Taking an Honest Look at Ourselves

Hey, guys, welcome to Celebrate Recovery, the best place to be on a Tuesday night. Amen? Amen. How many of y'all get excited when you get a chance to be in our Father's house, right? Yeah. It's a safe place to take off the mask and say, you know what, today I'm not okay, or today was rough, or today sucked. Does anyone relate? Yep. And absolutely no judgment. So if this is your very first time, I want to welcome you. My name is Kat, and I'm a grateful believer. Thank you! I'm a grateful believer in Jesus Christ, and I celebrate recovery from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and I still struggle. Sometimes I struggle with anxiety and fear. But you know what? I'm so thankful for Tuesday nights. I'm so thankful for Celebrate Recovery. I'm so thankful for the 12 steps, man. If you haven't done the 12 steps yet, I would encourage you to try the 12 steps, because it is life-changing. I've yet to encounter someone that said, man, that was a complete waste of my time. So with that being said, where are we? If this is your very first time, we are a 12-step faith-based program, and that means we've only got one higher power,

and that would be Jesus. Amen, amen, amen. Also, did you know that if you attend a Celebrate Recovery for one full year, you will have actually been taught the 12 steps? So tonight we are going to talk about inventory. How many of y'all have heard of inventory? Yeah. You get excited when you hear about inventory. Woo, y'all are going to have to repent, because I don't know how honest that is. We are going to talk about that, though. So really quick, we do absolutely respect your confidentiality and anonymity, but you will see some folks maybe taking some pictures, and if for some reason your picture gets took, and you're like, man, I ain't digging it, just let us know, and we would be more than happy to delete that. But I will tell you this, that if by chance your picture does get taken, if you come up here at the end of large group, and you take a picture celebrating your chips, there is a great possibility that that may end up on social media. Not because we want to put your business on Front Street, but because we want to show Blount County that we do recover, and that you are living proof that it is possible. Amen? So I also want to welcome our online community. I just want to thank you all for clicking on us and choosing to join us. So, for those of you that don't know, I am speaking tonight, and that is one area I still struggle with.

So, we're just gonna, I'm just praying the Holy Spirit shows up and he's just gonna have his way. Amen? All right. So we are going to open in prayer in just a moment, and then we're gonna have some amazing worship. Who was here last week? Raise your hand. Was that not off the chain last week? Like, it was amazing. And of course, we had our recovery pastor here, Pastor Jeremy, ministering to us, so he always brings a good word. So man, to me, that's just like, don't ever skip a week. If there's ever a time when you're like, you know what? I don't feel like going to CR tonight. Guess what? That's the night you need to be here, because God's got something for you, I promise. I promise, I promise, I promise. All right. So with that being said, who's ready to be about our Father's business? Okay, let's all stand, please. So listen. You know, I don't ever watch the replays. And one night, I just, one day, I happened to click on it because I wanted to make sure the quality was good, the sound was good, they could hear us, right? Because it matters to me that those online get good quality of our service.

And no lie, this was me, because I can't read the back wall, y'all. I thought y'all loved me and would have told me that cats stop squinting. But no one loved me enough to say it, so we're going to do it again tonight. All right. So are we ready to start? So we start with whose Father? Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For that is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Amen. Y'all are welcome to have a seat. I do have a few announcements, and I apologize, I don't think I created slides, so y'all just going to have to listen up. I want to remind you all that technically Revolution Church is a smoke-free campus. Did y'all know that? They're actually, before the construction started, there were signs out in the grass area that said, we are smoke-free. But because they love you all so much, they allow us to smoke on Tuesday nights. So yes.

Yes. Thank you for being appreciative. of that. So listen, with the construction finally being done, we are going to designate an area. We will have a smoke bucket. Just give me a minute to get through helping hands and we'll figure that out. But I am going to ask, I know that some of y'all have been smoking down by the pavilion and I'm absolutely okay with that. I would just ask, be respectful please and don't leave your butts on the floor, okay? Only because I don't want the church to change its mind and say that we can't smoke at all. Y'all hear me? Also, if you happen to be on campus any other day of the week, we are smoke free. Y'all hear that? Yeah, so come prepared. If you know you're going to be here for a minute, do what you got to do before you get here so that we can respect the fact that six days of the week we are smoke free so that on Sundays we don't smoke here. Amen? Is that okay? Let's respect our Father's house, okay? All right, really quick, we've got some exciting things coming up. We are actually starting a women's chemical dependency group and that will be starting the first Tuesday in August, which I believe is August 4th. So if you know anyone that struggles with chemical dependency that's female, please invite them, please let them know. We would love to have them and I'm very excited that Ms. Sabrina is going to be facilitating that and she'll be up here in a minute anyway so you'll get to meet her. Hey, we got five people that are excited about you, Sabrina. The rest of them, we're going to talk to them about that. Yeah. Thank you. Delayed reaction is better than no reaction. All right, also National International Overdose Awareness Day technically is August 31st of every year and we remember those that lost their battle with addiction. We are going to have a special service on the 25th of August. Y'all look like a bunch of calendar keepers, especially this side of the room right over here. So mark your calendars, August 25th, it'll be the last Tuesday of the month. We will be having a special service. Please invite your family and friends. Let's honor those, right? Let's support the families that have lost a loved one. Amen? All right. So Katie Hawk is not here tonight. She normally facilitates our multi-issue group. Tonight they will be meeting. Melissa is going to facilitate. Where is Melissa? She's back there doing lights. But they will be in room D for Dames. Easy to remember, right? All right. So I think that's all my announcements. So Miss Tanya

