Mike Triem (Crawford Media Group) interviews author and real estate professional David J. Decker about his book, “How to Go to the Super Bowl for Free,” and how it’s designed to open doors for sharing the gospel. Decker reads Ephesians 6:10–18 and breaks down the “whole armor of God,” offering practical encouragement for believers facing spiritual opposition while sharing their faith. He closes with a reminder that personal testimony is a powerful starting point
00:00:00 Introduction to David J. Decker and His Books
It’s Mike Triem with Crawford Media Group. Today we’re joined once again by David J. Decker. David is an author and actually a real estate, quite accomplished real estate professional. David, thanks for coming back.
SPEAKER 02 :
Boy, it’s so great to be back, Mike. Thanks for having me on.
SPEAKER 01 :
So your books range from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Real Estate Investing Basics up to the keynote book, How to Go to the Super Bowl for Free and Other Success Secrets from the Victory Playbook. So, Super Bowl and Ephesians 6. Dave, what do those two things have to do with each other?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, here’s the secret, Mike. As much as I want to help our listeners get to the Super Bowl for free, my book isn’t a how-to guide on how to go to the Super Bowl. Instead, what I’m really trying to do is I’m trying to capture the attention of lost folks so I can introduce them to Jesus and talk about the gospel and share the good news with them. And that’s why Ephesians chapter 6 is so relevant to us, Mike, that once we get started on sharing our faith and as we become effective, well, guess what? We are on the front lines of the battlefield of the spiritual warfare, and Satan is not going to take kindly to what we’re doing, and he’s going to punch back. And so we need to be protected, and we need to be prepared, and that’s why I wanted to talk about Ephesians chapter 6 today.
SPEAKER 01 :
That’s great. And Dave, you intentionally, some people have asked me about this, you intentionally kind of had the Super Bowl title, but that was because some people just probably wouldn’t read a book, even though the title’s amazing. But if it’s, you know, if it’s, hey, straight up, you got to, we got to get you in God’s word. That’s for one crowd. And this, this gives you entree to others.
SPEAKER 02 :
I think so. You know, Mike, I was involved in door-to-door evangelism for 12 years, and I can see even for myself as a younger man, boy, if you would have said, here’s a book all about Jesus. Oh boy, I was not interested in those kinds of things. But the Super Bowl, 40% of the population watches the Super Bowl outside of Christmas. It’s the most shared cultural experience that we have in the United States. So it’s something that piques people’s interest, and now they want to know. So you’ll get someone who might not ordinarily darken the door of a church, but now he’s interested in this book, and so we’re going to sneak the gospel in there. But more importantly, because most of our listeners now already know the Lord, what we want to do secondarily is we want to equip believers to be ready to share their faith. But part of that equipping, Mike, I really believe this, is that I had 100 classroom sessions on how to share the gospel, and nobody ever mentioned satanic opposition. And I think it’s unfair to send our people up against the devil, really, in this important work, without pointing them to the protection that they can have in Ephesians chapter 6 and mourning them, not to frighten anyone, not to frighten, but to point people to the remedy, which is Ephesians chapter 6, putting on the whole armor of God. At some point, I’m hoping I’ll be able to just read the passage, Mike, verses 10 to 18.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, let’s do it. And then let’s break down what whole armor of God looks like, because for some people that’s not, you know, that whole process of doing that’s not what they’re familiar with.
SPEAKER 02 :
You bet. So let me just read Ephesians 6, verses 10 to 18. 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 and the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in 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 all 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. That’s Ephesians chapter 6, 10 to 18. And Mike, you know, I think it’s fascinating. We first have to consider the context in which this passage was written. Of course, it was written by Paul, writing to a group of believers at Ephesus, and he’s comparing these protections to the most powerful military of the time, and that would be the Roman legions. So we’re talking about the equipment possessed by the Roman soldiers. And it starts with talking about the belt of truth. So I want to talk about the belt of truth for a minute, Mike. The belt of truth is the word of God. The belt would hold the armor and all the equipment for the soldier all in place so his weapons would be at the ready. And for us, The parallel is the belt of truth is God’s word. And we want to rely on the scriptures when we’re sharing our faith because otherwise our conversation just devolves into an intellectual debate and we have no more credibility than anyone else. But God is the ultimate authority. So if there is to be conflict, let it be between God and the listener and not the messenger. So that is the belt of truth. So let’s go on to talking about the breastplate of righteousness. And here, Mike, I just think so often there’s a common mistake that’s made because we have a tendency to want to rely on our own righteousness instead of Christ’s righteousness. And our righteousness is never adequate. It is always imperfect. And studies have shown the chief reason why people don’t share their faith is the apparent hypocrisy between their own lifestyles and the message that they’re trying to share. And that, Mike, is a lie of the devil, because none of us are perfect. We’re all that God has. But if we do have issues, if anyone ever confronts us about… our faith or about our lifestyle or about anything that we’re doing. Of course, none of us are perfect, but never defend yourself because when you begin to defend yourself, now the conversation becomes about us and whether we’ve reformed or just how far we’ve gone towards improvement. And it’s the wrong conversation. Instead of talking about Jesus, now we’re talking about ourselves. So if somebody confronts us with legitimate wrongdoing, I find myself saying, I’m guilty of everything you said and more besides. And if I get what I deserve, I would go straight to hell. But by the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, I have been saved. How can I not tell people about a good Savior like that? So when confronted, go