April 29, 2025 • 47 mins
An enemy has infiltrated our ranks—disrupting our lives and wounding our spirits. It’s time we understood Satan’s tactics and lived in the victory Christ died to provide! Pastor JP Pokluda joins Susie Larson to help us discern the enemy’s tactics and align with our ultimate ally—our Heavenly Father—so we can advance in freedom and strength!
Today's Resource: Your Story Has a Villian: Identify Spiritual Warfare and Learn How to Defeat the Enemy
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Episode Transcript
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S1 (00:19):
Well. Hey there friends, welcome to another exciting edition of
equipped with Chris Brooks! I am so thrilled that you've
joined us today. Why don't you do me a favor?
Strap on your seat belt. We're going to navigate through
the contours of culture, as always, with the lens of
the biblical worldview on. But before we do that, let
me remind you, this is the day that the Lord
has made. He has given it as a gift so
(00:41):
that you and I can rejoice and be glad in it.
So let's do just that. Let's follow the words of
the Apostle Paul. Let's rejoice in the Lord always. And
again I say, rejoice! I hope you're having a great day.
I'm going to be away from the program today, but
I want you to join me in welcoming Susie Larson
to the hot seat. Now, many of you know Susie.
(01:02):
She's a best selling author, a speaker, radio host. She
loves Jesus, and most of all loves helping people draw
into a deeper life in Christ. She's also a wife,
a mother, and a Grandmother as well. Susie, thank you
for hosting this edition of equip.
S2 (01:21):
Chris. Thank you and we are praying for you and
your family friends, thanks so much for tuning in today
we have a super important show. I pray you lean
in with a prayerful heart and listen to what maybe
God has to say to you today. My guest today
writes this there's an enemy moving in your life, causing
more chaos than you may realize. You might know who
he is, but do you see how he works? His
(01:42):
tactics go beyond temptation. He aims to entrap you in anxiety, depression,
broken relationships, layoffs, health struggles, and countless other hardships. Satan,
the defeated villain, has already lost to the creator, yet
his mission remains. And here this to keep you from
God's goodness and peace. Though conquered by Jesus on the cross,
(02:02):
he and his team prowl the earth seeking to devour
hope wherever they can. My special guest today is JP Pokluda.
He's written an amazing book titled Your Story Has a Villain.
Identify spiritual warfare and learn how to defeat the enemy.
I've got five copies to give away today. What I
love about this book is he does not go out
on a limb. This is not a sensational book. This
is a biblical book, and this is a real war
(02:24):
that we're in. If you've experienced a repeated area of attack,
we would love to pray for you today. Maybe you've
got a question for my guest today. Here's the number 87756758775483675.
Let me tell you about my guest. We'll get him
on the show. Jonathan JP Pokluda is the lead pastor
of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. Before that,
(02:46):
he led the porch in Dallas, which became the largest
weekly gathering of young adults in the country. Although JP
grew up attending various denominational churches, he didn't fully grasp
the grace of the gospel until his early 20s. That
experience sparked his passion to inspire young adults to follow
Jesus Christ wholeheartedly, and then to go on and make
a difference in the world. He and his wife, Monica.
(03:08):
They partner together in ministry and family, raising their three
children Presley Finley Findlay Weston, JP. Anytime I get to
talk with you is a treat. Welcome to equipped.
S3 (03:17):
Susie. So great to be here. Thank you for having
me on.
S2 (03:20):
Looking forward to the conversation.
S3 (03:22):
And likewise.
S2 (03:23):
I'd love to have you just go to the beginning.
I mean, you're a busy guy, and I know for me,
any book I've ever written, I've been extremely tested in
that area. So I'm always counting the cost. So how
in the world? I mean, how did the Lord bring
it up for you where you knew you had to
set your face like flint? Persevere and write this book?
S3 (03:39):
Yeah, I was, so I was raised Catholic. Catholic school
for nine years. And then I didn't go to church
in college. And so, sadly, that kind of prodigal story
where I went away and just pursued the party and
and sex, your relationships, alcohol, drugs, all the things. And
after college, I was at a club 22 years ago
and someone invited me to church. I sat in the
(04:00):
back row, hung over, smelled like smoke from the night before,
and surrendered my life to Jesus. Now, what's interesting about
growing up Catholic is every, uh, day in the service,
I would look up at this statue of Michael the
Archangel stabbing this demon. You know, that was commonplace in
in in my place of worship. But when I became
(04:22):
a believer in a, in a very healthy, non-denominational Bible
teaching church, I just didn't think much about spiritual warfare.
I knew about Satan, and I understood that demons were
fallen angels. And I, you know, I would read the
scriptures and and read the verses that would, uh, address
(04:42):
Satan and demons and whatnot, but it just didn't have
any implications for my own life. Well, six years ago,
our family moved to Waco, and I caught myself saying
all the time, man, there's a unique stronghold here. There's
a unique stronghold in Waco, Texas. And people are like,
what do you mean by that? And I'm not sure.
I'm not real sure I need to get a better
(05:04):
spiritual framework. And so I studied spiritual warfare for three
years and the result of that three year study really
was this book. Your story has a villain.
S2 (05:14):
Wow. I love this. You said the villain is not complex.
He does not have misunderstood motives. No, his objectives are
clear and they are pure evil. He is active in
our world today. And he's not alone. Yes, our story
has a villain and his name is Satan. You know, JP,
sometimes you hear Christians say, I only want to focus
on Jesus. I don't want to talk about or even
think about the devil. Yet you say that one of
(05:34):
the enemy's most excellent tactics against modern day Christians is
to lull us into thinking there's actually not a war
going on.
S3 (05:40):
That's right. Yeah, I think he's trying to disappear. Here
in America. And so as we focus on Jesus, you
will understand that Jesus had a lot to say about
the enemy. And even in his Word we know that
Jesus is the word. The word in the flesh. And
so like first Peter five says, your enemy the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
(06:01):
Resist him standing firm in the faith. Um, Jesus says in.
In John ten, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
But I've come so that you might have life and
have it to the fullest. And so Jesus himself presents
this dichotomy that we do have an enemy here, and
Jesus is offering us an abundant, full life with him.
(06:22):
But the enemy is constantly trying to distract us from that.
And I think he's running a scorched earth strategy. He
knows his theology. He's read revelation. He knows the back
of the book. He understands that he loses and that
his destiny is the lake of fire. And so he's
just trying to hurt people. And he delights when people,
you know, cut themselves. When we poison ourselves, when we
(06:44):
hurt each other. When we betray one another. When we
lie to one another, when we steal from one another,
when we covet one another's possessions. He receives all that
as worship. I mean, that's that's that's the kind of
worship that that he accepts. And so I think we
have to be mindful of that. And I would just
say to your listeners, you do not need to be
afraid if you have a relationship with Jesus Christ while
(07:08):
the villain is not in any way afraid of you
because these are really strong, powerful, brilliant beings, and while
he's not afraid of you, he's terrified of Christ. He's
terrified of the good Shepherd. And so our we have
to remain close to the to the good shepherd. And
if we do, we do not need to be afraid.
But we do need to be aware.
S2 (07:28):
Amen. It seems to me that he's also terrified of
us coming into the truth of our identity in Christ
and our eternity. That's secure in him because he seems
like he goes after those things all the time, always
sowing doubt about who we are and about who God is. Like,
he seems relentless about did God really say, are you
sure you heard that right? And I imagine how impotent
(07:48):
we as Christians will be if we live our whole
lives on earth, responding to our junk like we never
get out of those series of reactions of him poking
at us. Maybe speak a word of that because we
have what he can't have. We have eternity with the Lord.
We have a spirit alive in us. We have his
promises over us. so I can only imagine how much
(08:09):
he hates that we are such image bearers.
S3 (08:11):
Yeah, it's that identity. I'm a sinner saved by grace. And.
And while you may sin, I think we under index
on that second part. Saved by grace. Saved to God,
a child of God. A relationship with the creator of
the heavens and the earth through the death and the
resurrection of His Son. That I have a new identity.
It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
(08:31):
I've been crucified with Christ. And so, um, put putting
to death the deeds of the flesh. And so you're
absolutely right. He's after our faith. And the Scripture is
so clear in this. This is this is amazing. Like,
this is really I found it interesting as I studied it.
As you go through the armor of God and you
get to and you're in Ephesians six and you get
(08:53):
to the shield of faith which extinguishes the fiery darts
of the enemy. So the the, our faith is our shield.
It's our protection. Well, Jesus tells Peter, uh, before he's crucified,
he says, Peter, Satan has asked me to sift you
all like wheat. To which I would be like, well,
just tell him, no. Jesus. But but he says, so
(09:14):
I will pray for you that your faith will increase.
And so again, there's this idea that our faith protects us.
First Peter five, your enemy the devil prowls around like
a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him
standing firm in the faith. So there is this protective
layer in the Scripture which is our belief in God,
our trust in God. And absolutely, that is what the
(09:35):
enemy wants to bring us into question. He wants to
confuse us. He wants us to live in doubt, in
the the uncertainty and fear, the anxiety, the worries of
this world. That's where he thrives. And he does not
want us to feed our relationship with God and grow.
Grow confident in it and stand firm in it. Because
(09:57):
then we're out there as as Christian soldiers. And that's
not what he's after.
S4 (10:01):
You know, uh.
S2 (10:03):
Scripture, I think it's 91 Psalm 91. His faithful promises
are our armor and protection. And as a young believer
battling Lyme disease with three little babies and so much
medical debt and they didn't know a lot about Lyme
30 years ago, it was just a nightmare. And I
lived in fear to fear because my face would go numb,
my arms would go numb, the room would spin, the
bill collectors would call, and I felt like I felt
(10:24):
like God lost my address. It was so, so painful.
And I remember a woman called me and she said,
I've been hearing the chatter about your story. And she said,
I brought your case before the Lord. And she said,
Susie Larson, listen to me. He is building a platform
with your pain that you will speak from someday. So
lean in and learn everything you can because you're going
to have a story to tell. I hadn't learned warfare.
(10:44):
I hadn't learned how to stand on the promises. And
right after that call, it was like the Lord thundered
in my heart. It wasn't audible, but he said, are
you a believer just because you've secured your eternity? Or
do you actually believe this stuff? Like, when are you
going to shift your weight onto the promises to see
if they stand? And it was back then, as a
young mom, JP, with nobody really teaching me how to
do that. I was just done being bullied and I
(11:05):
had to. I couldn't live like that. And I found
that his promises do stand and they are our protection.