and Sabrina, y'all come on up and you're going to do the 12 steps. Amen? Can you grab that mic? Do I really need this? Okay. Hey, my name's Tanya. How y'all doing tonight? And you know, I don't think I've ever said what I celebrate recovery from, but it's from me. It's absolutely from me because I was a mess. I'm not going to lie. But promiscuity was a big thing in my life, guys. And cigarettes. I'm free from cigarettes. Eight years. Yeah. So thank you all for being huge supporters. I love this family. Did you really just say that? Oh my gosh. I just wanted to make sure. Hey guys, I'm Sabrina. I'm a grateful believer in Jesus Christ and I celebrate recovery from alcoholism, drugs, mental, sexual, physical abuse and codependency. Oh, that's one I just learned. Yeah. I got all of them. But the Lord is greater. He is bigger and He has been so good to me to help me overcome things in my life that I still struggle with. But the Lord is so faithful to show up every day and I'm going to be the one facilitating, co-facilitating. I've got a partner. Where is she? Where's Melissa? Ah, Melissa back there. Y'all know her, that pretty lady. She and I are going to do a chemical dependency starting August 4th. Okay, now you can cheer and do it on time. Let's go. Come on y'all. But you ladies, if you've struggled with any type of chemical dependency before, we would love to see you in there. We would like to create an environment of just relationship and family and building each other up. The last time that we had a chemical dependency group here, I was a part of it. There was a young lady in there. I'm not going to name her out, call her out or anything, but there was a young lady in there who, the group kind of fizzled out and there was just not attendance for it, so we decided to put it on pause and take it up at a later date. But that young lady reached out to a group that we were all in on Facebook. messenger a few months after that group had dissolved and said, y'all I'm dying, I'm in trap house, I've overdosed twice, I've been Narcan twice and I need help, I need someone to come and get me. So we revived our group and we went and got her and by the grace of God she completed true purpose women's ministry and is married and has a job and has a home and she ain't the trap no more. It's important, it's important to have community, it's important to have relationships so let's get in there together you guys if you want to meet with me on August 4th and we'll just

get to know each other. Yes, amen, that's awesome, you guys one more time for that, that's a huge deal, I get the privilege of going in the jails here in Blount County, I get to go to Knox County and yeah that's a big deal for ladies to have somebody in their circle like that. So we're going to do the 12 steps with biblical comparisons, you're going to do the word and I'm going to do the principle. So if we could have those on the screen please. Step one, we admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors and that our lives had become unmanageable. I know that nothing good lives in me that is in my sinful nature for I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out Romans 7 18. Step two, we came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to fulfill his good purpose Philippians 2 13. Step three, we made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God. Therefore I urge you brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your true and proper worship Romans 12 1. Step four, we made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Let us examine our ways and test them and let us return to the Lord Lamentations 340. Step five, we admitted to God to ourselves and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed James 5 16. Step six, we were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up James 4 10. Step seven, we humbly ask him to remove all of our shortcomings. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness 1 John 1 9. Step eight, we made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends

to them all. Do unto others as you would have them do to you Luke 6 31. Step nine, we made direct amends to such people whenever possible except when to do so when injured them or others. Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you leave your gift at the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother then come and offer your gift Matthew 5 23 24. Step 10, we continue to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. So if you think you're standing firm be careful you don't fall 1 Corinthians 10 12. Step 11, we sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God praying only for the knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry it out. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly Colossians 3 16. Step 12, having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps we try to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all of our affairs. Brothers and sisters if someone is caught in a sin you who are spiritual should restore that person gently but watch yourself or you also may be tempted Galatians 6 1. All right good y'all thank you. No, I don't need two. I don't even need one. I got a loud mouth. Huh? Come on. Somebody say amen. That's right. Amen. Hey, can I get Robert, Thomas Dolan and Dave Thomas to come up here and let's serve the people tonight. Grab a bucket. We're talking about tithing tonight. Quick and easy. I think everybody in here, we get browbeat with the word sometimes and we think that people preach tithing as if it's a law, one of the 633 Hebrew laws, but I come here to challenge you a little bit. You know, Malachi talks about that we rob God. It's a 2-11 in progress. Anybody ever heard of a 2-11 in progress? Come on somebody. It's a 2-11 in progress when we're not tithing, but what we're not, what we have to understand is that it's not that we're robbing God. We're robbing God from the opportunity to bless us. When we don't release to him what already is his, he doesn't release it back. It's a kingdom law and I don't know if y'all know this, but God came to