to the breastplate of righteousness and stand fast in Christ’s righteousness. So I want to move on, Mike, to talking about the shoes of readiness. Now, the Roman soldier in combat had cleats on his feet because maintaining his footing was key to his own protection. But the Roman legions fought as a unit. So if the Roman soldier was to lose his footing and fall, not only would his safety be jeopardized, but even the man next to him on either side. So it was vital for that soldier to keep his footing. And in a similar way, we need to be firm in our faith and we can never compromise concerning any part of the gospel. And that would be the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, the crucifixion, the resurrection, certainly the sin nature of man. These are themes that we cannot compromise on. However, at the same time, we want to avoid other areas of controversy because Jesus is already a controversial figure and confronting people with their sin is already enough controversy. So we want to stay away from other topics like abortion or gay marriage or transgender or creation versus evolution or death penalty. We don’t want to be brought into these kinds of conversations because none of these challenging topics can be reconciled until we agree on who is king, ruler, and authority. So that is the shoes of readiness. And I want to talk about for a moment the shield of faith. Now the shield of faith is the Holy Spirit of God. It is the Holy Spirit of God that saves. And while we need to be prepared, this is not about us and our performance, but God working through us. This is why even the rookie can be effective in the first day. And so what you might do if you’re inexperienced, you can get a set of tracts from a church or even online. Become familiar with those tracts. Highlight portions if you need to and keep them on your person, and you’re ready at all times to share your faith. That was the purpose of my book also, Mike. My book served like a tract, but it has another important purpose. I know from 12 years ago, and door-to-door evangelism, that the hardest part of the whole enterprise is how do I get that awkward conversation started? And that’s the purpose of the book. That is the purpose of the book, to be that natural conversation starter. But I want to say to our listeners, Mike, whether it’s a tract or my book or some other mechanism, I encourage our listeners, find that approach and those tools that are comfortable for them. But be deliberate about being prepared. That’s the shield of faith. And I’m going to move on. Yes.
SPEAKER 01 :
Oh, yeah. Go ahead. Let’s finish that thought. Then I’ll add to what you just said.
SPEAKER 02 :
Sure. I want to go on, Mike, then to talk about the helmet of salvation. And the helmet of salvation is one of the most important pieces of the armor. Of course, it’s protecting the head. And so this is about guarding our assurances. Sometimes, particularly for those that were saved at a young age, often there isn’t a stark contrast between the old man and the new man. And we can see sometimes that sin still persists in people’s lives. So sometimes people like this start to doubt whether or not they’re saved themselves. Please understand that lost people are not plagued by these kinds of thoughts. And consider the struggles that we have. Or maybe it’s just me, Mike. Maybe I’m the only one. But there are those sin strongholds in our lives. And we’ve apologized to a God a hundred times for the same things. And we’re grieved by our repeated failures. And we have Satan entering this picture and saying, see, look at you. God can’t use someone like you. Are you even saved? In the meantime… What we call sin, lost people call entertainment, and they’re posting it on social media. They’re planning on doing it again, and they’re looking forward to it. And so this is the struggle that we’re struggling is evidence of our salvation, and it is the protection that we have in the Lord, guarding our assurance and knowing that we’re saved in the helmet of salvation. And finally… I want to talk about the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It’s the only part of the armor that is offensive in nature. And a good offense is often a good defense. And this is so powerful because we were just talking about the things that can have a stronghold on our lives. And serving the Lord and sharing faith can be a mechanism to break sin’s strongholds because when we experience firsthand the power of God using us in the lives of others and seeing changed hearts and changed lives in others, we gain the confidence that God can do the same for us as well. So that is the sword of the Spirit, winning souls, changing lives, and seeing and opening our own eyes to what’s possible in our own sanctification. So, Mike, there it is in a nutshell, the whole armor of God, God’s protection for us as we do this important work of advancing the gospel.
SPEAKER 01 :
David, as we wrap up our last minute or so, real quick, one thing my wife has always shared that I really like is she’ll say, you know, you can start, if you’re not sure where to start, perhaps start with what God’s done in your life. And that no one else can say, well, that wasn’t what God really did in your life because it’s your story. So I don’t know if that helps, but that’s something that in putting on that whole armor of God and then sharing Christ with others, she has found effective for her.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, that is so powerful. You know, she is exactly right. You’re exactly right. The transformative power of the gospel is evident in individual lives. And it’s very, very, I think, assuring to tell people, look, this is my life before Jesus, before salvation, before Christ. And now look at the difference. I know there’s a stark contrast for me because I was saved as an adult. So that is a very, very powerful mechanism indeed.
SPEAKER 01 :
So, David, if somebody… And our listenership wants to contact you. How do they get a hold of you? How do they get the book? What would you share in terms of contact information?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, the book is available wherever books are sold and online. And you can get it at my website at davidjdecker.com. And if you’ve got questions about anything we talked about today, you can reach me at my email address at saved, S-A-V-E-D, at davidjdecker.com.
SPEAKER 01 :
That’s such a great email, Dave. That’s awesome. What’s David J. Decker? The book is How to Go to the Super Bowl for Free and Other Success Secrets from the Victory Playbook. And more importantly, Dave has broken down putting on the whole armor of God, Ephesians chapter six. It’s saved at davidjdecker.com. Dave, thanks for taking the time with us. Blessing to have you.
