POWERLESS | CAT DEES

Is this one working? Yes, amen. All right, so for those of you that don't know who I am, I know you see me week after week, and you're like, who is that strange lady? My name is Kat Dees, and I am a grateful believer in Jesus Christ, and I still struggle. And one of the things I still struggle with is public speaking, even though I get up here every week and mess with y'all, but teaching is a whole different thing for me. And I'll be honest, I have not spoken or taught since January of 2025. And the reason is when you do the scheduling, you can schedule yourself right off the calendar. So I'm being transparent. So, and for those of you that are new to Celebrate Recovery, I don't know if you know this, but if you attend to Celebrate Recovery for one whole year, you will actually have been taught the 26 lessons and will have completed the 12 steps. Now, as I say that, you cannot sit in this room and receive and then not process. Does that make sense? So when you do the 12 steps, that is not a receiving process. That's just, how can I, what am I trying to say? When you come in here and you receive, you hear it, but to really complete the 12 steps,

you actually need to work it. Does that make sense? You gotta do your part. So sitting in a seat and hearing it is just the beginning. And so I don't know if you know, but throughout the year, we start 12 step groups. And I would encourage and invite you, if you've not already, to please sign up and do that. Because that's where you get to sit in a group with a bunch of either men or women, because it is gender specific, and you get to work through your stuff. Meaning we answer questions and you get to pull up all that stuff that how many of y'all have spent many years trying to stuff and hide and not deal with and pretend like it, it ain't affecting me, I got this. And am I the only one? Right? And so rather than carrying, I call it a backpack of rocks, it's time to unpack the backpack. And it's time to lay it down so that you can actually move forward with ease and fulfill God's call on your life. Because even as you sit here, I don't know if you know, but God has a call on your life. He has a purpose. For some, it's to raise our children, and that is a big deal because that is our future, right?

For some, it's to lead their household to God, right? To be a covering over a household, to be a covering over a wife, to raise up our children. For others, it's to help people that are struggling with addiction and giving them a safe place. Golly, I get emotional. But imagine if we all stepped forward and fulfilled the call, whatever that call is. The call isn't always to stand up here. And I'm gonna tell y'all a secret, just because we stand up here doesn't mean we have it all together. I'll be the first to tell you. I got some issues. Stephen would be happy to tell you about them. Yes, for sure. And you know what excites me? This is kind of off topic. I love that we, this church, we have a relationship with Blount County Jail up here. And so every week we've got people going in and sitting down with folks and having conversations and reminding them who they were created to be, not what the world has told them they are, correct? And so it excites me when I see them show up and excites me when I see a new face. And then to come to find out that one of the ladies

actually used to babysit one of our leaders. And so it's a small world here at Blount County. Is it not? Yes. All right. So all that was free. I was just killing time. All right, here we go. So when I talked about that, if you sit through a Celebrate Recovery for a whole year, you will have actually gone through the 12 steps. So tonight we're on lesson two. And lesson two is about being powerless. Has anyone ever felt powerless in their mess and trying to dig yourself out of the ditch? Like, how do I do this? Where do I begin? What does that look like? And so tonight we are going to talk about powerless. And the title is, I can't, God can, and so I think I'll let him. Amen. All right. So be patient with me, y'all. All right. So tonight we're going to talk about something that goes against everything our flesh wants to believe. And that word is powerless. When you think of the word powerless, you get warm fuzzies.

Is that a positive thing, right? And so because everything in us wants to say, I've got this. Raise your hand if you've ever said that. I've got this, right? I can handle this or I'm going to... going to fix this. How's that worked out for you? As you're all sitting in this room, no judgment. But if we're honest, in this room tonight, many of us have tried to fix it over and over and over. And yet, here we are still at Celebrate Recovery. This is what I tell folks about working the 12 steps, which I absolutely believe in. That if you don't choose to start today, are you going to be OK a year from now, five years from now, still feeling the same way you do tonight about your stuff? So my thing is, if you're going to be here, why not be fruitful and work it? Actually do it, right? All right. So we have the same struggle, the same cycle, the same pain, but it's just a different day. Anybody tired of that? I know I am. Golly. And so Celebrate Recovery wants to start right here on purpose, not with strength, because we think we can put our hands to it, right? I got this.

