Good morning, brethren. 1. Our morning prayer focuses on "Seeking a heart of compassion." 2. Do you know that the seed makes the tree? 3a. Do you know the cost of war? Do you know the instructions for a victorious warfare? 4. Do you know that wisdom is a great possession? To k ow more, read the message below: 1. Morning Prayer Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. ⏤ Matthew 5:16 The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. ⏤ John Bunyan Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, You have graciously opened the way for us as sinners to come into Your presence. We come to You this morning, grateful for Your favor and mercy. We thank You for all the gifts of Your love, but especially for Your indescribable gift, Jesus Christ. On this Sunday, may Your love be revealed to us in a way that fills our hearts completely. Show us the cross, and may we see Your heart full of love for a lost world. May Your Word have new meaning for us today as we read or hear it. Open our minds to understand it, and may Your Spirit guide us into the truth. May this day be one where our faith is strengthened and our love deepened. May today also bring many blessings to our souls. Bless us by showing us our faults, our hidden sins, and the things in us that are not beautiful or holy. We want to recognize them and change. Search us, O God, and know our hearts; test us and know our thoughts. If there is any wicked way in us, lead us in the everlasting way. We want to rid ourselves of our sins and faults; we don’t want to keep them. Have mercy on us, and may this Sunday be a day for finding and removing anything evil from our hearts. We ask You to show us how we can serve others today. Fill us with Your love so that wherever we go, we can bring healing to those who are hurting or wounded. Help us to comfort those in sorrow and encourage those who are downhearted. Lord, give us a good Sunday, full of Your love and grace, and rich with holy inspiration. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. https://www.youdevotion.com/daily-prayer/miller/42/morning #taptapstudio #youdevotion. 2. OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL DATE: SUNDAY NOVEMBER 16TH 2025 TOPIC: THE SEED MAKES THE TREE MEMORISE: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 BIBLE READING: JUDGES 13:1-14 1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. 2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. 3 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. 4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: 5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. 6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name: 7 But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death. 8 Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. 9 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day. 11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am. 12 And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him? 13 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. 14 She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe. MESSAGE: My father, who was a farmer, would always separate the best fruits after a harvest so he could plant their seeds in the next planting season. This is because the quality of the seeds a farmer plants is a major determinant of the quality of his or her harvest. A seed may seem small and insignificant, but it decides the kind of fruit a tree will produce. In the same vein, a child may seem small and unimportant in the scheme of things at the moment, but the kind of adult the child becomes will shape the future of the family’s lineage. Therefore, how parents raise their children matters much more than the material things they give them. In today’s Bible reading, an angel appeared to Manoah’s wife and told her she would give birth to a son. Her husband was not with her at the time; however, when he heard what the angel told his wife, he prayed that God would give him his own encounter. God answered his prayer, and when he saw the angel himself, he asked an important question: "and Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him." Judges 13:12 Manoah was a very wise father who wanted to know how to order and direct the child that God was about to bless them with so that everything God had said concerning the child would come to pass. Every parent must ask God for direction if they want to raise their children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). Some parents train their children the same way they were trained and complain that the children are not responding to their training. There is a way to ‘order every child, but parents cannot find it without getting acquainted with the One who made the child. Farmers know that some soils are best for some seeds, but if you take that same seed to another type of soil, it will either not bear fruits or grow at all. For instance, a plant like the cactus can thrive in the desert, but if you plant a water lily in the desert, it will dry up. God knows the best way to train a child in the way he or she should go. If you are a parent, ask God for the manual on how to train your children so you won’t raise them in a way that is contrary to how He made them. KEY POINT: Only God knows the way to order and raise every child. BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACTS 12-13 AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE HYMN 28: GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT JEHOVAH 1 Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but Thou art mighty; Hold me with Thy powerful hand. Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven! Feed me now and evermore; Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven! Feed me now and evermore. 2 Open now the crystal fountain, Whence the healing stream doth flow; Let the fiery, cloudy pillar Lead me all my journey through. Strong Deliverer! Strong Deliverer! Be Thou still my Strength and Shield. Strong Deliverer! Strong Deliverer! Be Thou still my Strength and Shield. 3 If I tread the verge of Jordan, Bid my anxious fears subside; Bear me through the swelling torrent, Land me safe on Canaan's side: Songs of praises! Songs of praises! I will ever give to Thee. Songs of praises! Songs of praises! I will ever give to Thee. 4 Saviour, come! We long to see Thee, Long to dwell with Thee above; And to know in full communion, All the sweetness of Thy love, Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus! Take Thy waiting people home Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus! Take Thy waiting people home. 3a. ```DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE MINISTRY``` ```DAILY Ⓜ️ANNA - (A DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE FOR ADULTS) SUNDAY 16TH NOVEMBER, 2025``` *THE COST OF WARS* 📖📓🎚️🫵🏽🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏽‍♀️👨🏼‍🏭🪖🛡️⚔️🧎🏾🧎🏾‍♀️🗣️🙏🏽🙌🏽 📜📜```TEXT:DEUTERONOMY 20:1-9```📜📜 🔑📖```KEY VERSE:``` _*"When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt" (DEUTERONOMY 20:1).