FALL FESTIVAL TONIGHT 5:00 – 8:00
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
2 came forward for salvation on Sunday.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
A Desperate Plea to Vote: From Someone Who’s Been There
A TRANSGENDER
To anyone reading this, especially parents, young people, and anyone in a position to influence policy: please, vote carefully and thoughtfully. There was a time when I was incredibly vulnerable, struggling to find my identity and peace within myself. Instead of being shown the path of healing and wholeness, I was offered a road that encouraged me to change my body instead of discovering who I was created to be in my soul. As a young child, I was pressured into a transformation that seemed to promise relief, yet it took from me the very parts of myself I could never get back.
Today, I wake up every day with the weight of choices that were made before I was old enough to grasp their permanence. I see now that what I really needed was support, guidance, and love that would affirm who I was created to be. I longed for someone to help me find healing through my struggles, to guide me to the freedom that only a relationship with God could have given me. But instead, I was led to believe that changing my body would somehow solve what was broken inside. Now, I live with the scars of those decisions—literal and emotional—and the knowledge that these cannot be easily reversed.
I’m asking you to vote for leaders and policies that will protect other young people from this kind of harm. Vote to give them the chance to grow up in their own bodies, to explore who they are at a pace that respects the sacred nature of life and the complexities of adolescence. Young people deserve time to understand themselves in a supportive environment, one that doesn’t rush them into irreversible choices. I urge you to consider the real, lasting impact of these policies, and to stand up for every child who is still figuring out who they are. Voting can save lives, and it’s our chance to give young people a future where they can grow, heal, and find true freedom.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
LIVING AS A NEW CREATION
2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
When we accept Christ, a profound transformation begins.
This isn’t a minor change or a simple shift in perspective—it’s a complete renewal of our hearts, minds, and identities.
Becoming a new creation means that everything about us is touched by the grace and power of God.
We’re invited to step out of the shadows of our past and into the light of His truth, fully aware that our old ways no longer define us.
Consider Paul’s story.
Before meeting Jesus, he was known as Saul, a man driven by anger and a misguided sense of justice.
He persecuted Christians and caused untold suffering.
But on the road to Damascus, he encountered Christ in a way that changed everything.
Saul’s encounter with Jesus was not just an emotional moment—it was a life-altering transformation that led him to become Paul, one of the greatest champions of the Gospel.
Paul’s past didn’t disqualify him; instead, it became a powerful testimony to the transforming work of God.
This same transformation is available to each of us today.
As believers, we’re not called to live half-changed, holding onto old labels, patterns, or fears.
Yet, if we’re honest, many of us struggle with fully embracing our new identity.
Perhaps we carry memories of past failures, insecurities, or limitations that still whisper in our minds, trying to convince us we’re the same as before.
Living as a new creation means learning to identify these lies and replace them with God’s truth.
It’s choosing, daily, to let go of self-reliance and pride, surrendering those old ways to the power of the Holy Spirit.
In Christ, we’re given a fresh start, empowered to live in freedom rather than captivity to our former selves.
Imagine a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.
It was once a caterpillar, bound to the earth, unable to soar.
But after its transformation, it can fly, its wings a vibrant display of the beauty created through the process.
We are like that butterfly.
In Christ, we’ve been given wings of grace, lifted by His love, set free to rise above the limitations of our old lives.
However, just like the butterfly must learn to use its wings, we too must learn to walk in our new identity.
This is where the Holy Spirit comes in, guiding, empowering, and renewing us each day.
Take a moment to reflect.
Are there areas of your life where you may still be living out of an old identity?
Perhaps you’re holding onto a past hurt, a habit, or a label that’s keeping you from experiencing the fullness of your new life in Christ.
Are there fears, doubts, or ways of thinking that you haven’t surrendered to God?
Maybe there’s a part of you that still tries to measure up on your own or struggles with feeling “good enough.”
Remember, these burdens are not yours to carry any longer.
Jesus has freed you from them so that you can live with a heart open to His leading and a life anchored in His grace.
Living as a new creation means seeing ourselves through God’s eyes.
It means embracing forgiveness and extending grace to ourselves, just as God does.
It’s letting go of perfectionism and performance, and resting in the fact that we are beloved children of God, chosen and redeemed.
When we allow God’s truth to reshape our minds and hearts, we become a living testimony to His transforming power.
Others see the change in us—not because we are perfect, but because God’s grace is perfecting us.
Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to renew our minds, to guide us as we step away from worldly patterns, and to replace every old thought, habit, or fear with God’s truth.
As we allow Him to lead, we will experience the freedom, purpose, and strength that come from living as a new creation in Christ.
Each day, let’s choose to live fully in this new identity, letting our lives be a reflection of the grace that has set us free.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for making me a new creation. Help me to release any part of myself that clings to the past, to old habits, fears, or labels that no longer define who I am. I want to live in the fullness of this new life You’ve given me. Holy Spirit, guide me each day, renewing my mind, reshaping my heart, and helping me to see myself through Your eyes. May my life be a testimony of Your transforming power, a light that shines for others to see. Give me the courage to embrace the new identity You’ve given me and to walk confidently in Your love, grace, and strength. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
WEDNESDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Freddie May in passing of his Mom
Danny Jarrard – Riverside In Covington
David Newby
Amy Garner’s Mom
Angela Bryan’s Sister
Ben Bruce
Carol Lawhead
Darlene Wiggins
Denise Hulsey – Jordan’s G’mother
Donna Plunkett’s Brother in law
Donnie Butler’s Dad
Doris Loyd
Dr. and Mrs. Davis
Ellen Boyd
Eric Magnusson’s Mother
Eric Ward
Faith Burnette
Friend of Linda Hodge
Gail Sparks
George & Linda Alexander
George Calhoon
James Burnette
James Parker
Joanie/Jeanie Mom
Jodi Bateman
John McClain’s Mother
June Cronan’s Sister
June Davis
Kailey Bateman
Kathryn Raines
Kim McClain
Kim McClain’s Mother
Krista Hilscher
Larry Barker
Lee Cronan
Lillanna Magnusson’s Mom
Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah
Linda Hodges’ Sister
Lonzo Christin
Lori Blount’s Mother
Mary William’s Granddaughter
Mary Williams
Mary Williamson – Dana Jackson’s Mom
Marynell Ford
Matt Barron’s Mother
Maureen Brown
Michael Stanley
Nora Allison
Pastor Driskell
Rose Fuller – Pruitt-Monroe Nursing Home, Forsyth GA
Sarah Parker
Scott Lanier
Steve Michaels
Tom Witcher