2026 THEME — “SEEING LIFE FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE”                      

February – Seeing Stewardship and Giving from God’s Perspective

A Testimony of the Lord’s Heart for This Sunday: “My beloved, this Sunday is not ordinary. I have set it apart. I am gathering My people not to pressure them, but to reveal My heart. I am teaching them again that the highest form of love is obedience, and the purest response to My Lordship is willing surrender. I am showing them that faith does not wait for comfort—it responds to My voice. This service, I will use to give double honor to two of My choicest servants. Their labor has not been hidden from Me. Their faithfulness, their sacrifice, their quiet obedience at the Home has risen before Me as a sweet offering. What has been done in love and consistency, I will now acknowledge openly. I delight to honor those who have honored Me. I have placed a word in My servant Brian’s heart—one prepared especially for you—from Judges 13. It is a message about My sovereign choosing, My unseen work, and how I bring purpose to those who simply say yes to Me. What I spoke long ago, I am still speaking today. Through this service, I will remind My people that stewardship is not about timing or security, but about trust. I will show them that obedience always comes before understanding, and surrender always opens the door to freedom. I am not asking them for an amount—I am asking for their hearts. Listen carefully. Watch closely. Honor faithfully. For what is done for Me in love, I never forget.

SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY

Testimony: I was never taught stewardship growing up. I didn’t understand that giving was worship or that obedience was the highest expression of love for the Lord. I believed faith worked best when life felt predictable and circumstances stayed comfortable. Through God’s Word, the Lord revealed something unmistakable to me: obedience is not about convenience—it is about surrender to His Lordship. I saw how often I delayed responding, waiting for things to feel right, even though God had already spoken clearly. What changed was not God, but my willingness to trust Him. The Lord exposed my heart gently but firmly. Stewardship was never about timing or stability; it was about trust. It forced me to ask whether I truly believed God was my Provider or whether I relied more on my own sense of control. When uncertainty surfaced, my instinct was to pause and recalculate—but the Spirit called me to obey. Giving when it didn’t make sense challenged my logic, but it strengthened my faith. I learned that obedience always comes before understanding. Faith isn’t revealed when everything adds up—it’s revealed when it doesn’t. God wasn’t asking for an amount; He was asking for surrender. That moment settled a truth in my heart: the highest form of love for Christ is obedience, and instant surrender leads to freedom. I walked away trusting not in outcomes I could manage, but in a faithful God who never changes.

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

Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart

Christ Our Life

“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” — Col 3:4

The Exchanged Life reaches its fullness when Christ is no longer a part of your life—but your very life itself. Christianity was never meant to be a supplement added to human strength; it is a divine union where Christ becomes the source, the supply, and the sustaining power of everything we are and do. The Christian life is not about trying harder for God—it is about yielding deeper to God. When Christ is your life, the focus shifts. The question is no longer, “What should I do?” but “Lord, live through me now.” This is not passivity—it is powerful dependence. It is where effort gives way to exchange, and striving gives way to surrender.

From Assistance to Union

Many believers live as though Christ exists to help them succeed at life. But Scripture reveals something far deeper: Christ never intended to assist your life—He intended to be your life. Assistance still keeps control in our hands; union transfers control to Him. When Christ is merely helping, we remain the source. When Christ is our life, He becomes the source—of patience when emotions run thin, obedience when surrender feels costly, generosity when resources feel tight, endurance when strength is gone, and love when affection has been exhausted. The Exchanged Life begins when self-effort ends.

Peace Replaces Pressure

When Christ becomes your life, pressure loses its power. Pressure thrives where performance rules—but peace reigns where Christ rules. You no longer carry the weight of outcomes, expectations, or appearances. You rest in the confidence that the life within you is sufficient for the moment before you. This does not remove responsibility—it removes anxiety. Faith replaces fear because the life supplying obedience is not yours. You are no longer drawing from discipline alone, but from divine life within. Every surrendered area becomes a channel for resurrection power to flow.

Devotion, Not Division

Oswald Chambers captured this truth with piercing clarity: “The dominating factor of Christianity is the personal, passionate devotion to Jesus Christ.” The Christian life cannot be compartmentalized. Christ is not Lord of one area while self governs another. When Christ is truly our life, devotion becomes the defining posture of the heart—not duty, not ritual, not reputation. Life flows from intimacy. Obedience flows from affection. Holiness flows from relationship. This is the freedom of the Exchanged Life—not trying to live for Christ, but allowing Christ to live through you. Christ our life is not a theological phrase—it is a daily reality. Every moment becomes an invitation to yield. Every weakness becomes an opportunity for His strength. The goal is no longer self-improvement, but divine expression. When Christ lives through you, your life becomes more than manageable—it becomes meaningful, powerful, and free.

A branch does not strain to produce fruit. It simply remains connected to the vine. The fruit is not the result of effort, but of life flowing through the connection. In the same way, the Christian life flourishes not by striving, but by abiding. Christ produces what we could never manufacture.

Warfare Prayer: Lord Jesus, I renounce self-reliance, self-effort, and self-rule. I declare that You are not merely part of my life—you are my life. I surrender every place where I have been striving instead of trusting. Live through my thoughts, my words, my decisions, and my responses. I receive Your resurrection life as my strength today. I yield fully to You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daily Challenge — The Exchange: Identify one area you have been managing alone—emotionally, financially, relationally, or spiritually. Consciously release it to Christ today and pray aloud: “Lord, live through me here.” Watch how peace replaces pressure as His life flows through your surrender.

FRIDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS

Darlene Kelley – Cancer Treatment

Don and Carol Franklin

Ed Franklin’s Son in Law, Archie Heart Surgery on the 26th

Sandra Mitchell

Tammy Shelnutt

Jean Partee – Newton Medical

Aston Savage

Gloria Young

Amy Garner’s Dad

Bentley Smith – Broken Leg

Carol Lawhead – Riverside in Conyers

Joni Oberhage

Linda Mays

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

Jake Jenkins

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

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