create a kingdom here on earth. Matthew 6, or yeah, Matthew chapter 6 says, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come and thy will be done in this earth as it is in heaven. And so there's a kingdom here on earth. Well with the kingdom comes laws. Matthew 631 is my favorite. I'm sorry. Matthew 633 is my favorite kingdom law. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. And then there's also the tithing, the power of tithing. Me and my wife have what we have because we tithe. And what we don't tithe just 10%. We give everything to God. We believe that everything we have is God's and we use that to further the kingdom of God, not our own kingdom. So I challenge you today that if there's something in your life that you want God to release to you, release to him what is already his and watch what happens. It's a kingdom law in Jesus name. So dear Heavenly Father, we just thank you for your love and your mercy and we just thank you Lord for providing according to your riches and glory everything that we need. And Lord Father, we know that you use people to bless people. And today I ask you to bless Rio Revolution at SCR through releasing tithe into these buckets, releasing offerings into these buckets Lord Father. We just thank you for your mercy in Jesus name. Amen. Whoa, come on somebody. It's hard for me to believe that I've got nothing to prove. I thought this dirt on my hands was gonna keep me from you. I fall as much as I rise. Feels like my walk is a crime. When I'm alone in the night, won't you leave the light on? Cause I've been reckless with my heart now. I'm falling apart. I don't wanna be the same. I need you to be the change. I surrender who I am. I know I've made mistakes but the past will walk away. I'll do whatever it takes. Thought I was never enough. Hurt has a way of its own. But I can lift up my eyes and know that you're in control. Sometimes I won't get it right. I'm gonna stumble and fall. When I'm alone in the night, I know you'll leave the light on. Cause I've been reckless with my heart now. I'm falling apart. I don't wanna be the same. I need you to be the change. I surrender who I am. I know I've made mistakes but the past will walk away.

I'll do whatever it takes. I've been reckless with my heart, now I'm falling apart But I don't wanna be the same, I need you to be the change I surrender All I am, I know I've made mistakes But the past will wash away I'll do whatever it takes Good afternoon, sirs. We all stand to your feet. Let's worship the Lord tonight, huh? Let us pray. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Everything. Let us pray. Let us pray. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise when the valley, praise on the mountain Praise when I'm sure, praise when I'm doubting Praise when I'm numbered, praise when surrounded His praise is the waters, my enemies drowning As long as I'm breathing, I've got a reason to praise the Lord, oh my soul Praise the Lord, oh my soul I'll praise when I feel it, I'll praise when I don't I'll praise cause I know you're still in control My praise is a weapon, it's more than a sound My praise is the shout that brings Jericho down As long as I'm breathing, I've got a reason to praise the Lord, oh my soul Praise the Lord, oh my soul I won't be quiet, my God is alive, how could I keep it inside? Praise the Lord, oh my soul Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! I'll praise cause you're sovereign, praise cause you reign Praise cause you rose and defeated the grave I'll praise cause you're faithful, praise cause you're true Praise cause there's nobody greater than you I'll praise cause you're sovereign, praise cause you reign Praise cause you rose and defeated the grave I'll praise cause you're faithful, praise cause you're true

Praise cause there's nobody greater than you Praise the Lord, oh my soul Praise the Lord, oh my soul Praise the Lord, oh my soul Praise the Lord, oh my soul I won't be quiet, my God is alive, how could I keep it inside? I won't be quiet, my God is alive, how could I keep it inside? I won't be quiet, my God is alive, how could I keep it inside? Praise the Lord, oh my soul Praise the Lord! Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord, praise the Lord. Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord, praise the Lord. Alright church, I just want you to put your hands together now, okay? Just sing this out with us, okay? Just like this. I raise a hallelujah In the presence of my enemies I raise a hallelujah Louder than the unbelief I raise a hallelujah My weapon is a melody I raise a hallelujah Heaven comes to fight for me I'm gonna sing In the middle of the storm Louder and louder You're gonna hear my praises roar Up from the ashes Hope will arise Death is defeated

The King is alive I raise a hallelujah With everything inside of me I raise a hallelujah I will watch the darkness flee I raise a hallelujah In the middle of the mystery I raise a hallelujah Fear, you lost your hold on me I'm gonna sing In the middle of the storm Louder and louder You're gonna hear my praises roar Up from the ashes Hope will arise Death is defeated The King is alive Church, I just want you to realize That our hallelujah Our hallelujahs bring the heavens down And worship with us Worship loud, don't worry about what it is Just sing a little louder Sing a little louder Sing a little louder Sing a little louder Sing a little louder Sing a little louder Sing a little louder Sing a little louder

Sing a little louder In the presence of my enemies Sing a little louder Louder than the unbelief Sing a little louder My weapon is a melody Sing a little louder Heaven comes to fight for me Sing a little louder In the presence of my enemies Sing a little louder Louder than the unbelief Sing a little louder My weapon is a melody Sing a little louder Heaven comes to fight for me Sing a little louder In the middle of the storm Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar Rise from the ashes, hope will arise Death is defeated, the King is alive I'm gonna sing in the middle of this storm Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar Rise from the ashes, hope will arise Death is defeated, the King is alive I'll raise a hallelujah I'll raise a hallelujah I'll raise a hallelujah I'll raise a hallelujah The enemy thinks he beats us when we fall

But he doesn't realize that our father is laying there holding us up And picking us up every single time And I'm just so grateful that he's there for me every time I fall And he calls out for me every time I fall There's so many times when I don't think I deserve to be on this stage But then God reminds me, it's not for you I don't do it for you, you do it for me And I'm so grateful that he continues to call me no matter, no matter what I'm doing He is so graceful, he is so faithful, he is so loving And that's so, that's just what's so amazing about him And he just makes me want to raise my hallelujah And just sing it out every single day I can And just sing it out with I'll raise a hallelujah I'll raise a hallelujah I'll raise a hallelujah I'll raise a hallelujah I'll raise a hallelujah I'll raise a hallelujah I'll raise a hallelujah I'll raise a hallelujah I'll raise a hallelujah I'll raise a hallelujah I'll raise a hallelujah I'll hold every part of my whole life from the start Jesus, you have always been with me No matter where I was, you found a way to show up Jesus, you have always been with me Oh, there's never a season, never a place Where I am alone, where you don't show your face

