Wrestling with the Inner Man

David L. Savage
  • 4.7 (15)
  • Christianity
  • Biweekly

Welcome to the podcast of “Wrestling With The Inner Man” with Author / Speaker David Savage. David has a passion for Men’s Ministry and Biblical Truth to help build Better Men for our society.  The show title is derived from the first fight we each face every day, the fight with our flesh.  Do we listen to our selfish sinful nature or to our spiritual and divine nature guided by the Holy Spirit?  Contact David at david@thesavagepath.com or go to https://www.thesavagepath.com/.  

  1. 4d ago

    Resilience Under Pressure

    A tractor. A bicycle. A split second that changes everything. Jim Prash joins us from the road to talk about resilience that is not theoretical, not motivational poster talk, but the kind you earn when your body breaks, your plans disappear, and you have to decide what you believe about God and about yourself. We start with a simple image: a potter shaping clay while it is still moldable. That becomes our guide for the whole conversation, from the fast changes that come with age to the daily spiritual warfare of choosing our better nature over our selfish one. Jim shares how he and his wife, Vicki, went all in on full time Airstream life, why friends assumed they were financially ruined, and how living in a “traveling earthquake” teaches adaptability, problem solving, and humility in real time. Then Jim tells the story of being run over by a tractor during a caravan stop in Georgia, followed by critical care, ICU, rehab, and the mental spiral that comes with waiting to learn what will never be the same again. We talk faith, prayer, brotherhood, and the practical wisdom of leading other travelers through disappointment, risk, and unexpected breakdowns without losing the bigger picture. If you are staring at a setback and wondering if it defines you, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help more men find the path forward. Chapter Markers 0:00Welcome To The Inner Fight1:12Staying Moldable As Life Changes2:45Choosing Full Time Airstream Life7:32The Day A Tractor Hit14:29Faith And Friendship In Recovery15:45Leading Caravans Through Setbacks23:21How We Learn To Handle Loss28:08Advice To Young Men On Resilience32:18Closing Prayer And Next StepsSend us Fan Mail Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

  2. Oct 16

    Stop Trying To Fix It Alone

    Spiritual dryness has a way of sneaking up on you, especially when you’ve spent years pushing, producing, and pretending you’re fine. We sit down with writer and father Eli Brackenbury to talk about what happens when a man hits that wall in midlife and finally admits the old ways of coping are not working. Eli shares how an unexpected spiritual awakening at 50 came after divorce, grief, and decades of trying to steer his life alone and how one ordinary moment became the start of real healing. We dig into identity in Christ and why “surrender” is not weakness for men, it’s strength. Eli explains how spiritual warfare often shows up as performance, control, and numbness, and why returning to faith is less about polishing your behavior and more about letting God rebuild you from the inside out. We also talk honestly about church hurt, skepticism, and how to speak to seekers without preaching, using story and lived experience instead of arguments. The conversation turns practical when we unpack what it means to be equally yoked in a Christ-centered relationship: communication, conflict, healing, and trusting God’s timing. We also explore Eli’s vision for “the restoration of man” and the difference between being successful and being whole, especially for men asking big questions about purpose in their 40s and 50s. If this resonates, listen all the way through and share it with a friend who’s been living in the desert. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what part of the conversation hit closest to home. Chapter Markers 0:00Welcome To The Ring0:35Naming Spiritual Dryness4:55Identity After Failure And Drift11:26When Church Leaves A Bruise18:17Telling Your Story Without Preaching25:03What Equally Yoked Really Means32:48The Midlife Wall And Purpose36:46What A Restored Man Looks Like42:44Where To Find Eli And His Books43:56Come Home And Be Present44:55Closing Prayer And Sendoff Send us Fan Mail Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

