A letter from Lisa Humphreys preceding the writing of “The General’s Prayer.” From that letter:
John had a dream… viewed it as a warning to the church that someone or something was going to try to hinder our church and its services…I wrote the following prayer. I am asking all of us to pray this prayer frequently. I feel this is vital for our church. May God Bless you, Lisa.
THE GENERAL’S PRAYER:
Father God we come to you with confidence that when we ask that which is Your will, that we receive it. We come to you as one voice praying in accord, acknowledging you as our Salvation, our Rock and our Redeemer. We are a group of blood bought children of God who in unity come before You in Your throne room to praise You and thank You for all we have been blessed with. You have a plan and vision for the First Baptist Church. With that in mind we lift this church to you. We seek to bind and repel the forces of evil that want to stop us from Your work. We say “The Lord rebukes you” to any force that is attempting to bring this church down. We stand and pray an intercessory prayer on behalf of this church, knowing that the Holy Spirit in each of us holds together with us to quench every fiery dart the enemy tries to shoot at us. Jesus has already won the victory and has given it to us! We pray a hedge of protection around this church and its congregation and thank You that You are a wall of fire between us and the enemy and that Your angels have charge over us. We cover this church and its property with the blood of Jesus, that He would be our Shield and preserve our ministry facilities. Because You are our Refuge and Fortress no calamity will come near us. We call upon You and you answer us. We praise You in faith. AMEN.
Scripture references:
1 John 5:14-15
Jude 1:9
Matthew 12:29
Revelation 12:11
Psalm 91
PRAYER LIST – WORDS FROM THE PASTOR
It’s our part to tear down the work of the enemy, and then God will finish the job by crushing and destroying him.
Lisa – what we have been praying for each Sunday will happen soon, sooner than you think.
Cindy – we tear down the strongholds in these childrens’ lives, and God will now move on their behalf.
Debbie – the Lord sees your faithfulness and hears the cries of your heart for your family. The enemy has put a label on them, but the name of Jesus is greater. We speak healing to your family and loose the grip the enemy has had on them. We pull the enemy down, and now the Lord will crush and destroy him in their lives.
Perry – The Lord says that if you want your son to come back, it starts with you. Praise the Lord from the outermost parts of your body. It is your praise and worship of the Lord that is going to bring your son back, in Jesus’ name.
Marna – The Lord says to tell you in regard to your job situation that there is no door man can open and no door man can close, but only God can open and close. The Lord wants you to rest in Him, put your trust in Him. He sees that you are tired, and He wants you to rest.
Sunday Morning May 24th
Pastor Jack reported that the CHO ministry raised $860 in a very short time. On Saturday it was dispersed in $10 increments to people in the community who the Lord brought our way. One recipient of the gift returned it along with a $100 bill asking Pastor Jack to give it to a needy family in the community.
Pastor DebbieM shared a word the Lord gave her concerning Pastor Jack. As he often enjoys receiving a confirmation from the Lord, God wants him to know that He has confirmed Jack as Pastor of this church; and that Pastor Jack should rest and be secure in the knowledge that the Lord is leading and guiding him. God intends on doing mighty things through Pastor Jack and the Lord wants him to know that not only has he been confirmed as Pastor, but that the Lord also approves him.
Brother Mark brought the prayer over the tithes and offerings, an Perry shared a praise report concerning the newly born again co-workers at his job.
From the Pastor…
A Note To My Dear Friends…
“To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven”… a
familiar scripture to all of us, but no morseo meaningful to me then now…
After 14 years of serving as the Pastor here at the FBC in Vandergrift; 11 of
those years together with my husband, Michael, and three of those years by
myself after he was called home in 2020, it is time for me to step down and move
into the next season of my life.
It is ususally a time of mixed emotions when closing a chapter in the story of
one’s life, especially from an “Assignment” that has occupied every facet of my life
for so many years and brought so much joy and contentment to my very being.
But as we all know, time marches on and everything eventually changes, not just
for me, but for all of us. My tenure here has been the most fascinating journey of
“taste and see that the Lord is good.” There are no words to describe what God has
miraculously done in my life or in the life of this church in the past 14 years, but
truly God has fulfilled His Word to us from long ago that says, “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.”
Haggai 2:9
I could not be any happier to announce and to welcome the next generation of
divine leadership into the church…their names are Pastors Jack and Debbie
White. Jack and Debbie have been steadfast, faithful, humble servants of the
Lord for the past 40 years and have been skillfullly trained through perseverance
and dedication and distinctly called for such a time as this. They are fully
prepared and highly anointed by God to lead and to carry on the Vision of the
FBC well into the future, as well as being deeply loved and respected by everyone
in the congregation.
As the church moves forward into what God has ordained for us, the FBC has
every reason to get excited for all that lies ahead and as I step down, know that
this church could never ever be in more capable hands than those of Pastors Jack
and Debbie White. They love the Lord with all their hearts and will serve
diligently and tirelessly as unto the Lord in all they do.
In closing , know that I will forever cherish all my days as Pastor at the FBC
and will carry all the precious people God brought into my life forever in my
heart. I am overwhelmed with unspeakable joy and thanksgiving to God for the
opportunity He gave to my husband and I to be in service to Him here in
Vandergrift and as I say farewell, always remember my favorite Scripture from
Luke 12:32… “Fear not little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give
you the Kingdom”.
Signing off with a heart of love and eternal gratitude to God
and to you my friends,
Pastor Debbie Mrasz