Right here I remember, how could I forget Your faithfulness has never left me Where would I be without you? Where would I be without your love? I'm amazed by all you've done Oh, Jesus, where would I be without you? Where would I be without your love I can't say thank you enough The ways you've saved and pulled me out of the grave Jesus, you have always been on my mind Oh, my life is the proof that you can make anything good Jesus, you have always been for me And where would I be without you Where would I be without your love I'm amazed by all you've done Oh, Jesus, where would I be without you Where would I be without your love I can't say thank you enough There's never a season, never a place Where I am alone, where you don't show your face Right here I remember, how could I forget Your faithfulness has never left me There's never a season, never a place Where I am alone, where you don't show your face Right here I remember, how could I forget Your faithfulness has never left me There's never a season, never a place Where I am alone, where you don't show your face Right here I remember, how could I forget Your faithfulness has never left me And where would I be without you Where would I be without your love I'm amazed by all you've done Oh, Jesus, where would I be without you Where would I be without your love I can't say thank you enough Oh, I can't say thank you enough Oh, I can't say thank you enough Thank you for everybody, thank you I truly can't thank you enough for it You just gotta keep saying that Because we just can't thank you enough My soul just tells me I have to say thank you To you over and over and over

Thank you, thank you Thank you, thank you Thank you, thank you Thank you, thank you Thank you, thank you I have to say thank you, thank you Can't help but say thank you, thank you For all you have done What I wanna say is thank you, thank you I have to say thank you, thank you Can't help but say thank you, thank you For all you have done Thank you, thank you I have to say thank you, thank you All I wanna do is thank you, thank you For all you have done I wanna say thank you, thank you I have to say thank you, thank you Can't help but say thank you, thank you For all you have done Thank you, thank you, I have to say Thank you, thank you, all I wanna do is Thank you, thank you, for all you've done All I wanna do is Thank you, thank you, can't help but say Thank you, thank you, all I wanna do is Thank you, thank you, for all you have done There's never a season, never a place Where I am alone, where you don't show your face Right here I remember, how could I forget Your faithfulness has never left me There's never a season, never a place Where I am alone, where you don't show your face Right here I remember, how could I forget

Your faithfulness has never left me Where would I be without you? Where would I be without your love? I'm amazed by all you've done Oh Jesus, where would I be without you? Where would I be without your love? I can't say thank you enough Oh, I can't say thank you enough Oh, I can't say thank you enough Oh, I can't say thank you enough Oh, I can't say thank you enough Oh, I can't say thank you enough Where would I be without you? Where would I be without your love? I'm amazed by all you've done Oh Jesus, where would I be without you? Where would I be without your love? I can't say thank you enough Oh, I can't say thank you enough Oh, I can't say thank you enough Applause Let's give it up for the Friends of Washington One more time Woo! Now if you're really thankful for where God brought you from Let's give it up for Jesus one more time Woo! Come on somebody Being thankful, being thankful I think that is another kingdom law

When we release thanks and praise to the Lord He releases more blessings in our life Amen So tonight I get the opportunity to introduce The other half So some of y'all don't know how me and Cat met But me and Cat met actually doing helping hands In 2015 I was in True Purpose Ministries And they took me to helping hands And they put me with this woman And said, hey look, you ain't allowed to talk to her You just gotta do what she says Been doing that ever since So really we got We went on our first date October 31st Of 2015 And we got married on January 1st I know, 60 days That's what I said And I'll tell you what, she buttered me up For that first 60 days I mean we could sit and talk for hours In a Walmart parking lot She wouldn't let me go to her house I could take her out to eat You know But anyway We went on this honeymoon

I don't know if y'all know about this or not We went up to this cabin up in Gatlinburg It was about 3 or 4 miles On this curvy road And we had rented the horses and the carriage And it was a beautiful day, man It was snowing, there was snow on the ground And it was a little chilly But it was very, very romantic And we got to going down through there In that carriage, man And you know, you couldn't even see the cabin And that's how far back it was up in the woods, but all of a sudden this horse stopped dead in his tracks And would not go anywhere Cat got down off that carriage she went around there. She looked at horse dead in the face, and she said that's one I Said yeah, let me see how this works Well she got back to the carriage and that course went on down the road a little bit more Well, we got about half the way there and that horse stopped dead in his tracks again Cat gets down out of the carriage. She walks looks that horse dead in the eyes. She said that's two Yeah, okay, let's see how this works She gets back in the carriage and this thing starts moving along on its own When we get to where you start seeing the smoke coming out the chimney And I'm looking forward to sitting in front of the fire and having s'mores and drinking some cocoa with my wife However you want to put it you know saying it's all good. I'm looking forward to spending some time That horse stops dead in his tracks again I'm getting frustrated cat jumps down from the carriage pulls the gun out of her gun out of her purse and shoots the horse dead in the head I Say oh no, what'd you do? I said we didn't get insurance on that thing That's what I was thinking. Anyway, I was like, it's a long walk up to the cabin. She looked dead at me She said that's one