But we have to get out of victim mindset and
into an overcomer mindset. Would you say?
S3 (11:16):
Yeah. What an what an appropriate word uh, from your
friend that and and prophetic. I mean here we are.
Here we are in the. I didn't know that about limes,
did you? How was that today?
S2 (11:26):
Uh, daily I deal with symptoms, but I'm not like,
where I was, so, um, I'm an overcomer, and I'm
going to keep fighting until I'm symptom free. Well, we
got a pause here. When we come back, I want
to talk more. You say the enemy doesn't work alone.
And another thing that was so interesting in the book
where you said, we have this misconception. Satan's in hell
we're here, so we've got to a safe distance from him.
(11:46):
That's wrong. JP will clear that up. Talking to JP Pokluda,
his book Your Story has a villain. If you've got
questions about spiritual warfare or you feel like you're perpetually
under attack, why don't you give us a call (877)Â 548-3675.
The book is amazing. Your story has a villain. More
with JP in just a moment.
S1 (12:35):
We live in a culture whose needs and obstacles to
faith are constantly shifting. Sean McDowell's book apologetics for an
Ever Changing Culture, addresses many current issues and will help
you share and defend the gospel with relevant answers. It's
our thank you gift for supporting equipped this month. We'll
send you a copy with your gift of any amount
(12:57):
to equipped. Just call (888)Â 644-4144 144 or visit equipped radio org.
That's (888)Â 644-4144 or online at org.
S2 (13:17):
This is equipped with Chris Brooks coming to you from
the studios of Moody Radio. Susie Larson here filling in
for Chris today and tomorrow. You know, Jesus said that
the enemy's goal against you is to steal, kill, and destroy.
But Jesus plan is for you to have life and
life abundantly, and he's equipped you to overcome. Today I'm
talking with our friend, author pastor speaker JP Pokluda, and
I just got to say, wherever this guy goes on
(13:38):
these secular campuses, revival seems to follow. God is moving
in such huge ways through his ministry. We've got a
handful of copies of his amazing book. Your story has
a villain. Identify spiritual warfare and learn how to defeat
the enemy. If you've got questions about spiritual warfare, or
you feel like you have one area that you're perpetually
under attack. We'd sure love to pray for you. Give
us a call 83675, and JP writes this each day
(14:02):
the villain in your story cunningly plots to destroy every
part of your life. Your marriage, your friendships, your faith
are just some of the things that Satan is out
to ravage. However, Scripture shows us how to resist him
you are equipped to overcome. JP, you say Satan does
not work alone. Say more about that.
S3 (14:18):
Yeah. So revelation 12 talks about, uh, speaks to this
idea of one third of the angelic realm falling with Lucifer.
And so the the narrative, the biblical narrative of Satan
falling comes from stories in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28.
In Luke ten, Jesus references it. He says, uh, and
he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning
(14:40):
from heaven. So then with the context of revelation 12,
that he took one third of the angelic realm with him.
And all of a lot of this is written in,
in poetry and prophecy and, and and even with the
king of tyre, some, um, a little bit of what
I'll call allegory. And so we, we put these stories
together and see the bigger picture coming into play. And
(15:04):
so here's what I would say to your listeners is
Satan's probably never been anywhere near us. Uh, he's not omnipresent.
While he's very powerful, he's not all powerful. He's not
in every place at one time. And so he's somewhere
where there are rulers of nations, somewhere where there's war
and genocide. Uh, that's most likely where Lucifer or Satan
(15:24):
is today. We most likely have some, uh, demons assigned
to an area assigned to our family, assigned to our
lives in that way, and they plot against us. Now,
these are brilliant beings again, but they are no match
for Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, whom lives with us.
And so as we yield to the Holy Spirit, as
we follow Jesus and pursue our relationship with Christ sitting
(15:47):
under the protection of God, we don't have to live
defeated lives. We can we can live victorious lives. And
that's not this naive statement. That's not just something that
I say and kind of turn my head and look
the other way. It's like, no, we can actually walk
in the power of the spirit who raised Christ from
the dead. Uh, we have a relationship with him because
of what God did for us through his son, Jesus Christ.
(16:10):
So and so those those guys plot against us.
S4 (16:13):
Wow.
S2 (16:13):
There's so many more questions I have for you. You've
got the calls flooding in. Uh, Doctor Sutton is calling
in from Atlanta, Georgia. He's got a comment. Doctor Sutton,
you're on the air with JP.
S5 (16:22):
Hi. I first of all, I want to say thank
you for your insight and just your wisdom of faith. Um,
I just want to make a comment to say that
oftentimes it seems like that, um, we come to understand
that it's, it's a, it's an inside outside attack. Um,
(16:43):
it's if we can learn how to lean in on
the face of Christ. Um, I think Paul says it
best at the weaknesses in those points. When you're going
through the warfare, You learn how to understand that those
trying times create like the opportunity, as Paul comes to
(17:04):
a conclusion that in those places of weakness, then he
experiences that grace and he becomes strong through Christ. So, um,
I think that whole the whole idea of going through
and experiencing the spiritual warfare, uh, it ultimately brings us
to that point, if we let it and allow our
hearts to be postured towards his grace and his love, um,
(17:27):
it allows us to be strengthened in the midst of
us going through, um, if we can continue to hold
on to our faith.
S2 (17:34):
Doctor Sutton, thank you for that comment. And her operative
line there is, if we let it if you'd like
to hang on, Doctor Sutton, I'll get you a copy
of JP's book. Get your address and we'll get it
out in the mail. Any comments to her comment?
S3 (17:46):
Yeah, I appreciate that. I think it is a you know,
he says in Colossians, I strenuously contend with all Christ's
power at work in me. Galatians 220 I have been
crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me. And the life I
now live in the flesh. I live by the faith
in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me. Ephesians six is your typical chapter on
(18:10):
spiritual armor. It says, be strong in the Lord and
in the strength of his might. Put on the full
armor of God. And and just this idea is it
comes up over and over and over and over that
it's it's God's power at work in us. And that
in just as they referenced, um, you know, his grace
(18:31):
is sufficient. His power is made perfect in our weakness. Susie,
my my favorite quote, not in the scripture. And so
it's it's most based on that scripture, but it's if
dependence is the goal, weakness is the advantage. I really
believe that we we go through life searching for identity
and trying to present ourselves as strong and smart and
(18:55):
capable as as possible. But in reality, I think God
often chooses the weak to shame the strong. He he
he takes someone and says, hey, I'm. I'm in the
business of making myself look good. So I only use
broken people. And so as and like as you said earlier,
we don't have to walk around with an identity in
(19:17):
our brokenness, but we can walk around with our identity
rooted in his strength, rather than trying to show others
how strong we are. It's like, no, I've just got
a really strong Heavenly Father. I've got a really strong
dad who's watching out for me.
S4 (19:30):
Come on.
S2 (19:31):
Somebody. Wish someone could text me and. Amen. That's fantastic.
Got an anonymous friend checking in who's got a question
about a young child that died and wondering if there
was warfare around it. You're on the air with JP.
S6 (19:44):
Hi. Thank you for taking my call.
S2 (19:48):
Yes. What's your question for JP?
S6 (19:51):
Well, I don't know if it's a question. Um, I,
I know someone who has, um, had had this death
of their of their child. Um, they can't seem to
get past this tragedy. Um, and it seems like there's
(20:13):
just one, one problem after another that keeps occurring. And, um,
there were even problems for for this person as a,
as an infant or, um, a pre-birth. Um, that seemed like, um.
(20:40):
Seemed like Satan never wanted to leave this person alone, and, um, I,
I don't know what to say or how, how to
help this person or to get rid of this, um,
(21:03):
these tragic things that keep occurring. Um.
S2 (21:08):
Let me jump in there. If I could, uh, thank
you for that. You know, a couple of things that
are coming to mind, JP. One is I'm sure you've
heard this, too. And it it breaks my heart when
I hear people and I'm. She's not saying this, but
I'm just saying I've known people who've said to someone
who's lost a loved one, they'd still be alive if
you would have ABC.
S4 (21:25):
Yeah.
S2 (21:25):
And yet Psalm 139 talks about God numbers, our days. However,
there may be a demonic assignment against this family that
we can pray against, but I would love to know
your thoughts on what she's saying there.
S3 (21:35):
Yeah. First I would just say, I'm so sorry for
the loss of of this child. I know it's a
happened to a friend of yours, but just, you know,
we see at the death of Lazarus Jesus who's going
to raise him from the dead, uh, stopped and wept,
I think, at the possibility of death, just knowing that
that that should not be. That's not God's first desire.
(21:55):
And and the why? Like why did these things happen?
Are are answered incompletely, but answered in Genesis three that
the world that we live in is broken and there's death, disease,
and heartbreak here. And, and things happen that that did
not sit in, you know, in the in the first
desire of God. Now we live in kind of this
second reality of, of the brokenness of the world, which
(22:16):
he's going to repair and he's going to redeem. But
we're kind of in this, in this middle ground, this,
this waiting. And so I would say, you know, two
things come to mind. And one of them. Susie touched
on is just of course, prayer is, uh, an undervalued weapon. Uh,
we you know, Paul wraps up that whole chapter in
Ephesians six with pray and pray always and pray constantly.
(22:39):
And so I think if if the spiritual armor is
in a locked in a trunk, prayer is the key
to unlock that trunk and put on the spiritual armor.
And so you pray with and for your friend, and
you ask the Lord to send his strongest angels to
to protect that friend. And you ask the Lord to
to bind or slaughter any demonic forces coming against them,
which is language that I've not always been comfortable with.
(23:01):
You know, that was that was a when I would
hear people pray that way, like, gosh, that's so weird.
But then I as I read the scripture, it became
a lot more commonplace, a lot more normal for me.
And the second thing I would just say is, listen,
when somebody's going through a tragedy or a hard time,
just show up and resist the urge to say something profound.
(23:21):
It is a great time to believe Romans 828, but
it's not the best time to to say Romans 828.
I think it's just like, hey, just to sit with
them and that that is, um, God is working all
things together for the good of those who love him,
who've been called according to his purpose. I think we
just we show up, and if we don't know what
to say, we say, I don't I don't even know
what to say. I just want to be here for you.
