most of us tend to associate our inner self with the brain. But if our souls reside within the brain, what is left of the soul when those gray cells deteriorate in the grave? If there is to be life after death, the soul must be something quite apart from the brain. Compared with my incredible body, how much more fearfully and wonderfully made must be my immortal soul! The profound question is: In my sentiment, thinking mind today, how conscious will I be of my "inmost being," which at death will survive the very brain with which I ask this question? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 16, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Praise The Lord…” Psalm 134:1-2 New International Version “1 Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. 2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.” If you have ever walked around at night, you know that it is like being in a shadowy, far-away universe. Few experiences are more suited to deep, contemplative thoughts and fresh perspectives. You - the silent observer and explorer of the night's closely held secrets. So when you encounter the nightshift at work behind the scenes, it's reasonable to wonder if that is also how God works behind the scenes. While we sleep, God-who never slumbers-is protecting, providing, maintaining, and healing. Why else have nighttime if not for God to give us fresh starts? To heal the body. To clean up behind us. To prepare spiritual nourishment for the coming day. To deliver insights through the night that we'll "read" as we awake. As much as we want God at our side throughout the busy day, have we lost sight of a God who is with us even when we close our eyes? Whatever shift we're on, the question is: “Have I considered that starting and ending each day with praise in my heart lessens God's need to work during the night?” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 15, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Wisdom from Above..." Psalm 119:98-100 New International Version 98 Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. 99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.100 I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. The writer of this lengthy psalm is a person "in the know." He knows that God's laws contain insight far greater than all human knowledge put together. God's wisdom helps us triumph over our enemies by providing smarter strategies. God's wisdom appreciates whatever knowledge a teacher might impart, but is able to take that knowledge a giant leap beyond what the ordinary teacher knows. And God's wisdom can surpass the accumulated insight of the most-experienced men and women. Because divine law is the vehicle that conveys the insight only God himself can have, to ignore God's law is to foolishly disdain the extraordinary wisdom that brings us the highest possible knowledge and power. The question is: If I have spent years acquiring earthly knowledge, isn't it time I spent an equal amount of effort drinking in the wisdom from above? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 14, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Story of a Lifetime..." Psalm 71:17-18 New International Version 17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. Between the bookends of our human existence is a lifetime of learning about God and his eternal will for mankind. Given enough time, we all move from being students to teachers. Whether formally or informally, what we learn we transfer to others. Yet what is so amazing about the process is that the more we learn, the more we realize how little we know. And the more we know, the more we find ourselves getting back to the basics we first learned as a child-before all the intellectual clutter inexorably chokes out the essence of childlike faith and trust in the simplest truths. Perhaps the one advantage that the "hoary head" has over the “towhead" is a lifetime of witnessing God's incredible deeds. Combine the profound truths, which even children can grasp, together with the marvelous deeds, to which the more mature can testify, and you have the story of a lifetime! The question for us older folk is: Have I grown so sophisticated in my knowledge of Scripture that what I teach others is overly complicated? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 13, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Blameworthy from the Blameless" Psalm 26:1 New International Version 1 Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered. It's possible, of course, that David might have written this particular song prior to the events surrounding Bathsheba and long before the offensive census. Even so, is it not the height of presumption for anyone to claim being blameless? Yet this is the same David who talked about his sins being ever before him. So David's claim to be blameless makes no sense...unless, perhaps, byway of relative comparison with his enemies. Compared with their wickedness, he was as pure as a newborn infant! While it may be true that he was “a man of blood," unlike his enemies he was not bloodthirsty! Despite his great sins, David had an extraordinary love for God's truth, a fervent desire to serve the Lord, and an unabashed passion for worship. As we think about our own sins, there is danger in making self-serving comparisons with those who may be even greater sinners, as if we could rationalize our "less-serious" sins. On the other hand, because we and they are all sinners, there must be some critical factor separating the righteous from the unrighteous, the “blameworthy" from the "blameless." If that factor isn't a sinner's heart for God like David's, what is? The question for all of us is: Do I minimize my sins by comparing them with others, or am I reminded of just how much all of us need God's saving grace? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 12, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Chosen for Service…" 1 Chronicles 25:8 New International Version 8 Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties. To be chosen by lot is simply to be chosen for service. In the big picture, it hardly matters what service. You have your responsibility, I have mine. I have my duties to fulfill, you have yours. And all to the glory of God! What could it possibly matter if your service is more high-profile than mine? When service to God becomes the great equalizer, there's no room for arrogance or humiliation. It is true that we may have been specially called by God in different ways according to his eternal purpose and plan. But as far as we are concerned, God might just as well have thrown the dice. The only question is: If I compare my gifts with those of others, have I not missed the whole point of it random service in the kingdom? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 11, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Turning Tragedy into Triumph" 2 Samuel 12:22-23 New International Version 22 He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ 23 But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” Callous? Calculating? Cold? How are we to interpret David's answer to his servants? Had he been putting on a show to win God's favor? If we didn't know David better, we might be tempted to think so. Even giving him the benefit of the doubt regarding the sincerity of his fasting and weeping, what are we to think about David's seemingly matter-of-fact response to his son's death? If the child were ours, could we possibly be so blasé? This brief snippet speaks eloquently of the intimate, trusting relationship between David and God. Whether in joy or in sorrow, David wears his heart on his sleeve. When he's happy, he takes off his kingly robes and dances around as if still a shepherd boy. When he's sad, he weeps unabashedly. Childlike, David is open and vulnerable to God. Does he want something passionately? The little boy in him asks for it passionately! But if he doesn't get what he asks for, the trusting child in him takes it on faith that his Father knows best. Unless some great tragedy strikes, rarely can any of us ever know for sure just how intimate a relationship we have with God. Superficial relationships rarely survive adversity. Tears of pain and sadness are to be expected, but the real test of our faith is how we handle the aftermath. Can we come to grips with reality? Can we trust that God's eternal plan is bigger than our immediate pain? Being resigned to blind misfortune is frustrating fatalism. Being resigned to God's purposes is turning tragedy into triumph. The sobering question is: Is there some bitter disappointment in my life that I need to turn completely over to God this very day? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 10, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Ark of the Covenant... " 1 Chronicles 17:1 New International Version 17 After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.” What in the world would the sovereign Creator of the universe need with an earthly dwelling? How, possibly, could an unearthly Spirit in habit any man-made dwelling! Yet God himself seems not to be bothered by David's idea of building him a special dwelling place. Indeed, God affirms that he has been “dwelling" in a tent ever since the Israelites came out of Egypt. The fact that God is an omnipresent, ethereal Spirit does not preclude his special presence being associated with either a tabernacle or a temple. Although God declares that his “house" is not to be built by David himself, God clearly blesses David's dream of erecting a permanent structure to replace the portable tabernacle. Of course it is not the temple itself, but David's sense of spiritual priorities that God truly is blessing. Who else sits in an elegant palace and feels guilty about God's ark being housed in a tent! It's an interesting thought, isn't it? If God is to have a “dwelling” of any kind, should the house of any man be grander than the house of God? Think about our own houses, for example. How do they compare with God's house? No, not some familiar “church house." It is not bricks and mortar that matter. What matters is how the time, attention, and money we have spent on our homes compares with the time, attention, and money we have spent on honoring God and furthering his kingdom. Are we living in the lap of luxury (even relatively speaking) while ignoring far greater spiritual priorities? If our homes, in particular, are grander than whatever it is that we do to honor God, how do we expect to be blessed? The compelling question is: How much of my time éach day is devoted to maintaining my home and how much to honoring God's? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 09, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Forbearing Faith…" 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 New International Version 13 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse. Ever wonder why God chose not to answer Saul? Could it be that God was in no mood to humor a leader who had so little faith that he shook in his boot sat the very sight of the Philistines? Sometimes our appeals to God expose more lack of faith than faith. Yet Saul's inquiry was also being ignored, says Samuel, because Saul had disobeyed God, particularly regarding the Amalekites. (Samuel might well have mentioned the time when Saul got tired of waiting on Samuel and made the burnt offering himself.) In the most important sense, Saul hadn't truly inquired of God after all. “Inquiring of God" demands a patient faith...and complete obedience. The question for seekers is: If I grow impatient with God and take spiritual matters into my own hands, can I possibly conjure up anything but trouble? