Your Story Has a Villain: Identify Spiritual Warfare and Learn How to Defeat the Enemy

As a Christian growing up in the ‘90s, my understanding of spiritual warfare was heavily shaped by This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. No shade to Mr. Peretti at all—it was a compelling and eye-opening story—but at the end of the day, it was still fiction. I often struggled to find books that explained spiritual warfare from a truly biblical and practical perspective. That struggle ended with Your Story Has a Villain. This book is thoughtfully written, deeply rooted in Scripture, and incredibly practical. It clearly lays out who the enemy is, what the enemy does, and how the enemy operates in our lives. More importantly, it provides tangible, actionable strategies to recognize spiritual attacks and stand firm in faith. One of the things I appreciated most was how JP and Jon balanced truth with encouragement. Spiritual warfare is a serious topic, but this book doesn’t leave readers feeling fearful or overwhelmed. Instead, it equips believers with the tools they need to walk in victory, reminding us that while our story has a villain, it also has a Savior who has already won the battle. If you’ve ever wrestled with understanding spiritual warfare beyond fictional storytelling, cartoon caricatures, or vague clichés, Your Story Has a Villain is a must-read. It’s biblical, practical, and empowering—a book I wish I had years ago.

This book is fantastic!! If I would have written a book on what God has taught me the last few years on this topic, it would have been like this. Such great confirmation from the Holy Spirit. And so practical and relatable, very helpful! Also… Pookie, LOL. Any Psych fan will laugh when they read one particular sentence in this book haha. But in all seriousness, every believer should read this book and have it in their library!

All his books are so informative and insightful. Backed up by scripture and so easy to read. One of my favorite Pastors to listen to and read. Check out his podcast called Becoming Something if you’re a young adult!

I first learned of Jonathan Pokluda on a podcast with the Luskos. Somewhere during the podcast Levi mentioned he had a new book coming out. I was interested after hearing a few names for the title of the book. I do love this title the best. 😁 I'm usually turned off by someone saying "this is a must read" but I'm not going to say that because I want you to consider this book. I had a hard time putting it down but it was so much to digest that I would read a chunk, take a break, come back in a few hours and reread that chunk then move on for a few more pages. The book made me sad, scared me in places, convicted me way more than I liked, and taught me an eye opening lesson, more like lessons on how to spot Satan's attack on your life. If you want to be more aware of what is going on around you in life such as simple seemingly harmless attacks then read this book! if you want to know what it's like to be attacked and not realize that was an assault on you, then read this book, if you want a stronger relationship with your spouse and children, then read this book, but most of all if you want a stronger relationship with God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit then freaking read this book! I'm going to read it a second time and mark the important points that spoke to me, it's a short read, but very impactful and it makes you stop and think and sometimes reread what you just read. My favorite part of a book is the first few sentences of a book that grab my attention, that doesn't always happen with every book I read but for this book the last three sentences were the best part. It should have been the first three sentences of the book but it would have been a spoiler alert to what was to come. The last few pages of this book made me cry, it gave me hope, it was like someone holding my hand and confirming everything is going to be ok. You really should read this book.

i’ve read several books by Jonathan Pokluda and I’ve yet to read one that I didn’t enjoy. This book was encouraging as much as it was convicting. JP walks through the ways that the enemy tries to attack us, the ways we are susceptible and vulnerable and what we should do about that. This book isn’t meant to be alarming or scary, but meant to be cautionary and warning. JP highlights the reality that we do have an enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy us, but that Jesus came to give us abundant life. This book asks hard questions to help you identify where you might be susceptible and vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. It’s a healthy reminder that we are at war as believers, not against flesh and blood, but a spiritual battle against an enemy that wants to destroy us. You should give this a read!

this book has changed my perspective on life and opened my eyes to so many things i never saw before. this is a must read for everyone, whether you’re going through a high season or in the lowest pits. i recommend it to everyone i talk to. thank you JP for sharing this

I gave this book 4 stars because I love a lot of this book, its so incredibly good! It is funny, insightful and very important to understand our enemy! It has a lot of VITAL information and I truly hope you buy it and read it asap! HOWEVER, The author begins describing "Hell" on page 11 and it is NOT Biblical. If you don't believe me, begin studying the Hebrew lexicon for the different uses and potential meanings of the Hebrew words "forevers" & "eternals." Lost people DO NOT SUFFER and have PAIN after Judgement Day, AT ALL, EVER. There is no more pain or suffering for anyone, ever again, after Christ administers final justice. Saying he would allow people to suffer while the rest of us spend joyous time with him in heaven...that is an insult to Jesus. Do not take my word for it, go, see for yourself. God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are LOVING in the purest sense of the word and I cannot allow people to believe the lies of the enemy (he tricks us ALL multiple times in our lives, even the ones who believe themselves to be scholarly and God-loving) so I was uncomfortable but had to add this review.

Everyone should read this book and give one to their friends! It changed a lot of perspectives in my life and made me understand a few things much more clearly. I’m proud to have it on my bookshelf. I can’t wait to read it over again. I have read all of Pokluda’s books. I feel like he’s someone I can trust to keep it real and biblical. I definitely recommend this book and especially the author.

Definitely recommend. Todays struggles explained so simply. I am an avid reader of Christian books and this is right at the top. If your looking for the book to be laden with scriptures (some are mentioned) it isn’t, but the author relates to our every day life, it’s brilliant. Enjoy

I have just started this. Hoping to be done by the weekend. Good examples. It is easy to read. It has made the rethink how casual I am about spiritual warfare. I would definitely recommend.

Such a good read! Literally and figuratively. I’ve learned so much and it opened my eyes to what is really happening — that we have an enemy, a villain, in our lives who constantly seeks to steal, kill, and destroy our walk with the Lord. However, by reading this book as well it gave me the strategy and insights on not only practical ways to counter the enemy’s attacks and footholds, but to also WIN the battles in Jesus’ mighty name! Kudos to JP for making a book in layman’s terms that we may be able to understand what is “Spiritual Warfare”, what is truly happening in the spiritual realm, and how to WIN this under the authority of Christ our Lord.

Such a good read! Can’t wait to start more walkie talkie prayers and pass this book on to a specific friend. Thank you!