(23:42):
I want to sit with you. And I just want
to pray with you and for you. And I think
sometimes that's the the greatest thing that we can do
in those situations.
S2 (23:50):
Beautiful. And I'm wondering JP for. We've just got about
a minute before we get ready to head to break,
but I'm thinking of this family and the many who
are calling in who feel that they're under perpetual attack,
like they cannot catch a break. Would you pray for
every person listening today who feels like that? Yes.
S3 (24:05):
Thank you. I would love to. God, we do just
call on you as our Heavenly Father. That all power
and honor and glory is yours. And we know that
our story has a villain, and that that villain has
an army, but they're outnumbered 2 to 1. And so
would you just protect the listeners of this show today
just because of the station the radio is on, just
because of where they're at and the proximity and the
(24:26):
geography and their ability to to hear these words, God,
would you pour out your grace and favor on their life,
your protection on their life? Uh, that that you have
prepared a table before them in the presence of their enemies.
You've anointed their head with oil, their cup overflows. Would
you allow goodness and mercy to follow them all the
days of their life? And we will dwell in your
house forever and ever and ever. In Jesus name, Amen.
S2 (24:49):
Amen, JP and thank you. Did you notice, friend? He's
praying the scripture. I don't know that there's a more
powerful way to pray than praying the scripture and immersing yourself. Psalm.
Psalm 91, Psalm 23, so many passages that speak to that.
He is our protection. He's our guard. He's our guide.
Talking to JP Pokluda today and his book is your
Story has a villain. Identify spiritual warfare and learn how
(25:11):
to defeat the enemy. Got a handful of other calls
coming in. We've got five copies to give away today. And, uh, friend,
the one who called in about your friend whose baby died.
If you're still on, I would love to get you
a copy of the book. So go ahead and give
us your information, and we'd make sure to get that
to you. You can learn more about today's topic and
our guest, and you find us online at Equipped radio.org.
(25:33):
That's equipped radio.org. Catch us on Facebook and on X radio.
When we come back, JP, let's talk about how the
enemy will work through believers who are not paying attention
to the spirit, who maybe are harboring grudges, bitterness, delving
into sin and hiding it, and how the enemy finds
those as open doors and he takes advantage every time.
(25:56):
More with JP Pokluda in just a moment. This is
(26:27):
equipped with Chris Brooks coming to you from the studios
of Moody Radio. Susie Larson here, filling in for Chris
today and tomorrow. Talking today with author, pastor, speaker and revivalist.
I'm just adding that to his bio. JP Pokluda. We're
talking about spiritual warfare, how to identify it, how to
stand strong against the enemy of your soul. His amazing
book is your story has a villain and that's just true.
(26:48):
Wondering for you. Are you walking through warfare time? Are
you feeling like you're under attack? Too often as Christians,
we cower. We cover our head and we don't say
a word about it. It's time to assemble the troops.
You need to call in your prayer warriors because our
story has a villain, but we have Jesus and we
can be overcomers as we band together. So how about you?
Have you been blessed by today's show and past shows?
(27:09):
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(27:31):
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(27:51):
and many more people are discipled in the process. Again,
it's equipped radio.org or (888)Â 644-4144. So we're talking to JP Pokluda,
and I wanted to ask you, JP, about the idea
of how the enemy works through Christians. At times we're
filled with the Spirit of God. But there's plenty in
Scripture that says you can give the devil a foothold.
You can give him access. And from what I understand
(28:13):
in my study, he's a legalist. If you give him
access with harboring a grudge, usurping authority, gossiping, you know,
duplicit lifestyle, that's territory that he can encroach on because
you've given him space for it. And when I travel
around as a speaker at conferences, I will tell you
the one thing behind the scenes that leaders tell me
what makes them most tired is dealing with the stuff
(28:35):
in Christians who aren't dealing with their stuff. Do you
know what I'm saying? Where they become nitpicky because they're
not looking at what God wants them to look at.
S3 (28:42):
Susie, your, um, theology is impeccable. And so I, I
completely agree with that. I think that the vast majority
of believers out there, and there's a good chance that
most of your listeners don't understand that when we sin,
we let him in. Uh, this is this idea of
(29:02):
giving the devil a foothold. Footholds turn to strongholds. This
is why some of you are stuck in alcohol. This
is why some of you are stuck in nicotine. This
is why some of you are stuck in pornography or
other vices and addictions. At some point you you've let
the enemy in and and it's become a stronghold in
(29:24):
your life. And while that problem may be mental or physical,
it's also spiritual. And so as you, um, address it
with therapy or medication, you know, those those things can
be very necessary. You also want to address it with
prayer and have others pray for you. James 516. Uh,
have other people pray for you so that you may
(29:46):
be healed, for the prayers of righteous people are powerful
and effective. As you talk about gossip, slander, criticism, lies, accusations.
I mean, James chapter three verse six says, the tongue
is a fire, a world of unrighteousness set on fire
by hell. This is what the enemy uses. Uh, we
(30:06):
a lot of you who are listening don't think. Oh, well,
I've cursed my neighbor, or I've cursed a coworker. I've
cursed my spouse, or I've cursed my children. But we
can curse somebody with. With a long pregnant pause to
a question or a look with our eyebrow and certainly with, uh,
words stated under our breath. And so we need to
(30:28):
be mindful of what we speak, because James tells us
that the tongue has the power of life and death.
And and I will just add to that. Um, thoughts
take you places. So you feed, you feed Satanic thoughts.
Those satanic thoughts are going to grow in your life.
And so, um, I didn't really get into what other people, um,
how other believers can impact us, but it's that I mean,
(30:51):
it's gossip, slander, criticism, lies, accusations. I mean, those those
Christians can be the worst. I'm saying Christians and air quotes.
We can be the absolute worst.
S2 (31:00):
And if you want examples, just hop on social media.
You'll see it alive and well and it's grievous. Actually
one other in James it talks about jealousy and it's
the gateway sin. I mean, it's even the progression is, um,
what is it? Earthly, unspiritual and demonic. So you start
out jealous and it's kind of earthly, and then it
(31:21):
becomes unspiritual if you don't challenge it and then it
becomes demonic because jealousy, you know, compels you to undermine
and to build your own kingdom instead of Jesus. So
we've got to if we really want to win in warfare,
we've got to develop a new fear of God and
the honor of his word. And, uh, yeah. Okay, let's
talk to Jada. She needs prayer and I've loved to
(31:42):
pray for her and Jada. I already want to just
tell you, you're going to get a copy of JP's book,
and I know it's going to help you. You're on
right now with JP Pokluda.
S7 (31:50):
Hi. Thank you both so much for your time. Um,
you know, it's just this word that keeps popping up
for me every time I hear, you know, every time
I say something, I'm going through, you know, my mom
will say she's so proud of me because it means
the devil is working against me. But the spiritual warfare.
There's times where I'm being, you know, good suffering or persevering,
(32:10):
but it just feels like enough is enough. And I
really would like some prayer, please, because I know I
can't do it alone. And I do everything go to
church and things like that. But sometimes it's just the
power of prayer, like you guys said, that I feel
like can just break those chains in Jesus's name. So
I thank you.
S2 (32:29):
JP.
S3 (32:30):
Yeah, I would love to and I just I thought about,
you know, Jesus when he was tempted in the wilderness,
it says that the, the Lord sent angels to strengthen him.
And so God, I do just pray for Jada right now.
Would you send angels to strengthen her? Would you? And
put actual people in her life? I pray that you
would put women who know her and love you and
love her and know you in her life, to help
(32:52):
carry a mat in a season, to help hold her
arms up in a season that you would surround her
with the body of Christ, that her needs would be met,
and that she would feel a deep sense of intimacy
to you, and that you would just protect her from
the enemy. That any demonic forces that are coming against her,
that they would not prosper, that they would be gone
in the name of Jesus by the blood of Jesus.
It's in his name. We ask this. Amen.
S2 (33:14):
Amen. And you know, as JP prayed, that's a spiritual transaction.
Things happened. Prayer makes a difference, and the prayer of
a righteous person accomplishes great and powerful things. And Jada,
one other thing I want to say to you, one
of my prayer partners said the best thing she said,
when you're under attack, Susie. She said her default and
mine always has been to to pray. Psalm 139 Lord,
search me, know me, test me, and point out anything
(33:36):
in me that offends you. And she's like, if the
Lord shows you something, repent, but then rise up and roar.
And if he doesn't show you anything, then just roar.
And I love that so much that if there's a
repetitive attack, I've got to just because even you know,
Paul said, my conscience is clear. It doesn't mean I'm innocent.
And David said, keep me back from presumptuous sins. So
to me, I like to say, Lord, is there something
(33:58):
underneath it all that's giving the enemy access? And if
he shows me there's no condemnation. It's just an invitation
to repent and then roar. But if there's nothing that
he's showing you, enemy's just picking on you because he's
threatened by you, then you just get up and roar.
Anything you want to add to that?
S3 (34:13):
JP yeah, no, I think he attacks you because you
you have influence and and you're seeking the Lord and
your work matters. And so we're not home yet. I
think we have to maintain hope that, you know, Jesus
comes and finishes this battle that we're fighting, and he wins,
and we're going to be in this place of of
no sadness, no death, no disease, no heartbreak. And very
(34:34):
soon the first thing God does is wipes away every tear.
And so as you fight here on earth, keep your
eyes fixed on on heaven too. And just knowing that
that God. God comes and conquers.
S2 (34:46):
So good. I'm going to see if we can squeeze
one more call in before our break. But, friends, we're
not going to have a lot of time on the call.
Maureen's checking in, and she's got a question for you. Maureen.
Thank you for holding. I know it's been a little
bit of a wait. You're on now with JP.
S8 (35:00):
Thanks, JP. Um, just so you know, my little bit
about my background, I was raised to lie, cheat, steal, manipulate,
use drugs to escape a violent alcoholic home. And I
have struggled for many years. I have been a Christian
many years. Gotten a lot of healing, a lot of healing.
(35:22):
Learn to love and to forgive. But this. I'm in
my 70s now and I still have struggled greatly against
marijuana addiction. And if you have any any idea? And codependence.
I'm working on that with a good 12 step group
(35:42):
through my church, so any help I would appreciate.