And that's where our marriage is today That's cat But this is my beautiful wife who has an opportunity to come up here and speak tonight and I love her dearly and sometimes she doesn't Think she's a great speaker, but let's all give it up for cat tonight. Whoa Come on somebody All right, so just in case you weren't sure that really didn't happen I Really did not shoot a horse. I don't need anyone making any comments online That I'm an animal abuser y'all so All right. So really quick what Steven said is correct Speaking is not yeah, that is one Actually, we're going and we're heading on to baby keep on Actually if you were down at the pavilion during huddle he shared a story about who John Wayne Yeah, that was one. This is two Anyways, my husband is correct. I am I'm gonna be very transparent I am NOT very confident in speaking now. I can get up here every week and I welcome y'all, but you're my family But when it comes to teaching and preaching and all that jazz, my husband is a preacher of our household and so I'm trying to step outside of my comfort zone. So y'all extend me some grace in this. Okay. All right All right. So really quick I said it earlier that if you attend to celebrate recovery for one full year You will have actually worked through all the steps. I don't know if you know that I'm gonna say this and I don't mean I don't mean to step on some toes, but I'm gonna Here's the thing you come in here for large group and you receive right that's just scratching the surface y'all to me when you step into share group which is what happens after large group or for those that are in a program when you get in your groups and you actually get To apply what you heard to your life That's where the healing really happens y'all And so what we're going to talk about tonight is what's called inventory and this is the why behind why we need to process Why we need to do inventory why we got to be Willing to be vulnerable Because how many of us have pretended for a long time? Oh, that's my past. It didn't affect me. Life is good

I got this but yet you End up in Blount County Jail multiple times or you end up back in addiction or you end up in another program Which listen there's no judgment in any of that. You know what you only fail when you give up Right and because y'all are sitting here the assumption is you've not given up so we're all winners in this room. Amen Amen. All right. So really quick. We this lesson is actually lesson eight and it's called moral, which I'm not quite sure Why maybe you all can explain that to me? But it is principle for openly examine and confess my hurts my hang-ups and my habits to myself To God and to someone I trust did y'all catch that? to myself To God, can I ask a question? Does God already know all the details? Right and then to someone I trust and so our scriptures are Matthew 5 a blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God and then lamentations 340, which you all we say this every week Let us examine our ways and test them and then let us return to the Lord. Amen All right, so we're gonna get this started. So we all have a past right ain't nobody in this room. Perfect. That's why you're They're sitting at Celebrate Recovery. Is anybody in here perfect? Because sometimes someone will raise their hand like I got it all together, I'm just here to help them. Y'all ever meet that person? I don't got any issues, I'm just here to help them. Yeah, but they're part of the issues, right. All right, so some of us carry those painful memories and some of us carry deep regret. Anybody got regret? Can I tell you my opinion on regret? Sometimes we ponder our regrets, right. Part of the process with 12 Steps is the what ifs. But let me ask you, when you ponder your regrets, what are you accomplishing? Right, it don't change the past, does it?

No, if anything, you're eating up your present with it. Right, so regrets are a waste of time, y'all. This is what I say, if I messed up back there, I'm gonna learn from it and then I'm moving on. Right, that's what we do. All right, so some of us have experienced abuse, betrayal, abandonment, rejection, addiction, and sometimes failure. Any of us failed in here? I know I have. All right, so here's the deal though. Most people spend their lives doing three things. And I'm sure none of you all can relate to this. One is running from your past. Ain't nobody run in here, right. The law ain't been after you or nothing, right. You're trying to hide out, right. Or you pretend it didn't happen. Living in the past, have you ever been around someone who wants to talk about all the things they did back there? Right, using up their present. Or pretending that it never happened. I was real good at that. Anybody else in here real good with that? Pretending it never happened. Well listen, imagine this, God actually has a fourth option and that's redeeming the past. That's the goal, redeeming the past, y'all. I'm excited that six of us are excited about that. The rest of y'all can figure it out.

All right, so here's the thing. You cannot heal what you refuse to acknowledge. I'm gonna say that again. You cannot heal what you refuse to acknowledge. You know, one thing I learned in doing the 12 steps, and I'm gonna be honest with you, I do it every year, is that, and I can't remember who told me this, but if you can name it, you can tame it. How many of y'all have had dysfunctional behavior but you didn't even know what to call it because it was your normal? Right? We gotta be able to call it what it is. Like, I didn't know what codependency was, but man, I was living it out. Anybody relate to that? All right, so recovery begins when honesty replaces denial. So how many of y'all are ready to step out of your denial? So here's the thing. Recovery requires action, right? It requires work, it requires effort, it's not easy, and sometimes it ain't even fun. But here's the thing, I'm gonna ask you a question. Right now, with how you're feeling today, about yourself, about your circumstance, about your past, about the people that you've hurt, about the people that have hurt you, if the way you feel today, five years from now, are you gonna be okay to feel the exact same way? I wasn't, I was tired of feeling crummy.

And so today is the day you start doing something about it because we're not gonna settle for mediocre anymore, we're not. God has got greater things for all of us, you hear me? Every single person in this room, God has got greater things. Now I'm gonna tell y'all, some people think greater things is standing on this stage. God didn't call all of us to stand on this stage. Some people think it's being on the worship team and being front row where everybody can see us. Not all of us are called to, I'm not. I make a joyful noise and it would probably cause an exodus if I started singing up here, you hear me? You know the greater thing that God is calling you to, what if it's to raise your kids well? What if your children are to rise up and be great leaders in the kingdom? And that's your assignment, is to raise them. That's a greater thing, y'all. What if your assignment is to be in the marketplace because you gotta work, right? You gotta provide for your family, you gotta provide for yourself. And what if your assignment is to be the influence to your coworker? Because God's calling them to greater things, right? What if your assignment is just to save one life? How many lives could we save in Blount County? I want y'all to think about that.