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 08, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Sharing is Caring… " 1 Samuel 25:11 New International Version 11 Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?” It's not difficult to see why Abigail said her husband lived up to his name ~ Nabal the fool! Nabal would not be the first to think he shouldn't have to share his hand-earned money or possessions with complete strangers, yet who but a fool would say it out loud! Then again as a matter of moral inquiry, the actual question he poses is not a bad question. Why should we share? Just when you think sharing has been so inculcated through child-rearing and cultural values that it is axiomatic, we see not only Nabal questioning the obvious, but also David's warriors. The soldiers who actually went into battle didn't want to share the plunder with those who stayed behind guarding the supplies! Were they not also fools? If we are brutally honest, hardly a day goes by that you and I don't find our-selves begrudging the moral obligation to have less so that others can have more. Naturally we have less trouble sharing when we know that those with whom we share will reciprocate. We all bring a potluck dish and share our meal together. The more difficult sharing is when the recipients of our bounty are strangers who have neither means nor opportunity to share back. In that instance, what Nabal's question exposes is a fundamentally false assumption-that the water was his! Did God create the water just for Nabal? Only when we understand that what we have is not really ours can we begin to fully appreciate the virtue of sharing. All that we have is but a trust that God has given us to divide with others as each has need. The truly painful question is: As I look around at all my possessions on every hand, can I really bring myself to think that they are merely on loan until someone else needs them more? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 07, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Jealousy is a Disease... " 1 Samuel 18:9 New International Version 9 And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David. When we think of the word jealous, typically what comes to mind is a jealous lover. Maybe the one they love has given them reason to be jealous. Maybe not. Ever known anyone whose jealousy was born out of a deep sense of insecurity? Saul must have been that type. He simply couldn't stand it when David's popularity began to eclipse his own. So suddenly he is throwing spears at David, then hoping the Philistines will kill his rival, and-when that fails-even sending men to assassinate David. Not exactly petty jealousy! Yet perhaps we gain further insight into jealousy when we consider that the word fear keeps cropping up alongside Saul's jealousy. What reason would Saul have for fearing David? David wasn't his enemy. Strangely, the text says that Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with David. But why should that make Saul jealous...except for the implication that the Lord was not with Saul? David's only crime, so it seems, was unwittingly being cast in the role of a messenger delivering bad news to Saul. What's a person to do but kill the messenger-as if without his presence as a constant reminder, the hard truth itself would somehow disappear. Jealousy is not just about suspicious lovers. It's about regarding as a threat anyone who makes you look bad by comparison. Jealously happens when you want to be them! So if you've ever had folks throwing spears your way and you can't figure out why, maybe you have given them reason to be jealous. This would put you in good company with David and with all the other people of integrity who are the envy of the world. The worrying question is: If I have given no one any reason to be jealous of my abundant life in Christ, is it because I am showing them precious little difference? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 06, 2022 Daily Devotion: "It's Not About Quantity… It's About Quality… " 1 Samuel 14:6 New International Version 6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” Know what it is like to at and alone for some crucial principle? To be the only one willing to fight some battle needing to be fought? It has to be said that not many people fall into that category-otherwise there would not be those rare individuals who stand out from the crowd. But you don't have to be someone who is consistently out front to know those times when you've been outnumbered in some worthy cause and wondered if you could succeed. It's not exactly true, as is often said, that God and one person make a majority. Even without you or me, God alone is always the majority! Yet it is absolutely true that an individual acting alone cannot fail when God is on his side. Scripture often records the number of men in the armies on either side of a battle. Often the armies of Israel were nowhere near the size of their enemies' armies, but victory was never dependent on size. Faithfulness and trust in God's power-not numbers-were the keys to Israel's military success. The story of Jonathan and his brave assistant is a vivid reminder that even one or two people trusting in God can overcome overwhelming odds. Whether it be battles in the workplace, conflicts at church, or military engagements on foreign soil, God is always on the side of those who put their trust in his power, not their own. Even if the trusting believer doesn't win every skirmish that comes along, you can be sure that it's not because God was counting the number of combatants. If that mattered, why would we ever need God? The encouraging question is: What battle will I fight single handedly today that, by trusting in God, will turn out easier than I ever could have imagined? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 05, 2022 Daily Devotion: "When God is at Work ... " 1 Samuel 9:21 New International Version 21 Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?” How many times have you heard a woman say, "I'm just a housewife"? Or perhaps a man say with a touch of embarrassment, "I'm currently unemployed"? Or maybe someone lament, "I'm a nobody! "Self-esteem is not a universally shared trait, nor is pride in one's station in life guaranteed for all. For every “high flier," there are many more common, ordinary folks in the world who don't have much to brag about. Of what use are they to anyone? To look at them, nothing in particular would suggest they are special. So maybe they are right. Maybe they are like Saul, a nobody among nobodies. But hang on! If they are a "nobody" like Saul, then they are a “nobody" that God could make a king! Or the mother of a king. Or an honored servant of a king. If perhaps you can identify with Saul's hiding among the baggage when he is named as Israel's first king, take heart. He knew he was no more suited to being a king than the donkeys he had been chasing the day before. What he had not counted on, however, was God's power to transform him into an instrument God could use for his own purposes. Not surprisingly the process began with a change of heart. No, not Saul changing his heart, but God changing Saul's heart. And then there was that spirit of prophesying with which God miraculously empowered Saul. What a shock that must have been for a former "nobody"! While God never promised to make all “nobodies" kings, of this we can be certain: Nobody's a “nobody" when God is working in their life. The question for all us ordinary folk is: How can I possibly be a "nobody" if the King himself has made me a child of the King! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 04, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Art of Listening... " 1 Samuel 3:10 New International Version 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Ever talked to anyone on the phone for what seemed like hours and didn't have to say anything on your end except art occasional "uh huh"? (If not, is there any chance you are the talkative one?) Some folks have an amazing capacity to tap into a stream of consciousness that seems never to quit. You wonder when they ever stop to listen! Then again all of us are pretty good at selective listening. Oh, we hear, of course, but when do we truly listen? While husbands are notorious for this conjugal flaw, it is not a trait to be cultivated. Quite the opposite, learning to listen is a sign of maturity, especially when the one we are listening to is God. So young Samuel was wise beyond his years to say to God, “Speak to me. I'm all ears." He wasn't simply telling God that he was listening to the sound of his voice, but listening with an eagerness to respond to whatever God wanted him to do. Good conversations are always two-sided. There's an easy give-and-take going on. You talk, then listen - listen, then talk. As much as wanting the other person to know what's on your mind, you want to know what's on theirs. It's a matter of mutual respect. A good example of a phenomenal conversation occasioned Samuel's birth. As a disconsolate barren woman, Hannah frequently prayed to God that she might have a son, whom she vowed to give over to the Lord. When the text tells us that "God remembered her," it's obvious that God had been listening intently to Hannah's prayers. This is an amazing thought-that the Lord of the universe not only speaks to his creatures, but listens! The question to ponder is: Do I have balanced conversations with God, as eager to be "all ears" as “all mouth"? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 03, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Power of Choice... " Ruth 1:16 New International Version 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Whatever happened to Ruth's sister-in-law, Orpah? Although Naomi encouraged both of her daughters-in-law to remain, the text gives us an important clue as to why only Orpah stayed behind. "Look," said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her." The choice was not really about whether to leave relatives and friends. Naomi knew it was fundamentally a choice between gods. So did Ruth. Despite being given the clear option to choose otherwise, Ruth chose the God of Israel. The true God. This left Orpah choosing false gods-and a culture that did not honor godly values. Was hers, as one can imagine, a life ending in bitterness, grief, and regret? Defined as we are by our choices at critical junctures in our lives, the only real issue is whether we decide to go with God. So the question is: When I reach each crucial crossroad in my life, is God foremost among my considerations? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 02, 2022 Daily Devotion: "God is Leading Us … " Judges 6:39 New International Version 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” Perhaps you have heard someone talking about "putting out a fleece," What various people mean by that expression runs the gamut from genuinely seeking God's will in a matter of decision, all the way to throwing some important decision to the winds of fate or sheer chance. Gideon's famous fleece may not have been so much an act of faith as an act of doubt. Had Gideon merely been seeking confirmation from a God in whom he fully trusted, he only needed to put the fleece out once. When he insisted on putting the fleece out a second time, we wonder if there was more doubt than trust. Yet we mustn't be too hard on Gideon. How, indeed, do you and I know with any confidence what God's will is? Are we just supposed to take the first thing that comes along as our indicator of where God is leading us? What if it is only a coincidence? What if we too quickly seize on something that simply appeals to what we ourselves secretly want? Gideon had good reason not to thoughtlessly seize the first possible indicator of God's presence in his life. Using what seemed to be common sense, Gideon in initially concluded that God must have abandoned Israel. What else would explain all the trouble they were in? Then realizing that his first assumption was obviously wrong, Gideon took on a healthy skepticism about how God acts. Crucially, it seems that God was not angry with Gideon for putting the fleece out twice. Instead of going off half-cocked, making doubly sure of what God wants may not be such a bad idea. The question for all of us is: Even if I may not instantly or easily know which direction God is leading, do I at least stop, look, and listen? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

