AUGUST THEME – “Experiencing God: From Knowing About Him to Walking With Him”
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
This morning I was struck by a sobering truth: knowing about God is not the same as knowing Him. I’ve read His names, heard His promises, and even recited them aloud. But head knowledge has never carried me through the storm—only His presence has. When the wind howled, He became my Refuge. When my heart broke, He proved Himself my Healer. When I felt surrounded, He came as my Deliverer. And when idols rose in my life, He revealed Himself as a Consuming Fire. I’ve learned that trials are not barriers—they are invitations. God does not waste the fire; He uses it. Just as Moses trembled before the burning bush, Isaiah was undone at the altar, and Peter wept by the fire on the shore, I too have found that God’s flame refines rather than ruins. It doesn’t destroy—it prepares. But fire also demands a response. Holiness cannot be observed at a distance; it must be entered into with surrender. For me, revival began when I finally stopped guarding my idols, my secrets, and my wounds. I laid them on the altar and let the fire fall. What once felt like shame, He covered with grace. What was fear, He replaced with peace. What lay in ashes, He transformed into beauty. And now I know—the fire does not come to consume me, but to consume what held me back. Today I choose surrender over regret. I choose His flame over my chains. And I rise marked, not by my past, but by the hand of the Refiner.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
THE SECRETS THAT BIND
“For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.” — Luke 8:17
Secrets are heavy chains in disguise. At first, they seem manageable—a hidden thought, a private indulgence, a concealed failure. But over time, what is hidden hardens into bondage. The soul grows weary, the heart becomes divided, and the joy of intimacy with God and others fades into shadows. Sin is never harmless when hidden—it multiplies in silence.
David’s story with Bathsheba is proof. For twelve months he lived in a fog of guilt. His psalm describes how his strength dried up, his soul groaned day and night, and the nearness of God felt like a weight instead of a refuge. That is what secrecy does—it drains life from the inside out. But the moment he broke the silence, when confession poured from his lips, grace rushed in. God never withholds mercy from the one who comes clean.
Satan knows this, which is why he hisses lies like: “If they knew, they’d reject you… If you confess, it’s over.” But the cross flips the script. Confession doesn’t end your story—it begins your healing. What you keep hidden robs you of peace. What you bring into the light, Jesus covers with His blood.
Think of the secret places in your life as locked rooms. Some may hold anger, shame, addiction, resentment, or hidden habits. Each locked door requires energy to keep shut. But when Christ is invited in, light floods the darkness, and the burden of guarding secrets disappears. The soul finally breathes.
Imagine dragging a suitcase everywhere you go. It’s packed with bricks, invisible to others but crushing to you. At first, you think you can manage it, but as years pass, it leaves you exhausted, bitter, and broken. Confession is setting that suitcase down at the altar, unzipping it in God’s presence, and watching Him replace every stone with His mercy.
Every secret you refuse to release becomes a foothold for the enemy. Every secret surrendered becomes a testimony of grace.
Prayer: Lord, give me the courage to bring my secrets into Your light. Break the chains of silence that bind me. Let me trade my shame for Your mercy, my darkness for Your light, and my silence for a song of freedom.
Challenge: Confess one hidden sin to God today. If needed, share it with a trusted believer who can pray with you. Let go of the weight you’ve carried in secret, and let Christ carry it for you.
THURSDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Carol Lawhead
Sheila Simmons – Surgery Tomorrow
James Parker
Kim McClain’s Mother
Ann Stanley – Surgery Tomorrow
Andrea Nix– Friend of the Shellnutts
Angela Bryan’s Sister
Debbie Foskey – Home
Jessica Headrick – Pray As She Recovers From Surgery
Kim’s Sisters – Ann & Brenda
Linda Mays – Rehab – Going Home Friday
Danny Jarrard
Darlene Wiggins
Doris Loyd
Dr. and Mrs. Davis
Eric Magnusson’s Mother
Eric Ward
Friend of Linda Hodge
Gayle Sparks
George & Linda Alexander
James Burnette
James Garner
Jason Parker
John McClain’s Mother
John Parillo
June Cronan’s Sister
June Davis
Kailey Bateman
Kathryn Raines
Lee Cronan
Lillianna Magnusson’s Mom
Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah
Lonzo Christian
Lori Blount’s Mother
Mary Williams
Mary Williamson – Dana Jackson’s Mom
Mrs. Franklin
Nora Allison
Rose Fuller – Pruitt-Monroe Nursing Home, Forsyth GA
Sadie Almand
Scott Lanier
Scotty Nix
Stephanie Seivers – Friend of the Shellnutts
Steve Michaels
Tom Witcher