#360 - Joby Martin // Cutting Out Bad Influence

Summary

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Episode Overview

Episode Title: #360 - Joby Martin // Cutting Out Bad Influence
Podcast: The Daily Blade
Hosts: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson
Date: May 19, 2026

In this episode, Joby Martin leads a devotional focused on Psalm 1, digging into what it means to eliminate negative influences from your life. He challenges listeners—primarily men but applicable to all Christians—to reflect on the voices and company they keep, both in-person and through media. The episode encourages intentionality in relationships and media consumption, reminding listeners that God desires to remove destructive influences and replace them with blessing.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Psalm 1 as the Foundation (00:20 - 01:20)

• Joby begins by reading Psalm 1, emphasizing its significance as the introductory psalm.
• Key Insight: "You talk about things and you repeat things that are important."
  • Psalm 1 sets the tone for the Psalms by focusing immediately on the company one keeps.

2. The Progression of Influence (~01:20 - 02:20)

• Joby: "Notice the progression of influence. There are some people you walk with, there are some people you stand with, and then there's some people you get really comfortable with."

  • The Psalm describes a progression: walking, standing, sitting—a deepening comfort and immersion in influence.

• Quote:

  • “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, or stands in the way of the sinner, or sits in the seat of the scoffer.”
  • (Direct Psalm 1 reference, read aloud in episode at 00:20)

3. The Importance of 'Mat Carriers'—Positive Influence (~02:20 - 03:00)

• Joby: References Mark 2, where friends carry a paralyzed man to Jesus.
  • "You need at least four men. Foxhole brothers, King's table, mat carriers, whatever you want to call them, that will carry you to Jesus."
  • Having strong, faith-filled friends is necessary, but equally important is removing bad influences.

4. The Need to Cut Out Negative Influences (03:00 - 04:10)

• Key Insight:
  • "A part of your sanctification process is there are some people that you need to cut out of your life. The wicked, the sinful, and the scoffer.”
  • Joby addresses the objection: “But the Bible says Jesus was a friend to sinners.”
    • He clarifies: “Every single time, Jesus was the influencer and not the influence.”
• Memorable Quote: (03:10)
  • "Show me your friends, I'll show you your future. This is true for not only your kids. This is true for you, too."

5. Broadening the Definition of 'Influence' (~04:10 - 04:40)

• Influence isn’t just about people physically around you—it’s about media, online voices, and content.
• Joby: “Sometimes it's not people. Sometimes it's what you're watching online, the kind of podcast that you are listening to... You’re listening to stuff that's wicked, sinful, and scoffing, the one true God.”

6. Parental Responsibility & Self-Examination (~04:40 - 05:00)

• Parents are encouraged to guard what their kids are exposed to, especially online.

• But “it’s also true about you.” Adults must be vigilant about their own influences.

• Self-examination questions:

  • “Are you taking counsel from the wicked? Are you in the way of sinners? ... Are you obsessed with hobbies like the world says you should be?”
  • "Are you giving your affections to the ways of this world? If so, you need to stop."

7. Danger of Growing Comfortable with Scoffing (~05:00 - 05:35)

• Joby: “When you sit down... you take a seat among the scoffers... So many of us have gotten comfortable... that scoffs against God... Just being entertained by movies that mock the one true God, being entertained by news and podcasts that scoff, that mock the one true God—it is not a good thing.”
• If your life is filled with "walking in the counsel of the wicked or standing in the way of the sinner or sitting in the seat of the scoffer," then you have “no room to receive the blessing of God.”

8. Encouragement and Challenge to Listeners (~05:20 - 05:35)

• Joby closes with a prayerful call to action:
  • “I pray that you would pray seriously and ask God to show you the areas that you need to cut out in your life so that you could be a blessed man by God. Amen.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Influence:
  “Show me your friends, I'll show you your future. This is true for not only your kids. This is true for you, too.” — Joby Martin (03:10)

• On Jesus and Sinners:
  “Every single time, Jesus was the influencer and not the influence.” — Joby Martin (03:05)

• On Media and Modern Influence:
  “Sometimes it's not people. Sometimes it's what you're watching online, the kind of podcast that you are listening to. You're listening to lies. You're listening to stuff that's wicked, sinful, and scoffing, the one true God.” — Joby Martin (04:10)

• On Comfort with Scoffing:
  “So many of us have gotten comfortable in this, that scoffs against God, that we have no problem just sitting... being entertained by movies that just mock the one true God.” — Joby Martin (05:00)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:20 – Daily reading of Psalm 1 and initial reflections
• 01:20 – Explanation of the progression of influence: walk → stand → sit
• 02:20 – The need for "mat carriers"—friends who carry you to Jesus
• 03:10 – The necessity of cutting out bad influences, with the football coach quote
• 04:10 – Expanding influence discussion to media and online content
• 05:00 – Warning against comfort with scoffing at God in culture
• 05:20 – Final challenge and prayer to cut out destructive influences

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Tone and Takeaways

The tone is urgent yet pastoral, direct but encouraging. The focus is on everyday application, challenging listeners to intentional self-examination, wise relationship choices, and careful consumption of media and cultural influences—all rooted in biblical wisdom.