Our greater thing isn't always to be seen, right? It's between you and God. And be okay with that, be okay with that. All right, that wasn't even in here. All right, so principle four is one of the hardest lessons in Celebrate Recovery because it asks us to do something we've spent. Many years avoiding, and that's to look at ourselves. I spent a season of blaming everybody else because of what happened to me. It was my daddy's fault. It was my mama's fault. It was my stepfather's fault. It was that teacher's fault. But what was my part in it? So this is what inventory is about. This is where we get to look at ourselves. And this isn't about blame. It's not, because blame doesn't accomplish anything. If I sit here and point all the fingers, what does that change? No. But so tonight, we're going to talk about looking inward, because I can't change all those people. The only person I have control over is myself. And so tonight, we begin looking inward. And I'll be real with you. Sometimes that ain't fun. How many of y'all have looked inward and took a glimpse and was like, man, I don't like what I see? Right?

But you know what? You're a new creation in Christ. And there are good things in you. Sometimes we just got to work through the stuff, right? So we can be called into the next season. And that's what I've learned, is that when I'm in a season I don't like, rather than murmuring and complaining, I'm going to say, Lord, what do you want me to learn? Because I'm ready to graduate and move into my next season. Anybody feel that way? Right? All right. So we got work to do. So taking an honest look at ourselves, not to shame us, not to condemn us, but to free us. How many of y'all are ready to be free? Amen? So God never intended for your past to define you. He intends to... Now, hear this. When I read this, I was like, ooh, that's good. He intends to use it to refine you. What if those things happened and they weren't part of God's plan, but God's still going to use it to make you stronger, to make you wiser, to give you wisdom, so that the people that are going to cross your path in the future... I tell folks this, I took the, like, the 30-year plan. I took the detour, the back road over the hills through 5 million states, and I didn't like my journey. But no one was discipling me.

No one was talking to me. No one was leading me. What if we hear God gives us the knowledge and the wisdom that we can help our brother or our sister behind us and get them on a shorter path? Amen? All right, so Lamentations 340 tells us, let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. So notice the order. First, we have to examine, and then we return. Think about that. Our God is a God of order, is He not? And so many people want restoration without examination. Think about that. They want forgiveness without repentance, healing without honesty. But through the Scripture, God always invites His people to examine themselves before He restores them. So the example I have here is King David. He's one of the greatest examples of this truth. So we all know who David was, right? He was a shepherd who became Israel's greatest king, and he was described by God as a man after his own heart. And yet, despite his love for God, David allowed lust to lead him into adultery with Bathsheba. Can I tell you something? When I was in the middle of my mess, and I loved the Lord, but I was still in the middle of my mess, you know what I used to say? Lord, look at my heart like David. I'm all jacked up, but look at my heart. I love you. Is that not a way of saying, you know what?

I don't want accountability. I don't want to be responsible. I still want to love you, and I still want permission to continue in my mess. Anybody ever feel that? Yeah, yeah. So when Bathsheba became pregnant, instead of confessing his sin, David tried to hide it, right? And does everybody know the story? He manipulated the circumstances, and he brought her husband back, thinking that that's how he would validate her pregnancy, and when that failed, David sent him out to the front lines and allowed him to be killed. And then he married her. And for about a year, it appeared like no one knew what had happened. But while David had hidden his sin from the people, he could never hide it from God. Do you all ever think about that? That even when we're not talking about it, God knows all the details, right? Even the things we're not talking about, even the things we're not willing to yet accept responsibility for. So God sent the prophet Nathan, who confronted David with the story of a rich man stealing a poor man's only lamb, and, of course, David got upset over the injustice, until Nathan and looked directly at him and declared, but you are that man. And in that moment, David's excuses ended. His denial was broken. He confessed, I have sinned against the Lord. So David still faced painful consequences from his choices. How many of y'all have had to deal with consequences? Yeah, right? But his confession became the beginning of restoration. And so in Psalms 51, y'all have homework.

If you know me and you make eye contact with me, I'm gonna give you homework. So Psalms 51, read it. And it records his heartfelt repentance. And then in Psalm 32, it describes the joy and the freedom that came after he finally stopped hiding. So David teaches us that the healing begins where hiding ends. Y'all ready for that? Healing begins where the hiding ends. And so God already knew David's sin, so it wasn't for God's benefit, right? It was for David's transformation. And that's what principle four asks us to do. So imagine you go to the doctor and you're like, man, my chest hurts. I don't know what this is, but doctor, do something. And the doctor says, yep, we're not gonna, I'm not gonna bother with any tests. We don't have time for all that. I'm just gonna give you some medicine to fix that. How would you feel about that? Would you be okay with that? A doctor treating the symptoms without even knowing the cause? You know, and I've said this for a long time. Do you know addiction isn't the issue? Addiction is just a physical manifestation of what's going on on the inside. Have y'all ever thought about that?

