2026 THEME — “SEEING LIFE FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE” January – Prayer from God’s Perspective
The second service on “Prayer From God’s Perspective” will take us deeper by showing why God chose prayer as the channel through which we receive everything He has prepared for us. Prayer is not about begging for blessings, but about alignment—shaping our desires, strengthening our faith, and positioning our hearts to carry what God wants to entrust to us. What you receive this year will not be determined by effort or intention, but by alignment, and alignment always begins in prayer. So hear this with clarity and love: If you miss these services, you will miss the foundation God is laying for everything He intends to do in your life this year. These are not just Sundays—they are a spiritual reset, a divine recalibration, where God sets the lens through which you will interpret every decision, delay, and door in 2026. Don’t treat them as optional—treat them as foundational, because how God begins a work in you determines what He can trust you with by the end.
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
Our world is in chaos because people insist on living by their own understanding, and tragically many believers do the same, yet God called His people to be peculiar and anchored in His perspective, living from a higher plane where homes, churches, and individuals respond with His wisdom instead of pride, preference, or panic; when we see life through God’s lens, offense loosens, fear quiets, and confusion gives way to clarity—delays become preparation, losses become correction, and interruptions become alignment—because our understanding measures moments while God’s perspective measures purpose, seeing the end from the beginning and working from the finished product He is forming in us; that shift transforms prayer from controlling outcomes to aligning hearts with God’s wisdom, producing peace, direction, and obedience even without full explanation, redeeming difficulty rather than removing it; and after a year that carried hidden pain, strain, loneliness, betrayal, medical fear, and heavy responsibility, this truth stands: God did not dismiss the hurt, He stayed close, carried His people, kept His promises, and now calls us forward not to explain everything, but to trust and obey—beginning 2026 at the altar in surrender, under His Lordship, resisting the enemy’s schemes, standing in Christ’s authority, and believing God will bring us through again.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
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Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
Prayer Was Never Meant to Inform God
“Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.” — Acts 15:18
From God’s perspective, prayer is not a briefing session. Heaven is not waiting on updates from earth. God does not discover things when we speak; He declares them before they ever unfold. He sees the end from the beginning, the fruit before the seed, the healing before the wound, and the purpose beneath the pain. When we approach prayer as though God needs our explanations, we subtly place our understanding above His wisdom and our perspective above His sovereignty.
Prayer was never designed to inform God—it was designed to transform us. It is the sacred place where our limited viewpoint is gently corrected, where assumptions are dismantled, and where the heart is realigned with what God already knows to be true. When prayer becomes a place of explanation, the soul grows weary trying to convince God. But when prayer becomes a place of alignment, peace settles because the burden of control is lifted. The enemy exploits prayer that is rooted in explanation. Satan thrives when believers feel the need to justify their pain, defend their emotions, or argue their case before God. This posture keeps the heart restless and faith fragile. But alignment silences accusation. When the heart agrees with God’s wisdom instead of demanding answers, spiritual authority is restored. Prayer shifts from anxious monologue to surrendered communion—and heaven responds to that posture. God is not asking you to explain what He already understands. He is inviting you to trust what He already sees.
Prayer – Heavenly Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus Christ, not to explain myself, but to align myself. I confess that I have often prayed from fear, frustration, and the need to understand instead of from trust. Today, I lay down every argument, every justification, and every assumption that places my understanding above Your wisdom. In the name of Jesus, I take authority over every lie of the enemy that says I must have answers before I can have peace. I silence the voice of accusation, confusion, and self-reliance. I reject the spirit of control that disguises itself as responsibility, and I choose surrender instead. Lord, bring my heart into agreement with heaven. Where my perspective has been distorted, correct it. Where my expectations have been misaligned, refine them. Where fear has shaped my prayers, replace it with faith. I declare that my prayer life will no longer be driven by explanation, but by trust. I rest in this truth: You already know. You are already working. You are already faithful. I receive Your peace, Your clarity, and Your authority today.
In the mighty name of Jesus,
Amen.
Challenge – Today, practice silent trust. When you come before God, resist the urge to explain, justify, or rehearse your situation. Speak this single sentence aloud: “Lord, align my heart with what You already know.” Then sit quietly for five minutes. If thoughts race or emotions surface, do not correct them—simply surrender them. This is not about performance; it is about posture. Grace meets you in the quiet, and alignment begins where striving ends. Remember: You are not behind because you lack answers. You are being invited forward because God already has them.
MONDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Carol Lawhead – Riverside in Conyers
Mandy Martin – Mary May Martin 6 lbs. 7 oz.
Myles Elliott
Rose Fuller – Pruitt-Monroe Nursing Home, Forsyth GA
Amy Garner’s Dad
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