The Daily Blade Episode #261: Joby Martin // Shepherds, Angels, And The Courage To Act

Release Date: December 31, 2025
Hosts: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the biblical story of the shepherds and angels in Luke 2, exploring the themes of fear, faith, courage, and the nature of true biblical manhood. Pastor Joby Martin uses the encounter between the shepherds and the angel to challenge listeners—especially men—to act courageously in faith and not be paralyzed by fear. The discussion is practical, scriptural, and motivational, emphasizing that God's commands to "fear not" are central to the Christian life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fear and the Angelic Encounter

• [00:20] Joby recounts the appearance of angels to the shepherds (Luke 2:8) and reasons why they were filled with "great fear."
  • Angels as depicted in Scripture are often fearsome warriors, not the harmless, delicate figures from popular art.
    • Quote: “Nowhere in the Bible do you see a description of very soft women and effeminate men dressed in white flowing robes with dove wings, playing harps. You just don’t see this… these messengers of God were warriors.” — Joby Martin [01:17]
  • The shepherds, often of questionable reputation, might also have feared being "busted" by God’s messenger.
    • Joby humorously relates this to his own boyhood fears when called to the principal’s office.

2. The Bible’s Repeated Command: “Fear Not”

• [02:20] The most common command in the Bible is to not be afraid.
  • The King James Bible contains at least 366 variations of this command—one for each day of the year, "including leap year."
  • Faith is positioned as the antidote to fear.
    • Quote: “The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is fear.” — Joby Martin [02:53]
  • Fear paralyzes, but faith leads to action.
    • “Real faith has feet. If your faith does not produce action, then you just have ideas.” — Joby Martin quoting a new pastor at 1122 [03:02]

3. True Courage Is Acting Despite Fear

• [03:28] It’s normal to feel scared, but stepping forward in faith is what constitutes courage.
  • “Scared is a feeling, that’s fine. But when you’re scared and you move forward by faith, that’s called courage. And we need more men to have more courage in the church.” — Joby Martin [03:32]

4. Fear as a Spirit Versus the Spirit of God

• [03:44] Drawing on Paul’s words to Timothy, Joby explains fear is not merely an emotion, but a “spirit.”
  • God gives “a spirit of power, and of love, and of self-discipline or sound mind,” not of fear.

5. Faith and the Future—Who’s in Control?

• [04:03] Whether we face the future with fear or faith reveals who we think is ultimately in control: ourselves or God.
  • If we see the future as out of our hands but in God’s, we can act in faith rather than freeze in fear.

6. Personal Reflection and Challenge

• [04:25] Joby challenges listeners to consider if there’s something God is calling them to do, but they’ve hesitated out of fear.
  • “Is there something that God has told you to do, but you have been too afraid? You know that you know that you know that God has called you to step out in faith.” — Joby Martin [04:36]

7. God’s Resources and the Call to Step Out

• [04:59] Encouragement that God equips those He calls:
  • “If it’s God’s will, it’s God’s bill… You by faith step out in obedience to whatever it is that God has called you to, and you trust Him with the outcome.” — Joby Martin [05:09]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is fear.” — Joby Martin [02:53]
• “Real faith has feet. If your faith does not produce action, then you just have ideas.” — Joby Martin [03:02]
• “Scared is a feeling, that’s fine. But when you’re scared and you move forward by faith, that’s called courage.” — Joby Martin [03:32]
• “God’s word through Christmas, from the angels to us, is this: Fear not, fear not. May you be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. May you know that perfect love drives out fear.” — Joby Martin [04:48]
• “If it’s God’s will, it’s God’s bill.” — Joby Martin [05:09]

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:20 – 01:35 — The encounter between shepherds and angels; the reality of angels in the Bible.
• 02:20 – 03:28 — The Bible’s command to “fear not” and the link between faith and action.
• 03:44 – 04:03 — Fear as a spirit contrasted with the Spirit of God.
• 04:03 – 05:09 — Faith, fear, and trusting God with the future; personal challenge to step out in faith.

Tone and Takeaway

In a direct, heartfelt, and often humorous style, Joby Martin calls men to courageous faith grounded in the reality of God’s presence and promises. He dismantles cultural misperceptions of angels and biblical courage, driving home practical application: Faith must drive action, and Christians are equipped by God to act boldly, not shrink in fear.

Listeners are challenged to examine their own lives for places where fear is holding them back from courageous obedience, echoing the Christmas angel’s proclamation: “Fear not.”