October Theme – “Crucified with Christ: Dying to Self, Living to God”
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
Control rarely introduces itself as rebellion—it arrives dressed in wisdom, wrapped in caution, and sounding like responsibility. Yet beneath its disguise beats the pulse of fear, not faith. It whispers, “If you don’t hold everything together, everything will fall apart.” But here’s the paradox—whatever we clutch too tightly eventually slips through our fingers, while whatever we place into God’s hands can never be lost. Control is not peace; it’s panic with a schedule. The harder we grip, the more the peace we long for suffocates beneath the pressure of our own striving. Like the little girl who “helped” a butterfly by cutting open its cocoon, we often label our interference as love, discernment, or spirituality. In reality, it’s unbelief. We can’t stand to see struggle, so we step in and interrupt the process God designed to make wings strong. Proverbs 3:5–6 isn’t merely good advice—it’s a holy warning. Divine direction does not flow through clenched fists but through surrendered hearts. When we drop the reins, we rediscover who truly holds them. God isn’t looking for steady hands—He’s looking for still hearts. From Abraham’s impatience to Peter’s faltering step on the sea, Scripture reminds us that faith begins where explanations end. You cannot live in peace and control at the same time—one must die for the other to live. The wheel belongs to God alone. Every act of release is an act of worship. Surrender isn’t the end of your strength—it’s the start of His. When you stop trying to make sense of what only Heaven can explain, something rises within you that control could never create—holy rest.
When obedience leads you through hardship, when prayers echo unanswered, and when silence lasts longer than your strength, trust begins to feel like loss. But delay is not denial—it’s development. Joseph’s prison, Moses’ wilderness, and the Cross itself testify that Heaven’s greatest triumphs often wear the disguise of waiting. Worship, then, isn’t escape from the storm—it’s calm within it. It’s warfare through stillness. It’s surrender that roars louder than fear. So take inventory: write down what you cannot fix. Name it. Pray over it. Then declare with your whole heart, “God is in charge—I am at rest.” Lay it on the altar—not only the problem, but your need to understand it. The instant you release it, Heaven begins to move. Because faith isn’t proven when you see the outcome—it’s proven when you trust without one That’s where surrender becomes strength and the Spirit fills the space fear once occupied. Let Christ take the wheel. Let peace rule where panic once lived. Let the Holy Spirit breathe again in the places worry has smothered. When you stop holding 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 Trust Feels Like Losing
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” — Job 13:15
There are moments in your walk with God when faith feels less like triumph and more like surrender. Trusting Him when you can’t trace Him requires dying to the illusion of control. Job didn’t worship because he understood—he worshiped because he trusted the One who did. True faith is forged in fire, not in comfort. Every unanswered question, every delay, and every tear-stained prayer becomes sacred ground where your dependence deepens. God’s silence is not His absence; it’s often His classroom for growing roots of unshakable trust.
Trust often asks you to walk forward when everything in you wants to retreat. It’s believing that the Author of your story writes better endings than you could plan. When Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him,” he was declaring that faith is not a contract of comfort—it’s a covenant of surrender. The test of faith isn’t whether we get what we want, but whether we still call Him good when we don’t. What feels like losing is really letting go of what was never meant to sustain you.
God doesn’t waste pain; He repurposes it. The waiting, the heartbreak, the confusion—all become tools in His hands to refine your character. Like Joseph in the pit, you may not see the palace ahead, but Heaven already does. The very chains that confined him became the corridor that led him to his calling. So when trust feels like losing, remember: what looks like the end to you may be the beginning of something eternal. Trust is the soil where God plants tomorrow’s miracles.
Joseph’s brothers betrayed him, but God used their cruelty as a bridge to destiny. Every painful step was part of a divine story that would save nations.
Prayer: Father, help me see purpose in seasons that feel like loss. Strengthen me to wait with faith when progress seems invisible. Teach me that trust is not weakness but worship, and that every “no” You give hides a greater “yes” within Your plan.
Challenge: When discouragement whispers “God has forgotten you,” respond aloud with faith: “He’s not punishing me—He’s preparing me.” Stand still, and watch what only trust can birth.
THURSDAY’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