Morning Worship - "When Kicking and Screaming IS the Best Way"

Devotional

Day 1: God faithfully completes the good work He begins in you.

Even in our messiest moments, we can hold onto a profound promise. The Lord is not a God who abandons His projects. He initiated a work of grace in your life, and His character is one of perfect faithfulness. He is committed to carrying that work through to its glorious completion, regardless of the obstacles or our own failures. This is a truth that can anchor your soul in any storm. [04:32]

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6, KJV)

Reflection: Where in your current season of life do you need to be reminded that God is still faithfully at work, even if you can't see the progress? What would it look like to release your anxiety about that area to His capable hands?

Day 2: Surrender often follows our own striving and exhaustion.

We can spend much of our energy running from God, trying to manage life on our own terms. This path often leads to a place of exhaustion, despair, or being trapped by circumstances beyond our control. It is at this very end of ourselves that we find a divine invitation. God meets us in our brokenness, not to condemn, but to offer a way out through surrender to His loving authority. [11:23]

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. (Exodus 14:14, NIV)

Reflection: What is one situation you have been trying to control or fight through in your own strength? What practical step could you take this week to consciously "be still" and acknowledge God's sovereignty over it?

Day 3: Christ’s desire is for wholehearted commitment, not lukewarm faith.

A comfortable, nominal faith is something God takes seriously. He calls us to a passionate, all-in relationship, not a casual affiliation that we forget about during the week. He sees the pretense of self-sufficiency that masks a deep spiritual poverty. His corrective love invites us into a genuine, fervent faith that is refined by trial and marked by sincere repentance. [13:12]

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16, NIV)

Reflection: In what area of your walk with God have you settled for being "lukewarm"? What would it look like to move toward being "hot"—fully engaged and passionate for Him in that specific area?

Day 4: Jesus stands at the door of every heart, offering intimate relationship.

The offer of the gospel is profoundly personal and available. Christ does not force His way in; He patiently knocks, waiting for an invitation. This is an offer of companionship and shared life, not of distant rule. To open the door is to welcome His presence into the everyday moments, to commune with Him, and to find our ultimate victory in His overcoming power. [14:57]

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. (Revelation 3:20, NIV)

Reflection: What might Jesus be gently knocking on the door of your heart about today? Is there a part of your life you have kept closed off from His presence and fellowship?

Day 5: In our weakest moments, God carries us.

Looking back on our lives, we may see seasons where it seemed God was absent. The path may have felt lonely and overwhelming. Yet the truth of His promise is that He never leaves us. During those most difficult times, when we could not take another step on our own, He was closest. He lovingly carried us, ensuring we would not be destroyed by the trials we faced. [35:16]

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8, NIV)

Reflection: Can you recall a past trial where you can now see God’s carrying presence, even if you didn't feel it at the time? How does that memory encourage you to trust Him with a current challenge?

Sermon Summary

A childhood in a small Midwestern town included adoption by older parents, strict discipline, and eventual return to state care. Early faith began at a church camp, yet life later spiraled into addiction, arrests, and the hollow pursuit of answers in destructive places. Scripture rooted hope: Philippians 1:6 affirmed that God begins a work and will faithfully bring it to completion, even through seasons of failure and wandering. The Gospel of Mark’s account of the demon-possessed man illustrated liberation’s cost and blessing—freedom for a broken life even when it upends familiar comforts and economies. An unjust arrest became a turning point: confinement stripped away pretenses, prompted a return to Scripture, and produced genuine repentance. Daily sharing of the gospel during incarceration bore fruit as inmates encountered faith and salvation. A polygraph and legal vindication later underscored God’s deliverance, but the deeper change lay in surrendered heart and renewed obedience.

Addiction and hidden sin received a stark diagnosis: chains can bind without always feeling like chains, and behaviors, attitudes, or spiritual lukewarmness can enslave as surely as substances. Jesus’ rebuke to the lukewarm served as a call to earnest repentance, spiritual zeal, and tangible transformation—gold refined, garments to cover shame, and eyes to see. Years of ministry followed, including intentional work inside jails and formal authorization for gospel ministry, demonstrating that restored lives often become instruments for reaching the lost. Marriage and musical gifting appeared as further signs of redeemed purpose; simple analogies—polishing a piano or the footprints poem—emphasized that suffering and trials can reveal God’s workmanship. The persistent invitation remains: when human strength fails, stillness and trust in God invite the Lord to carry the one who cannot walk further, finishing what was begun and shaping beauty from brokenness.