S3 (35:46):
Yeah, Maureen, first of all, I just I thank you
for your transparency. And I think there's going to be
people that are strengthened today who are listening because of your,
your confession. And I'm, I'm so encouraged by the work
that God has done to help you overcome to you
Susie's word. Uh, a home that raised you to cheat
and steal and and, uh, there was abuse there. And
(36:08):
so I'm grateful to God. And. Yeah, I think, you know,
that that addiction to THC can be a stronghold, a
lingering stronghold. And so I would ask, uh, other believers
to come around you. Uh, James does talk about that.
There is a healing that only happens with confession and prayer.
And so you got the confession part to the whole
world today. Uh, but to invite believers around you to,
(36:29):
to to lay hands on you and to pray over
you and then to offer you accountability so that when
you want to reach out to that dealer or go
to that that head shop or whatever that is. Um,
that that you would text them on the front end
that you'd say, hey, the desires there, would you guys
pray right now for me to overcome this desire? And
depending on how long this has been, their detox may
(36:50):
be necessary. Therapy may be necessary. Rehab may be necessary.
There's usually great um, ministries like celebrate recovery or regeneration uh,
in most cities. And so I would go to those
websites and see if there's a, a 12 step program there,
a faith based 12 step program. Uh, that would help
you get recovery from this THC stronghold.
S2 (37:13):
And, father, we, we pray for marine and I pray
for that community. I pray for that group. And I
just pray that more than anything, you would give marine
a vision of what a healed, redeemed, restored marine looks like,
that you've got a vision for her to prosper her,
not to harm her, to give her a hope and
a future. Would you bless her God? Would you strengthen her?
I pray that she'd have such a deep encounter with
(37:34):
you that it would obliterate any desire for using in
Jesus name. We thank you, God that you've got a
good plan. Lead her in your everlasting way. In Jesus name.
S9 (37:43):
In Jesus name, Amen.
S2 (37:45):
We need to pause here, Lindsey. We're going to try
to get your call on the other side. But I
also want to give a little time, JP on the
other side to talk about hell. It's interesting how I'm
hearing from professing believers who are obliterating hell from their
theology as if they can just do that, like Jesus
never talked about it. And I know you've got some
things to say about that, so I would love for
us to discuss that. Going to just make the most
(38:06):
of our little bit of time. JP Pokluda is my guest.
Your story has a villain. Is his book Powerful Conversation?
Check out his book. We got a few more copies
to give away. Don't go away. We'll be back in
just a moment.
S1 (38:45):
Sharing your faith can be challenging. How do you confidently
engage with questions about truth, technology, and culture while staying
grounded in Scripture? That's why Chris Brooks has chosen apologetics
for an ever changing culture as our gift. When you
support equip this month, it will help you provide thoughtful,
informed answers to the pressing questions of our time. Request
(39:09):
your copy today with a gift of any amount. Call
(888)Â 644-4144 or visit Equip radio.org.
S2 (39:23):
This is equipped with Chris Brooks coming to you from
the studios of Moody Radio. Susie Larson here filling in
for Chris today. Tomorrow. You know what the enemy comes
to steal, kill, and destroy. But Jesus comes at you
of life and life to the fullest. Yet too often
we live battered by the enemy and we don't think
we have agency. We don't think we can do anything
about it. Well, it is true that your story has
a villain. That's the title of JP's book, but he
(39:45):
teaches us how to identify spiritual warfare and learn how
to defeat the enemy. JP Pokluda is my guest today,
and Lindsay's been on hold for quite a while and
has needed some prayer. She feels like she's under under
attack and in the battle. Lindsay, sorry to make you hold.
Thanks so much. You're on the air with JP.
S10 (40:01):
Thank you so much for taking my call. Um, I'm
so thankful you guys are talking about spiritual warfare today
because I, I've been really battling with this for most
of my life, especially recently. Um, I'm 27 years old,
and I've been struggling with a lot of fear and anxiety.
I know this is from the enemy, and I've been
reading scriptures out loud and praying, but the enemy keeps
attacking me. So I was calling to ask for some
(40:24):
prayer about this.
S2 (40:25):
Bless you. What do you say, JP?
S3 (40:27):
Yeah, I'd love to. I just want to make sure.
I know you said the enemy is attacking me, but
in and you said prayer for this any. Is there
any more context on the this you'd like to add?
S10 (40:39):
Um, just, you know, the enemy's been putting a lot
of lies in my mind, mostly in anxious thoughts and
fears and doubts and, um, you know, it's just been
kind of like an ongoing attack, like, throughout, you know,
throughout my entire life. Pretty much.
S3 (40:53):
Absolutely. Well, Lord, you tell us that we will know
the truth, and the truth will set us free. And
so I, I just pray that you would fill my
friend's heart and mind with truth that she would not
be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition with thanksgiving, that she would present her request to you,
and that in exchange for those requests, these requests we
(41:13):
bring right now, that you would give her a peace
that guard her hearts and her heart and her mind
in Christ Jesus. And so I pray that she would
be connected deeply to, uh, people who follow you and
that they would just carry this prayer forward like a
relay baton. Yeah. Laps and laps around the track. Continuing
to pray for this friend. And that you would just
(41:35):
fill her heart with peace. And that she would not
believe any lies. And that you would make her mind
and her ears deaf to the lies of the enemy.
She wouldn't hear them any longer. In Jesus name, Amen.
S9 (41:45):
Amen.
S2 (41:45):
Lindsey, you're going to get a copy of JP's book
if you can. Hang on. One thing that my friend,
she's in the battle of her life. She made a
little battle box. It's a little plastic box with scripture cards.
And every time she finds a passage that just leaps
off the page and it's kind of tools in our toolbox,
she writes it down every day. She pulls out her
battle box and goes through those verses and prays the Scripture.
There are verses in Scripture with your name on them.
(42:07):
So I would say armor up, fight back, and I
think JP's book will help you. So thanks for calling.
We just have a few minutes left to go, but
I've got to ask this question because I'm amazed at
the the shift in theology, how friends can maybe pick
and choose what they want to believe. And one of
these things is people obliterating how you know that a
kind God wouldn't send people to hell, so, so they're
(42:28):
moving it out of their theology. But Jesus really didn't
give us that option. And that does impact our our,
you know, view of warfare. If there's no hell.
S3 (42:38):
Yeah. No, there's definitely a hell. Uh, you know, I
think I think we are confused. Like, hey, why would
God send someone to hell? Uh, did he create hell?
Hell is a place that was created for Satan. That's
the reality. Satan's trying to drag people to hell, and God,
you know, he tells us that he's, um, not slow
(43:00):
in keeping his promises, as some understand slowness. But he's
patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone
to come to repentance. And so God left us here
when he saved us. When we trusted in Christ, he
didn't take us home. It's not like we we prayed
a prayer and then woke up in heaven. He left
us here on the earth to to wage war. And
Satan is not in hell yet. He is on earth.
(43:22):
I mean, that's the reality is Satan is here on
earth with demons trying to drag people to hell with him,
and that he does that through sin and temptation constantly,
every single day. And as we walk in Christ, as
we teach the truth, as we share the gospel, you
want to talk about spiritual warfare, evangelism, like you sharing
the gospel. If you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you
(43:44):
telling someone else how they can go from death to life,
how they can have a relationship with the creator of
the heavens and the earth. You're on the front lines
when it comes to spiritual warfare. When you do that.
But yeah, I um, hell is a reality. And if
we run from God and we reject God, if we
do not pick up the the payment that God paid
for us on, on our behalf through His Son Jesus Christ,
(44:06):
what we just celebrated, uh, on Good Friday and Easter.
If we don't trust in that, uh, then hell is
our destiny. Um, you know, that's every sin has to
be paid for, and we can decide. Do we want
to pay for our own sins in hell forever? Or
do we want to believe that God paid for our
sins on our behalf through His Son, Jesus Christ? And
if Jesus paid for them, then then we're going to
(44:28):
be with God forever. And if we don't believe that
Jesus paid for them, then we will have to pay
for them.
S9 (44:32):
Wow.
S2 (44:33):
There'll be a day of reckoning. Just got about a
minute left. And this ties into what you were saying, friends,
when you step out in ministry, when you decide to
go to church, when you decide to study the word
or to serve God in some way, you will be opposed.
And how easy, how quickly can we just take our
hands off of things because we don't want to be uncomfortable?
We've got to learn how to press through. And this,
dear listener has a question about going to church. And actually,
(44:55):
we just literally have about 45 seconds, friend Lisa, you're
on the air, but you just got a moment. So
go ahead and ask your question. And JP, we'll just
wrap this as soon as we are able.
S11 (45:05):
Yeah. Hi and thanks for taking my call. I just
want to say I really can relate to Lisa's last caller. Um,
I'm really nervous just making this phone call. And why
this phone call? You know, but I just want to
say I'd love to get involved in church. Um, but
that's easier said than done. I watch it online, and.
No problem The minute I start thinking about actually walking
(45:27):
into a church, that's when my thoughts start to go wild.
S2 (45:31):
All right. Thank you for being so concise. You've got
about 50s, JP, what say you?
S3 (45:37):
Yeah. Just say listen, that's there's nothing surprising there. The
enemy does not want you surrounded by God's people. And
so press forward, take your thoughts captive, make them obedient
to Christ. The Scripture says, and literally just sit there
and say, okay, Lord, would you calm my anxious heart?
Would you set my mind on the things above? Help
me to reflect on you, Phil. I just pray you
(45:59):
turn the volume up on the knob of the Holy Spirit,
that I would surrender more to you and learn from
you today, surrounded by your people. And just pray that
when you go in there and you'll see God move,
you'll see God work.
S2 (46:10):
JP this has been such a great, great conversation. Lisa,
I want to make sure you get a book. So
stay on the line and make sure we give get
your information. You'll love JP's book. JP, I want to
just thank you for stewarding your ministry and stewarding this
message because I know it didn't come without a cost.
We love and appreciate you and continue to hold you
up as you're out there a lot. Bless you my brother.
S3 (46:31):
Thank you so much.
S2 (46:32):
Such a good.
S9 (46:32):
Conversation for you.
S2 (46:33):
And for you as well. And friends, if you found
some encouragement here today, you can find more information about
our guests and our topics at Equipped radio.org. Join us tomorrow.
At the same time, I'll talk with investigative journalist best
selling author Lee Strobel as he talks about the supernatural.
He'll make the distinction between sensationalism and actual spiritual truths.
There's going to be another really great conversation. I'm Suzy Larsen.
(46:55):
From all of us at equipped. Thanks so much for
listening today. Equipped is a production of Moody Radio, a
ministry of Moody Bible Institute. We love and appreciate you.