And so you can't properly treat what you haven't diagnosed. And so Jesus isn't interested in covering the symptoms. He actually wants to look at the root and deal with the cause. So how many of us spend years treating the symptoms, the anger, the addiction? I'm just gonna stop using, but I haven't dealt with the why, right? The anxiety, the fear, control, y'all. More of y'all struggle with control than you realize. And how about people pleasing? Do I have any people pleasers in the house? If I can get everybody to like me, then I don't gotta deal with my stuff. But you know what the truth is? Part of the 12 steps and what Jesus wants to do is not deal with just the behavior. He wants to heal the wound that's causing the behavior. Y'all hear that? I tell folks all the time, man, if we can find out what's wounded inside and heal that part, then you won't need the dysfunctional behavior anymore. And I wanna say it's that easy, but it's not easy, is it? So honest examination isn't about punishment. It's about healing. And so the one mistake, how many have done the 12 steps? Like the legit 12 steps, you did the worksheet and did all that stuff.

There's actually a worksheet that we do. And so you write everything down. I don't know about you all, but the way my brain works, if I don't write it down, to me it's just kind of whimsical up here in the air somewhere, and I can never grab a hold of it, right? So there's an actual worksheet that we use. And so one mistake people make in recovery is believing that this principle or this step is about just writing down everything I've done wrong. Anybody ever did that? I just took an inventory of all the bad things I did. But it isn't. It's really honestly looking at everything that has shaped who we've become. Are you happy with who you've become thus far? No? The lesson encourages us to ask some difficult questions, like how have I been hurt? Has anyone in here been hurt? Yeah. What guilt am I carrying? How about who do I resent? What fears control me? Anybody have any fear in here? Yeah, I know I do. And what lies have I believed about myself, about others, or about God? Anybody in here sat around thinking that,

you know what, I'm too far gone, God can't help me. There's just no way. I can never overcome the things that I've done. And that's such a lie. Those are difficult questions, but they're necessary. Because our unhealthy habits didn't begin as habits, they began as wounds. So someone rejected us. Anyone ever been rejected in here? Someone abused us? Anybody in here been abused? Someone abandoned us? How many of y'all have heard my husband's testimony when he was five and his? Mama crawled out that window and left him behind. That has impacted him his entire life. Are we aware of that, the things that have happened to us? If we've not healed those parts of us, they continue to affect us, in the decisions and how we respond to things. How about anyone in here ever been betrayed? Yeah. And so instead of healing, we medicate. Instead of forgiving, we become bitter, right? We play the blame game. Instead of trusting, we become controlling. And instead of grieving, we numb ourselves. So I'm gonna put a plug really quick. There's a grief share class that's starting, it's 13 weeks, so if you're struggling with grief,

they're fixing to start that class and I can get you some information, right? Right? So what began as survival eventually becomes bondage and so our hurts became hang-ups and then our hang-ups became habits. Anyone relate to that? And so what recovery requires us to do is to look at the root. Because if we only treat the behavior, which is what? Behavior modification, and we don't address the root, lasting change never happens. So listen, I can behave for a little while. I can stop using for a little while, right? Until something happens that I can't deal with or somebody does or says something to me that reaches back down into that wound and I'm hurt again and then what do I do? I go back to the familiar behavior, right? So we gotta be willing to heal the wounds. So the prodigal son, the young man who demanded his inheritance early, he left his father's house, he squandered everything, reckless living and after spending all he had, there was a famine and he found himself feeding pigs. Can anyone relate to that? When we go back to our mess and we find ourselves in a pig pen, right? And so it's an unthinkable place for a Jewish young man but he became so desperate that he longed to eat the food

the pigs were eating. And so the scripture says that something remarkable happened. He came to himself and that was a turning point. So before he started the journey home, before he rehearsed his apology, how many of y'all have done that? I'm gonna think about all the things I'm gonna say, right? And before his father embraced him, he first took a look at himself, an inventory. Can I tell you something? Stephen talked about our marriage. One thing I was really good at in the very beginning of our marriage was pointing out all of Stephen's flaws. I know that's shocking that he has flaws but I was really good at that. And then you know what? When I took it before the Lord because I was murmuring and complaining. Stephen is this and he's not that and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And he's supposed to, you know what the Lord said? How good of a wife are you? Woo! Whoops. Right? And then the Lord made it clear. I need to be looking in my own mirror, taking my own inventory a whole lot more

than I'm looking in his. And the Lord was, I'll deal with him, you deal with you. Right? For sure. For sure. And so with the prodigal son, he stopped the blaming and he stopped making excuses. How many of y'all got a lot of excuses? I can give you a few if you give me some time, right? And so he admitted where his choices had taken him and he said, I have sinned heaven and before you. And so this is what happened. The father wasn't sitting on the porch with his arms folded. The father was actually looking out, looking for his son, right? And so when he saw his son returning, he ran to him, he embraced him, he kissed him, he clothed him with the best robe, he placed a ring on his finger, sandals on his feet, and he celebrated his return. How many of you would like to experience that? Yeah, to be accepted like that, yeah. And so the son's honesty didn't push the father away, it actually brought him home. And that's what principle four teaches us. And so many of us have spent years blaming our circumstances, blaming other people or our past. And while those hurts are real and they need to be acknowledged,

there also comes a moment when we like the prodigal have to say, it's time to stop running and it's time to be honest. That means it's time to look in your own mirror, right? And so honesty always precedes restoration. And so just like David. David, just like the prodigal son, and just like us, the Father is not waiting to condemn you, he's waiting to restore you. Can I ask how many of you all actually know that? Like I know we know that, but do we know that? There's a difference, y'all hear? Just like when I used to walk around saying, I know Jesus loves me, how many of y'all have said that? I know Jesus loves me, I knew it here, but I didn't know it here. And you know what's the biggest indicator? Was I living life like Jesus loves me? Was I living life like I believed all the promises in the Bible? How different would our lives be if we actually lived it out and we knew it, amen? This is a heart issue, you all. I believe that there are many of y'all here that know more scripture than I do, that you know the Bible better than I do, but that's just knowledge. Because I'm gonna ask you, is it manifesting in your life if you know it, right? All right, so many people avoid this step.

