#208 - Kyle Thompson // How Would I Fight Against Me?

We walk through a simple but piercing self-assessment—“If I were the devil, how would I fight me?”—and match that strategy with Scripture and the Armor of God. We use coaching analogies to plan resistance, strengthen brotherhood, and move from drift to discipline.

• Word of God as the sword of the Spirit
• Core question for self-scouting temptation
• Coaching analogies to anticipate attacks
• Paul and Peter on Satan’s schemes and vigilance
• Practical resistance through Ephesians 6 armor
• Faith, prayer, and brotherhood as daily readiness
• Applying truth to habits, triggers, and environments

Go out and get your copy of Stand Firm and Act Like Men, becoming the man you were created to be instead of who the world says you are by Joby Martin
Before you go, if you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review

Chapters

• 0:01 Welcome and Framing the Fight
• 0:22 Book Highlights and Core Question
• 1:02 Coaching Analogies for Spiritual Warfare
• 1:46 Scripture on Satan’s Tactics
• 3:52 Armor of God, Piece by Piece
• 5:08 Call to Action and Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:01

Welcome to the Daily Blade. The word of God is described as the sword of the spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

SPEAKER_01: 0:20

Alright, guys, let's wrap up the week. All week this week, we've looked at some of my favorite quotes and highlights from Joby's new book out now called Stand Firm and Act Like Men, Becoming the Man You Are Created to Be instead of Who the World Says You Are. And we've been digging into the scriptural truths therein. So here's a quote. Congratulations, not from the introduction. I did pull a quote from somebody else or somewhere else. It's actually from chapter three. So here's the quote: A great question to ask yourself in your fight against the enemy is this. If I were the devil, how would I fight against me? So I'll actually repeat that question. If I were the devil, how would I fight against me? So, guys, you may actually want to pause this and chew on that for a bit. This is exactly how any good coach would, you know, approach a forthcoming game, right? If you think about it. So, you know, a great baseball coach will ask, okay, how would I pitch to my lineup to limit limit the damage, right? A great football coach will ask himself, okay, what defensive scheme could they run to stop our passing game? You know, a great MMA coach will ask himself, okay, how is this fighter going to try and exploit my guys' difficulty with stopping the takedown? You know, those are just some examples. But the last thing you want to do as a coach after a game or a fight or a match is to sit there and wonder, why didn't I plan for that? Like, why didn't I think of that? Because great coaches don't want to be outwitted by their opposition. But for a lot of us Christian men, we don't take seriously enough, not nearly seriously enough, the threat posed by Satan to us every single day. The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 2, verses 10 and 11 says this anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his designs. So, guys, inherent in this passage is that we are indeed in a battle of wits against Satan, the accuser, right? And he doesn't take any days off, right? He doesn't have an off season. The Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5, verses 8 and 9 says this be sober minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. So be sober minded. So you have to have your head in the game. Be watchful, you have to be vigilant. Your adversary, the devil, so Satan is not to be played with, he's not a teammate, he's not on your team, he is your enemy. Prowls around like a roaring lion. Satan is hunting. And what is his preferred prey? It's you, dude, seeking someone to devour. He doesn't want to nick you, he doesn't want to hurt you, he doesn't want to just draw some blood, he wants your complete and total destruction. And so what are we supposed to do? Resist him. So we are to actively, not passively, oppose his schemes. And a great way to start that process is to evaluate how you would attack you if you were him, and then firm in our faith. We don't just use the weapons of warfare of this world. We have to fight the powers of darkness with a faith that comes from and is in God. So evaluate yourself. Assess your weak areas, identify the cracks in your foundation, and then prepare for battle. And how do we prepare for battle? Now, guys, I know we've touched on this week and we've hit this a bunch on the Daily Blade, but we just got to keep going back to Ephesians 6, and we're just gonna keep hitting that until Jesus comes back. So buckle up, Buttercup. So here's Ephesians 6, verses 10 through 20. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand the evil, day, and having done all to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak. So, one last time, guys, go out and get your copy of Stand Firm and Act Like Men, becoming the man you were created to be instead of who the world says you are by Joby Martin. Get a whole box of them, give them out to your foxhole buddies. It'll be well worth your time and your focus. So thank you for your attention this week. Stay sharp.

SPEAKER_00: 5:26

Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.