We'll meet you back here next time.
Well. Hey there friends, welcome to another exciting edition of
equipped with Chris Brooks! I am so thrilled that you've
joined us today. Why don't you do me a favor?
Strap on your seat belt. We're going to navigate through
the contours of culture, as always, with the lens of
the biblical worldview on. But before we do that, let
me remind you, this is the day that the Lord
has made. He has given it as a gift so
(00:41):
that you and I can rejoice and be glad in it.
So let's do just that. Let's follow the words of
the Apostle Paul. Let's rejoice in the Lord always. And
again I say, rejoice! I hope you're having a great day.
I'm going to be away from the program today, but
I want you to join me in welcoming Susie Larson
to the hot seat. Now, many of you know Susie.
(01:02):
She's a best selling author, a speaker, radio host. She
loves Jesus, and most of all loves helping people draw
into a deeper life in Christ. She's also a wife,
a mother, and a Grandmother as well. Susie, thank you
for hosting this edition of equip.
S2 (01:21):
Chris. Thank you and we are praying for you and
your family friends, thanks so much for tuning in today
we have a super important show. I pray you lean
in with a prayerful heart and listen to what maybe
God has to say to you today. My guest today
writes this there's an enemy moving in your life, causing
more chaos than you may realize. You might know who
he is, but do you see how he works? His
(01:42):
tactics go beyond temptation. He aims to entrap you in anxiety, depression,
broken relationships, layoffs, health struggles, and countless other hardships. Satan,
the defeated villain, has already lost to the creator, yet
his mission remains. And here this to keep you from
God's goodness and peace. Though conquered by Jesus on the cross,
(02:02):
he and his team prowl the earth seeking to devour
hope wherever they can. My special guest today is JP Pokluda.
He's written an amazing book titled Your Story Has a Villain.
Identify spiritual warfare and learn how to defeat the enemy.
I've got five copies to give away today. What I
love about this book is he does not go out
on a limb. This is not a sensational book. This
is a biblical book, and this is a real war
(02:24):
that we're in. If you've experienced a repeated area of attack,
we would love to pray for you today. Maybe you've
got a question for my guest today. Here's the number 87756758775483675.
Let me tell you about my guest. We'll get him
on the show. Jonathan JP Pokluda is the lead pastor
of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. Before that,
(02:46):
he led the porch in Dallas, which became the largest
weekly gathering of young adults in the country. Although JP
grew up attending various denominational churches, he didn't fully grasp
the grace of the gospel until his early 20s. That
experience sparked his passion to inspire young adults to follow
Jesus Christ wholeheartedly, and then to go on and make
a difference in the world. He and his wife, Monica.
(03:08):
They partner together in ministry and family, raising their three
children Presley Finley Findlay Weston, JP. Anytime I get to
talk with you is a treat. Welcome to equipped.
S3 (03:17):
Susie. So great to be here. Thank you for having
me on.
S2 (03:20):
Looking forward to the conversation.
S3 (03:22):
And likewise.
S2 (03:23):
I'd love to have you just go to the beginning.
I mean, you're a busy guy, and I know for me,
any book I've ever written, I've been extremely tested in
that area. So I'm always counting the cost. So how
in the world? I mean, how did the Lord bring
it up for you where you knew you had to
set your face like flint? Persevere and write this book?
S3 (03:39):
Yeah, I was, so I was raised Catholic. Catholic school
for nine years. And then I didn't go to church
in college. And so, sadly, that kind of prodigal story
where I went away and just pursued the party and
and sex, your relationships, alcohol, drugs, all the things. And
after college, I was at a club 22 years ago
and someone invited me to church. I sat in the
(04:00):
back row, hung over, smelled like smoke from the night before,
and surrendered my life to Jesus. Now, what's interesting about
growing up Catholic is every, uh, day in the service,
I would look up at this statue of Michael the
Archangel stabbing this demon. You know, that was commonplace in
in in my place of worship. But when I became
(04:22):
a believer in a, in a very healthy, non-denominational Bible
teaching church, I just didn't think much about spiritual warfare.
I knew about Satan, and I understood that demons were
fallen angels. And I, you know, I would read the
scriptures and and read the verses that would, uh, address
(04:42):
Satan and demons and whatnot, but it just didn't have
any implications for my own life. Well, six years ago,
our family moved to Waco, and I caught myself saying
all the time, man, there's a unique stronghold here. There's
a unique stronghold in Waco, Texas. And people are like,
what do you mean by that? And I'm not sure.
I'm not real sure I need to get a better
(05:04):
spiritual framework. And so I studied spiritual warfare for three
years and the result of that three year study really
was this book. Your story has a villain.
S2 (05:14):
Wow. I love this. You said the villain is not complex.
He does not have misunderstood motives. No, his objectives are
clear and they are pure evil. He is active in
our world today. And he's not alone. Yes, our story
has a villain and his name is Satan. You know, JP,
sometimes you hear Christians say, I only want to focus
on Jesus. I don't want to talk about or even
think about the devil. Yet you say that one of
(05:34):
the enemy's most excellent tactics against modern day Christians is
to lull us into thinking there's actually not a war
going on.
S3 (05:40):
That's right. Yeah, I think he's trying to disappear. Here
in America. And so as we focus on Jesus, you
will understand that Jesus had a lot to say about
the enemy. And even in his Word we know that
Jesus is the word. The word in the flesh. And
so like first Peter five says, your enemy the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
(06:01):
Resist him standing firm in the faith. Um, Jesus says in.
In John ten, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
But I've come so that you might have life and
have it to the fullest. And so Jesus himself presents
this dichotomy that we do have an enemy here, and
Jesus is offering us an abundant, full life with him.
(06:22):
But the enemy is constantly trying to distract us from that.
And I think he's running a scorched earth strategy. He
knows his theology. He's read revelation. He knows the back
of the book. He understands that he loses and that
his destiny is the lake of fire. And so he's
just trying to hurt people. And he delights when people,
you know, cut themselves. When we poison ourselves, when we
(06:44):
hurt each other. When we betray one another. When we
lie to one another, when we steal from one another,
when we covet one another's possessions. He receives all that
as worship. I mean, that's that's that's the kind of
worship that that he accepts. And so I think we
have to be mindful of that. And I would just
say to your listeners, you do not need to be
afraid if you have a relationship with Jesus Christ while
(07:08):
the villain is not in any way afraid of you
because these are really strong, powerful, brilliant beings, and while
he's not afraid of you, he's terrified of Christ. He's
terrified of the good Shepherd. And so our we have
to remain close to the to the good shepherd. And
if we do, we do not need to be afraid.
But we do need to be aware.
S2 (07:28):
Amen. It seems to me that he's also terrified of
us coming into the truth of our identity in Christ
and our eternity. That's secure in him because he seems
like he goes after those things all the time, always
sowing doubt about who we are and about who God is. Like,
he seems relentless about did God really say, are you
sure you heard that right? And I imagine how impotent
(07:48):
we as Christians will be if we live our whole
lives on earth, responding to our junk like we never
get out of those series of reactions of him poking
at us. Maybe speak a word of that because we
have what he can't have. We have eternity with the Lord.
We have a spirit alive in us. We have his
promises over us. so I can only imagine how much
(08:09):
he hates that we are such image bearers.
S3 (08:11):
Yeah, it's that identity. I'm a sinner saved by grace. And.
And while you may sin, I think we under index
on that second part. Saved by grace. Saved to God,
a child of God. A relationship with the creator of
the heavens and the earth through the death and the
resurrection of His Son. That I have a new identity.
It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
(08:31):
I've been crucified with Christ. And so, um, put putting
to death the deeds of the flesh. And so you're
absolutely right. He's after our faith. And the Scripture is
so clear in this. This is this is amazing. Like,
this is really I found it interesting as I studied it.
As you go through the armor of God and you
get to and you're in Ephesians six and you get
(08:53):
to the shield of faith which extinguishes the fiery darts
of the enemy. So the the, our faith is our shield.
It's our protection. Well, Jesus tells Peter, uh, before he's crucified,
he says, Peter, Satan has asked me to sift you
all like wheat. To which I would be like, well,
just tell him, no. Jesus. But but he says, so
(09:14):
I will pray for you that your faith will increase.
And so again, there's this idea that our faith protects us.
First Peter five, your enemy the devil prowls around like
a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him
standing firm in the faith. So there is this protective
layer in the Scripture which is our belief in God,
our trust in God. And absolutely, that is what the
(09:35):
enemy wants to bring us into question. He wants to
confuse us. He wants us to live in doubt, in
the the uncertainty and fear, the anxiety, the worries of
this world. That's where he thrives. And he does not
want us to feed our relationship with God and grow.
Grow confident in it and stand firm in it. Because
(09:57):
then we're out there as as Christian soldiers. And that's
not what he's after.
S4 (10:01):
You know, uh.
S2 (10:03):
Scripture, I think it's 91 Psalm 91. His faithful promises
are our armor and protection. And as a young believer
battling Lyme disease with three little babies and so much
medical debt and they didn't know a lot about Lyme
30 years ago, it was just a nightmare. And I
lived in fear to fear because my face would go numb,
my arms would go numb, the room would spin, the
bill collectors would call, and I felt like I felt
(10:24):
like God lost my address. It was so, so painful.
And I remember a woman called me and she said,
I've been hearing the chatter about your story. And she said,
I brought your case before the Lord. And she said,
Susie Larson, listen to me. He is building a platform
with your pain that you will speak from someday. So
lean in and learn everything you can because you're going
to have a story to tell. I hadn't learned warfare.
(10:44):
I hadn't learned how to stand on the promises. And
right after that call, it was like the Lord thundered
in my heart. It wasn't audible, but he said, are
you a believer just because you've secured your eternity? Or
do you actually believe this stuff? Like, when are you
going to shift your weight onto the promises to see
if they stand? And it was back then, as a
young mom, JP, with nobody really teaching me how to
do that. I was just done being bullied and I
(11:05):
had to. I couldn't live like that. And I found
that his promises do stand and they are our protection.
But we have to get out of victim mindset and
into an overcomer mindset. Would you say?
S3 (11:16):
Yeah. What an what an appropriate word uh, from your
friend that and and prophetic. I mean here we are.
Here we are in the. I didn't know that about limes,
did you? How was that today?
