Casey County Celebrate Recovery

10/14/2026

10/11/2026

Celebrate Recovery Devotion: Your Testimony Can Bring Hope

Inventory Lesson — God Can Use Your Story to Help Someone Else

Scripture: Revelation 12:11 (NLT)
“They have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.”

Your Story Has a Purpose:

As we walk through our Inventory lesson this week at Celebrate Recovery, we are reminded that looking honestly at our past can be difficult. Inventory asks us to slow down, examine our hearts, acknowledge our hurts, recognize our choices, and face the things we may have tried to bury for years.

Sometimes, we would rather forget the painful chapters of our lives. We may feel ashamed of our mistakes, embarrassed by our struggles, or afraid that if others knew the whole story, they would look at us differently.

But here is the beautiful truth: God does not waste our pain, and our past does not have to define our future.
The purpose of inventory isn't to keep us trapped in yesterday. It's to help us bring yesterday into the light so God can begin healing what has been broken.

When we honestly examine our lives, we begin to recognize patterns, understand our hurts, take responsibility for our choices, and see where God has been working—even when we couldn't see Him at the time.

And as God brings healing into our lives, our stories can become a source of hope for someone else.
Someone may be sitting across from you wondering if they'll ever overcome their addiction, forgive themselves, repair a relationship, or find peace again. They may believe they're the only ones who have ever struggled the way they have.
Then you share your story.

Not to glorify your past, but to testify to God's faithfulness. Not to pretend you have it all together, but to show that God meets us right where we are.

Your testimony doesn't have to be perfect or polished. It simply needs to be honest.
You don't have to have a perfect past to share a powerful testimony. You simply have to be willing to tell the truth about what God has brought you through.

Remember, we don't share our inventory to impress people. We share it to walk in honesty, accountability, and freedom. We respect one another's stories, protect one another's confidentiality, and offer grace as we heal together.
Someone else's hope may begin when you find the courage to say, “I've been there, too. And with God's help, I'm learning a new way to live.”

A Prayer for This Week

Heavenly Father,

As we work through our inventory this week, give us the courage to be honest with ourselves and with You. Help us face the things we've hidden, the hurts we've carried, the mistakes we've made, and the patterns that have kept us stuck.

Remind us that our past is part of our story, but it does not have to determine our future. Replace our shame with Your grace, our fear with courage, and our brokenness with the hope that comes from You.

Help us remember that our testimonies are not about how strong we are, but about how faithful You have been. Give us wisdom to share our stories with humility, compassion, and love so that someone else might see that healing and freedom are possible.

Lord, use even the hardest chapters of our lives for Your glory. Let our stories point others toward You.
In Jesus' name, Amen.

This week's challenge: As you work through your inventory, look for one place where you can see God's faithfulness in the middle of your struggle. Write it down. You may not be ready to share your entire story, and that's okay. But remember that what God is healing in you today may one day help someone else find hope.

You never know who needs to hear the story God is writing through your healing. ❤

10/06/2026

Come Here First

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
— Matthew 11:28–29

I was in a local hardware store that I love to frequent when I heard someone asking about a hard-to-find item.

The man behind the counter said, “Sure, we have that!”

I turned to the man and said, “Yep, when you can’t find it anywhere else, come here!”

Without missing a beat, the owner replied, “Why don’t you just come here first?”

That statement stuck with me.

How often do we do the exact same thing with God?

We try everything else first.

We ask everyone else.

We search for answers on our own.

We worry.

We plan.

We try to fix things.

We carry burdens that were never meant for us to carry.

And then, when we’ve exhausted every other option, we finally say, “I guess all I can do now is pray.”

But what if prayer wasn’t supposed to be our last resort?

What if it was supposed to be our first response?

God doesn’t want us to come to Him only when everything else has failed.

He wants us to come to Him first.

Before we panic—pray.
Before we react—pray.
Before we try to fix everything—pray.
Before we ask everyone else for advice—ask God.
Before we carry the burden—give it to Him.