July 01, 2022 Daily Devotion: "God's Timing…" Joshua 21:43-45 New International Version 43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settle there. 44 The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. We have to go back almost seven centuries from the time of Joshua to fully appreciate the significance of today's passage. It was then that God first promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit a land that he would give them. With each succeeding generation, the land promise was renewed. Generations came and generations went without that promise being fulfilled. But the time for fulfillment has finally arrived, and God has made good on his promises. Of course much of Israel's new land has yet to be fully subdued, and for centuries to come, Israel will suffer for failing to completely subjugate the land as God has commanded them. But that's another story. What's important, as this record reflects unequivocally, is that God has done all that he ever promised to do by giving Israel the land. Why is that historical fact so crucial? Because we need to be able to implicitly trust God's promises for us. Is God a promise keeper? We can count on it! If someone should protest, “But that's a given," we must not forget the many generations who lived and died in expectation of a promise that was never fulfilled in their lifetime. How must they have felt? Did they ever doubt God's credibility? For that matter, have you claimed a promise of God that has yet to be fulfilled? What's so wonderful about the land promise to Israel is that its belated but certain fulfillment reminds us that God is always faithful, even if not on our timetable. A promise unfulfilled today is no less secure than the promise fulfilled yesterday. Trust is never the issue, only God's timing. So the timely question is: If per chance God's promises were unfulfilled throughout my entire lifetime, would I trust him any less? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 30, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Our Incredible God… " Joshua 10:13-14 New International Version 13 So the sun stood still and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar: The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! How often do we attempt to put God neatly into a box-a box more suited to our paltry understanding rather than a box large enough to accommodate his infinite nature, were that even possible? When reading the Scriptures, it's easy to glide right past truly phenomenal acts of God. Assuming you're not in some arctic region, try to imagine the sun not setting as usual tonight. How could that possibly be! Yet the text tells us with a straight face that when Joshua asked God to extend the day, that is precisely what God did! The literal, historical fact is that, at the request of an ordinary human being just like us, the Creator God of the universe put the entire solar system on hold! What do you think? If for some reason you desperately needed twenty-four hours when the sun didn't set, would God honor your request? One of the dangers of reading about God working in such extraordinary ways is that, if we don't personally witness similar mind-boggling acts, it's easy to conclude that God is distant or dead. Or that God wound up the clock of the universe, tinkered with it for a while, then just walked away. Do we still have reason to trust that, if necessary, God would literally move heaven and earth on our behalf? Considering that the Israelites personally witnessed all those extraordinary miracles and still lacked trust, maybe God now works mostly behind the scenes. Even so, ask enough people and you'll quickly find that God is still doing the incredible! The question to ponder is: Have I been desensitized into  thinking that, just because I've never seen the sun standstill, God either can't or doesn't work in my life? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 29, 2022 Daily Devotion: "God is with us Wherever We Go..." Joshua 1:9 New International Version Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Easy enough for God to say! “Don't worry, Joshua. There is no reason to be terrified." Even seasoned veterans know the smell of fear when they launch into battle. And who can blame them? Few battles have ever been fought without casualties. Somebody has to die! Then again, not all battles are the military type. There are battles against cancer, for example, every bit as hard fought and frightening as armed conflict. And battles within families, within the workplace, and even within the church. Not all are terrifying, but all of them are discouraging. So God promises to be with us in the midst of whatever battle we happen to be facing this very day. Then again, haven't countless losing armies claimed that God was on their side? Indeed, but Joshua and the Israelites have indisputable proof that God really and truly is on their side. How else can you explain their incredible crossing of the Jordan? Unlike military battles where at least somebody has to die, in the great battle of this life, everybody has to die. Everybody has to “cross the Jordan” (signifying our crossing from this life into the land beyond) - a phrase that is synonymous with dying. Is there anything more terrifying than death? And yet, in anticipation of Israel's crossing of the Jordan, God provided a miracle to safeguard his chosen people, just as he had done at the Red Sea. For those who have witnessed a lifetime of God working in their lives, death need no longer terrify the soul. Even in death God is with us wherever we go. The encouraging question is: If God has promised to be on the frontlines with me even in the most crucial life-and-death battle I will ever face, why should I be terrified at lesser battles that come my way? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 28, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Our Distant View..." Deuteronomy 32:52 New International Version 52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.” We should not assume, of course, that every life cut short before a dream is fulfilled implies that a "premature death" (if there is such a thing) is because of sin, as in Moses' case. If our dream is within God's will, it may simply be that God has chosen to use others to accomplish the next phase. No dream or efforts made that are consistent with God's own good pleasure will be unfulfilled or wasted. Are we to think that Jesus' work on the cross was wasted simply because he would not see (through human eyes) his kingdom fully flourish? The good news is that Jesus' triumphant resurrection was our own “distant view" of greater things than earthly dreams. Not even Moses will be denied that eternal Promised Land! So if we are saddened at the thought that we might die before accomplishing all we would like, how can that disappointment possibly compare with the hope of what is yet to come? The question of current importance is: What foundation will I lay today that others will build on long after I'm gone? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 27, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Beauty of Compassion... " Deuteronomy 22:6-7 New International Version 6 If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. 7 You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life. God not only knows every sparrow that falls, but quite incredibly, also cares what happens to each one! So how would you characterize today's passage? Quaint? Charming? Endearing? It's yet another instance where some seemingly quirky commandment is packed with insight! If we are to have compassion on an ordinary bird, how much more for our fellow man? God has a unique way of developing habits of the heart, such as the virtue of compassion. Just think of it leaving corners in the grain field for the poor to reap! Treating foreigners with the kindness you'd hope to receive if in a similar situation! Regarding the elderly with due respect and compassion! Can you even begin to imagine a world without daily acts of compassion? Indeed, what would you and I be like if we were devoid of compassion? We are told that when Jesus saw the multitudes "like sheep without a shepherd," he had compassion on them. And so he fed them all five thousand. No, not just with food for the stomach, but with food for the soul. Aware that we are wretched, blind, and poor, God shares the gleanings from his glorious bounty. Having himself come into this world as if a stranger, God is touched that we are struggling aliens in a world not our own. The beauty of compassion is that it calls us to our highest instincts for good putting ourselves in the place of others, instantly recognizing a vulnerability we've experienced, and doing whatever we can to lessen the burden, just as God has lessened ours. The compelling question is: Whose life might be uplifted today because of some compassion I might show? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 26, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Lord of a Lifetime… " Leviticus 6:13 New International Version 13 The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out. On again, off again. Fits and starts. Look at some people's faith life, and it is the story of the hare, not the tortoise. And why is it so difficult to stick to a diet or maintain a regimen of exercise? What happens to our resolve? Why do our commitments seem so hard to keep? At the first of the year, we do our daily Bible readings with disciplined consistency, then there's that unexpected interruption that makes us miss a day, followed by another day when still other events overtake us. Before we know it, we've gotten out of the routine, and the Bible lies unopened for weeks. No wonder God instructs the priests and Levites to keep a fire burning continuously on the altar. Anyone who has ever built a fire knows it is a lot easier to add fuel periodically and stir the embers than to let the fire go out and have to start all over again. Of course it's not about the fire itself. What God wants is daily, continuous, uninterrupted devotion-certainly for his own glory, but also because he knows how much we ourselves are shaped and nourished by daily acts of worship. To be constantly into the Word is to be continuously reminded of right priorities and values. To make little sacrifices each day is to prepare us for times when we may be called upon to offer extraordinary sacrifices. To regularly exercise our spiritual gifts is to strengthen ourselves to serve even more. To pray day by day is to be secure night after night. Above all, to make God the Lord of each day is the only way to make sure he is Lord of a lifetime. The question for some of us is: If I've let myself get out of the daily habit of being in touch with God, might this be the very day my faith gets back on track? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 25, 2022 Daily Devotion: "What to Remember and What to Let Slip Away... " Deuteronomy 4:9 New International Version 9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Have you ever noticed that some people seem unable to tear themselves away from the past and move on with their lives? Maybe they simply can't get over a devastating situation. Or perhaps it is the death of a loved one, especially a child cut down in the blossom of youth. By contrast with these unhealthy ways of looking back, Moses actually cautions against forgetting the past. Don't forget how God has moved in your life in the past! Don't forget how richly he has blessed you in your righteousness or how punishment has always followed on the heels of sin! Don't forget how many times God's promises have already come true! In times of fear and uncertainty or when your heart aches with unbearable pain, don't let slip from your heart the security, comfort, and wisdom that can come from thinking back on what God has already done for you. A healthy heart knows what to remember and what to let slip away. The sobering question is: Am I trapped in time, unable to escape the past, or is my rear view mirror an invaluable aid to the journey ahead? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 24, 2022 Daily Devotion: "We are the Heirs of God... " Numbers 26:65 New International Version 65 For the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the wilderness, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. An inheritance is always by grace and favor. The person who has a legally valid will need not bequeath his or her estate to anyone in particular, though typically it is the spouse and then the children who inherit. In many ancient cultures, with lingering effect even today, it is the firstborn son who inherits all. Most importantly, the testator can always decide to disinherit someone previously named in the will. Without question a sovereign God could do that! But had he not promised? As God's children, we make a grave mistake if we assume God's promises are wholly unconditional Whereas God's initial covenants with mankind were clearly one-sided, all of his later covenants have been based upon mutual promises and obligations. While God will never breach his side of the covenant, is it not possible that we could write our own selves out of our inheritance? In case we are in any doubt about that, we might just ask a whole generation of God's children. The reassuring question is: If I hold to the faith that is the key to my eternal inheritance, need I have any doubt, whatsoever, that I will receive it? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 23, 2022 Daily Devotion: “Nothing but the Best... " Numbers 18:29 New International Version 29 You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’ God is a practical, common sense God. If we look closely enough, we can see that what God commands by way of moral law, or doctrine, or worship ritual usually has some purpose other than his simply being arbitrary or capricious. We are not being asked to jump through hoops merely for God's amusement. Down to the last detail, what God asks us to do is ultimately for our own good. The typical rules even earthly parents lay down don't just come out of thin air. Usually they are directed at some higher good. Would we expect anything less from our heavenly Father? So it should not be surprising that the Israelites are instructed to tithe in support of the priests and Levites, who are too busy doing God's work in the sanctuary to support themselves otherwise. It's a practical problem solved nice and easy, done and dusted. But then we discover that God requires the Levites themselves to give a tenth of the tithe! It can't be needed for support of the work in the tabernacle. In this case does God perhaps have in mind something beyond the practical? The clue seems to be in the requirement that the Levites are to present “the best and holiest part" to the Lord. This was also true of the tithe and required of each sacrifice brought before the Lord. The best and the holiest. Always the best and the holiest. Is it just a matter of vanity that God would demand nothing but the finest for himself? Or is he still being his usual practical self-all for our ultimate good? In one fell stroke, to give of our best to God teaches obedience, sacrifice, nobility, prioritizing, selflessness, and a host of other important lessons. What could be more practical? The question beyond mere practicality is: Of all that I give to God today, will it truly be the best and holiest? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 22, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Promises... " Exodus 13:14 New International Version 14 “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Moses' bold arguments to God. Moses first remind him that a pagan world would be delighted to see that Israel's God was no different from all their own gods. Then there was the reminder of God's repeated promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Would he dare break his promises? Yet what irony - Moses asking God to change his mind by recalling God's promises not to change his mind! When it comes to his promises to bless, we can bare that God will never change. (Of course it would not be a change of mind or him to withhold blessings where he has set conditions we ourselves fail to meet.) But when it comes to God's promises to punish or destroy, the picture gets slightly more complicated. For all the times when God punishes precisely as he has promised, there are those other times when a merciful God surprises us and relents from imposing what is justly deserved. The persistent vital question is: Have I learned anything from a merciful God about when to keep my promises and when to change my mind? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 21, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Test of God's Power and Provisions…” Exodus 17:7 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders. For the Israelites, each step of their journey out of bondage became a test of God's power and provision. No matter how many times he came to their rescue, the insecure Israelites seemingly needed more and more assurances of God's presence. If he delivered the goods, then God retained the people's loyalty's. If he didn't deliver, how could they possibly put their trust in such a powerless God? Do you and I ever put God to similar tests? Even if we might never actually articulate it, is there something in the back of our minds that says, for example, “If you'll just heal my loved one, then I can believe that you are real"? What would we think if our prayers seemed never to be answered? Would we no longer believe? Or, come to think of it, do we have it all backward? Is it perhaps God who is testing us in these trying circumstances? Here is the real question I need to ask: Is my faith in God's fragile that nothing short of daily miracles can sustain it? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 20, 2022 Daily Devotion: "You are UNIQUE... " Exodus 9:16 New International Version 16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. But of the billions of people who have ever lived, was it inevitable that you should be born? We like to think, of course, that each soul is important. But why you or why me? And was it by sheer accident of nature that we were brought into this world by our particular parents, sort of like a gum-ball machine-you just get the next one, whichever happens to drop into position? Could we have been born of another race or into another social strata? Might we have lived in a different part of the world, or spoken a different language? For many couples it's an intentional decision to bring a child into the world, but odds are that most children are just little surprise bundles that come along. A surprise to everyone but God. The mystery of life belongs to God. What we do know is that God has purposely anointed any number of men and women as his special emissaries. It is possible that in some cases he simply worked with whatever lives were available from a natural process of human procreation-putting certain people in positions where they could best serve his divine will. That could well have been the case with Pharaoh, whom God raised up to play this crucial role in the deliverance of God's people. For all the rest of us, the meaning of our existence is less specific but equally clear. We do not live without purpose. Whatever our circumstance of birth, Scripture gives us abundant reason to believe that we too have been raised up so that God might show us his power, and through us, in some way unique to ourselves, to proclaim his name in all the earth. The question of purpose is: What might God show me of his power even today, and what unique opportunities will I have to proclaim his mighty name? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 19, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Limitless Battles to Be Fought… " 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 New International Version 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. The problem for all of us is that there are almost limitless battles to be fought in the larger war against evil. To throw up our hands in despair is certainly not the answer, but neither is it wise simply to charge up every hill worthy of being assaulted. Even if we are prepared to assume the risks of being a hero, have we stopped to consider the collateral damage that could be inflicted upon others? To act on principle virtually always requires careful consideration of more than just the obvious central issue. The grave responsibilities of waging any battle are rarely as recognizable as the glaring wrongs begging to be put right. The tricky bit is knowing what that right thing is...and the right way to go about it. Here is the truly tough question: When I see some wrong needing to be made right today, will I wisely consider all the potential strategies and ramifications before whipping out my sword? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 18, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The God of Impossibilities... " Genesis 18:13-14 New International Version 13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Wouldn't you think that a God who created the entire universe from nothing has the power to make anything happen that he sets his mind to? So why do you think Sarah laughed at the possibility of having a child at her advanced age? Even when she knew full well that God-not just some strange visitor-had made such a promise, Sarah thought it was up to her to make it happen through Hagar. Like Sarah, most of us tend to assume we must make things happen through our own effort. Even when God promises to take care of us, we don't always take him seriously. Will he really destroy a city full of wicked people? Will he really provide children against all odds? Where is our belief? There is reason to believe that God has a sense of humor, but he is never joking when he makes promises. Nor does he lack the power to accomplish whatever is necessary to bring about either his will or our best interests. Has God promised us something? He will do it! Has God warned us about something? We'd be well-advised to take that warning seriously! We would be equally foolish to think that God has promised us things he has never actually promised, whether it be having children or perhaps restoring an alienated child's love. But if what we hope for never happens, it won't be because God lacks the power to make it happen. Whenever God thinks something is best for us, impossibility is not a word in his vocabulary. The only question to be asked is: Is there something I've desperately tried to make happen on my own without thinking that if God wants it to happen, he has the power to make it happen? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 17, 2022 Daily Devotion: "His Own Special Treasure... " Psalm 23:6 New International Version 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. In the Bible, David was known as a man after God's own heart. What kind of attitude did he have? Here in Psalm 23, he says, “Goodness and mercy are following me." David lived with an attitude of expectancy. One translation says, "God's kindness chases me everywhere that I go." David's attitude was that something good is going to happen to me. Every-where I go, I know God's blessings are chasing me. Favor is following me around. No wonder he saw God's goodness! No wonder he overcame his obstacles and accomplished great dreams. He knew good things were chasing after him. Do you know what's chasing you right now? Not debt. Not failure. Not mediocrity. Not defeat. Not lack. Not at all! You are a child of the Most High God. You have been crowned with favor. You have been redeemed from every curse. God has set you apart as His own special treasure. When you look back in your rear-view mirror, you'd better get ready because you have a tailgater! There's something coming toward you at a high rate of speed. You know what it is? Blessings, favor, supernatural opportunities, restoration, divine connections - God's goodness and mercy following you all the days of your life! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 16, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Developing a Right Mindset... " Romans 12:2 New International Version 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Many people today don't realize that the reason they're not happy, the reason they're not enjoying life is simply because they've trained their minds in the wrong direction. They've programmed their minds to worry. They've programmed their minds to complain. They've programmed their minds to see the negative. But just as we can train our minds to focus on the negative, we can also reprogram our minds to focus on the positive. It all depends on what we meditate on. When we meditate on the Word of God, we reprogram our minds. When we meditate on God's goodness, we are developing a right mindset. When we choose to be grateful and focus on what's right rather than what's wrong, we are choosing a positive attitude. This doesn't happen automatically; you have to discipline yourself to focus on the right things. You have to make a conscious effort to spend time in the Word of God every single day until a habit is formed. As you honor God with your time, He'll multiply it back to you. As you stay faithful and focused on Him, He will direct your steps and lead you to embrace the blessing and victory He has in store for you! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 15, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Nothing is Lost in the Kingdom…" Genesis 4:25 New International Version 25 Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” In Genesis, Eve went through a great disappointment. Her son Cain killed her son Abel, which was the first murder in the Bible. I'm sure Eve, like any other mother, was devastated and heartbroken at the passing of her son. But we love what Eve said, "God has appointed another seed for me." In essence, she was saying, “I don't understand it. It doesn't make sense, but I trust God. This is not the end. He has appointed another seed.” When you go through things that you don't understand, it is not the end. Nothing is lost in the kingdom. God is going to appoint another seed, and that seed represents the future. It indicates what is coming. If you will let go of what didn't work out, let go of the hurts and pains, then for everything you've lost, God will appoint another seed. You'll give birth to more in the future than you've lost in the past. Keep praying, keep believing, keep hoping, because God is for you. Trust Him and embrace the good things He has in store for your future! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 14, 2022 Daily Devotion: "God is Greater Than Fear… " Ephesians 4:27 New International Version 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. So many people today are living with less than God's best because they've allowed fear to creep in and take root in their lives. Fear is the greatest weapon the enemy uses to try to hold us back. Fear is not from God. Scripture tells us that fear brings torment. It's designed to paralyze us and keep us from God's blessings. The good news is that God is greater than fear. His power in you is greater than any power that comes against you. But in order to walk in His power, you have to close the door on the enemy of fear. The enemy can't have access to your life unless you open a door and give him access. That's why we have to be careful about what we watch, what we listen to, what we read, and what we say. When we open ourselves to fear, we give the enemy opportunity. If you've allowed fear to steal from you in any area of life, today you can be free-you can be finished with fear! It starts by receiving God's love and meditating on His promises. Meditate on His truth and speak His truth that sets you free! Surround your- self in God's love and let Him lead you into victory as you close the door on fear. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 13, 2022 Daily Devotion: "You Are Destined for Greater Things..." Romans 11:29 The New International Version (NIV) 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. When you think about your future, what do you see in your mind's eye? Maybe at onetime you were excited about your life - you had big goals and big dreams, but you went through some disappointments or life didn't turn out the way you planned and now you've just settled where you are. Understand, God's plan for your life didn't go away just because you had some disappointments and setbacks or because somebody treated you unfairly. God didn't write you off just because you made some poor decisions. No, He knew every mistake you'd ever make; He knew every person who would wrong you, and He still called you. He still designed a perfect plan for your life. No matter what's happened in your past, God's plan for your good remains. He still has a bright future in store for you. If you will get your hopes back and get your vision in line with God's Word, the rest of your life will be the best of your life! Keep standing, keep believing, and get a vision for your future because the Lord has amazing things in store for you! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 12, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Yoke Your Whole Life..." Deuteronomy 15:12-15 New International Version 12 If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free. All through life, the enemy tries enslave us members’ bondage -a yoke of depression, low self-esteem, a yoke of comprise. He'll try burden you down so that everything is struggle maybe working hard, but you can't get ahead because I have all these bondages controlling you. Maybe you've been living with a yoke your whole life been passed down to you. Maybe you don't realize it, you can end to get ahead. You're struggling in your marriage. Your dream won't do what's right. Low self-esteem is all you 've knows. God said to the Israelites, “I have seen the affliction of My people, and I am coming down to deliver them. "God sees every yoke, every unfair situation, everything that you struggle with. He doesn't just sit back and say, “Well, too bad." No, He says, I’m coming down to do something about it." You don't have to worry. The yoke destroyer is on the way. God is saying, “I'm coming down to put an end to that struggle. I'm shifting things in your favor. I'm delivering you from addictions. I'm removing the bondage and setting you free to wait into the fullness of your destiny.” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 11, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Do Over ... " Revelation 21:5 New International Version 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” When God puts a dream in your heart, when He puts a promise on the inside, He deposits within you everything you need to accomplish that dream. He wouldn't give you the desire to do something without giving you the ability to fulfill it. In fact, the Scripture tells us that God gives us the desires of our heart. In other words, He puts the desire inside of us and then works with us to bring it to pass. Oftentimes people set out to accomplish their dreams, but they face a setback or disappointment, and then they feel as though their time has passed. But know today that no matter where you've come from, no matter what's happened in your past, God wants to make you new. He wants to give you a “do over,” a fresh start. If you feel as though you've missed opportunities in your life, if you feel as though your time has passed, remember that today is a new day. You are a new person, and God has new opportunities in store for you. If one dream has died, it's time to dream a new dream. He makes all things new in your life today! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 10, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Step of Faith… " Psalm 23:4 New International Version 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Everyone faces the storms of life. Sometimes we have the faith to be delivered from the storms instantly; sometimes we have the faith to walk through the storms. But no matter which route you take, you can be sure that God is right there with you. He will equip you and sustain you. He will give you the grace, the supernatural empowerment, to make it through. Today, maybe you are facing a storm and can't quite see a way out. Maybe you're not sure what the answer is. With every step you take, know that God is doing a work in your life. Know that He is with you, and He will comfort you. Keep moving forward. Keep taking those steps of faith and keep walking through the storm into the place of victory He has prepared for you! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 09, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Power of Visualization... " Proverbs 23:7 New King James Version 7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you God created us as visual beings. It's so important that we create the right image in our minds, because the way we see ourselves is what we move toward. Visualization is simply seeing yourself the way you want to be. It's creating a picture in your mind of accomplishing your goals, overcoming your obstacles, and fulfilling your God-given destiny. Our imagination is extremely powerful. The way we see ourselves in these pictures that we create, over time, will not only drop down into our spirit, but if we continue to dwell on them, they get into our subconscious mind. Once something is in the subconscious, it's just like gravity; it pulls us toward it. All these internal forces are released, and more often than not, we become just like we've imagined. If you'll create a picture in your imagination of something you want, a dream coming to pass, a business succeeding, a picture of yourself healthy and whole; if you'll keep that image in front of you, that's what you'll move toward. If you keep the Word of God in front of you, that's what will come forth out of you. Keep the right things in your mind and the right things in your life! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 08, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Promise Land" Deuteronomy 8:7 New International Version 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; Are you facing an area of lack in your life? Lack in your finances, lack in your relationships, lack in your physical health? The good news is, that's not the place God wants you to stay! He wants to bring you into a new land with no lack, no shortage, no defeat, and no mediocrity. He wants you to live in a place where you will have more than enough so you can be a blessing to others. He wants to lift you up and keep you up. He wants you to remain stable and strong in Him. The key is, in order to get God's results, we have to do things God's way. His love is unconditional; His access is unlimited, but our obedience is what opens the door to His blessings. We have to do our part and humble ourselves before Him and keep pressing forward with an attitude of faith and expectancy. Remember, promotion doesn't come from people, it comes from the Lord. When we follow Him, He leads us into the land of blessing, the land of more than enough, the land of opportunity. Today, put Him first, follow His commands, and let Him lead you into the good land! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 07, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Right Vision” Genesis 11:6 New International Version 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. In the Old Testament, the people were trying to build a tower to the heavens. The Scripture says "Nothing they imagine was impossible to them." Their imaginations was so powerful That God had to send confusion to keep them from accomplishing something for the wrong purpose. That same principle is true today, if we can get our imagination working for the right purpose, if we will let God paint a new picture on the canvas of our heart and see ourselves as He awes us -strong, healthy, victorious -then we can rise higher and accomplish everything He's put in our heart. It may look impossible,  but if you can imagine it, if you can see it through your eyes of faith, God is saying, "Nothing will be impossible to you." That means you can overcome addictions by forming a new image on the inside. You can break generational curses by creating the right pictures in your imagination. You can go further than you ever through possible if you'll keep the right vision in front of you! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 06, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Favor in a New Way... " Joshua 4:14 New International Version 14 That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses. What an amazing promise God gave to Joshua. He said, “Joshua, today I will begin to make you great in the eyes of all the Israelites." He was saying, “Today, I'm going to start releasing more of My favor, My blessing, My increase.” But notice, there was a specific time in his life that God began to release favor in a new way. God wants to do the same thing for you. He wants to release His blessing and favor in such a way that it makes you great a great parent, a great spouse, a great leader, a great employee, a great friend, a great business person. He is saying to us what He said to Joshua, “This day I'm going to begin to make your name great. This day I'm going to begin to release My favor in a new way. I'm going to open doors that no man can shut.” It is a set time of God's favor. Get ready! Make room in your thinking. Stay open to Him and keep an attitude of faith and expectancy because the time of God's favor is here! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 05, 2022 Daily Devotion: "We Were Meant to Rise High..." Psalm 24:3-5 New International Version 3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord Who may stand in his holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. 