S2 (11:26):
Uh, daily I deal with symptoms, but I'm not like,
where I was, so, um, I'm an overcomer, and I'm
going to keep fighting until I'm symptom free. Well, we
got a pause here. When we come back, I want
to talk more. You say the enemy doesn't work alone.
And another thing that was so interesting in the book
where you said, we have this misconception. Satan's in hell
we're here, so we've got to a safe distance from him.
(11:46):
That's wrong. JP will clear that up. Talking to JP Pokluda,
his book Your Story has a villain. If you've got
questions about spiritual warfare or you feel like you're perpetually
under attack, why don't you give us a call (877)Â 548-3675.
The book is amazing. Your story has a villain. More
with JP in just a moment.
S1 (12:35):
We live in a culture whose needs and obstacles to
faith are constantly shifting. Sean McDowell's book apologetics for an
Ever Changing Culture, addresses many current issues and will help
you share and defend the gospel with relevant answers. It's
our thank you gift for supporting equipped this month. We'll
send you a copy with your gift of any amount
(12:57):
to equipped. Just call (888)Â 644-4144 144 or visit equipped radio org.
That's (888)Â 644-4144 or online at org.
S2 (13:17):
This is equipped with Chris Brooks coming to you from
the studios of Moody Radio. Susie Larson here filling in
for Chris today and tomorrow. You know, Jesus said that
the enemy's goal against you is to steal, kill, and destroy.
But Jesus plan is for you to have life and
life abundantly, and he's equipped you to overcome. Today I'm
talking with our friend, author pastor speaker JP Pokluda, and
I just got to say, wherever this guy goes on
(13:38):
these secular campuses, revival seems to follow. God is moving
in such huge ways through his ministry. We've got a
handful of copies of his amazing book. Your story has
a villain. Identify spiritual warfare and learn how to defeat
the enemy. If you've got questions about spiritual warfare, or
you feel like you have one area that you're perpetually
under attack. We'd sure love to pray for you. Give
us a call 83675, and JP writes this each day
(14:02):
the villain in your story cunningly plots to destroy every
part of your life. Your marriage, your friendships, your faith
are just some of the things that Satan is out
to ravage. However, Scripture shows us how to resist him
you are equipped to overcome. JP, you say Satan does
not work alone. Say more about that.
S3 (14:18):
Yeah. So revelation 12 talks about, uh, speaks to this
idea of one third of the angelic realm falling with Lucifer.
And so the the narrative, the biblical narrative of Satan
falling comes from stories in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28.
In Luke ten, Jesus references it. He says, uh, and
he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning
(14:40):
from heaven. So then with the context of revelation 12,
that he took one third of the angelic realm with him.
And all of a lot of this is written in,
in poetry and prophecy and, and and even with the
king of tyre, some, um, a little bit of what
I'll call allegory. And so we, we put these stories
together and see the bigger picture coming into play. And
(15:04):
so here's what I would say to your listeners is
Satan's probably never been anywhere near us. Uh, he's not omnipresent.
While he's very powerful, he's not all powerful. He's not
in every place at one time. And so he's somewhere
where there are rulers of nations, somewhere where there's war
and genocide. Uh, that's most likely where Lucifer or Satan
(15:24):
is today. We most likely have some, uh, demons assigned
to an area assigned to our family, assigned to our
lives in that way, and they plot against us. Now,
these are brilliant beings again, but they are no match
for Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, whom lives with us.
And so as we yield to the Holy Spirit, as
we follow Jesus and pursue our relationship with Christ sitting
(15:47):
under the protection of God, we don't have to live
defeated lives. We can we can live victorious lives. And
that's not this naive statement. That's not just something that
I say and kind of turn my head and look
the other way. It's like, no, we can actually walk
in the power of the spirit who raised Christ from
the dead. Uh, we have a relationship with him because
of what God did for us through his son, Jesus Christ.
(16:10):
So and so those those guys plot against us.
S4 (16:13):
Wow.
S2 (16:13):
There's so many more questions I have for you. You've
got the calls flooding in. Uh, Doctor Sutton is calling
in from Atlanta, Georgia. He's got a comment. Doctor Sutton,
you're on the air with JP.
S5 (16:22):
Hi. I first of all, I want to say thank
you for your insight and just your wisdom of faith. Um,
I just want to make a comment to say that
oftentimes it seems like that, um, we come to understand
that it's, it's a, it's an inside outside attack. Um,
(16:43):
it's if we can learn how to lean in on
the face of Christ. Um, I think Paul says it
best at the weaknesses in those points. When you're going
through the warfare, You learn how to understand that those
trying times create like the opportunity, as Paul comes to
(17:04):
a conclusion that in those places of weakness, then he
experiences that grace and he becomes strong through Christ. So, um,
I think that whole the whole idea of going through
and experiencing the spiritual warfare, uh, it ultimately brings us
to that point, if we let it and allow our
hearts to be postured towards his grace and his love, um,
(17:27):
it allows us to be strengthened in the midst of
us going through, um, if we can continue to hold
on to our faith.
S2 (17:34):
Doctor Sutton, thank you for that comment. And her operative
line there is, if we let it if you'd like
to hang on, Doctor Sutton, I'll get you a copy
of JP's book. Get your address and we'll get it
out in the mail. Any comments to her comment?
S3 (17:46):
Yeah, I appreciate that. I think it is a you know,
he says in Colossians, I strenuously contend with all Christ's
power at work in me. Galatians 220 I have been
crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me. And the life I
now live in the flesh. I live by the faith
in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me. Ephesians six is your typical chapter on
(18:10):
spiritual armor. It says, be strong in the Lord and
in the strength of his might. Put on the full
armor of God. And and just this idea is it
comes up over and over and over and over that
it's it's God's power at work in us. And that
in just as they referenced, um, you know, his grace
(18:31):
is sufficient. His power is made perfect in our weakness. Susie,
my my favorite quote, not in the scripture. And so
it's it's most based on that scripture, but it's if
dependence is the goal, weakness is the advantage. I really
believe that we we go through life searching for identity
and trying to present ourselves as strong and smart and
(18:55):
capable as as possible. But in reality, I think God
often chooses the weak to shame the strong. He he
he takes someone and says, hey, I'm. I'm in the
business of making myself look good. So I only use
broken people. And so as and like as you said earlier,
we don't have to walk around with an identity in
(19:17):
our brokenness, but we can walk around with our identity
rooted in his strength, rather than trying to show others
how strong we are. It's like, no, I've just got
a really strong Heavenly Father. I've got a really strong
dad who's watching out for me.
S4 (19:30):
Come on.
S2 (19:31):
Somebody. Wish someone could text me and. Amen. That's fantastic.
Got an anonymous friend checking in who's got a question
about a young child that died and wondering if there
was warfare around it. You're on the air with JP.
S6 (19:44):
Hi. Thank you for taking my call.
S2 (19:48):
Yes. What's your question for JP?
S6 (19:51):
Well, I don't know if it's a question. Um, I,
I know someone who has, um, had had this death
of their of their child. Um, they can't seem to
get past this tragedy. Um, and it seems like there's
(20:13):
just one, one problem after another that keeps occurring. And, um,
there were even problems for for this person as a,
as an infant or, um, a pre-birth. Um, that seemed like, um.
(20:40):
Seemed like Satan never wanted to leave this person alone, and, um, I,
I don't know what to say or how, how to
help this person or to get rid of this, um,
(21:03):
these tragic things that keep occurring. Um.
S2 (21:08):
Let me jump in there. If I could, uh, thank
you for that. You know, a couple of things that
are coming to mind, JP. One is I'm sure you've
heard this, too. And it it breaks my heart when
I hear people and I'm. She's not saying this, but
I'm just saying I've known people who've said to someone
who's lost a loved one, they'd still be alive if
you would have ABC.
S4 (21:25):
Yeah.
S2 (21:25):
And yet Psalm 139 talks about God numbers, our days. However,
there may be a demonic assignment against this family that
we can pray against, but I would love to know
your thoughts on what she's saying there.
S3 (21:35):
Yeah. First I would just say, I'm so sorry for
the loss of of this child. I know it's a
happened to a friend of yours, but just, you know,
we see at the death of Lazarus Jesus who's going
to raise him from the dead, uh, stopped and wept,
I think, at the possibility of death, just knowing that
that that should not be. That's not God's first desire.
(21:55):
And and the why? Like why did these things happen?
Are are answered incompletely, but answered in Genesis three that
the world that we live in is broken and there's death, disease,
and heartbreak here. And, and things happen that that did
not sit in, you know, in the in the first
desire of God. Now we live in kind of this
second reality of, of the brokenness of the world, which
(22:16):
he's going to repair and he's going to redeem. But
we're kind of in this, in this middle ground, this,
this waiting. And so I would say, you know, two
things come to mind. And one of them. Susie touched
on is just of course, prayer is, uh, an undervalued weapon. Uh,
we you know, Paul wraps up that whole chapter in
Ephesians six with pray and pray always and pray constantly.
(22:39):
And so I think if if the spiritual armor is
in a locked in a trunk, prayer is the key
to unlock that trunk and put on the spiritual armor.
And so you pray with and for your friend, and
you ask the Lord to send his strongest angels to
to protect that friend. And you ask the Lord to
to bind or slaughter any demonic forces coming against them,
which is language that I've not always been comfortable with.
(23:01):
You know, that was that was a when I would
hear people pray that way, like, gosh, that's so weird.
But then I as I read the scripture, it became
a lot more commonplace, a lot more normal for me.
And the second thing I would just say is, listen,
when somebody's going through a tragedy or a hard time,
just show up and resist the urge to say something profound.
(23:21):
It is a great time to believe Romans 828, but
it's not the best time to to say Romans 828.
I think it's just like, hey, just to sit with
them and that that is, um, God is working all
things together for the good of those who love him,
who've been called according to his purpose. I think we
just we show up, and if we don't know what
to say, we say, I don't I don't even know
what to say. I just want to be here for you.
(23:42):
I want to sit with you. And I just want
to pray with you and for you. And I think
sometimes that's the the greatest thing that we can do
in those situations.
S2 (23:50):
Beautiful. And I'm wondering JP for. We've just got about
a minute before we get ready to head to break,
but I'm thinking of this family and the many who
are calling in who feel that they're under perpetual attack,
like they cannot catch a break. Would you pray for
every person listening today who feels like that? Yes.
