NOVEMBER THEME — Worship Is Your Most Powerful Weapon
FALL FESTIVAL – THIS SUNDAY – 5:00 – 8:00
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
This week’s focus, Not My Will, But Thine: The Freedom of Surrender, invites us into a sacred exchange — the moment when our clenched hands release what was never meant to be controlled, and peace flows in like a tide after the storm. Surrender is not the mark of defeat; it is the evidence of trust. It is not resignation to fate but revelation of faith — where obedience replaces striving and peace replaces anxiety. The freedom of surrender begins where the illusion of control ends. Like Jesus in Gethsemane, we discover that victory doesn’t come by resisting what God has allowed but by resting in the will of the Father who never fails. In that garden of pressure, Christ proved that yieldedness is stronger than willpower. Every “nevertheless” we whisper in our own dark hours becomes an altar where heaven meets earth. It is there that angels strengthen weary hearts, not because the cup is removed, but because grace is supplied to drink it. Surrender is not passive; it is profoundly powerful. It breaks the tyranny of self and dethrones the idol of control. When pride bows, grace rises. When we stop fighting for our own way, God begins fighting for His. What we once saw as loss becomes liberation. The moment we let go, heaven begins to move. Each time we lay down our plans, the soil of surrender is watered with our tears — and out of that soil grows unshakable faith. The highest form of worship is not applause but abandonment — the quiet, trembling whisper that says, “Lord, I trust You even here.” When we stop measuring outcomes and start magnifying obedience, we find the peace that passes understanding. It is not the strong who conquer the will of God but the surrendered who are conquered by it. And in that beautiful defeat, resurrection power begins its work. Surrender does not end in loss; it ends in life. What feels like a burial is often the planting of something eternal. When self bows low, God stands tall in our circumstances. When we yield, He yields strength. Our worship becomes our warfare, our obedience becomes our anthem, and the altar becomes our battlefield — where our will dies, His will reigns, and true freedom begins.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
Gethsemane: The Altar of “Nevertheless”
“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” — Luke 22:42
The Honest Cup
Jesus did not hide His pain or suppress His human dread of suffering. He brought it fully to the Father. Gethsemane shows that honesty and holiness are not enemies. True worship isn’t pretending we’re unshaken—it’s confessing our trembling while we keep trusting. Christ teaches me that God can handle the weight of my “if thou be willing.” The cup He feared was not just physical pain but separation from the Father. And yet, He still prayed. When I come honestly to God about what I wish He would change, I am not showing weakness—I am showing relationship. The greatest prayers are not always eloquent, but surrendered. Gethsemane is proof that divine strength begins in human weakness poured out in prayer.
The Power of “Nevertheless”
That one word, “nevertheless,” marks the pivot of redemption’s story. It is the hinge where human hesitation gives way to divine obedience. Every believer faces a Gethsemane—a place where obedience costs more than comfort. In that place, “nevertheless” becomes the word that shakes hell’s foundations. Jesus didn’t get an escape; He received endurance. I want deliverance, but God offers development. The Father did not remove the cup, but He infused the Son with strength to drink it. The angel’s touch did not change the circumstance; it changed the man within it. “Nevertheless” transforms prayer from negotiation to surrender. When I bow here, I stop praying for my comfort and start praying for His kingdom. That’s when heaven strengthens what surrender begins.
The Strength of Surrender
After the garden came the cross—but also the resurrection. That pattern reminds me that surrender never ends in loss; it ends in life. Gethsemane was not failure—it was preparation. Jesus did not collapse in weakness; He rose in willingness. When I yield my will, I open the channel for resurrection power to flow through obedience. Every “yes” to God is a death to self, but also a doorway to new strength. Some prayers aren’t meant to change my situation but to change me enough to stand in it. The world says strength is control; Jesus shows it’s surrender. When I stop clenching my plans and whisper, “Thy will be done,” the same angels that strengthened Him begin to strengthen me.
Heart Check:
- What “cup” am I asking God to remove, and what would “nevertheless” sound like in my mouth today?
- Where am I trying to manage outcomes instead of practicing obedience?
- What would change if I believed God strengthens me on the other side of surrender?
Prayer: Father, I bring You my honest pain and my tight grip. I yield my will to Yours. Strengthen me with heaven’s help to obey quickly and trust deeply. Teach me that surrender is not the end of power but the beginning of peace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Challenge: Write a one-sentence “nevertheless” prayer about your greatest tension. Speak it every time anxiety surfaces today until peace begins to take its place.
TUESDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Debbie Foskey – Surgery November 24th
George & Linda Alexander
Jessica Headrick
Sheila Simmons
Amanda Elliott
Brando Echarte
Danny Jarrard
Betty Hammock
Cheryl Knight’s Brother
Don Franklin’s Daughter, Darlene
Jean Partee’s Sister
Kathryn Rains
Deon Lotter
Doris Loyd
Nancy Brown
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
Darlene Wiggins
Doris Loyd
Dr. and Mrs. Davis
Eric Magnusson’s Mother
Eric Ward
Friend of Linda Hodge
Gayle Sparks
James Burnette
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
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
Stephanie Seivers – Friend of the Shellnutts
Steve Michaels
Tom Witcher