Hello, Mighty Men of God, Joe Martin here, man-builder, award-winning speaker, author, and Tanya's husband and Kendall and Faith's dad. Welcome to the Real Men Connect podcast where we help good men become great men God's way. Every Wednesday, we interview some of the nation's most respected and accomplished men of faith to find out what it really takes to become the kind of husband, father, and spiritual leader God called and created

us to be. Today is the real men check-in. The real men check-in is just a quick way to help you start

your week on the right foot in the right way. Every Monday, I share personal insights, encouragement,

and support that will move you beyond church to real change. I keep it short, I make it fun,

and then I'm done. So let's get started.

The only thing real men are afraid of is disobeying God. Ain't that the truth. The only

thing real men are afraid of is disobeying God. Even though many of us won't admit it,

when we were little boys as daring and courageous as we were, a lot of things frightened us, didn't it? Some of us were afraid of the dark. Some of us were afraid of the so-called monster under our bed or in our closet. Some of us were afraid to watch scare movies. I remember personally after I watched the exorcist, I thought I was going to need therapy and counsel for the rest of my life. but in more serious things we were afraid of, some of us were afraid of our parents getting a divorce. I'm losing a loved one or even being rejected by or embarrassed in front of that cute girl in our class. And I can understand because a lot of those things could potentially lead to bad outcomes, things we don't want to see happen in our lives. But have you ever been afraid of something good?

Now, no, that probably doesn't make any sense.

Joe, why wouldn't anybody be afraid of something good?

Well, in my quiet time this week, I was reading in Luke 826 about the man who had been possessed by several demons.

And when he confronted Jesus, Jesus cast the demons out of this man, sending a legion of demons

into a herd of pigs

who consequently ran off the cliff and killed themselves.

After reading this story, I asked the Holy Spirit to tell me, what does this story say about me?

In other words, how does this apply to me?

Now, I think we all should read the Bible, reading with the anticipation that the Bible is trying to speak to us as a mirror to show us what we need to learn about ourselves.

And I was kind of surprised about what I found.

So when you get a chance, please read Luke 8 starting in verse 26 and see what God speaks to your heart about this story.

Anyway, several things jumped out at me about this man who was possessed by these

demons. One, even the demons knew who Jesus was, even when the others doubted and questioned

his identity. Two, the demons acknowledged and recognized Jesus' divinity and his power, and they

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