2026 THEME — “SEEING LIFE FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE”
February – Seeing Stewardship and Giving from God’s Perspective
Testimony: I didn’t understand it then, but Calvary’s Children’s Home was quietly rewriting my future. I arrived with more questions than hope, carrying fear I couldn’t put into words. What met me there wasn’t just a place to stay—it was a rhythm of faith lived out every day. No speeches, no pressure… just steady love and consistent care that didn’t flinch when life was messy. What shaped me most wasn’t what I was given, but how it was given. I watched adults trust God out loud—before the need was met, before the answer came. Faith wasn’t something they talked about on Sundays; it was something they practiced on ordinary days. Provision showed up in simple ways, and over time I learned that those “small things” were actually evidence of a very faithful God. Years later, as I raise my own children, I recognize that same rhythm shaping my home. I’m not perfect, but I’m anchored. I lead with trust instead of fear, generosity instead of scarcity, because that’s what was modeled for me when it mattered most. Calvary didn’t just help me survive a season—it taught me how to build a life. And Uncle B didn’t just guide us through hard days; he showed us how to walk with God when the outcome wasn’t clear. That kind of legacy doesn’t fade. It multiplies.
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
Testimony: Being out of state when the storm disrupted everything gave me a surprising moment of clarity. I realized how easily I had tied obedience to convenience—assuming faith works best when plans stay intact and circumstances feel stable. When things shifted, I felt the pull to pause, wait, and recalculate, even though God Himself had not changed one bit. In that moment, the Lord gently exposed something in me: stewardship isn’t about ideal timing or predictable conditions—it’s about trust. I had to ask myself whether I truly believed God was my Provider, or if I trusted my own sense of control more. Giving when things felt uncertain challenged my logic, but it strengthened my faith. That experience reminded me that obedience always comes before understanding. Faith isn’t proven when everything makes sense; it’s revealed when it doesn’t. I walked away more confident—not in outcomes I could manage, but in a God who is faithful regardless of circumstances. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your service by livestream. Even from out of state, I felt connected, encouraged, and deeply blessed by what God is doing among you.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
Dead to Self, Alive to God
“Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” — Romans 6:11
The Christian life does not begin with effort—it begins with agreement. Paul’s word reckon is a faith word. It means to count as true what God has already declared. God did not ask us to feel dead to sin; He asked us to agree that we are. Transformation flows not from striving to change self, but from surrendering self to the life of Christ within.
Agreement Unlocks Authority
Victory begins the moment we agree with God’s verdict. At the cross, God did not rehabilitate the old nature—He crucified it. To reckon yourself dead to sin is to step into God’s authority over your life rather than wrestling in your own strength. Many believers struggle because they keep arguing with what God has already settled. Faith says, “If God says it’s done, I will live as though it is.”
Self Cannot Be Improved; It Must Be Replaced
The flesh cannot be refined, disciplined, or motivated into holiness. Self-effort always ends in exhaustion or pride. God’s solution was never self-improvement—it was self-replacement. Christ in you is not an assistant to your will; He is the source of your life. When self steps down, Christ steps up. Freedom begins when we stop asking God to help us live the Christian life and allow Christ to live it through us.
Death to Self Is Liberation, Not Loss
Dying to self feels threatening only until we realize what replaces it. When self-rule ends, peace begins. When Christ reigns, obedience flows naturally rather than forcefully. Oswald Chambers wrote, “If we are going to be used by God, He must bring us to the place where self is no longer trusted.” The exchanged life removes pressure and replaces it with power. We live not from effort, but from union.
Trying to live the Christian life in self-effort is like driving a car with the emergency brake engaged. The engine strains, progress is slow, and frustration builds. But when the brake is released, movement becomes natural. Death to self releases the brake. Christ’s life carries the weight you were never meant to bear.
Romans 6:11 is not a suggestion—it is an identity statement. You are dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ. Every day, you choose which life you will trust. The old life demands effort and produces frustration. The new life flows from surrender and produces rest. Reckon yourself aligned with God—and live from His life within.