  3. Oct 2

    Spiritual Warfare And The Masquerade Of False Light

    Deception doesn’t usually kick the door down. It whispers, flatters, quotes Scripture just a little crooked, and then watches us sprint through the maze. That’s why this conversation with Tom Snow hit so hard for us: the fight isn’t only “out there” in culture, it’s right here in the mind, where competing voices battle for our attention every day. Tom shares his personal story of trauma, miraculous healing, long wilderness seasons, and a near-death congestive heart failure moment that brought him back to the sweetness of “Papa God.” From that lived experience, we dig into spiritual warfare and discernment with a practical framework: four voices we hear constantly, how our old training makes us vulnerable, and why we can become our own worst enemy when we default to emotion, pressure, or ego. We also unpack the spiritual masquerade showing up in modern language, including New Age spirituality, energy healing, manifestation, and the law of attraction, especially when they get repackaged with Christian terms. We end with battle-tested anchors you can use right away: knowing God’s Word for yourself like a Berean and learning the difference between a temporary “peace” and the peace of God that guards your heart and mind in Christ (Philippians 4:7). If you want clearer thinking, stronger spiritual boundaries, and a deeper walk with the Holy Spirit, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs discernment, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Chapter Markers 0:00Welcome And Why Deception Spreads2:48Tom Snow’s Story And Calling6:40Early Charismatic Years And Warfare8:38The Wilderness Season And Heart Failure12:33Walking In Christ Means Anointing16:44Four Competing Voices In The Mind22:56Yielding And The Danger Of Wrong Prayers26:25Spiritual Mazes That Trap Believers30:46New Age Wellness And Church Infiltration35:18Manifestation And The Law Of Attraction42:18Two Tests Word And Peace48:28Where To Find The Books51:02Final Charge And Closing Prayer Website: https://just2beclear.com/  [to learn more about Tom’s current and upcoming books] Substack: https://just2beclear1.substack.com  [for blog posts and podcasts Tom’s been on] "The Daily Stand" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPNFRW3T "Set the Captives Free" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FCJ2Z2LN "Set the Captives Free Too" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GK5GZ2W9 @just2beclear FB: https://www.facebook.com/just2beclear @just2beclear1 IG: https://www.instagram.com/just2beclear1 Send us Fan Mail Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

  4. Sep 18

    Trust God In The Pit

    Your life can look successful on the outside while your mind is drowning on the inside. I sit down with Kirk Kuykendall, a Houston energy executive and father of three, to talk about what happens when anxiety, grief, and family fracture start writing the story in your head and you believe you’re alone in it. Kirk walks us through the “fragmented glass” moments that shaped him: his parents’ divorce as a child, bullying, and the devastating loss of his mother to suicide. Those wounds didn’t just hurt, they left cracks where shame, self-doubt, and fatalistic fear could settle in. When his own marriage began to collapse, the pressure to be the strong husband and dad turned into panic attacks and dark thoughts, and the accuser’s voice got louder: you’re a failure, it’s over, there’s no way out. Then comes the turning point: a pre-dawn walk, a mind racing with worst-case outcomes, and a question that stops him cold, “Don’t you trust me?” We unpack what surrender actually looks like for Christian men, why isolation fuels spiritual warfare, and how brotherhood and support groups can become a lifeline. Kirk also shares the practices that helped him rebuild from the inside out: Scripture that anchors the heart (Psalm 40, Isaiah 43, Isaiah 61), learning discernment, and showing up for men’s ministry through Freedom groups and Wild at Heart. If you’re battling anxiety, depression, divorce, loneliness, or relentless self-talk, this conversation offers real hope and practical next steps. Subscribe, share this with a man who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Chapter Markers 0:00Anxiety, Regret, And Worry2:15Meeting Kirk And His Mission4:05Childhood Divorce And Fragmentation7:55Loss, Bullying, And Feeling Alone16:05Marriage Collapse And Dark Thoughts19:40Don’t You Trust Me Moment24:20Surrender And The First Steps31:15Men’s Groups And Spiritual Warfare Tools37:10Daily Gratitude, Freedom, And Closing PrayerSend us Fan Mail Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

