October Theme – “Crucified with Christ: Dying to Self, Living to God”
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
Control never announces itself as rebellion—it shows up dressed like wisdom, wrapped in concern, and speaking the language of responsibility. But at its root, it is fear pretending to be faith. It whispers, “If you don’t hold it together, everything will fall apart.” Yet the truth is, everything we try to hold in our hands eventually slips through them, while everything placed in God’s hands is forever secure. Control is not peace—it’s panic with a plan. And every time we grip harder, the peace we’re praying for slowly suffocates beneath our own striving. Like the little girl who “helped” the butterfly by cutting its cocoon, we often call our interference love, discernment, or even spirituality—but it’s really unbelief. We don’t want to see the struggle, so we interrupt the process. But the same struggle we try to stop is the one God uses to make wings strong. Proverbs 3:5–6 isn’t a gentle suggestion; it’s a divine warning—guidance does not flow through clenched fists but through surrendered hearts. Every time we drop the reins, we remember who the true Driver is. God doesn’t need our steering hands; He needs our still hearts. From Abraham’s impatience to Peter’s step onto the storm, Scripture shows us that faith begins where explanations end. You can’t have peace and control at the same time—one must die for the other to live. The wheel belongs to God alone, and every act of release is worship. Surrender isn’t the end of your strength—it’s the beginning of His. When you finally stop trying to make sense of what only heaven can explain, you’ll feel something rise inside you that control could never give—holy rest.
When obedience leads through hardship, when prayers seem unanswered, and when silence stretches longer than you expected, trust starts to feel like loss. But delay is not denial; it’s divine development. Joseph’s prison, Moses’ wilderness, and the Cross itself all testify that heaven’s greatest victories come disguised as waiting rooms. Worship, then, is not escape from the storm—it’s peace within it. It’s warfare fought with stillness. It’s surrender that roars louder than fear. So here’s the call: write down what you cannot fix. Name it. Pray over it. Then declare with all your heart, “God is in charge—I am at rest.” Lay it down at the altar—not just the problem, but the need to understand it. The moment you truly let go, heaven moves. Because faith is not proven when you see the answer—it’s proven when you trust without one. That’s where surrender turns into strength, and where the Spirit fills the space fear once occupied. Let Christ have the wheel. Let peace have permission. Let the Holy Spirit breathe where your worry used to live. Because when you stop trying to hold everything together, you’ll finally realize—God already is.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
When Letting Go Feels Dangerous
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” — 2 Corinthians 5:7
Letting go feels beautiful—until it’s your turn to do it. We love the sound of surrender until it means loosening our grip on what feels safe, predictable, or familiar. Faith doesn’t start in the calm; it begins in the storm, when sight no longer explains what’s happening. God doesn’t ask you to understand—He asks you to trust. What you try to control out of fear will always exhaust you, but what you release in faith will always rest in His hands. Surrender is not loss—it’s a holy exchange. It’s when your weakness meets His strength, and your tears meet His timing.
Faith means stepping forward while your feelings still tremble. It’s choosing to believe that God’s plan is wiser than your panic. When Abraham lifted the knife over Isaac, he wasn’t abandoning his promise—he was proving that his trust was anchored in the Promise Keeper. Every test of surrender is a test of love. God never asks you to let go to leave you empty; He asks so He can fill the space with something eternal. Letting go of control is dangerous to pride, but it is life-giving to the soul.
And though it may feel like falling, the arms beneath you are everlasting. Every time you release your grip, God reveals His. He holds what you can’t carry. He knows the outcomes you can’t predict. The storm that shakes your foundation often becomes the place where faith takes root. The truth is—your heart was never meant to carry what only His hands can hold. The danger you feel in letting go is only the death of self-reliance. Beyond it lies the peace of divine dependence.
Peter stepped out of the boat while the storm still roared. The water didn’t calm first; his focus did. The moment he let go of the boat, he found that Jesus was stronger than the storm.
Prayer: Lord, when letting go feels like freefall, remind me that I am safest in Your hands. Give me courage to trust You when I can’t trace You.
Challenge: Write down one thing you’re afraid to release. Speak it out loud in prayer and say, “God, I give You what I can’t control.”
WEDNESDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Betty Hammock
Kay Woodson
Cheryl Knight’s Brother
Jean Partee’s Sister
Kathryn Rains
Deon Lotter
Doris Loyd
Mike Bryan
Mike Hollinhead
Nancy Brown – Rehab
The Barksdale Family – Bobbi Jackson’s Brother In Law Passed Away
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