NOVEMBER THEME — Worship Is Your Most Powerful Weapon

TIME CHANGE: SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK AN HOUR BEFORE BED SATURDAY NIGHT!

SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY

Today’s service speaks deeply to the crossroads we face each day. One path is ruled by opinion — quick to talk, quick to react, eager to control. The other is guided by revelation — slow to speak, willing to listen, ready to surrender. The choice between them decides whether we live with rest or wrestle with resistance. Opinion uncrucified divides hearts. It turns honest talk into argument and prayer into performance. But when our minds bow to Christ, His wisdom flows freely, His peace steadies our emotions, and His rest replaces our striving (Philippians 2:5).

We learned to test every thought by three simple questions:
1️⃣ Is it Scriptural?
2️⃣ Is it Spirit-born and peaceable?
3️⃣ Is it shepherd-hearted toward people?

Through Romans 12:1–2, we embraced the daily exchange: Present → Renew → Prove, and a simple rhythm for obedience: Pause, Pray, Preview, Proceed. Revelation doesn’t silence your thoughts—it sanctifies them. It transforms the noise of control into the quiet confidence of communion. We anchored our peace in Philippians 4:6–9: prayer with thanksgiving turns pressure into petition, guarding what enters our hearts starves suspicion and feeds truth, and practicing truth every day turns reflex into rest. Finally, we chose communion over control, like Jehoshaphat who sent singers ahead of soldiers and watched God turn a battlefield into a blessing field. Together, we made commitments of peace —

• The Shalom Minute: three times a day, pause and pray, “Jesus, You govern this house.”
• The Marriage Delay & Pray Rule: wait 24 hours, then pray one verse together before responding.
• The 72-Hour Opinion Fast: replace advice and criticism with intercession and blessing.

And we built house altars anchored in Exodus 14:14 — “The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”

Where opinion dies, communion begins.
Where the mind bows, Christ reigns.
Where His peace governs, the war within finally ends.

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

Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart

Holy Rest in an Unholy World

“The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” — Exodus 14:14

Peace isn’t found in escape—it’s found in surrender. The world tells us to stay busy, to keep proving, fixing, and managing every outcome. But God whispers the opposite: “Be still.” True peace doesn’t come from control; it comes from trust. The same God who opened the Red Sea still opens a way where there seems to be none. You don’t have to push the waters apart; you just have to stand where He tells you to stand.

Holy rest isn’t weakness—it’s warfare. It’s not the absence of work; it’s the presence of confidence. When you stop trying to do what only God can do, you make space for His power to move. Israel didn’t win that day because they were strong, but because they were still. Their stillness said, “God, this battle belongs to You.” Every moment you choose peace over panic, you are declaring whose hands your life truly rests in.

In an unholy world that thrives on noise, outrage, and distraction, holy rest is rebellion. It’s how you refuse to let fear set your pace. When you stop striving, you start seeing. When you stop panicking, you start praising. And when you finally release what you can’t control, you discover that God has been holding it all along.

When Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den, he didn’t pace, plead, or panic. He rested. Surrounded by predators, he trusted the unseen hand of the God who shut their mouths. Peace ruled where panic should have reigned. Daniel didn’t need to fight the lions; he simply trusted the Lion of Judah to fight for him. His calm became his testimony.

Prayer: God of peace, teach me the strength of stillness. Teach me to rest, not because the battle is easy, but because it is Yours. I yield my timeline, my need to control, and my anxious thoughts into Your capable hands. Fight for me while I hold my peace, and let my calm become a witness that You are faithful in every storm.

Challenge: Take one situation that’s been stealing your sleep or stirring your fear. Speak this aloud until your heart believes it: “The Lord will fight for me, and I will hold my peace.” Then, instead of worrying, worship. Rest tonight as someone who knows the outcome is already in God’s hands.

THURSDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS

Linda Breedlove in passing of her dear sister, Sarah

Don Franklin’s Daughter, Darlene

Kim McClain’s Daughter, Amanda

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 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