5 They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. You were meant to rise high in heavenly places. You were meant to stand with God above the cares of this life. But notice that this verse tells us that in order to ascend, we have to make sure we have clean hands and a pure heart. How do we have clean hands and a pure heart? First of all, only Jesus can make us clean and new. Once we receive Him as our Lord and Savior, we have to choose everyday to stand against the enemy and his attempts to bring us back down. It all happens in our thought life. We have to guard our thoughts by guarding what we allow to influence our thoughts. We have to make sure that what we allow into our minds is pleasing to the Lord, because what we allow into our minds will eventually affect our hearts. If we are going to ascend, we have to have higher thoughts; we have to have a higher way of living. Choose today to ascend in your thoughts so you can ascend in your life and receive the blessings the Lord has in store for you! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 04, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Remain at Rest... " Exodus 14:14 New International Version 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” One time in Scripture when the Israelites were facing an impossible situation, God told them, “Hold your peace. Remain at rest, and I will fight your battles." Notice there was a condition, something the Israelites had to do. They were told, “Hold your peace. "It's the same for us today. A command such as that indicates that something is trying to take your peace away: thoughts of worry, fear, or anxiety. You might think, what if it doesn't happen? What am I going to do? If you will just stay in peace, the Creator of the universe, the Most High God, will go to work on your behalf. Remember, nothing can stand against our God. He has all power. He stopped the sun for Joshua. He closed the mouths of hungry lions for Daniel. Whatever you face in life, God promises He will fight your battles. Trust Him, remain at rest, and hold your peace! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 03, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Get Ready into a Shift!" Habakkuk 2:3 New International Version 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it ,It will certainly come and will not delay. We're living in a day when God is speeding things up. What should have taken you a lifetime to accomplish, God is going to do in fraction of the time because you honor Him. God is going to give you breaks that you didn't deserve. He is going to bring the right people across your path. You're going to see opportunities like you've never seen before. You need to get ready; you've come into a shift! If you've kept God in first place, He is shifting you to a higher gear. You're going to go further faster, not because you're working harder trying to make it all happen, but because it's your time for acceleration! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 02, 2022 Daily Devotion: "New Route…" Psalm 103:4 New Living Translation 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. We know people who feel that they’ve wasted years of their lives because of poor choices. They spent years in a relationship that was toxic, years with an addiction, years at a job where these weren't fulfilled. But you have to realize nothing you have been through is ever wasted. Your past experiences, good and bad, have deposited something on the inside of you. Those challenges have sharpened you to help make you who you are today: When the enemy brings hardship into your life, God has a way of taking that experience and turning it around for your advantage. You may think you've hit a dead end, but if you'll stay in faith, you will see God begin to open up a new route. He'll put the right people in your path, the right opportunities, the right circumstances to move you forward toward the blessing God has in store for you! Today, don't focus on what's happened in your past; focus on what God will do in your future. He wants to restore your soul and revive your dreams. Keep believing, keep expecting, and keep hoping, because God has a new route for your future! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

June 01, 2021 Daily Devotion: "Overcomer" Joshua 1:9 New International Version 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Did you know that fear works just like faith but in the opposite direction? Faith opens the door for God to work in our lives; fear opens the door for the enemy to work in our lives. The Bible says that fear has torment. Fear has no mercy. If you act on fear instead of acting on faith, it will keep you depressed, miserable, and lonely. So many people today are missing out on God's joy, peace, and victory because they keep giving in to fear. They worry and dwell on all the bad things. Don't let that be you! The book of Romans tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. The more you fill your heart and mind with God's Word, the stronger you will be so you can stand against the powers of darkness. Remember, the power that is in you is greater than the power of fear. When thoughts come that say, You're not able, choose faith by saying, “I can do all things through Christ!” Choose faith today so you can overcome fear and live in the freedom and victory God has in store for you! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 31, 2022 Daily Devotion: "New Wineskins... " Mark 2:22 The Passion Translation And who would pour new wine into an old wineskin? Eventually the wine will ferment and make the wineskin burst, losing everything—the wine will be spilled and the wineskin ruined. Instead, new wine is always poured into new wineskins.” Are you ready for increased? Are you ready to go to the next level, spiritually, physically, and emotionally? Many times, people hear that God has more in store for them and something resonates on the inside. Their spirit comes into agreement with God, but oftentimes their natural mind will be bombarded with doubt. Those are old wineskins; the old way of thinking that you have to get rid of. This is a new season. What's happened in the past is over and done. You may have been through some disappointments; you may have tried and failed, or things didn't work out. That's okay. God is still on the throne. It's time to get a new vision for your life. It's time for new thinking. You can't move forward with old mindsets. Let go of the old and embrace the new so you can receive all of the blessings God has in store for you! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 30, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Let God Lead You into Your Promised Land..." Philippians 3:14 New International Version 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Are there some tent stakes in your life that you need to pull up so you can press forward? Maybe you've stopped in a temporary place, and its time to keep going. Maybe you've gotten comfortable and decided that your dreams are never going to come to pass. Your health is never going to improve. Pack up your tent, gather up your belongings, and start moving forward. You may have taken a temporary delay, but that's okay. That didn't stop your destiny. Today can be your new beginning. God is breathing new life into your spirit. He has greater victories in front of you! Remember, the first place we lose the battle is in our own thinking. If you don't think you can be successful, you never will be. If you don't think you can overcome the past, meet the right person, or accomplish your dreams, you'll get stuck right where you are. You have to change your thinking. God said no good thing would He withhold because you walk uprightly. Get rid of a negative, defeated mentality. Make room in your thinking for the new thing God wants to do, pull up your stakes, and let God lead you into your promised land! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 29, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Discipline Our Thought Life… " Proverbs 23:7 King James Version 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. When somebody calls you something, either good or bad, that seed is planted in your soil. Now you get to determine whether or not that seed takes root and grows. When you dwell on what was said, you are watering the seed. You're giving it a right to become a reality. That's why it's so important that we're disciplined in our thought life. It's great when people tell you, “You're blessed. You're talented. You're going to do great things.” Meditate on those throughout the day. Water those seeds and watch His truth become your reality! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 28, 2022 Daily Devotion: "God is Not Finished With You Yet " Isaiah 126: 3 New International Version 3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. God did not create us to reach one level and stop God did more than ask or think. God's idea of big is much different than our idea of big. In Scripture, David not only ended up serving the king, he became the king. He thought, God, wow, You've amazed me with Your goodness. God said, “Still, it's too small a thing, David. I'm going to put one of your descendants on the throne for the next generations. Remember, as long as you have breath, God isn't finished with you yet. He has so much more in store for your future. Be open on His leading because God's idea of big is so much greater than anything you could imagine! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 27, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Hope in The Lord!... " Isaiah 40:31 New International Version 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. Do you need strength today? Sometimes it's easy to get discouraged when you're constantly looking at the circumstances of life. You may feel tired and weary from a long spiritual or emotional battle. But when you wait on the Lord, the Bible says your strength will be renewed. Waiting on the Lord means you're putting your trust and hope in Him. You're living with an attitude of faith and expectancy. When you are waiting on the Lord, it doesn't mean you are just sitting around. It means you are preparing for Him. Are you ready for God to move on your behalf? Are you waiting on Him? As you take a step of faith, He'll meet you there. He'll renew your strength and lead you into victory in every area of your life! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 26, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Enlarge The Place of Your Tent... " Isaiah 54:2 New Living Translation 2 “Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home, and spare no expense! God has blessings untold prepared for your future! He has favor in your future like you've never imagined. He wants to take you places you've never even dreamed of. But in order for us to partake of all these blessings, we have to increase our capacity to receive. If we think we've reached our limit, the problem isn't that God doesn't have the resources or the ability. The problem is that our container is too small. We have to enlarge our vision and make room for the new things God has for us. Our attitude should be, Yes, the economy is down, but I know God is still on the throne. I know that wherever I go, His goodness and mercy follow me. When you enlarge your vision, you are increasing your capacity to receive so that you can take hold of the blessings He has in store for you! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 25, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Head and Not the Tail..." Exodus 6:6 New International Version 6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. When the Israelites were in slavery, they were forced to make bricks all day long. They were given quotas that were almost impossible to meet. And at one point, Pharaoh got upset and had the supervisors take away all the straw they needed for bricks. They had the same quota, but they bad to go find their own straw. No doubt they prayed, "God, please give us straw. God, You know these supervisors are going to get upset. We're not going to make our quotas." They had been pushed down for so long. They had such a limited vision when they were praying for more straw. In effect, they were praying to become a better slave. God said, “That's too small. I don't want to make you a better slave. I want to take you totally out of that bondage. I created you as the head and not the tail, the victor and not the victim.” Today, don't just pray for improvement in your difficult situation, pray for deliverance from it! See beyond your circumstances and let Him lead you out into the place of victory and abundance! