Worship Is Your Most Powerful Weapon
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
Today’s message that I didn’t get to preach, “From Control to Communion: Living by Revelation, Not Opinion,” called us to the daily crossroads where opinion speaks first but revelation listens, where opinion reacts but revelation responds, where opinion grasps for control but revelation bows in communion. We learned that uncrucified opinion breaks fellowship—turning dialogue into debate and prayer into performance—while a surrendered mind allows His wisdom to flow, His peace to govern, and His rest to replace our restlessness (Phil. 2:5). We named and nailed opinion to the cross, testing every thought by three questions: Is it Scriptural? Is it Spirit-born and peaceable? Is it shepherd-hearted toward people? We embraced a daily exchange (Rom. 12:1–2)—Present → Renew → Prove—and the 4-P rhythm for real-time obedience: Pause, Pray, Preview, Proceed. Revelation isn’t about silencing our thoughts but surrendering them, moving from the noise of control to the quiet confidence of communion.
We fortified peace with Philippians 4:6–9: praying with thanksgiving (turning pressure into petition), curating our inputs (starving suspicion, feeding truth), and practicing truth until reflex becomes rest. Then we chose communion over control, like Jehoshaphat who commissioned singers and watched God turn a battlefield into a blessing field. As a church, we committed to simple “rules of life”: the Shalom Minute (3x daily silence + Scripture + “Jesus, You govern this house”), a marriage Delay & Pray rule (24 hours and one agreed Scripture), and a 72-hour Opinion Fast (replace advice/negativity with intercession and blessing). Finally, we were invited to build a house altar anchored in Exodus 14:14—“The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace”—and to come to the front, laying down our arguments and anxieties for the mind of Christ. Where opinion dies, communion begins.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
When Control Wears a Halo
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” — Proverbs 3:5
The Disguise of Control
Control doesn’t always march in wearing pride—it often tiptoes in wearing a halo. It dresses itself in wisdom, stewardship, and even prayerfulness. It sounds like faith but smells like fear. It convinces us that if we don’t manage every outcome, something holy might collapse. Yet beneath every controlling impulse is a subtle unbelief that says, “God may not come through this time.” What begins as carefulness can quietly become captivity. When we live protecting outcomes instead of trusting God’s providence, we build walls around blessings that were meant to grow in the open air of surrender.
The Cross Over Control
Jesus never tried to control the cross—He carried it. He didn’t manipulate Judas, silence Pilate, or escape Gethsemane. He yielded His will to the Father’s, and that surrender changed eternity. Control wants to write the ending, but surrender lets God author the whole story. Every time we release our grip on people, timing, or outcomes, we shift from being managers of fear to carriers of faith. You cannot receive resurrection power while clinging to the hammer and nails of self-will. The cross is proof that what looks like losing control is often the beginning of divine victory.
Resting in His Hands
Peace does not come from mastering every variable—it flows from knowing the Master. When you finally stop trying to hold everything together, you discover that He already is. Your worry doesn’t secure the future—it strangles the present. But trust releases life back into your soul. Like Abraham, when you try to “help God out,” you birth Ishmael—something that looks like the promise but carries the strain of self-effort. But when you wait, when you trust, when you rest—Isaac is born, and joy fills what once was barren. True rest begins the moment you whisper, “God, this belongs to You now.”
Abraham tried to fulfill God’s promise through human reasoning by fathering Ishmael. But God’s covenant could only be fulfilled through faith, not flesh. It was not Abraham’s planning that brought the promise—it was his surrender.
Prayer: Lord, forgive me for mistaking control for faith. Strip away the pride that pretends to protect and teach me to trust You more than my own understanding. I release the things I cannot hold. Teach me to rest in Your hands and to believe that surrender is my safest place.
Challenge: Write down one area where you’ve been “helping God out.” Say aloud: “Lord, I name this and nail it to the cross. It belongs to You now.”Then walk away in peace—and let Him prove that His way was better all along.
MONDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
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 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