Final Call to Action:
"Pray seriously and ask God to show you the areas that you need to cut out in your life so that you could be a blessed man by God.”

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Daily Blade. The word of God is described as the sword of the spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

[B]

All right. Welcome back. As our. As we deep dive Psalm 1. I'm just going to read it every day so you guys can get into it. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of the sinner, or sit in the seat of the scoffer. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of running water that yields its fruit in its season. Its leaf does not wither. In all he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. All right, we're back to Mac Carriers again. I know we talk about it ad nauseam, but I don't know, you talk about things and you repeat things that are important. And so of all the things to start all the Psalms off with, it starts this way. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, or stands in the way of the sinner, or sits in the seat of the scoffer. Notice the progression of influence. There are some people you walk with, there are some people you stand with, and then there's some people you get really comfortable with. And so not only do you need to add mat carriers to your life, and a mat carrier, based on Mark, chapter two is there were four men, and there was a friend of theirs who was paralyzed. And they picked up this paralyzed man, Matt, and carried him to Jesus. You need at least four men. Foxhole brothers, King's table, Matt carriers, whatever you want to call them that will carry you to Jesus. But a part of your sanctification process is there are some people that you need to cut out of your life. The wicked, the sinful, and the scoffer. And now you may say, yeah, but the Bible says that Jesus was a friend to sinners. Okay, I'll give you that. But every single time, Jesus was the influencer and not the influence. So of course you need your one mores. But like my football coach used to always tell me, show me your Friends, I'll show you your future. This is true for not only your kids. This is true for you, too. So ask this, okay? What influences are you allowing into your lives? Sometimes it's not people. Sometimes it's what you're watching online, the kind of podcast that you are listening to. You're listening to lies. You're listening to stuff that's wicked, sinful, and scoffing, the one true God. This is true. As a parent, you need to make sure that you are in control of what your kids are listening to. You make sure that you control the influences, the voices that are allowed into your home, especially through the devices they have. But it's also true about you. I want to. I want to ask you a couple questions. I want you to be very honest about yourself. Are you taking counsel from the wicked? I mean, like the news that you watch, the podcast that you ingest, the financial advice that you take. Are you taking advice that's good and godly counsel, or is it worldly counsel? Are you in the way of sinners? In other words, as you walk along the way, are you on the same path that this world is on? Like, are you doing money the way the world says do money? Are you scheduling time the way the world says schedule time? Are you obsessed with hobbies like the world says you should be obsessed with hobbies? Are you giving your affections to the ways of this world? If so, you need to stop. The last one is, do not sit in the seat of scoffers. You see, when you sit down and you take a seat among the scoffers, I think what the psalmist is saying is so many of us have gotten comfortable in this, that scoffs against God, that we have no problem just sitting in a. Like, being entertained by movies that just mock the one true God, being entertained by news and podcasts that scoff, that mock the one true God, it is not a good thing. Blessed is the man who does not do these things. So many men ask me, they're like, why is my relationship with the Lord so stagnant? And yet what I see over and over and over is that the majority of the counsel that they get in their life is wicked. Instead of being discipled by the Word, they're being discipled by the world over and over and over that they're just going along with the way the world says do everything. Money, power, sex, everything else that they have sat their seat down. They are just comfortable with wickedness, with people that actually mock God. God, so blessed are you if you do not walk if you do not stand and if you do not get comfortable with the puppets of the enemy. You see God is not trying to take something from you. What he wants to take from you is death and destruction and sin and shame and corruption. That's what he wants to take from you and instead what he wants to give you is blessing. But if your life is filled up with walking in the counsel of the wicked or standing in the way of the sinner or sitting in the seat of the scoffer then you have no room to receive the blessing of God. I pray that you would pray seriously and ask God to show you the areas that you need to cut out in your life so that you could be a blessed man by God. Amen.

[A]

Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go if you want to help equip other men for the fight share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.