S3 (24:05):
Thank you. I would love to. God, we do just
call on you as our Heavenly Father. That all power
and honor and glory is yours. And we know that
our story has a villain, and that that villain has
an army, but they're outnumbered 2 to 1. And so
would you just protect the listeners of this show today
just because of the station the radio is on, just
because of where they're at and the proximity and the
(24:26):
geography and their ability to to hear these words, God,
would you pour out your grace and favor on their life,
your protection on their life? Uh, that that you have
prepared a table before them in the presence of their enemies.
You've anointed their head with oil, their cup overflows. Would
you allow goodness and mercy to follow them all the
days of their life? And we will dwell in your
house forever and ever and ever. In Jesus name, Amen.
S2 (24:49):
Amen, JP and thank you. Did you notice, friend? He's
praying the scripture. I don't know that there's a more
powerful way to pray than praying the scripture and immersing yourself. Psalm.
Psalm 91, Psalm 23, so many passages that speak to that.
He is our protection. He's our guard. He's our guide.
Talking to JP Pokluda today and his book is your
Story has a villain. Identify spiritual warfare and learn how
(25:11):
to defeat the enemy. Got a handful of other calls
coming in. We've got five copies to give away today. And, uh, friend,
the one who called in about your friend whose baby died.
If you're still on, I would love to get you
a copy of the book. So go ahead and give
us your information, and we'd make sure to get that
to you. You can learn more about today's topic and
our guest, and you find us online at Equipped radio.org.
(25:33):
That's equipped radio.org. Catch us on Facebook and on X radio.
When we come back, JP, let's talk about how the
enemy will work through believers who are not paying attention
to the spirit, who maybe are harboring grudges, bitterness, delving
into sin and hiding it, and how the enemy finds
those as open doors and he takes advantage every time.
(25:56):
More with JP Pokluda in just a moment. This is
(26:27):
equipped with Chris Brooks coming to you from the studios
of Moody Radio. Susie Larson here, filling in for Chris
today and tomorrow. Talking today with author, pastor, speaker and revivalist.
I'm just adding that to his bio. JP Pokluda. We're
talking about spiritual warfare, how to identify it, how to
stand strong against the enemy of your soul. His amazing
book is your story has a villain and that's just true.
(26:48):
Wondering for you. Are you walking through warfare time? Are
you feeling like you're under attack? Too often as Christians,
we cower. We cover our head and we don't say
a word about it. It's time to assemble the troops.
You need to call in your prayer warriors because our
story has a villain, but we have Jesus and we
can be overcomers as we band together. So how about you?
Have you been blessed by today's show and past shows?
(27:09):
Do you love the guest Chris has on every day?
If you find yourself growing spiritually because of this program
and you've been listening for a long time, maybe consider
becoming one of our team equippers and a monthly partner.
We've got friends who do that. And you know what?
There are plenty of perks coming straight from Chris. He'll
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(27:31):
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You can become an Equipper by calling (888)Â 644-4144 or visit
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(27:51):
and many more people are discipled in the process. Again,
it's equipped radio.org or (888)Â 644-4144. So we're talking to JP Pokluda,
and I wanted to ask you, JP, about the idea
of how the enemy works through Christians. At times we're
filled with the Spirit of God. But there's plenty in
Scripture that says you can give the devil a foothold.
You can give him access. And from what I understand
(28:13):
in my study, he's a legalist. If you give him
access with harboring a grudge, usurping authority, gossiping, you know,
duplicit lifestyle, that's territory that he can encroach on because
you've given him space for it. And when I travel
around as a speaker at conferences, I will tell you
the one thing behind the scenes that leaders tell me
what makes them most tired is dealing with the stuff
(28:35):
in Christians who aren't dealing with their stuff. Do you
know what I'm saying? Where they become nitpicky because they're
not looking at what God wants them to look at.
S3 (28:42):
Susie, your, um, theology is impeccable. And so I, I
completely agree with that. I think that the vast majority
of believers out there, and there's a good chance that
most of your listeners don't understand that when we sin,
we let him in. Uh, this is this idea of
(29:02):
giving the devil a foothold. Footholds turn to strongholds. This
is why some of you are stuck in alcohol. This
is why some of you are stuck in nicotine. This
is why some of you are stuck in pornography or
other vices and addictions. At some point you you've let
the enemy in and and it's become a stronghold in
(29:24):
your life. And while that problem may be mental or physical,
it's also spiritual. And so as you, um, address it
with therapy or medication, you know, those those things can
be very necessary. You also want to address it with
prayer and have others pray for you. James 516. Uh,
have other people pray for you so that you may
(29:46):
be healed, for the prayers of righteous people are powerful
and effective. As you talk about gossip, slander, criticism, lies, accusations.
I mean, James chapter three verse six says, the tongue
is a fire, a world of unrighteousness set on fire
by hell. This is what the enemy uses. Uh, we
(30:06):
a lot of you who are listening don't think. Oh, well,
I've cursed my neighbor, or I've cursed a coworker. I've
cursed my spouse, or I've cursed my children. But we
can curse somebody with. With a long pregnant pause to
a question or a look with our eyebrow and certainly with, uh,
words stated under our breath. And so we need to
(30:28):
be mindful of what we speak, because James tells us
that the tongue has the power of life and death.
And and I will just add to that. Um, thoughts
take you places. So you feed, you feed Satanic thoughts.
Those satanic thoughts are going to grow in your life.
And so, um, I didn't really get into what other people, um,
how other believers can impact us, but it's that I mean,
(30:51):
it's gossip, slander, criticism, lies, accusations. I mean, those those
Christians can be the worst. I'm saying Christians and air quotes.
We can be the absolute worst.
S2 (31:00):
And if you want examples, just hop on social media.
You'll see it alive and well and it's grievous. Actually
one other in James it talks about jealousy and it's
the gateway sin. I mean, it's even the progression is, um,
what is it? Earthly, unspiritual and demonic. So you start
out jealous and it's kind of earthly, and then it
(31:21):
becomes unspiritual if you don't challenge it and then it
becomes demonic because jealousy, you know, compels you to undermine
and to build your own kingdom instead of Jesus. So
we've got to if we really want to win in warfare,
we've got to develop a new fear of God and
the honor of his word. And, uh, yeah. Okay, let's
talk to Jada. She needs prayer and I've loved to
(31:42):
pray for her and Jada. I already want to just
tell you, you're going to get a copy of JP's book,
and I know it's going to help you. You're on
right now with JP Pokluda.
S7 (31:50):
Hi. Thank you both so much for your time. Um,
you know, it's just this word that keeps popping up
for me every time I hear, you know, every time
I say something, I'm going through, you know, my mom
will say she's so proud of me because it means
the devil is working against me. But the spiritual warfare.
There's times where I'm being, you know, good suffering or persevering,
(32:10):
but it just feels like enough is enough. And I
really would like some prayer, please, because I know I
can't do it alone. And I do everything go to
church and things like that. But sometimes it's just the
power of prayer, like you guys said, that I feel
like can just break those chains in Jesus's name. So
I thank you.
S2 (32:29):
JP.
S3 (32:30):
Yeah, I would love to and I just I thought about,
you know, Jesus when he was tempted in the wilderness,
it says that the, the Lord sent angels to strengthen him.
And so God, I do just pray for Jada right now.
Would you send angels to strengthen her? Would you? And
put actual people in her life? I pray that you
would put women who know her and love you and
love her and know you in her life, to help
(32:52):
carry a mat in a season, to help hold her
arms up in a season that you would surround her
with the body of Christ, that her needs would be met,
and that she would feel a deep sense of intimacy
to you, and that you would just protect her from
the enemy. That any demonic forces that are coming against her,
that they would not prosper, that they would be gone
in the name of Jesus by the blood of Jesus.
It's in his name. We ask this. Amen.
S2 (33:14):
Amen. And you know, as JP prayed, that's a spiritual transaction.
Things happened. Prayer makes a difference, and the prayer of
a righteous person accomplishes great and powerful things. And Jada,
one other thing I want to say to you, one
of my prayer partners said the best thing she said,
when you're under attack, Susie. She said her default and
mine always has been to to pray. Psalm 139 Lord,
search me, know me, test me, and point out anything
(33:36):
in me that offends you. And she's like, if the
Lord shows you something, repent, but then rise up and roar.
And if he doesn't show you anything, then just roar.
And I love that so much that if there's a
repetitive attack, I've got to just because even you know,
Paul said, my conscience is clear. It doesn't mean I'm innocent.
And David said, keep me back from presumptuous sins. So
to me, I like to say, Lord, is there something
(33:58):
underneath it all that's giving the enemy access? And if
he shows me there's no condemnation. It's just an invitation
to repent and then roar. But if there's nothing that
he's showing you, enemy's just picking on you because he's
threatened by you, then you just get up and roar.
Anything you want to add to that?
S3 (34:13):
JP yeah, no, I think he attacks you because you
you have influence and and you're seeking the Lord and
your work matters. And so we're not home yet. I
think we have to maintain hope that, you know, Jesus
comes and finishes this battle that we're fighting, and he wins,
and we're going to be in this place of of
no sadness, no death, no disease, no heartbreak. And very
(34:34):
soon the first thing God does is wipes away every tear.
And so as you fight here on earth, keep your
eyes fixed on on heaven too. And just knowing that
that God. God comes and conquers.
S2 (34:46):
So good. I'm going to see if we can squeeze
one more call in before our break. But, friends, we're
not going to have a lot of time on the call.
Maureen's checking in, and she's got a question for you. Maureen.
Thank you for holding. I know it's been a little
bit of a wait. You're on now with JP.
S8 (35:00):
Thanks, JP. Um, just so you know, my little bit
about my background, I was raised to lie, cheat, steal, manipulate,
use drugs to escape a violent alcoholic home. And I
have struggled for many years. I have been a Christian
many years. Gotten a lot of healing, a lot of healing.
(35:22):
Learn to love and to forgive. But this. I'm in
my 70s now and I still have struggled greatly against
marijuana addiction. And if you have any any idea? And codependence.
I'm working on that with a good 12 step group
(35:42):
through my church, so any help I would appreciate.
S3 (35:46):
Yeah, Maureen, first of all, I just I thank you
for your transparency. And I think there's going to be
people that are strengthened today who are listening because of your,
your confession. And I'm, I'm so encouraged by the work
that God has done to help you overcome to you
Susie's word. Uh, a home that raised you to cheat
and steal and and, uh, there was abuse there. And
(36:08):
so I'm grateful to God. And. Yeah, I think, you know,
that that addiction to THC can be a stronghold, a
lingering stronghold. And so I would ask, uh, other believers
to come around you. Uh, James does talk about that.
