The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Episode: 1KHO 697: Stand Your Ground | Joel Muddamalle, The Unseen Battle
Date: February 1, 2026
Host: Ginny Yurich
Guest: Dr. Joel Muddamalle

Episode Overview

In this insightful and thought-provoking episode, Ginny Yurich sits down with Dr. Joel Muddamalle—Ph.D. in theology, director of theology and research at Proverbs 31 Ministries, and author of The Unseen Battle: Spiritual Warfare, the Three Rebellions, and Christ’s Victory Over Dark Powers. Together, they dive deep into what spiritual warfare really means, breaking down often-unspoken elements in Christian theology, and how these unseen battles intersect with everyday living, particularly parenting, imagination, and the quest to reclaim wonder in a tech-saturated world.

Main Themes

• The Nature of Spiritual Warfare: Making sense of the unseen elements of faith as presented in Scripture.
• Biblical Imagination: Encouraging curiosity and multi-layered reading of the Bible, especially for families and children.
• Reclaiming Wonder and Imagination: The importance of letting children encounter the outdoors and spiritual truths.
• Practical Theology: How spiritual concepts can and should directly influence daily family life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Dr. Muddamalle’s Journey into Theology

• Sparked not by grand leaps but by “a long series of small steps of obedience… and a kind God” (03:28).
• The pivotal role of his high school English teacher:

  “He kind of opened my eyes to reading. Not flat, but multi-layered.” (03:28)

• Intrigue born from reading the Iliad, Odyssey, and comparing these to ancient Biblical texts, leading to a fascination with the “author’s intended meaning.”
• The need to bridge the ancient worldview and modern application.

Why Is the Serpent Talking? Rethinking Genesis

• Muddamalle challenges demystification of the Bible due to Enlightenment rationalism.
• The serpent (Nakash) in Eden is presented through three simultaneous lenses—fiery, supernatural being; guardian cherub, and literal snake:

  “Moses…mentions the nakash, what is he getting at? The answer…is yes. He has in mind A fiery being. He has in mind a guardian cherub, and he has in mind a serpent like figure.” (08:32)

• Eden is a mountain garden, a place where God’s human and supernatural families intermingle, making spiritual encounters normal for Adam and Eve.

Memorable Metaphor:

“God, routinely, every day on the calendar, an alarm would go off like five minutes before the cool of the evening breeze—by the way, Yahweh’s on his way to take a walk with you.” (09:19)

On Spiritual Deception:

“The tactic of the enemy is rarely to present us with something new, brand new. It’s actually to distort truth, what is actually true.” (11:45)

What Is Spiritual Warfare?

• Not simply demon possession or exorcisms.
• Fundamentally about a divided household (God’s original family of heavenly and human beings) and the cosmic King’s mission to bring His family back together:

  “The storyline of scripture is the story of a good dad who is absolutely determined to have his family back together.” (15:04)

• Most warfare is subtle—like a magician’s sleight of hand.

Notable Quote:

“There are some things that are simple but not simplistic.” —Jim Kress, as quoted by Muddamalle (14:59)

Footholds, Crouching Sin, and Idolatry

Ephesians 4:27 — Do Not Give the Enemy a Foothold

• Foothold means a strategic advance (22:22).
• Biblical echo: God’s warning to Cain in Genesis 4—sin crouches with patience, waiting to pounce (23:22).
• Dark powers leverage “good or neutral things to make them ultimate things that always become idolatrous things.” (24:13)
  • Examples include food, fitness, Netflix, social media, and even restlessness.
• “The enemy wants to work in places that are so often overlooked. And the Lord has a way out for us.” (27:13)

The Armor of God: Standing Firm

• No scriptural warrant to go looking for demonic encounters:

  “You and I are not called to pursue demon encounters… that's not the normative call of all believers.” (29:37)

• The armor of God is not generic; it’s God’s own armor, rooted in Isaiah.
• The command is to stand—not advance or retreat—being “passive recipients of divine action.” (33:10)
• Spiritual warfare for families: Discipling children in faith is an act of warfare.

Addressing Anxiety About Dark Powers

• Warns against using knowledge of spiritual battles to breed anxiety:

  “Our posture is a posture of humble confidence…not rooted in me, myself and I. It is a confidence that is rooted in Christ.” (36:55)

• The right perspective: “You and I view this conversation from the perspective of the finished work of the cross.” (38:08)
  • Believers ride the “wave of Christ’s victory” (39:23).