*_ *U. S. Army Veteran William Meinert said, from experience, while analysing the options of war or peace: "The cost of going to war is always more expensive, both in terms of money spent and lives ruined and lost. An aircraft can last twenty years, fly hundreds of sorties, and fulfil its mission in peace. In war, it may be destroyed on the first day and must be replaced. A soldier can serve for thirty years, raise a family, retire, and pursue a new career. He may die childless in the first minutes of a conflict. He may also serve a tour in a war zone and spend the rest of his life crippled with mental illness, forcing others to help him with their time and money." War is always to be avoided unless it becomes the only option.* *In today's passage, God tells the Israelites that war was the only option for surviving the hostilities from enemy nations. However, the military might of their enemies would not determine the outcome, as victory was always assured for God's people. After all, God brought them out of Egypt despite the superpower status of their oppressors.* *The priests were given the responsibility to encourage the people not to fear, bear the Ark of the Covenant, and offer sacrifices and prayers to God before the battle began. Those whose conditions would make them reluctant to fight were to be excused from battles. These include anyone who newly bought a house and had not dedicated it, planted a vineyard and had not eaten of it, or betrothed a wife and had not taken her in - lest they die in battle and leave all their possessions to others. Also excluded were the fearful so they would not weaken the faith of others.* *Wars are costly and disruptive. But the Christian is not called to fight physical wars against flesh and blood but a spiritual battle. In this fight of faith, as in the case of Israel, God remains our confidence and we need not fear the foe because our victory is guaranteed. God requires us to be brave and true. Those who are reluctant, fearful, pleasure-seeking, and worldly-minded are still not suitable for the army of the Lord.* ✍🏽```THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:``` _*Even in spiritual wars, there is still room for gallantry.*_ 📜📜```THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:``` *EZEKIEL 18-21*📜📜. b. *MEDITATIONS ON DAILY* *ⓂANNA* SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH, 2025 *INSTRUCTIONS FOR A VICTORIOUS WARFARE* *TEXT:* DEUTERONOMY 20:1-9. 1.When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 2 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, 3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; 4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. 5 And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. 6 And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it. 7 And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man taketh her. 8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart. 9 And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people. *Timeless Truth:*_"And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few"_(1 Samuel 14:6). *INTRODUCTION* The 1967 Six-Day War was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states: primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, along with some support from Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Israel achieved a decisive victory, neutralizing the Arab air forces in a surprise preemptive strike and rapidly advancing on the ground. Israel captured significant territories during the war: The Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, the Golan Heights from Syria. This is astonishing considering the small size of Israel compared to the surrounding Arab Nations. The combined area of all Arab states is over 600 times the size of Israel. The four countries bordering Israel (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt) have a combined area that is about 62 times larger than Israel.  In terms of population, Israel is approximately 10 million compared to Arab nations of over 450 million. Yet the "small" Israel is feared by all these Arab nations as a great threat. This is a confirmation of the Scriptures that number is not a serious factor and the size of the enemy or its military power is not a cause for intimidation or fear when fighting the battle of the Lord. *1. The Faith and the Courage of a Warrior* a. God gave instructions to Israel on how to win in their warfare battle against enemy nations. Though the Church of God is not crafted for physical warfare, there are lessons on spiritual warfare inferable from physical warfare. *"When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them"*. The nations preparing for war against each other or at war with each other would first display their sophisticated weapons and war equipment so as to intimidate and instil fear into the heart of the enemy nation. They know that once they can instil fear in the heart of the opposition, the battle is half won because little noise will keep them on the run. So the first thing God told them is that in fighting the battle of the Lord or preparing to fight, the first thing they should not succumb to is fear. Don't underrate the enemy and more importantly, *"be not afraid of them"*. The witches, wizards and those using the dark powers will come in the dreams and reality to display their lifeless concoctions, incantations and occultic instruments to intimidate the believer and make them afraid. Once the spirit of fear is allowed and one is terrified, faith in God flies out of the window and fear comes in to possess. For the believer, the Word of God is clear, *"thou shalt not be afraid of them"*. Reject and bind any spirit of fear that may want to come in subtly into the heart. Israel was given the reason why with empirical reasoning. *"For the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt"*. God has done it before over and over again. What was the size of Israel compared to Egypt? Yet, Israel was able to mess up the whole Egyptian army. The greatest battle any believer can fight is fight against the flesh, sinful temptations and tendencies, and worldly enticement. Genuine believers have received victories over all these giants over and over regardless of their satanic