I hear a lot of people, like when we do 12 steps, I'll be honest with you, and anyone who's led 12 step, isn't it about 50% drop off when we start doing inventory? It gets hard, you gotta be ready. Gotta be ready to look at yourself. Because we spend a lot of time looking at everybody else, don't we? So, they're afraid of what they'll discover. They're afraid someone will reject them. Anybody afraid of being judged? And they're afraid they'll never escape their past. So here's the incredible news. Jesus already knows every page of your inventory. Do y'all think about that? That thing that you're not talking about, that secret, that thing you're not wanting to deal with, God already knows. Like, so what are you doing? Let's just deal with it so we can lay it down and not have to walk around with it. Anybody ever see that example where, and I tell my ladies this, so listen. I tell my ladies when you come to recovery, you're carrying this backpack full of rocks because you got stuff, right? Because you ain't, don't get me wrong, Celebrate Recovery is a great place to be, but we come because we got issues, right? So, I'm a female with this huge backpack full of rocks and I got stuff I gotta deal with.

And so then I'm gonna look over that cute fella and be like, ooh, he looking good. Oh, wait, his backpack is bigger than mine. Y'all ever think about that? Yeah, don't come here looking for your man or your woman. Please don't. I promise you, their backpack is bigger than yours. So now I'm not just carrying my own, I'm carrying his, like for real. Don't do that. All right, and so Romans 8 one says, so there is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, amen. He's speaking to you, no condemnation, amen. And so we need to learn the difference between conviction and condemnation. Conviction says, this needs to change. I know that. Condemnation says, you'll never change. You're always gonna be the same. You're never gonna be good enough. Anybody ever felt that way? That's me. Conviction draws us towards Christ, condemnation drives us away from him, right? One is from Holy Spirit, the other comes from the enemy. I love this. God only reveals what he intends to heal. So listen, when you're thinking about your inventory, if he brings it to mind,

he wants to do something with that. He ain't bringing it to mind just to torment you. He's like, you know what, let's deal with this together. Right? So the purpose of inventory isn't to make you feel worse, it's to actually set you free. So tonight I'm gonna ask you five questions. Y'all look like a bunch of note takers, right? So write these down. And I don't expect you to answer them out loud, but I do want you to think about it. And not just in this moment, but when you leave here, tonight before you go to bed, have a conversation with the Lord. What pain have I never dealt with? What guilt am I still carrying? Who have I refused to forgive? You know the word says that our father can only forgive us to the extent that we forgive others? It's time to start forgiving some folks. And what fear controls my decisions? And what lie have I believed about myself or about God? Yeah. And these questions aren't to produce shame, they're actually meant to produce freedom. Because hidden things will actually grow roots. Did y'all know that? They fester, it comes out. Expose things will heal. I apologize, I'm almost done.

So maybe you've spent years trying to outrun your past. Maybe you've convinced yourself it doesn't matter anymore. Or maybe you've buried it so deeply that you're almost forgotten it's there. But buried pain doesn't disappear, it simply grows roots. And so Jesus isn't asking you to relive your past, he's inviting you to redeem it. And so principle four isn't about becoming trapped by yesterday, it's about becoming free for tomorrow. How many of y'all are ready to be free, right? And the truth is God already knows every failure, he already knows every wound, he knows every regret. And I'm gonna tell y'all, when I was going over this today, this brought tears to my eyes, and he still loves you. Does that dawn on you? He still loves you. He knows the deepest, darkest secrets. He knows the worst things that you've done, and he still loves you. Golly. And so today, choose honesty over denial. It's time to deal with it. Choose surrender over self-protection, and that means be okay to be vulnerable. And choose healing over hiding. It's time, it's time. And so because the greatest freedom you'll ever experience begins the moment you allow Jesus to shine his light into every room of your heart.

So, if you're here tonight and you've been carrying some hurts, hangups, and habits that no one else knows about this is your invitation to stop hiding. Not because God wants to condemn you, but because he wants to heal you. The cross is proof that Jesus already paid for every sin, for every failure, and for every shame you'll ever talk about in your inventory. So don't be afraid to look honestly at your life. It's time. The one asking you to examine your heart is the same one who promises to restore it. Amen. All right. Thank you all. So, tonight is a little awkward in that I facilitated, and that doesn't ever happen on the same night that I teach. So we're gonna go ahead and close out with a serenity prayer, if that's okay, if everyone will rise. And I wanna thank you all for letting me share tonight. So thank you. All right, and don't judge me if I'm squinting. All right, so together we start with 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 the simple world as it is,

and not as I would have it, trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will, so that I may be in this life, and supremely happy with you forever in the next. Amen, amen. So really quick, I know some of y'all have to leave. Please, as you exit, please be sure to look around if there's any trash, if you would bless us. We are gonna do the chip ceremony. So anybody in here receiving chips tonight? I got one individual, come on now. All right, so do me a favor, grab the trash in your area if you can. That would greatly bless us. And then we are gonna go ahead and do chip ceremony.