  5. Sep 4

    How To Live With An Eternal Lens

    If you’ve ever hit a milestone you prayed for and still felt restless afterward, you’re not broken, you’re hungry in a way success cannot fix. We talk about that hunger from the inside out, starting with a blunt question: are we living our daily lives through the lens of eternity, or are we spending all our energy choosing the seat and missing the show? I’m joined by award-winning author, theologian, and pastor Cory Rosenke, whose path includes childhood poverty, eviction, isolation, and a long season of searching for the “why” beneath human behavior, fear, love, and suffering. Together we get honest about why the most prosperous generation can also be the most anxious, why Christians often look just like the culture around them, and what it means to remember that our citizenship is in heaven. Cory lays out a framework from his book The Magnetic Heart of God: five cravings that drive every human life security, identity, independence, significance, and innocence and why peace only comes when those cravings are satisfied in God instead of substituted with money, control, pleasure, or self-defense. We also wrestle with AI and creativity, including the temptation to gain knowledge without discipline and how that can make us feel wiser than we are. Then we go deeper into spiritual warfare, heaven and hell as ultimate realities, and how suffering in a fallen world can either harden us or recalibrate us. Cory offers a practical takeaway I keep coming back to: fear, anger, and even shame can act like barometers, showing us where we’ve placed our hope so we can turn back to the cross and the joy set before us. Subscribe for more conversations that train up better men, share this with a friend who feels stuck, and leave a review so more wrestlers can find the fight that actually matters. What part of your life most needs an eternal perspective right now? www.coryrosenke.com Chapter Markers 0:00Welcome And The Eight-Second Test1:49Eternity As The Real Question5:12Corey’s Road From Homelessness To Faith10:32Why Prosperity Still Leaves Us Starving20:22Five Soul Cravings That Drive Behavior28:51AI Knowledge Without The Wrestle34:45Feeding The Soul Through Creation37:44Heaven Hell And Choosing Ground44:39Making Sense Of Suffering52:53Fear Anger And Shame As Signals56:48Books Prayer And How To ConnectSend us Fan Mail Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

  6. Aug 21

    What If Strength Is Choosing Not To Force

    Force gets results fast and breaks things quietly. Power moves slower, stays present, and builds something that lasts and that difference shows up everywhere from marriage arguments to leadership decisions to the private battles men fight alone. We sit down with Garth Haslem, author of Power Over Force and founder of Manalizing, to get specific about what “real power” actually looks like in a man’s life. We talk about why so many men default to pressure, control, withdrawal, or manipulation when they feel insecure and how self-governance becomes a higher form of masculine strength. Garth shares a striking contrast between force in the home and power in the home, plus practical ways to respond to conflict with calm, curiosity, and connection without becoming soft or passive. The conversation also goes straight at men’s mental health and isolation. When three out of four suicides are men, “handle it yourself” is not a virtue, it’s a trap. We unpack why brotherhood matters, what honest conversation can do that surface-level friendships cannot, and how shared community helps distribute the load. Garth ties it all together with a structural engineering lens: load paths, foundations, rebar, and the need to let God carry what we were never meant to carry alone. If you want a clear, grounded take on Christian masculinity, leadership, marriage conflict, men’s groups, and building resilience without force, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s carrying too much, and leave a review with the biggest takeaway you’re putting into practice. To learn more visit his website at: https://www.poweroverforce.com Chapter Markers 0:00Power Versus Force In The World1:40Why Men Feel Alone4:52How The Host Found Podcasting8:06Defining Force And Real Power9:09Agency Versus Control In Genesis12:25Powerful Marriage Conflict Looks Like This20:44Engineering Loads As A Model For Life28:30Self Governance As Masculine Strength32:40Brotherhood That Can Hold The Truth35:20Building The Stone And Pine Retreat38:19Where To Find The Book41:10Final Message And Closing Prayer Send us Fan Mail Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