There is a healing that only happens with confession and prayer.
And so you got the confession part to the whole
world today. Uh, but to invite believers around you to,
(36:29):
to to lay hands on you and to pray over
you and then to offer you accountability so that when
you want to reach out to that dealer or go
to that that head shop or whatever that is. Um,
that that you would text them on the front end
that you'd say, hey, the desires there, would you guys
pray right now for me to overcome this desire? And
depending on how long this has been, their detox may
(36:50):
be necessary. Therapy may be necessary. Rehab may be necessary.
There's usually great um, ministries like celebrate recovery or regeneration uh,
in most cities. And so I would go to those
websites and see if there's a, a 12 step program there,
a faith based 12 step program. Uh, that would help
you get recovery from this THC stronghold.
S2 (37:13):
And, father, we, we pray for marine and I pray
for that community. I pray for that group. And I
just pray that more than anything, you would give marine
a vision of what a healed, redeemed, restored marine looks like,
that you've got a vision for her to prosper her,
not to harm her, to give her a hope and
a future. Would you bless her God? Would you strengthen her?
I pray that she'd have such a deep encounter with
(37:34):
you that it would obliterate any desire for using in
Jesus name. We thank you, God that you've got a
good plan. Lead her in your everlasting way. In Jesus name.
S9 (37:43):
In Jesus name, Amen.
S2 (37:45):
We need to pause here, Lindsey. We're going to try
to get your call on the other side. But I
also want to give a little time, JP on the
other side to talk about hell. It's interesting how I'm
hearing from professing believers who are obliterating hell from their
theology as if they can just do that, like Jesus
never talked about it. And I know you've got some
things to say about that, so I would love for
us to discuss that. Going to just make the most
(38:06):
of our little bit of time. JP Pokluda is my guest.
Your story has a villain. Is his book Powerful Conversation?
Check out his book. We got a few more copies
to give away. Don't go away. We'll be back in
just a moment.
S1 (38:45):
Sharing your faith can be challenging. How do you confidently
engage with questions about truth, technology, and culture while staying
grounded in Scripture? That's why Chris Brooks has chosen apologetics
for an ever changing culture as our gift. When you
support equip this month, it will help you provide thoughtful,
informed answers to the pressing questions of our time. Request
(39:09):
your copy today with a gift of any amount. Call
(888)Â 644-4144 or visit Equip radio.org.
S2 (39:23):
This is equipped with Chris Brooks coming to you from
the studios of Moody Radio. Susie Larson here filling in
for Chris today. Tomorrow. You know what the enemy comes
to steal, kill, and destroy. But Jesus comes at you
of life and life to the fullest. Yet too often
we live battered by the enemy and we don't think
we have agency. We don't think we can do anything
about it. Well, it is true that your story has
a villain. That's the title of JP's book, but he
(39:45):
teaches us how to identify spiritual warfare and learn how
to defeat the enemy. JP Pokluda is my guest today,
and Lindsay's been on hold for quite a while and
has needed some prayer. She feels like she's under under
attack and in the battle. Lindsay, sorry to make you hold.
Thanks so much. You're on the air with JP.
S10 (40:01):
Thank you so much for taking my call. Um, I'm
so thankful you guys are talking about spiritual warfare today
because I, I've been really battling with this for most
of my life, especially recently. Um, I'm 27 years old,
and I've been struggling with a lot of fear and anxiety.
I know this is from the enemy, and I've been
reading scriptures out loud and praying, but the enemy keeps
attacking me. So I was calling to ask for some
(40:24):
prayer about this.
S2 (40:25):
Bless you. What do you say, JP?
S3 (40:27):
Yeah, I'd love to. I just want to make sure.
I know you said the enemy is attacking me, but
in and you said prayer for this any. Is there
any more context on the this you'd like to add?
S10 (40:39):
Um, just, you know, the enemy's been putting a lot
of lies in my mind, mostly in anxious thoughts and
fears and doubts and, um, you know, it's just been
kind of like an ongoing attack, like, throughout, you know,
throughout my entire life. Pretty much.
S3 (40:53):
Absolutely. Well, Lord, you tell us that we will know
the truth, and the truth will set us free. And
so I, I just pray that you would fill my
friend's heart and mind with truth that she would not
be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition with thanksgiving, that she would present her request to you,
and that in exchange for those requests, these requests we
(41:13):
bring right now, that you would give her a peace
that guard her hearts and her heart and her mind
in Christ Jesus. And so I pray that she would
be connected deeply to, uh, people who follow you and
that they would just carry this prayer forward like a
relay baton. Yeah. Laps and laps around the track. Continuing
to pray for this friend. And that you would just
(41:35):
fill her heart with peace. And that she would not
believe any lies. And that you would make her mind
and her ears deaf to the lies of the enemy.
She wouldn't hear them any longer. In Jesus name, Amen.
S9 (41:45):
Amen.
S2 (41:45):
Lindsey, you're going to get a copy of JP's book
if you can. Hang on. One thing that my friend,
she's in the battle of her life. She made a
little battle box. It's a little plastic box with scripture cards.
And every time she finds a passage that just leaps
off the page and it's kind of tools in our toolbox,
she writes it down every day. She pulls out her
battle box and goes through those verses and prays the Scripture.
There are verses in Scripture with your name on them.
(42:07):
So I would say armor up, fight back, and I
think JP's book will help you. So thanks for calling.
We just have a few minutes left to go, but
I've got to ask this question because I'm amazed at
the the shift in theology, how friends can maybe pick
and choose what they want to believe. And one of
these things is people obliterating how you know that a
kind God wouldn't send people to hell, so, so they're
(42:28):
moving it out of their theology. But Jesus really didn't
give us that option. And that does impact our our,
you know, view of warfare. If there's no hell.
S3 (42:38):
Yeah. No, there's definitely a hell. Uh, you know, I
think I think we are confused. Like, hey, why would
God send someone to hell? Uh, did he create hell?
Hell is a place that was created for Satan. That's
the reality. Satan's trying to drag people to hell, and God,
you know, he tells us that he's, um, not slow
(43:00):
in keeping his promises, as some understand slowness. But he's
patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone
to come to repentance. And so God left us here
when he saved us. When we trusted in Christ, he
didn't take us home. It's not like we we prayed
a prayer and then woke up in heaven. He left
us here on the earth to to wage war. And
Satan is not in hell yet. He is on earth.
(43:22):
I mean, that's the reality is Satan is here on
earth with demons trying to drag people to hell with him,
and that he does that through sin and temptation constantly,
every single day. And as we walk in Christ, as
we teach the truth, as we share the gospel, you
want to talk about spiritual warfare, evangelism, like you sharing
the gospel. If you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you
(43:44):
telling someone else how they can go from death to life,
how they can have a relationship with the creator of
the heavens and the earth. You're on the front lines
when it comes to spiritual warfare. When you do that.
But yeah, I um, hell is a reality. And if
we run from God and we reject God, if we
do not pick up the the payment that God paid
for us on, on our behalf through His Son Jesus Christ,
(44:06):
what we just celebrated, uh, on Good Friday and Easter.
If we don't trust in that, uh, then hell is
our destiny. Um, you know, that's every sin has to
be paid for, and we can decide. Do we want
to pay for our own sins in hell forever? Or
do we want to believe that God paid for our
sins on our behalf through His Son, Jesus Christ? And
if Jesus paid for them, then then we're going to
(44:28):
be with God forever. And if we don't believe that
Jesus paid for them, then we will have to pay
for them.
S9 (44:32):
Wow.
S2 (44:33):
There'll be a day of reckoning. Just got about a
minute left. And this ties into what you were saying, friends,
when you step out in ministry, when you decide to
go to church, when you decide to study the word
or to serve God in some way, you will be opposed.
And how easy, how quickly can we just take our
hands off of things because we don't want to be uncomfortable?
We've got to learn how to press through. And this,
dear listener has a question about going to church. And actually,
(44:55):
we just literally have about 45 seconds, friend Lisa, you're
on the air, but you just got a moment. So
go ahead and ask your question. And JP, we'll just
wrap this as soon as we are able.
S11 (45:05):
Yeah. Hi and thanks for taking my call. I just
want to say I really can relate to Lisa's last caller. Um,
I'm really nervous just making this phone call. And why
this phone call? You know, but I just want to
say I'd love to get involved in church. Um, but
that's easier said than done. I watch it online, and.
No problem The minute I start thinking about actually walking
(45:27):
into a church, that's when my thoughts start to go wild.
S2 (45:31):
All right. Thank you for being so concise. You've got
about 50s, JP, what say you?
S3 (45:37):
Yeah. Just say listen, that's there's nothing surprising there. The
enemy does not want you surrounded by God's people. And
so press forward, take your thoughts captive, make them obedient
to Christ. The Scripture says, and literally just sit there
and say, okay, Lord, would you calm my anxious heart?
Would you set my mind on the things above? Help
me to reflect on you, Phil. I just pray you
(45:59):
turn the volume up on the knob of the Holy Spirit,
that I would surrender more to you and learn from
you today, surrounded by your people. And just pray that
when you go in there and you'll see God move,
you'll see God work.
S2 (46:10):
JP this has been such a great, great conversation. Lisa,
I want to make sure you get a book. So
stay on the line and make sure we give get
your information. You'll love JP's book. JP, I want to
just thank you for stewarding your ministry and stewarding this
message because I know it didn't come without a cost.
We love and appreciate you and continue to hold you
up as you're out there a lot. Bless you my brother.
S3 (46:31):
Thank you so much.
S2 (46:32):
Such a good.
S9 (46:32):
Conversation for you.
S2 (46:33):
And for you as well. And friends, if you found
some encouragement here today, you can find more information about
our guests and our topics at Equipped radio.org. Join us tomorrow.
At the same time, I'll talk with investigative journalist best
selling author Lee Strobel as he talks about the supernatural.
He'll make the distinction between sensationalism and actual spiritual truths.
There's going to be another really great conversation. I'm Suzy Larsen.
(46:55):
From all of us at equipped. Thanks so much for
listening today. Equipped is a production of Moody Radio, a
ministry of Moody Bible Institute. We love and appreciate you.
We'll meet you back here next time.
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