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 24, 2022 Daily Devotion: "God Thinks Big…" 1 Corinthians 2:9 New Living Translation 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” God did not create you to live a little life with little dreams, little goals, little passion, little influence, little house. God thinks big. He thinks abundance. He thinks expansive. He told the Israelites, “I am bringing you into a wide land, a spacious land flowing with milk and honey." God has something bigger, something better, something more rewarding in front of you. Don't get comfortable where you are. It's easy to think, Well, God's blessed me. I'm happy. I'm healthy. I have no complaints. That's good to always be grateful. You should learn to be happy where you are, but don't settle where you are. God never performs His greatest victories in the past. They're always in the future. Remember today, you haven't touched the surface of what God has in store for you. He's going to open doors you never dreamed would open. He's going to bring talent out of you that you didn't know you had! You're going to see explosive blessings that thrust you to a new level. Keep praying, keep hoping, keep believing, and don't settle where you are. Embrace the blessing God has in store for your future! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 23, 2022 Daily Devotion: "We think Ordinary; God thinks Extraordinary!" Isaiah 55:8-9 New International Version 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. We all have dreams and goals. We do our best to stretch our faith and believe that one day, if we work hard enough, get the right breaks, or meet the right people, we'll see that dream come to pass. In our mind, that would be big-a great accomplishment. But what's big to us is not big to God. He created the universe. He spoke worlds into existence. God's dream for your life is so much bigger than your own. See, we think ordinary; God thinks extraordinary! Today, whatever you're dreaming about, whatever you're believing for, know that God's dream for your life is far greater. He wants to super size it. He's an overflow God. Ephesians says, “God can do exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond what we think.” Why don't you take the limits off of God? You may not see a way, but God has a way. One touch of God's favor can take you further than you could go on your own in a lifetime. Be open to God's dream for your life and embrace the fullness of the blessing He has in store for you! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 22, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Abundance of Faith… " 1 Kings 18:42 New Living Translation 42 So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees. In 1 Kings 18, the Samaritans had been in a great famine. For three and a half years, there had been no rain. The prophet Elijah showed up and said to King Ahab, “I hear the sound of the abundance of rain.” When he said that, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, yet he chose to believe what he heard in his spirit in spite of what he saw in the natural. With his eyes, he saw drought, famine, and barrenness; but inside, he heard the sound of the abundance of rain. This is what faith is all about. You have to believe what you hear in your heart even when you see just the opposite. God is saying, “There's about to be an abundance of favor in your life. The drought is coming to an end. You're going to see healing, restoration, new opportunities, new growth." Soon after, that rainstorm came. And just like Elijah, you have to believe that your rainstorm of blessing is right around the corner. No matter what anyone says, no matter what happens, keep believing and keep declaring because soon you will hear the sound of rain! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 21, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Life and Death Are in The Power of the Tongue… " Proverbs 18:21 New International Version 21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. God wants to do new and incredible things in your life! He has a new season of goodness in store for you today. The power to see His plan come to pass in your life is found in the power of your words. When you get in agreement with God, when you say what He says, that's when things will change in your life. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. No one else chooses your words but you! You can speak forth seeds of life or seeds of death. What you have in your life today is a direct result of your words in the past, and what you will see in the future is a direct result of what you are speaking today. Why don't you choose to bless your future? Why don't you choose to declare that it's a new season? Choose to speak what God speaks and believe that He has a new season of goodness in store for you today! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 20, 2022 Daily Devotion: "You Have the Life Giving Seed " John 12:24 New International Version 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. We all face difficulties and challenges in life, but you have to remember, as a believer in Jesus, you have the life-giving seed from Him on the inside of you. When you go through disappointments or tough times, you may feel as though you've been buried. You may feel as though you're in a dark, lonely place. You may feel like it's the end; but in reality, it's only the beginning. The fact is, you haven't been buried; you have been planted. That means you're coming back. And not only are you coming back, but you're coming back in increase, better and stronger than before! In those tough times, you have to draw the line in the sand. Make a declaration, “This difficulty is not going to bury me. This loss, this disappointment, this injustice is not going to cause me to give up on my dreams. I refuse to live in self-pity. I know I am a seed. That means I cannot be buried. I can only be planted. I may be down, but it's only temporary. I know I'm not only coming back, but I'm coming back even better than I was before!” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 19, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Don't Let the Enemy Lie to You" Acts 10:34-35 New International Version 34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom! And God's freedom is free for everyone. It doesn't matter what your nationality or heritage or who your family is. It doesn't matter how much money you have or don't have. God wants you free from everything that would hold you back in this life. He wants to pour out His blessing on all who honor Him and choose His ways. It says in Galatians that in Christ there is no Jew or Greek or even male or female. That means God's not judging you based on physical conditions; He's looking at your heart. He's looking at the gifts He's placed inside of you. Don't let the enemy lie to you and tell you that God is blessing everyone else but you. Look for the ways He is pouring out blessing in your life. Thank Him for His acceptance, love, and freedom today. Focus on honoring Him and doing what is right. Receive His favor and blessing because it is a free gift for all! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 18, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Rest in His Everlasting Peace…" Philippians 4:11 The Passion Translation I’m not telling you this because I’m in need, for I have learned to be satisfied in any circumstance. In life, sometimes it's easy to get So focused on our dreams and goals that we tune out everything else. We can get to the point where we're not going to be happy until we see those things happen. If we have to have something in order to be happy, our lives will be out of balance. When our goals and dreams start to frustrate us, and we lose our peace and don't enjoy life, that's a clear sign that we're holding on too tightly. What's the solution? You have to release it. Freedom comes when you say, “God, I'm turning it all over to You. You know my desires and what's best for me. I'm choosing to trust You and Your timing.” When we learn to be content whatever the circumstances, it takes away the power of the enemy. It takes away his ability to frustrate us. Not only that, but by our actions, we are showing our faith in God. When you choose to trust His timing, you can live in peace, you can live in joy, and you can rest in Him, knowing that He has good things in store for your future. Today, find freedom in contentment and rest in His everlasting peace. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 17, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Let Faith Arise in Your Heart…" Isaiah 41:10 New International Version 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. We all face situations in life that feel out of control. During times like these, it's easy to get discouraged and allow fear to creep in. But instead, focus on the fact that God is holding you in the palm of His hand. There is nothing too difficult for Him; nothing is impossible, nothing is beyond His ability. When God holds you in His hand, you are safe. You are cared for. In His hand, there is victory. In His hand, there is strength. In His hand, there is provision. In His hand is everything you need! No matter what you may be going through today, you can trust that God is for you. Instead of getting down and depressed over your circumstances, look up and get a vision of God turning that situation around. Let faith arise in your heart and focus on His favor, promotion, and blessing. See yourself in the palm of His hand, and see the victory and blessing He has prepared for you! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 16, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Let Faith Make You Stable and Strong…" Romans 4:20 English Standard Version No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, Scripture tells us that faith without works is dead. In other words, if the faith inside of us doesn't get expression through our actions and words, it will no longer be alive. If we don't use it, we will lose it, so to speak. We have to step out in faith in order to keep faith alive. Every person has been given a measure of faith by God. When we hear the truth of God's Word, we receive more faith. That's why it's so important to put the Word of God inside of you, because when you do, you are building your faith. To keep that faith alive and thriving, you have to put it to use. One way to put your faith into action is through praise and worship. Praise is a supernatural force that causes you to stand strong in faith even when your thoughts or circumstances are coming against the truth. Praise keeps your thoughts going in the right direction. It's hard to be negative when you are declaring the goodness of God! Today, let praise make you stable and strong. Put that faith in your heart into action. Look for reasons to thank God. As you do, you'll feel that inner strength and be empowered to move forward into victory all the days of your life. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 15, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Move Forward…" Deuteronomy 1:6 New International Version 6 The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Have you been facing a mountain for so long that you feel as though you are just sort of stuck there? Maybe at one time you knew you would break that addiction. You knew you would beat that sickness. You knew you would get married. But you've gone through disappointments. It didn't happen the way you thought. Today, God is saying to you what He said to the people of Israel. “You have dwelt long enough on this mountain." It's time to move forward. God has new levels in front of you, new opportunities, new relationships, promotions, breakthroughs. But you have to stir up your fire. You have to get a vision for victory. The dreams, the promises that you've pushed down and thought. God has it all figured out. If you will start believing again, start dreaming again, start pursuing what God put in your heart, God will make a way where you don't see away. Press past the mountain and move forward into victory! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 14, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Piece of Coal to a Priceless Diamond..." Romans 5:3-4 New International Version 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. The way you handle adversities has a huge impact on your success in life. If you shrink back, choose to get bitter, and lose your enthusiasm, you are allowing the difficulties of life to bury you. You are allowing hardship to keep you from your God-given destiny. But if you choose to keep pressing forward with a smile on your face, rejoicing even in the hard times, you are allowing God's character to be developed inside of you. You are setting yourself up for promotion. Think about this: the only difference between a piece of black coal and a priceless diamond is the amount of pressure that it's endured. When you stand strong in the midst of the trials and difficulties in life, when you allow God to shape and mold your character, it's like going from a piece of coal to a priceless diamond. Those difficulties are going to give way to new growth, new potential, new talent, new friendships, new opportunities, new vision. You're going to see your life blossom in ways that you've never even dreamed! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 13, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Let Go of Strife…" Proverbs 20:3 New International Version 3 It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. Did you know that when you allow someone else's words or actions to upset you, you're allowing them to control you? When you say, "You make me so mad," you're really just admitting that their actions have power over you. As long as that person knows they can push your buttons, as long as you keep responding the same way, you are giving them exactly what they want. Sure, people have a right to say and do things that are upsetting, but we also have a right to not get offended. We have a right to overlook their actions. In fact, the Bible says that it's an honor for a man to keep “aloof” from strife. In other words, we have to remove ourselves, either physically or emotionally, from strife and offense. It's not easy, but we can choose to let it roll off of us like water off a duck's back! Remember, you don't needeveryone to agree with you all the time. You don't have to have the approval of others in order to be approved by God. Your job is to be the person God made you to be. Overlook offenses and let go of strife so you can live in peace and victory all the days of your life! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 12, 2022 Daily Devotion: "A Thousand Times" Deuteronomy 1:11 New International Version 11 May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised! This is our prayer for you today-that God will bless you a thousand times more than you are. Can you receive that into your spirit? A thousand times more favor...a thousand times more resources...a thousand times more strength? Most of the time our thinking goes tilt because we've had the wrong mentality for too long. We've lived in the land of “not enough,” and we haven't even explored the land of “a thousand times more.” But today, why don't you get a new vision for your future? Why don't you dare to believe that God is about to increase you? Why don't you get up every morning and say, “Lord, I want to thank You that You are opening up the heavens, raining down favor, lavishing me with good things"? If you'll have an abundant mentality, it won't be long before you'll see an abundant reality! Dare to believe that God wants to bless you a thousand times more! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 11, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Fulfill Your Destiny..." Genesis 12:1 New International Version The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. In the scripture, Abraham is listed as one of the heroes of faith. God made one of the first covenants with him. But what's interesting is that before Abraham, God spoke to Abraham's father and told him to go where he also told Abraham to go. I say in Genesis that Abraham's father" left and headed out toward Canan" He was going to the Promised and just as God told Abraham. But it says, "He stopped along the way and settled in Haran". Why did he stop? There were too many difficulties. It was hard traveling with all of his flocks and herds. He had his family, his possessions. It wasn't comfortable. He finally decided, “I can't go any farther. I know this isn't the Promised Land, but it's good enough.” How many times do we do the same thing? We start off right. We've got a big dream. We're going to fulfill our destiny. But along the way, we face opposition. Adversity arises. Too many times, we say like Abraham's father, “What's the use? I'm just going to settle here. It's good enough." No, light a new fire in you. Decide today:" I'm not going to settle halfway, three-fourths of the way, or nine-tenths of the way. I'm going to make it all the way into my promised land." --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 10, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Stir Up the Fire Within You…" 2 Timothy 1:6 New International Version 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. Too many people today have settled for "good enough." They've lost their passion and just sort of go through the motions of everyday life. At one time, they had a big dream. They were excited about the future, but they hit some bumps along the way. Something didn't happen on their timetable. Now they've gotten discouraged, thinking that it's never going to happen. They accept it as their lot in life. Don't let that be you! Just because you haven't yet seen what God promised come to pass doesn't mean that it's not going to happen. Don't make the mistake of settling for good enough! Good enough is not your destiny. You are a child of the Most High God. You have seeds of greatness on the inside. You were created to excel, to live an abundant life! It's not over until God says it's over. Start believing again. Start dreaming again. Start pursuing what God put in your heart. Stir up the fire within you and don't settle for good enough! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 09, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Living in Peace and Unity…" James 5:16 New International Version 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. As His children, He desires that we live in unity and stay connected with one another. When we are transparent and pray for one another, something supernatural takes place. We open the door to God's abundant blessing and healing in our lives. When we walk in love and unity, our prayers become more effective, and His power is released in and through us. Living in peace and unity doesn't mean you have to agree with everyone around you all the time. It means you look for common ground. It means you reach out to others; you pray for them and help meet their needs. When we put the needs of others first, God will make sure our own needs are abundantly supplied. Follow God's commands and pray for one another so that you may be healed! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 08,2022 Daily Devotion: "Keep God First Place..." Psalm 30:5 New International Version 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. When you keep God first place, when you honor Him with your life, God puts something on you that causes you to stand out from the crowd; something that gives you an advantage. It causes good breaks and opportunities to be attracted to you. It's called the favor of God! The word favor means “to assist, to provide with advantages, to receive preferential treatment." The favor of God will cause you to be promoted even though you weren't the most qualified. God's favor will cause your children to get the best teachers in school. It will help you find the best deals. It will put you at the right place at the right time. God is saying to you what He said to Abraham, “I'm going to assist you. I'm going to provide you with advantages. I'm going to cause you to receive preferential treatment." Believe it and receive it for today and all the days of your life! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 07, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Step Out in Faith…" Hebrews 11:1 New International Version 11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Are you hungry for more of God in your life today? The Scripture tells us that faith opens the door for Him to move on our behalf. Faith is what pleases Him. It gives substance to the things we hope for and makes them tangible. We've all been given a measure of faith, but it's up to each of us to put it into action. Notice today's verse starts by saying, “Now faith.” It's not “later faith” or “one day” faith. We have to have faith for today, right now. Do you believe that God has blessings in store for you right now? Do you believe He wants to pour out His favor on you today? When you step out in faith and declare His Word, you open the door to His abundant favor and blessing in every area of your life! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 06, 2022 Daily Devotion: "Your Words Have Tremendous Power…" Psalm 91:2 New International Version 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Your words have tremendous power. No matter what you may be facing today, the words of your mouth can help set the course for your victory or set the course for defeat. You decide by what you say. When you wake up with an attitude of faith and expectancy and declare God's Word, you will be strengthened and empowered by His Spirit. But at the same time, if you go around talking about your problems or talking about defeat, it drains your faith and sets your focus in the wrong direction. That's why it's so important today and every day to take inventory of what you are saying. When challenges and obstacles arise, declare that God is your refuge and strength. Declare His Word. Declare that He is for you. Keep the weeds out of your heart by letting go of bitterness and choosing to forgive. Stay in step with God with your words and actions and receive His strength and power to be all He's called you to be. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 05, 2022 Daily Devotion: "I Come in The Name of the Lord…" 1 Samuel 17:26 New International Version 26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” Did you know that when David faced Goliath, he never called him a giant? Other people did, but not David. He didn't brag on the enemy's power. He didn't magnify the obstacle. He did just the opposite. He called him an “uncircumcised Philistine." Not only did he not acknowledge who Goliath was or his strength, his power, and his experience, he took it one step further and diminished him. When he said, “He's an uncircumcised Philistine,” he was saying, “This man is not in covenant with my God. He's not in covenant with Jehovah." In other words, “He doesn't have the favor on his life that's on my life. I know the favor of my God keeps my enemies from being able to defeat me.” So when he went to face Goliath, David said, “You come to me with a sword and shield, but I come in the Name of the Lord of hosts and this day the Lord will hand you over to me.” How could David, a teenager practically half Goliath's size with no military experience, go out with such confidence and face Goliath, a skilled warrior wearing a full set of armor? It's because he understood this principle. David is the one who said, “The favor of God keeps my enemies from defeating me." --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message

May 04, 2022 Daily Devotion: " “Faith Opens the Door for God to Move…" Luke 5:20-22 New International Version 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Do you know what moves the hand of God? This may surprise you, but God is not moved by complaining and self-pity. He's not even moved by our needs. Yes, He is concerned about our needs; and yes, He wants to meet our needs, but we have to do our part and invite Him to work in our lives by exercising our faith. When Jesus walked the earth, oftentimes right before He healed someone, the Bible says, “When He saw their faith." Can God see your faith? When God sees you’re doing everything you can to get well; when He sees you’re getting to work a little earlier because you really want that promotion; when He sees you help others when you really need more help than they do; when God sees your faith, that's when extraordinary things will begin to happen, Faith opens the door for God to move. So demonstrate your faith today and watch the hand of God move in every area of your life! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerzon-etino/message