But what about with surrender? How many of y'all are comfortable to surrender? Not with victory, but how about with honesty? Who's willing to say I'm not OK today, and I don't have control of this, whatever this is, right? Because you will never get free until you stop pretending you're free. How many of y'all walk through the doors and someone says, hey, how you doing? Oh, I'm great, even though just five minutes ago my husband and I were brawling all the way to church. Tell me I'm not the only one that's ever happened to. They're not. So step one says, we admitted that we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, and that our lives have become unmanageable. Anybody got an unmanageable life? So let me tell you, though, that's not weakness. That's truth. And so tonight, truth, we're going to show that truth is what sets people free. And how many of y'all are ready to be free? I know I am. Absolutely. All right. And if y'all hang on, I get to tell a funny story about Steven. How many of y'all want to hear a funny story about Steven? I knew. I knew that was going to be the highlight of the night,

for real. All right. So I can't, and so that we're admitting powerlessness. And so let me say it plainly tonight. I know this is a shocker for some of y'all, but you cannot fix you. Well, y'all are sitting here, isn't that proof? Right? You cannot fix you. And we don't like that. How many of y'all struggle with pride? Our pride fights that. Our flesh wants to resist it, but it's the truth. Because we've all tried, haven't we? We've all tried to fix us, right? All right, so John 8, 34. Yes, awesome. I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. And so Jesus isn't saying that you're struggling. He said you're a slave. And so here's an aha moment. A slave doesn't set himself free. But if we're all slaves, what are we trying to do? Buy our own strength, right? And so Romans 7, 18. I want to do what is right, but I cannot. Anyone relate to that? And that's Paul talking. That's not a lost man. That's a man of God.

Can I be honest? I so relate to that, because I've sat in church. And I know Christianese. How many of y'all know Christianese? I know the right things to say, when to say it. And I wasn't OK, right? He said, I know what's right. I just don't have the power to do it. So that's where many of us live. And we've all said it before. How many of y'all have said, this is my last time? I'm done with this. I'm never going to go back. And that's not quite how it works out. And somehow, you end up right back. And it says there. But really, you end up right back here, right? And why is that? Because our willpower isn't enough to solve a spiritual problem. And I've said this to many other people. I don't know if you've ever sat in CR on the inside. To me, the drug abuse, the alcoholism, the codependency, that's not the issue. The issue is what's going on inside of us that's broken, that's wounded, that's not healed. And until we look inside, anything that we do on the outside is just behavior modification. Anyone tried that? The behavior modification? How long does that last, y'all?

Mary's the only honest one. She said five seconds. And so, actually, we talked about denial, right, with Pastor David Morgan, and the enemy loves it when we sit in denial. Because as long as you say, I've got this, I've got this, you'll never reach for the one who does. Amen? It's by his strength, y'all. And so, let me tell you, this is where I'm going to tell the funny story. My husband and I, early in our marriage, bless him, we went to the wilderness at the Smokies. You know, they have a water park. And they have this lovely wave pool that is, like, pretty cool, actually. Well, my husband, at the time, he was just a little bit larger. Were you just a little bit larger, just a little bit? Yeah. So, anyways, this wave pool, it's pretty cool. It starts out pretty chill, right? You kind of just kind of go up and down, and you can kind of touch the bottom, not a big deal. Well, then, at some point, it gets into the big waves, and so, like, it comes way down to where it's only at your waist, and then you've got to, like, paddle really hard to get up and above the water, because the wave gets so big, right? And so, Stephen's doing that for a minute, and then he realizes, oh, hold on, I'm tired. And then he looks out, and he's like, oh, man, I'm far away from the shore. And he's like, what am I going to do? So he's struggling. He's struggling to keep paddling so he can keep his head above the water, and he wasn't doing a very good job. So you know what happened? This cute little 16-year-old lifeguard, a female, jumped into the wave pool to rescue

my husband. And so, as he's trying to stay afloat, all of a sudden, he feels this arm wrap around his neck, and it's, like, dragging him, and he's like, what is happening? Oh, wait a minute, she's saving me right now. That is a true story, isn't it, babe? Yeah, that was good. So listen, pride will kill you faster than the water. Is that not the truth? Right? And some of you tonight are exhausted. Are you not? Are you trying to keep your head above the waves? You're fighting, but you're tired because you're fighting the wrong way. And so freedom begins with the three words of, I can't do this alone, right? All right, moving on. I wish I had more stories for Stephen, because they're so much fun to tell. Were you all here when I told the story of when he was on the treadmill? It's not even relevant to this, what I'm teaching here, but I'm going to take 30 seconds to tell it, okay? So Stephen and I used to go to the gym, and Stephen was a little bit bigger. And so he's on this treadmill, right? And I'm pretty slow and steady, because I'm not very graceful. And so Stephen is trying to go faster and faster, and after a hot minute, he's like running. And I'm like, ooh, I'm impressed. He looks good. And then all of a sudden, I see him start to bend, because he's looking at the connections on the console, because he wants to plug in his phone. And I'm like, oh, this ain't good. This ain't good at all.

