My life and ministry would not have come to be without the prayers of others. I want to dedicate this book and acknowledge all those who have gone before the Lord on my behalf.
My dad often spoke about my great-grandmother’s prayers. Her prayers moved his heart and changed his circumstances. She prayed through times that looked as if her prayers might never be answered. She prayed as her children ran from God. She prayed late into the night and rose to pray early in the morning. She was not a minister or a pastor, but she was a prayer warrior who stormed heaven and lived her life in the throne room from an altar on earth. In the end, she greeted her children into the reality of heaven. She only saw two receive Christ while she was on the earth, but because of her prayer, she has now welcomed all five into heaven. So, I dedicate this book in part to Elizabeth “Ma” Smith, my great-grandmother who prayed my father into faith so that he could lead me down the same path.
Then there were also the prayers of my mom. She would go into my room, lay on my bed, and claim my life for the Kingdom of God. She would argue with the devil the way the angel of God argued for the body of Moses. She would bind his power against me and declare my freedom from his lies, temptations, and distractions so that I could hear the call of God and follow the drawing of the Holy Spirit into the complete will of God for my life. I dedicate this book in part to my mother, Dorthey Ruth Tapley Dubose, who not only gave me life in the natural but also the supernatural.
Growing up around a house of prayer, my father also became a person of prayer. No one could have known that when he finally surrendered to the drawing of the Holy Spirit to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior, his salvation would include a call to preach, but it did. All those battles at Ma Smith’s altar not only produced a saved grandson but another prayer warrior and a preacher of the Gospel. He would not only pastor an effective church—his favorite term—in Dallas, Texas, but he would later heed the call of the North Texas District of the Assemblies of God to lead their District Missions department and later serve as their district superintendent. What I remember most was his life of prayer. His example in prayer and the result of his prayers is why I would also like to dedicate this book to my father, Rev. Derwood W. Dubose.
Today, my greatest prayer support is my wife. She enters her secret place daily and calls on God to watch over her children, grandchildren, and me. She has prayed for me when I was a local pastor, a district official, and now as a national executive. She has prayed for me as a husband, father, and grandfather. She prays for me as a leader, preacher, and intercessor. I do everything beyond my natural level of ability because she lifts me up in prayer. I dedicate this book to Rita Lynn Stratton DuBose.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge and dedicate this book to all of my Sunday school teachers, Royal Ranger leaders, children’s church workers, and youth leaders who prayed for me from their secret place or laid a hand on me and called on Jesus to guide me and keep me. If someone happens to read something in this book that helps them or inspires them, it is because God is answering the prayers of all who have prayed for me. We are all better when someone prays for us. So, to all who have called my name in prayer, I want to say thank you, and I dedicate this book to you.