OCTOBER THEME: “Not My Will, But Thine: The Freedom of Surrender”

SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY  

The natural mind is chained to human logic, driven by pride, and consumed with the fleeting cares of this world. It resists God’s authority and cannot discern His truth, for Scripture declares it is “enmity against God.” It sees only the present, often shrinking back in fear, confusion, and self-centeredness. The mind of Christ, however, is formed by the Spirit, anchored in the Father’s will, clothed in humility, and at rest because it looks through the lens of eternity. From His birth in Bethlehem to His death on the cross, Jesus lived with undivided focus, never distracted from His holy mission. As the angels never cease to cry “Holy, holy, holy,” so we are called not only to sing of His holiness but to display it in the way we live. The fiercest battle is fought not in our outward circumstances but in our inward thoughts, for sin, fear, and doubt are first conceived in the mind. If we neglect to guard our thoughts, we hand victory to the enemy before the fight begins—but when we yield every thought to Christ, we walk in clarity, strength, and triumph that this world cannot offer.

Holiness, then, is not the fruit of stronger discipline but of a transformed mind. The pattern of Christ’s mind is undivided and pure; the practice of holiness is revealed in daily surrender and motives purified by love; the power of holiness comes through the Spirit who renews, reshapes, and protects our thoughts. Like a sponge, the mind releases what it has been soaking in—corruption if filled with the world, but purity and life if filled with God’s Word. True victory comes when a surrendered spirit governs the mind, silencing fear, defeating doubt, and resisting temptation. Holiness is not a prison but true liberty—the freedom to think with clarity, to live with purpose, and to love with Christ’s heart. It is the secret to joy in suffering and stability in life’s storms. The believer who adopts this holy way of thinking will find their life shining as a living testimony of God’s grace and power.

GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.

Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart

The Battlefield of the Mind

“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” — Romans 8:7

Every war begins in the unseen before it shows up in the visible. Scripture teaches that the greatest battlefield is not your wallet, your job, or your family—but your mind. Every sin begins as a thought, every fear as an imagination, every doubt as a whisper in the heart.

The Natural Mind’s Resistance to God
The carnal mind cannot grasp the things of God because it is driven by pride and self-interest. Like Israel in the wilderness, it murmurs against God’s ways, seeing only temporary concerns while missing eternal purposes. Theology teaches us that sin is not merely outward action but inward rebellion; the battlefield begins where thoughts resist God’s authority.

The Devil’s Strategy in the Mind
Satan rarely begins by chaining your hands—he begins by planting lies in your thoughts. The serpent’s first weapon in Eden was not a sword but a question that distorted God’s Word. Theologically, this shows us the noetic effects of sin: our reasoning faculties are darkened until the Spirit renews them.

Captivity to Christ as Survival
Renewing the mind is not an optional extra for advanced believers—it is survival for every Christian. “Casting down imaginations” (2 Cor. 10:5) is a continual act of war where we bring each thought under Christ’s obedience. This is where justification births sanctification: the Spirit who saved you now transforms your mind to think as Christ thinks.

Prayer: Lord, renew my mind by Your Spirit. Tear down every stronghold of fear, pride, and unbelief. Teach me to take every thought captive and make it obey Christ. Fill my mind with truth so that my heart and life glorify You.

Challenge: Identify one recurring negative or sinful thought you battle. Replace it today with a Scripture promise and declare it aloud when the thought arises.

TUESDAY’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 – Knee Surgery Soon

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