And then in a split second, I saw an octopus, like eight arms, flying everywhere. And then I hear a thud, and then Stephen was gone. And like two feet behind us was a wall, and that's where Stephen crashed into. And so listen, I didn't want to laugh, because he might be injured, and I am his wife, right? So I had to slow my thing down to kind of get off the treadmill, and I tried to control the face muscles. And I'm like, hey, babe, are you okay? And Stephen jumps up, bless him, and there were other people, and he's like, I'm fine. He was limping. And bless him. I couldn't, I mean, I had to turn around, and then I giggled. And then he was like, I'm like, babe, are you ready to go home? He's like, yeah, I think I'm done, as he limped out of the gym. Good times with Stephen Deese. That was a freebie. All right, so moving on. So the second point is God can. And so this is our time to recognize that we need a higher power, right? And so whatever you can't do, who can do it? God can. Amen, amen. And so we are powerless, but he is not. And so Luke 18.27 says, what is impossible for people is possible with God. And so that thing that you've been trying to quit, that cycle that you've been trying to break, that pain that you've tried to numb. How have we tried to numb ourselves? Drugs, alcohol, boys. Girls, right? We're being real here. It may be impossible for you,

but it's not impossible for him, right? But we gotta let him. So Philippians 2.13, God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. So again, it's not an outward change, it's an inward transformation, right? And so not only does God give you the power, he'll give you the desire. So my husband tells me all the time, he has no desire to go back to that life. He has no desire to go back to a trap house because the Lord has done a work in him and his desires are to do the things in this life for the purposes that God has set before him in this life. Amen? So for some of you are here tonight and you don't even know why you came, but that's God. How many of us recognize the little nudge, the pull, the conviction? Do we even know what conviction is? Do we recognize it for what it is? And so that's God already working on you, right? He's like, I see you. And so a little nudge, I need you to kind of shift to the left or shift to the right, because I've got a plan. So can you show that image? Because sometimes we're trying to do it by our own power without the power of our Jesus.

This is what it feels like. That is me trying to move that vehicle by my own power on a hill. How successful do you think I will be? How far am I gonna get that vehicle moved, right? Right? But here's the deal. And it even says no quit, like it would run me over. Ooh, roll down the hill. But what happens when the tow truck comes and connects it? How easy is it for the tow truck to pull that car right up that hill, right? And I feel like that's us, because the tow truck has the power. We just gotta get the car connected. But how many of us are trying to work our recovery and Jesus is our power source, but we're not connected, right? How many of y'all say, Jesus, save me, but yet I still wanna sit in my mess? Jesus, spare me from this mess, but I'm gonna keep doing what I've been doing and thinking that no one knows, right? I have to remind myself, Jesus sees. He sees everything, don't he? And so you don't need to try harder, actually. You just need to get plugged in. And how appropriate is that? Get plugged in. Again, don't just show up here every Tuesday,

which we're thankful you're here, please. I'm so thankful you're here. But how about taking it a step further? How about going into a share group? Sitting amongst people who have similar struggles that you can actually take the mask off and say, listen, I'm really sucking at this right now. I'm really struggling. And knowing that you're not gonna have any judgment. Just saying. How many of y'all are going to share group tonight? That's what I'm talking about. All right, so here's the third point. I think I'll let him, and this is where we choose surrender. This is where we choose surrender. And this is where everything shifts. It's not enough to say that I can't, and it's not enough to say that he can, but you have to decide, all right, I think I'm gonna let him. This is when you give up the control. Anybody, any recovering control freaks in the house? Yeah, that's me. The rest of you are fibbing. I know it. All right, so Matthew 11, 28. "'Come to me, all of you who are weary "'and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.'" And notice, he doesn't force you, he invites you. And then Proverbs 3, 5, and 6.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and he will show you which path to take. So surrender is not a one-time deal. How many of y'all have said, Lord, I give it all to you, I'll lay it at the cross? And then you get up in the morning and like, Lord, I'm gonna take that back, and I'm gonna take care of that for you, because you're way busy with everybody else. It's a daily thing, minute to minute. Like, Lord, I give it to you, it is all yours, and I am not taking it back. How hard is that to do? It's like waking up and saying, God, I give you my thoughts today. God, I give you my cravings today. How about, God, I give you my anger, my fear, my addiction today, and doing that every day. So, it's like holding on to something that you really aren't supposed to have. have that God doesn't really have for you, but you don't want to let it go and you wonder why you're struggling. Can you show that image of the monkey? Anybody ever feel like a monkey? All right, here we go. He wants those bananas. Now, mind you, he's on the outside of the cage. The bananas are on the inside of the cage, but he's not willing to let the bananas go,

