September Theme – The Mind of Christ: Breaking Free From Earthly Thinking to Embrace Christ’s Mind
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
The fiercest war you will ever face is not fought with guns or swords, nor against enemies you can see. It is fought in the hidden arena of your own thoughts. Memories of wounds long past, voices of rejection, and cycles of failure echo inside, whispering lies that try to redefine who you are. If those lies are left unchecked, they harden into chains that quietly enslave the heart. The enemy knows this—and so he sows poison into the mind: “You’ll always be stuck. You’re worthless. God could never really use you.” If those seeds take root, they grow into fear, shame, bitterness, and despair. Scripture makes it plain: “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). What fills your mind will eventually shape your life.
But here’s the good news—God does not abandon His children to the prison of destructive thinking. He knows every thought before you even form it (Psalm 139:2), and He has given His Word to tear down every stronghold of deception. That’s why we are commanded to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Victory doesn’t come by gritting your teeth and trying harder. It comes by bowing lower. The key is not willpower but surrender. Putting on the mind of Christ is a divine exchange—He takes our tangled thoughts and replaces them with His wisdom. He takes our confusion and fills us with clarity. He takes our pride and replaces it with humility. He takes our torment and floods it with peace. When Christ is Lord of your mind, fear is stripped of its power, lies are silenced by truth, and despair is replaced with hope. The battlefield may be in the mind, but the triumph belongs to the Lord.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
The Battle of the Mind
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” — Proverbs 23:7
Every stronghold begins with a thought. Every destructive habit, broken relationship, and lost opportunity first grew as a seed in the mind. Satan knows that if he can plant lies—“You’ll never change,” “You’re unworthy,” “God can’t use you”—then defeat will follow. But God calls us to cast down imaginations and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
The Power of a Seed
Victory or defeat doesn’t begin in public—it begins in the private soil of your thoughts. A single lie planted and left unchecked can grow into bitterness, fear, or shame that shapes your destiny. Yet a single truth from God’s Word, believed and nurtured, can produce peace, strength, and freedom. Your mind is the field, and every thought is a seed. The question is: which seeds are you watering?
The Rudder of Your Life
Proverbs 23:7 reminds us that what we think in our hearts becomes what we live. Just as a rudder is small compared to the size of a ship but powerful enough to set its entire direction, so your thoughts quietly steer the course of your life. A bitter thought can shipwreck your relationships. A pure thought can guide you safely into God’s will. Where your mind dwells today determines where your feet will walk tomorrow.
The Arena of Victory
The greatest battles you will ever fight will not be with people, circumstances, or outward enemies—they will be in your mind. That’s why Scripture doesn’t just tell us to resist the devil, but to “renew” our minds (Romans 12:2). When you refuse to entertain lies and instead saturate your heart with truth, you disarm the enemy before he ever takes ground. Victory is not first won in circumstances—it is won in the hidden arena of your thoughts.
Prayer: Lord, renew my mind today. Expose every lie of the enemy and replace it with the truth of Your Word. Teach me to guard my thoughts, to take every imagination captive, and to fix my mind on things above. Give me strength to win the battle in my mind so I can walk in victory in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Challenge: Today, identify one lie the enemy has whispered into your heart. Replace it with a verse of Scripture. Declare that truth out loud until it drowns out the lie.
WEDNESDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Amy Garner’s Dad
Annette Ford
Andrea Nix– Friend of the Shelnutt’s
Angela Bryan’s Sister
Ann Stanley
Carol Lawhead – Park Place Rehab in Monroe
Danny Jarrard – Knee Surgery Soon
Darlene Wiggins
Debbie Foskey
Doris Loyd
Dr. and Mrs. Davis
Eric Magnusson’s Mother
Eric Ward
Friend of Linda Hodge
Gayle Sparks
George & Linda Alexander
James Burnette
Jessica Headrick
John McClain’s Mother
June Cronan’s Sister
June Davis
Kailey Bateman
Kathryn Raines
Kim McClain’s Mother
Kim’s Sisters – Ann & Brenda
Lee Cronan
Lillianna Magnusson’s Mom
Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah
Linda Mays
Lonzo Christian
Lori Blount’s Mother
Mary Williams
Mary Williamson – Dana Jackson’s Mom
Mrs. Franklin
Nora Allison
Ron And Johnnie Barry – Friends Of Ashton & Glenda Bateman
Rose Fuller – Pruitt-Monroe Nursing Home, Forsyth GA
Scott Lanier
Scotty Nix
Sheila Simmons
Stephanie Seivers – Friend of the Shellnutts
Steve Michaels
Tom Witcher