2026 THEME — “SEEING LIFE FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE”
February – Seeing Giving from God’s Perspective
As someone who has watched God work faithfully over many years, I’m grateful that this Sunday begins our Missions Emphasis Month, Seeing Missions from God’s Perspective. It’s a joy to know that the Faith Promise giving we’ve committed to—often quietly and steadily—is truly being used by the Lord. We’ll have the blessing of hearing from Brian Busby of Calvary Children’s Home, who will share how those faithful gifts are touching real lives and shaping the future of children who need hope. It’s a reminder that when we give consistently and in faith, God multiplies it far beyond what we can see.
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
Seen from God’s side, prayer was never meant to be something we do as much as someone we walk with. He is not calling us to master language, perfect timing, or summon Him in emergencies, but to live aware of His nearness. Prayer, from His perspective, is not a moment we enter and exit with “Amen,” but a posture of life—continuous fellowship that shapes how we think, choose, and respond. When God is central, prayer stops being occasional and becomes instinctive. It moves with us through ordinary spaces—work, family life, decisions, pressure—guiding us before we speak or act. Early prayer asks God to endorse our plans; mature prayer yields control and invites transformation. God’s purpose in teaching us to pray was never to improve our meetings, but to reshape our living. True prayer is relationship, not performance; awareness, not noise; surrender, not striving—until every place we stand becomes holy ground and our entire life becomes prayer.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
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Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
Let Prayer Shape Decisions Before Regrets
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” — Proverbs 3:5
Many regrets are not born from open rebellion, but from rushed choices made without prayerful awareness. A prayed life listens before it acts and yields before it chooses. Prayer is not asking God to bless our decisions after the fact—it is inviting Him to shape them before they are made.
Prayer Listens Before It Leans
When pressure rises, our understanding wants to take control. It demands clarity, speed, and certainty. Prayer slows us down enough to listen. Trusting the Lord means we refuse to lean on what seems reasonable in the moment and instead submit our reasoning to God’s wisdom. Prayer creates space for discernment before damage is done.
Prayer Guards Us from Preventable Regret
Many apologies, repairs, and wounds could be avoided if prayer were consulted earlier. A prayed life pauses before responding—especially when emotions are high or outcomes feel urgent. God often redirects us not with loud commands, but with quiet restraint. Prayer helps us recognize when to wait, when to speak, and when to walk away.
Prayer Shapes Obedience, Not Excuses
Prayer does not exist to justify what we already want to do. It exists to shape obedience. When prayer leads the decision, obedience follows naturally. When prayer follows the decision, justification usually follows instead. Letting prayer go first aligns the heart before the path is chosen.
A GPS only helps if you check it before you turn. Ignoring it and asking for help after you’re lost leads to longer delays and harder corrections. Prayer works the same way—it is most powerful before decisions, not after damage.
Warfare Prayer: Father, I renounce hurried decisions, self-trust, and reactive choices. I reject the pressure to move without listening. Teach me to pause, to seek Your heart, and to trust Your guidance over my own understanding. Guard me from regret by shaping my obedience before I act. I choose surrender over impulse and trust over control. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Daily Challenge: Before responding to any pressure today—an email, a conversation, a decision—pause and ask, “Lord, how do You see this?” Wait long enough to listen before you act.
Prayer does not slow life down—it keeps it aligned. When prayer shapes decisions, peace replaces regret, and trust replaces haste.
TUESDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Amy Garner’s Dad
Aston Savage
Bentley Smith – Broken Leg
Brian Gray’s Uncle
Carol Lawhead – Riverside in Conyers
Joni Oberhage
Linda Mays
Mandy Martin
Myles Elliott
Rose Fuller – Pruitt-Monroe Nursing Home, Forsyth GA
Brando Echarte
Debbie Foskey
Don Franklin’s Daughter, Darlene, Son, David
Ed Adkins – Friend of Brian Edwards
Gloria Young
Jake Jenkins
Jenkins son-in-law
June Cronan
Jean Partee’s Sister
Kim McClain’s Daughter, Amanda
Deon Lotter
Doris Loyd
Nancy Brown
Annette Ford
Andrea Nix– Friend of the Shelnutt’s
Angela Bryan’s Sisters
Ann Stanley
Danny Jarrard
Darlene Wiggins
Doris Loyd
Dr. and Mrs. Davis
Eric Magnusson’s Mother
Eric Ward
Friend of Linda Hodge
Gayle Sparks
Linda Alexander
James Burnette
Jessica Headrick
John McClain’s Mother
June Cronan’s Sister
June Davis
Kailey Bateman
Kim McClain’s Mother
Kim’s Sisters – Ann & Brenda
Lee Cronan
Lillianna Magnusson’s Mom
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
Scott Lanier
Scotty Nix
Stephanie Seivers – Friend of the Shelnutt’s
Steve Michaels
Tom Witcher