so he can't get free. How often do we do that? I'm gonna hold on to that relationship, even though God ain't calling you to it, right? So how different would your life be if you let that go and said, you know what, Lord, I'm gonna wait until you send me the one, not just anyone, but the one, right? And so some of y'all are stuck, not because God won't heal you, but because you won't let go. So I'm asking, what are you holding on to tonight? You know, in 12 Steps, we talk about inventory. I'm gonna ask you when you leave here tonight, take a personal inventory as you're heading home. What are you holding on to that really isn't of God or that God doesn't intend for you, right? So surrender isn't weakness. Surrender is how you win. So tonight, everything comes down to the simple truth. I can't, God can, and I think I'll let him. And that's the beginning of freedom here. It's not perfection. It's not about having it all together, but it's finally being honest enough to say, God, I need you. What if every morning we got up and said, God, I need you? And here's what I do know. There are people in this room right now who are tired, tired of the cycle, tired of the shame,

tired of trying to hold it all together. Anybody doing that? Because you don't want anyone to know that you're a hot mess. So you're gonna act like I got it all together. And so tonight, God isn't asking you to fix it. He's asking you to release it. Are you willing to surrender? And so if you're in this room and you know that I've been trying to do this on my own, I keep going back to the same thing. My life feels unmanageable. Tonight is your moment not to try harder, but to fully surrender. And so tonight I've got a bucket right here and I know my husband did it last week, right? So we're just gonna do the blue chips really quick. If there's anyone in this room right here, right now that has something that they're saying, you know what, God, I'm giving it all to you. I'm surrendering it. Will you come up here and grab a blue chip? Is there anybody that has anything to surrender? Come on, come on. Y'all show them some love because that takes some courage to step forward. Come on now, come on now, come on now. There's no judgment here. There's no judgment here. We celebrate progress.

Good for you all. Good for each and every one of y'all. We're working towards something new and better, aren't we? Amen. Let's give it up and see what God can do this time. Amen? Amen. All right, with that being said, thank you for allowing me to share. Whoo! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I got you. Amen. All right. Let me tell you, the Holy Spirit fills this place just about every single time I walk through the doors. You know, I find myself in the parking lot in prayer with a brother just a moment ago. And the power of God will move through each one of you if you allow yourself to be a vessel. Allow yourself to be filled with the Spirit. And I promise you, mountains will move. You can heal others by your cup being full and spilling into someone else.

I thank God for his mighty power tonight. But tonight, if you would join me in the serenity prayer, if you would all rise. Oh yeah, wait a minute. While we're all risen, I think I do have a birthday. Mr. Hicks? Mr. Hicks, would you like to come up here and let us celebrate your birthday, sir? You look like you're a whole whopping 27 years old. Yeah, come on up here. Anybody else got a birthday? Anybody, anybody? You, you, you. Ryan, I thought it was your birthday, bro. Was it yours? Oh, man, it's coming soon, all right. All right, we got another one. Yes, Lord. All right. What's your name, brother? Toby, Barber. Toby. All right, we got Barber and Mr. Hicks. All right, if we could just say happy birthday, everyone, or y'all. No, we say yuns around here. Yuns, happy birthday, yuns. But if you would like to join me, how old are you right now? I hate to do this.

63. My goodness. 52, Saturday. Okay, whatever your secret is to making it there, what is it? What's the secret to getting there? This old now. It's Jesus, huh? Amen. Praise God. Well, if you'll join me, ladies and gentlemen. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear yuns. Happy birthday to you. All right, all right. Well, if you guys would like to stay up here with me for just a second, we're gonna go ahead and we're gonna close out here with the prayer we always say. It's the serenity prayer. And who's God? God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time. Enjoying one moment at a time. Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace. Taking as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is.

Not as I would have it. Seeing that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with you forever in the next. Amen. Homeline community, we love you. You guys stay up. Keep your head up.