Key Takeaways

1. God finishes the work begun God initiates transformation and commits to its completion, not as a passive promise but as an ongoing divine action that pursues the soul through failure, relapse, and legal chaos. This certainty reframes setbacks as episodes within a sovereign trajectory toward renewal rather than final verdicts on identity. Expect perseverance, patient discipline, and eventual fruit as part of that completing work. [04:32]
2. Christ restores, does not destroy Liberation often disrupts systems that once sustained sin; restoration may threaten familiar comforts, but its aim remains repair and dignity for the person. Restoration confronts economic loss and community discomfort while prioritizing the recovered human being sitting clothed and sane at Jesus’ feet. The cost of deliverance clarifies that mercy can look disruptive yet remains redemptive. [10:02]
3. Surrender frees hidden shackles Visible captivity and hidden entanglements share a common root: the refusal to yield. Genuine surrender untangles addictions, bitter habits, and ingrained attitudes by exposing them and inviting divine strength where willpower fails. Spiritual progress requires honest admission of bondage and a daily posture of handing over control. [16:13]
4. Trials refine into durable faith Suffering functions like sandpaper and fire: it removes the rough, exposes weakness, and forges endurance when met with trust. The image of being carried when no step remains reframes trial as the context where God’s faithfulness displays itself, producing a durable, praise-filled life. Hold fast to stillness and the promise that hardship participates in making something beautiful. [35:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:17] - Small-town beginnings
[00:39] - Parents, adoption, and youth
[02:03] - Return to state care
[04:32] - Philippians 1:6 — God completes work
[07:04] - Legion: the demoniac story
[10:02] - Restoration over destruction
[11:23] - Arrest, surrender, and Scripture
[16:13] - Hidden shackles of sin
[18:28] - God fights; be still
[24:04] - Jail ministry and ordination
[33:45] - Music, polishing, and purpose
[35:16] - Footprints: carried in trial
[36:38] - Invitation, prayer, and response

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Observation questions

What does the verse from Philippians promise about the work God starts in a person?
In the story of the demon-possessed man, what was the reaction of the townspeople after he was healed, and why were they afraid? [09:20]
What specific instruction is given in Exodus 14:14 when facing an impossible situation? [18:28]
According to the words in Revelation, what is the condition of someone who is spiritually lukewarm, and what are they counseled to do? [14:23]

Interpretation questions

The liberation of the demoniac came at a great economic cost to the town. Why might true restoration and freedom sometimes be disruptive or costly to the systems and comforts people are used to? [10:02]
The idea of being "handcuffed without even feeling the shackles" suggests hidden bondage. What are some ways a person can be enslaved by something other than a substance, and why might it be difficult to recognize? [16:13]
How does the promise that God will finish His work reframe how a person might view their own failures, relapses, or seasons of wandering?
The image of being carried when there is only one set of footprints implies a complete reliance on God. What does this reveal about the purpose of trials and our own strength in the process of refinement? [35:16]

Application questions

God is faithful to complete the work He begins, often through seasons of failure. What is one area of your life where you have struggled to see progress, and how can this promise change your perspective on that struggle today?
Chains can bind without always feeling like chains. Is there a behavior, a bitter attitude, or a spiritual complacency that you have tolerated but that might actually be ensnaring you? What would it look like to surrender that to God today? [16:13]
Liberation in Christ can be disruptive. Is there a "comfort" or a familiar system in your life that God might be asking you to let go of because it is hindering your freedom or the freedom of someone else? [10:02]
The call is to be zealous and repent, to move from being lukewarm. What is one practical, tangible step you can take this week to move from spiritual neutrality toward earnest faith and obedience? [14:41]
Suffering and trials can function like sandpaper, refining us into something beautiful. Looking back at a past difficulty, how can you now see God's hand at work polishing and shaping you through it? [32:52]
The instruction is to "be still" and let the Lord fight for you. What is a current battle you are trying to fight in your own strength that you need to stop wrestling with and simply hand over to God? [18:47]
Restored lives often become instruments for reaching the lost. Who is one person in your sphere of influence—perhaps someone who is struggling or feeling lost—that you can intentionally share hope with this week?

Sermon Clips

The Lord will fight for you. All you need to is to be still. Ring it out. You're wrestling with something that no way you can win this fight, not on your own. But God is saying, no. Don't even lift that little finger. That that's too much. I got this. Be still. Be at peace. Be so still that you have peace. [00:18:35] (34 seconds) #BeStillGodFights

But what the Lord did in my heart, the day the second day that I was locked up, was to cut through all the drama in my life, to get to that part of my heart that he'd started to do a good work in when I was a young man. Because in Philippians one six, it says he is faithful, and he will finish what he starts. And that's when I found out the easy way or the kicking and screaming way, and I did go the kicking and screaming way. [00:23:20] (39 seconds) #GodFinishesWork

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Morning Worship - "When Kicking and Screaming IS the Best Way" - Tom Parsons