Warfare Prayer: Father, in the name of Jesus, I agree with Your Word. I declare that I am dead to sin and alive to You through Christ. I renounce self-rule, self-effort, and self-trust. I receive the life of Christ as my strength, my obedience, and my victory. Let every false claim of the flesh lose authority today. I choose Christ as my life. Amen.
Daily Challenge: Before reacting today—pause and say aloud: “Christ is my life. Self is no longer in charge.” Then respond from His life, not your effort.
THURSDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Sandra Mitchell
Tammy Shelnutt
Jean Partee
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
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
Testimony: Being out of state when the storm disrupted everything gave me a surprising moment of clarity. I realized how easily I had tied obedience to convenience—assuming faith works best when plans stay intact and circumstances feel stable. When things shifted, I felt the pull to pause, wait, and recalculate, even though God Himself had not changed one bit. In that moment, the Lord gently exposed something in me: stewardship isn’t about ideal timing or predictable conditions—it’s about trust. I had to ask myself whether I truly believed God was my Provider, or if I trusted my own sense of control more. Giving when things felt uncertain challenged my logic, but it strengthened my faith. That experience reminded me that obedience always comes before understanding. Faith isn’t proven when everything makes sense; it’s revealed when it doesn’t. I walked away more confident—not in outcomes I could manage, but in a God who is faithful regardless of circumstances. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your service by livestream. Even from out of state, I felt connected, encouraged, and deeply blessed by what God is doing among you.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
Dead to Self, Alive to God
“Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” — Romans 6:11
The Christian life does not begin with effort—it begins with agreement. Paul’s word reckon is a faith word. It means to count as true what God has already declared. God did not ask us to feel dead to sin; He asked us to agree that we are. Transformation flows not from striving to change self, but from surrendering self to the life of Christ within.
Agreement Unlocks Authority
Victory begins the moment we agree with God’s verdict. At the cross, God did not rehabilitate the old nature—He crucified it. To reckon yourself dead to sin is to step into God’s authority over your life rather than wrestling in your own strength. Many believers struggle because they keep arguing with what God has already settled. Faith says, “If God says it’s done, I will live as though it is.”
Self Cannot Be Improved; It Must Be Replaced
The flesh cannot be refined, disciplined, or motivated into holiness. Self-effort always ends in exhaustion or pride. God’s solution was never self-improvement—it was self-replacement. Christ in you is not an assistant to your will; He is the source of your life. When self steps down, Christ steps up. Freedom begins when we stop asking God to help us live the Christian life and allow Christ to live it through us.
Death to Self Is Liberation, Not Loss
Dying to self feels threatening only until we realize what replaces it. When self-rule ends, peace begins. When Christ reigns, obedience flows naturally rather than forcefully. Oswald Chambers wrote, “If we are going to be used by God, He must bring us to the place where self is no longer trusted.” The exchanged life removes pressure and replaces it with power. We live not from effort, but from union.
Trying to live the Christian life in self-effort is like driving a car with the emergency brake engaged. The engine strains, progress is slow, and frustration builds. But when the brake is released, movement becomes natural. Death to self releases the brake. Christ’s life carries the weight you were never meant to bear.
Romans 6:11 is not a suggestion—it is an identity statement. You are dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ. Every day, you choose which life you will trust. The old life demands effort and produces frustration. The new life flows from surrender and produces rest. Reckon yourself aligned with God—and live from His life within.
Warfare Prayer: Father, in the name of Jesus, I agree with Your Word. I declare that I am dead to sin and alive to You through Christ. I renounce self-rule, self-effort, and self-trust. I receive the life of Christ as my strength, my obedience, and my victory. Let every false claim of the flesh lose authority today. I choose Christ as my life. Amen.
Daily Challenge: Before reacting today—pause and say aloud: “Christ is my life. Self is no longer in charge.” Then respond from His life, not your effort.
THURSDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
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