backings. So for other battles God will also give victory over and over again. So, *"Be not afraid of them"*. b. In Warfare, there are non combatants that are involved like the medicals, religious personnel and at times media observers. Their spiritual and psychological impacts to the combatants cannot be overestimated. In the case of Israel, the priests were to accompany them because it had to do with the battle of the Lord. *"And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people"*. The priests were to speak and strengthen the morale of the combatants. They were to encourage them with the Word of God. This is one of the ministries of a minister of God to the sheep of God. *"And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them"*. This commandment is based on the ever presence and never failing presence of God to believers. *"For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you"*. The same assurance of divine presence is given to the saints today. Jesus said, *"I am with you even to the end of the world"* (Matthew 28:20). If Jesus is ever with us in any place we find ourselves then, *"If God be for us, who can be against us?"* (Romans 8:31). The reality of the presence of God is not by feeling, but by the new life within and faith in the promises of God. *Question* Do you have a conscious and constant presence of Christ in your life? If not, why not? *2. The Faithful Caution during Warfare* a. Warfare, whether physical or spiritual is not for the fainthearted. No wonder the Scriptures enjoined believers to be *"strong in the Lord and in the power of His might"*. They should not resign to weakness or faintheartedness at any time. They should make use of the spiritual resources at their disposal and receive renewed strength from Christ. *"I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me"*. There were people listed that had the tendency to be fainthearted and thereby weaken or discourage others. Those that *"hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it?"* will be forced to leave it for strangers in case of death at the battle ground. Those who *"hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it?"* should be a partaker of the first fruits. Those *"that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her?"* may be emotionally involved to the point of lacking concentration. All these excluded people were a show of the human face in warfare. It should not be a show of force or wickedness on people. Only men of ability should be involved. Since God can fight and win with few, those people could be asked to go home. *"What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart"*. b. The principle in spiritual warfare is that there should be full concentration without emotional or any form of distractions if the battle is to be won. All forms of "spiritual luggage" in the mind should be removed from the mind and move freely without any encumbrance. *"No man that wareth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life"*. We are not to shy away from spiritual fights. *"Fight the good fight of faith"*. The carnal fight of flesh and blood against adversaries is a bad fight while the spiritual fight of faith with faith and holiness in the heart is a good fight. You must learn to fight or else you lean towards failure in life and ministry. *Question* How did Jesus fight the battle of faith and what are the lessons you can learn from it? *3. The Fearless Choice with Wisdom* a. The soldiers were expected to be pruned to the minimum for effectiveness and after that the officers were now expected to choose the captains. If they chose their captains before the pruning, the choice might be those that were not qualified. Gideon's army was reduced from 32,000 to 300 (Judges 7) showing the importance of competence before engaging in warfare. *"It shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people"*. b. This shows the importance of spiritual self development and giving people responsibilities that are commensurate with their spiritual competences. It is better to have few qualified people doing the warfare for the kingdom than to pack together people who are not stable and strong spiritually to occupy sensitive positions in the House of God. When those who are not competent are exposed to warfare ministries, the end result is wounds and defeats. *Question* How are you developing and growing in your spiritual competencies? *Prayer Points* 1.I give You praise and thanks because You are always by my side and will never leave me nor forsake me according to Your promise 🙏. 2.Help me to always live in the consciousness of Your presence by faith and help me to be resolute in avoiding things that will drive away Your presence 🙏. 3.Put me on the path of growing self development and make me willing to pay the price of growth 🙏. 4.Give us faith and courage that will never be afraid of what the enemy can do in the heart of Your people 🙏. *HYMN:* Hold the Fort *BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:* Ezekiel 18-20. Buy the truth and sell it not. Your eternity and holiness is not for sale. 4. ```DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE MINISTRY``` _*(SINCERE MILK: Children Daily Devotional Guide 2⃣0⃣2⃣5️⃣)*_ 🙇🏼🙇🏼🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙇🏼🙇‍♀️🙇🏼🙇‍♀️🙇🏼‍♂️ ```SUNDAY 16TH NOVEMBER, 2025``` *WISDOM - A GREAT POSSESSION* 📖📓🎚️🫵🏽🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏽‍♀️🤔👨🏽‍💻📚🙏🏽 📜📜```PROVERBS 4:5-10```📜📜 🕔📚🖋️🚻😁🎼🏆🍉🪴🌈💻 🔑📖 ```Key Verse:``` _*"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding" (Proverbs 4:7).*_ 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 In life, we often categorize things into two groups: the essential and the non-essential. Some are super important for our happiness and health, while others are not as important. In our walk with God, wisdom is the key - it is like a valuable treasure! But what exactly is wisdom? It is about making smart choices, being kind, and doing what is right. When we have wisdom, we make good decisions, treat others well, and learn from our mistakes. It is like having a special guide through life. So, how do we get wisdom? We can ask God for it. He loves giving us wisdom when we ask. We can also read the Bible regularly, listen to wise people like our parents and teachers, and put into practice what we learn. *Remember, wisdom is a valuable treasure. Every believer must go after it and use it to make his life and the world around him better.* 🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥 ```🅿️rayer:``` _*Oh God, please make me a wise child.*_ 🙏🏽 ```📖 Further Reading:``` *Proverbs 3:13-19*.