The Three Rebellions and the Three Temptations

• Muddamalle breaks from common “Genesis 3 only” explanations for evil, influenced by the late Dr. Michael Heiser (author of The Unseen Realm).
• The Three Rebellions:
  • Genesis 3: The fall (Eden)
  • Genesis 6: The sons of God and Nephilim
  • Genesis 11: The Tower of Babel and global division
• Each rebellion intertwines earthly and supernatural dimensions.
• These threads tie to the three temptations of Christ and ultimately illuminate spiritual warfare’s tactics:

  “It is never isolated to just an earthly experience. It’s never isolated, just a spiritual experience. This is where heaven and earth meet. What happens in one impacts the other.” (44:14)

Imagination, Curiosity, and Parenting

• Modern life discourages imaginative thought; children lose opportunities for imaginative, outdoor play.
• Muddamalle encourages parents:

  “The Bible, if we read it honestly from Genesis all the way through Revelation, your kids are going to come across things that spark their imagination.” (48:34)

• Don’t “punt” hard questions or curiosity from kids. Exploring strange biblical topics together deepens both faith and wonder.
• Letting faith questions remain open-ended fosters humility and adventure in belief.

Powerful Quote:

“The greatest story ever told is the story of Scripture. And every other story…is some copy and paste of that story.” (51:43)

Navigating Kids’ Deep Questions (Heaven, Life After Death)

• Muddamalle gives thoughtful, non-absolute responses to tough child questions about the afterlife, drawing from Hebrews, parables, and the overarching biblical narrative.
• On whether loved ones will be waiting for us in heaven:

  “What I can assure you of is that you won’t be alone…and more than anything, there will be Jesus there.” (54:53)

• Utilizes biblical “anchor points” to spark hope, not fear.

Closing Reflections: Outside Childhood Memories

• Dr. Muddamalle shares a nostalgic memory of venturing just one block away with his cousins, feeling as if they’d “gone to a different world”—a fitting summary of both outdoor adventure and spiritual exploration (58:54).

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “The Christian life…is less about massive leaps of faith and much more about small steps of obedience—just do the very next thing that’s in front of you.” —Joel Muddamalle (03:28)
• “The most deceptive and powerful tactics of spiritual warfare present half-truths as the full truth when they are nothing but a full lie.” —(14:00)
• "Spiritual warfare is about a household that's divided and a king who's going to have his household reunited." —(17:36)
• “You and I are not called to pursue demon encounters... we are called to stand.” —(29:37)
• “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.” —St. Augustine, quoted by Joel (25:41)
• “You can know counterfeit by knowing the true thing. The enemy is trying to present us with all kinds of counterfeit information.” —(51:43)
• “The greatest story ever told is the story of scripture.” —(51:43)
• “Don't punt on the conversation. Assess it and begin to allow imagination to grow...” —(48:09)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro and Guest Introduction: 01:20–03:21
• Dr. Muddamalle’s Path to Theology: 03:22–06:09
• Reading the Bible’s Multi-layered Meaning: 06:40–08:32
• Eden, Serpent, and Ancient Worldview: 08:32–12:31
• Nature of Spiritual Warfare: 14:59–17:36
• Foothold & Crouching Sin: 22:00–25:41
• Standing Firm & The Armor of God: 29:30–33:17
• Addressing Anxiety About the Unseen: 36:55–39:23
• Three Rebellions & Temptations: 39:55–44:14
• Stranger Theology and Imagination: 45:30–51:49
• Parenting, Afterlife, Answering Kids' Questions: 51:49–57:24
• Muddamalle’s Outdoor Childhood Memory: 58:54–59:36

Further Resources

• The Unseen Battle book – Out now
• Stranger Theology Substack & Podcast: Thoughtful explorations of paranormal, supernatural, and “strange” parts of the Bible (strangertheology.com)
• YouTube Channel: Addresses big theological questions for families and children

Conclusion

This episode brings clarity and depth to the often-misunderstood realm of spiritual warfare, provides practical encouragement for families, and reignites the value of curiosity, community, and imagination in faith. Dr. Muddamalle’s teachings bridge ancient truths and 21st-century parenting, offering both a challenge and an invitation: slow down, explore, walk with God in the cool of the evening—and let both your faith and your family’s wonder grow.