Because God already has what we’re searching for.

Peace.
Hope.
Wisdom.
Strength.
Comfort.
Security.
Love.

There are no limits to God’s resources and no limits to His love for us.

And the invitation is already there:

“Come to Me.”

Not get yourself together and then come.

Not fix everything first.

Not be perfect first.

Just come.

Come when you’re tired.
Come when you’re confused.
Come when you’re hurting.
Come when you’re afraid.
Come when you don’t know what to do.

Jesus doesn’t promise that we’ll always understand the situation or that every problem will disappear immediately.

But He does promise to meet us in the middle of it and give rest to our souls.

So today, before you look everywhere else for the answer, remember:

COME HERE FIRST.

Take it to Jesus.

Talk to Him.

Listen for Him.

Trust Him.

And then take the next step He gives you.

You may discover that what you’ve been desperately searching for has been waiting for you in His presence all along.

10/05/2026

Wearing a Mask

“Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” — John 3:21

We all know what a mask is.

It’s something we put on to hide what’s underneath.

Sometimes our masks are easy to recognize. Other times, they look like having it all together.

“I’m fine.”
“I can handle it.”
“I don’t need help.”
“I’ve got this.”

But what if the person everyone sees isn’t really the person we are?

Pretending that we have all the answers and don’t need help can become another mask—a mask of denial. And denial can keep us trapped in the very things we desperately want to escape.

We can look perfectly put together on the outside while we’re falling apart on the inside.

I’ve worn that mask.

And honestly, it can be exhausting.

Because keeping up an appearance takes energy. We become afraid that someone might see behind the mask and discover that we don’t have it all together after all.

But here’s the beautiful thing about God:

He already sees behind the mask.

He knows the thoughts we don’t say out loud.
He knows the wounds we try to hide.
He knows our fears, our failures, our habits, and our hurts.

And He loves us anyway.

We don’t have to impress God.

We don’t have to pretend with Him.

We can come exactly as we are.

Sometimes God places people in our lives who love us enough to tell us the truth. They see the mask we’re wearing and gently remind us that we don’t have to wear it anymore.

That’s one of the beautiful things about recovery and Christian community. We surround ourselves with people who understand that none of us has it all together.

People who will pray for us.

People who will encourage us.

People who will lovingly challenge us.

People who will remind us when we’re slipping back into old patterns.

And people who will celebrate with us when we experience victory.

Freedom begins when we stop pretending.

We don’t have to take off every mask in one day. But we can take one honest step today.

We can tell God the truth.

We can tell a trusted person the truth.

We can admit, “I need help.”

We can say, “This is where I’m struggling.”

We can finally stop pretending that we’re okay when we’re not.

Because the goal isn’t to look perfect.

The goal is to become whole.

Jesus is not asking us to hide our brokenness.

He’s inviting us to bring it into the light.

And when we do, we discover something amazing:

The place where we thought we would be rejected can become the very place where we experience grace, healing, and freedom.

So today, ask yourself:

What mask am I wearing?

And then ask God for the courage to take it off—one layer at a time.

Prayer

Father,
I don’t want to hide behind a mask anymore. You already know everything about me, yet You still love me.

Give me the courage to be honest with You and with the people You’ve placed in my life. Help me recognize the places where I’m pretending, denying, or trying to convince everyone—including myself—that I have everything under control.

Teach me that asking for help isn’t weakness. Give me people who will love me enough to speak truth into my life and walk beside me through the hard places.

Help me take off the masks I’ve been wearing and learn to live in the freedom of honesty and transparency.

Thank You that I don’t have to be perfect to be loved by You.

Help me live in Your light, walk in Your truth, and become the person You created me to be.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen. ❤️

REMEMBER

You don’t have to wear a mask in God’s presence.
He already knows the real you—and He loves you completely.

Take off the mask.
Step into the light.
There is freedom waiting for you. ✨