  7. Aug 7

    Love Your Enemies

    Loving your enemies sounds simple until you’re face to face with betrayal, disrespect, or the kind of hurt that doesn’t go away. We sit with Luke 6:32–36 and ask the uncomfortable question it raises for every Christian man: am I really living by the mercy I claim to have received, or am I still letting my flesh call the shots when I feel wronged? If you’ve ever thought, “I can’t love that person again,” this conversation is for you.  I’m joined by Dr. Aaron Thomas, senior pastor and longtime friend, to unpack what grace looks like when it’s not theoretical. We talk about why the gospel flips the world’s logic from “change then you’ll be loved” to “you’re loved, and that love changes you,” anchored in Romans 5:8. Aaron even uses a surprising Beauty and the Beast analogy to show how love can meet someone in their worst condition and still be the beginning of transformation, without pretending sin is no big deal.  Then we get painfully practical. We dig into how to separate a person from their behavior, how to look past surface anger to the wounds underneath, and why losing your “first love” for Christ often shows up as coldness toward people. Aaron shares a raw personal story about wrestling with unforgiveness after a devastating family tragedy, and how God used remembrance, repentance, and time to move his heart from revenge toward mercy.  You’ll leave with clear takeaways and weekly action steps: pause before reacting, pray for a difficult person for seven days, do one undeserved act of kindness, guard your tongue, and spend ten more minutes with God each day. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more men can find honest conversations about forgiveness, spiritual warfare, and learning to love like Jesus. Chapter Markers 0:00Welcome To The Inner Fight0:37Luke 6 And A Hard Command2:06Why Loving Enemies Matters3:51Beauty And The Beast As Grace7:10Look Past Behavior To Pain15:27Abide Deeper Stay In First Love16:09A Real Test Of Forgiveness21:43Three Truths And Weekly Practices30:49Final Charge And Closing Prayer34:07How To Connect And Next TimeSend us Fan Mail Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

  8. Jul 24

    Discipling In An Age Of Deceit

    Truth doesn’t usually get rejected because it’s obviously false. It gets rejected because it gets repackaged, renamed, and blended with just enough Bible language to feel familiar. That’s the tension we sit with here, especially as we mark America’s founding ideals while admitting how many of us have grown intellectually lazy, outsourcing conviction to feeds, algorithms, and talking heads. We’re joined by Mark “Moose” Bright, director of the Relational Discipleship Network (RDN), to talk about discipling in the age of deceit. Moose lays out RDN’s core claim: you cannot divorce the methods of Jesus from the teachings of Jesus and expect the results of Jesus. We dig into what relational discipleship looks like in practice, why pastors must know the audience they’re speaking to, and how “presumption” becomes poison when culture no longer shares Christian assumptions. Then we take the hard turn toward discernment: false teachers, incomplete pictures of Jesus, and the hidden appeal of any worldview that removes personal responsibility. We talk about Marxism’s oppressor-oppressed framing, why repentance is non-negotiable for salvation, and how America’s ideas of rights and self-government only hold together when conscience and moral formation stay strong. We also get practical about cognitive dissonance, limbic fight-or-flight, and how to have conversations that actually lower defenses instead of building walls. If you want a clearer biblical worldview, stronger spiritual warfare habits, and a discipleship model that produces resilient men and families, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. You can learn more about the Relational Discipleship Network by visiting their website at www.rdn.org Chapter Markers 0:00Welcome And The Inner Fight0:40Founding History Meets Modern Deceit1:51Meet Moose And RDN’s Mission4:02Why Culture Changes How We Hear11:23Marxism And The War On Repentance17:00Rights Self-Government And Greed23:28Hermeneutics False Teachers And Truth26:02Cognitive Dissonance And Limbic Defense29:15Where To Find RDN Resources30:39Self-Awareness Mentors And Next Steps32:39Closing Prayer33:09Outro And How To Reach UsSend us Fan Mail Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

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About

Welcome to the podcast of “Wrestling With The Inner Man” with Author / Speaker David Savage. David has a passion for Men’s Ministry and Biblical Truth to help build Better Men for our society.  The show title is derived from the first fight we each face every day, the fight with our flesh.  Do we listen to our selfish sinful nature or to our spiritual and divine nature guided by the Holy Spirit?  Contact David at david@thesavagepath.com or go to https://www.thesavagepath.com/.  

Information

  • Creator
    David L. Savage
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    152
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Wrestling with the Inner Man
  • Show Website
    Wrestling with the Inner Man

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