Thank you so much for your loving birthday blessings, they truly touched my heart. Your kind words and prayers made my day even more special. i am deeply grateful for your thoughtfulness and love.
October Theme – “Crucified with Christ: Dying to Self, Living to God”
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
The natural mind is chained to what it can see, bound to human logic, and restless with the short-lived distractions of this world. Pride fuels it, fear drives it, and Scripture declares it stands in opposition to God Himself (Romans 8:7). It cannot grasp eternal realities because it is locked into the temporary—tossed between anxiety, selfish desires, and the confusion of the moment. The mind of Christ, however, is born of the Spirit, rooted in the Father’s will, clothed in humility, and steadied by peace because it views all things through the lens of eternity. From Bethlehem’s humble manger to Calvary’s rugged cross, Jesus lived with an undivided focus—never swayed, never distracted, never turning from His holy mission. Just as heaven’s chorus never ceases to cry, “Holy, holy, holy,” so we are called not merely to sing of His holiness but to show it in the way we think, decide, and live. The fiercest war we face is not out in the world but inside our minds. Every sin begins as a thought. Every doubt, fear, and temptation first takes root in the imagination. If those thoughts are left unchecked, they harden into chains. But when surrendered to Christ, those chains are shattered, and the believer walks in a freedom that the world cannot give and circumstances cannot steal. Holiness, then, is not a product of sheer determination or stronger discipline—it is the fruit of a transformed mind. The pattern of Christ’s thinking is whole, pure, and undistracted. The practice of holiness is found in daily surrender, where even the motives of the heart are purified by love. And the power to live this way comes not from us but from the Spirit, who reshapes, renews, and guards our thoughts. Like a sponge, the mind will only release what it has been soaking in. If it has been saturated with the world, corruption and bitterness will drip out when life applies pressure. But if it has been immersed in God’s Word, then purity, wisdom, and life will flow. Holiness is not confinement—it is liberty. It is the freedom to think with clarity, to live with eternal direction, and to love with the compassion of Christ. It is the secret to joy in suffering and stability in storms. And the believer who learns to think with the mind of Christ will discover that their very life becomes a testimony—shining with God’s grace, His wisdom, and His power.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
The Practice of Holiness
“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” — Colossians 3:2
A blueprint shows what could be built, but it cannot raise the walls. In the same way, seeing the pattern of Christ’s mind is not enough—it must be practiced in daily choices. Holiness is not theory; it is lived reality. What flows out of us depends on what we continually allow into our hearts and minds.
The Law of Inputs — Garbage In, Garbage Out
Our minds are like fertile fields—whatever seed we sow will grow. Paul warned, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33). If we fill our minds with lustful images, bitter conversations, proud comparisons, and endless noise, then corruption, anger, and fear will grow like weeds. But if we plant God’s Word, His Spirit will produce purity, peace, and joy.
Farmers know they cannot expect to reap wheat if they sow weeds. In the same way, we cannot expect a harvest of holiness if our daily input is worldly garbage. The principle is simple: garbage in, garbage out. But grace in—through Scripture, prayer, worship—leads to glory out, as Christ’s purity flows through us.
A sponge cannot release anything it has not first absorbed. If it has been sitting in dirty water, filth will drip out when squeezed. But if it has been soaking in clean, pure water, then refreshing water flows. Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things” (Matthew 12:35).
Theology calls this habitus—the habits of the heart that shape our outward responses. Under pressure, what we have been soaking in always comes out. When life squeezes you—through conflict, temptation, or stress—what drips out? If you’ve been soaking in gossip, negativity, and doubt, then poison will come. But if you’ve been soaking in prayer, worship, and Scripture, then grace and truth will flow.
Corrie ten Boom, when asked how she endured the darkness of Nazi prison camps, said she had been storing Scripture in her heart for years—so when squeezed, the Word of God flowed out of her like light in a dark place.
Surrendered Choices, Clean Motives
Holiness is not about robes and rituals—it is revealed in surrendered choices and purified motives. Paul said, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). That means holiness is not me trying harder, but Christ living His life through me. It shows up in patience with a child, integrity at work, purity in thought, humility in relationships.
A stained-glass window only reveals its beauty when light shines through it. In the same way, holiness is Christ’s life shining through the cracks and colors of our ordinary lives. When our motives are surrendered to Him, even the smallest choices—what we watch, how we speak, how we treat others—become radiant with His glory.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, cleanse my thoughts and motives. Protect my mind from the garbage of this world and fill me with Your truth. May my everyday life reflect Your holiness in the smallest choices.
Challenge: Fast today from one source of “mental garbage” (social media, gossip, or entertainment) and replace that time with reading and meditating on God’s Word. Notice how your spirit feels when you feed on truth instead of trash.
THURSDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Nancy Brown – Fall
Allysa Elliott
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
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