Iron Sharpens Iron
by Olga Hermans
Have you ever thought about who you want to hang out with? I want to be around people who are hungry for God. They have a sense of direction in life, but they also have this hunger for God and in this hunger for God they want to please God with their lives. I love it when people know where they are going and know what they want to do.
I love to be with them and let it rub off on me. I listen to them and ask them how they got where they are now from where they were. What was the most important choice that they made in their life and what was the worst. How do they make tough choices? What motivates them and so forth.
It is very important to know to whom people listen to. I think that, that is very important to know because you want to have the same source of influence in your life. Sometimes people are in church with great issues in their lives, they try to fight great temptations, but they are scared to go to somebody and be open about their life. So, they keep it to themselves and keep it as a secret. We need accountability in our life.
You know, when iron sharpens iron, sparks are going to fly! One person is chasing after God and the other person is not chasing after God, so when you confront a person on issues that are ungodly, sparks are going to fly.When there are no sparks flying then it is probably not a relationship where iron sharpens iron. But we need someone who is going to confront us on pride, selfishness and lust.
What about personal greed and jealousy? You want to be with people who are going to challenge you to take you forward in your walk with God and in your walk in life.You know, friends that you are able to bounce things off on and when they are able to put you in check; you are going to put them in check as well.
You actually need three types of people in your life:
1. Somebody who pours into you, somebody that you gain knowledge from; the ins and outs of life. Someone who helps you to stay focused on your vision that you so desperately like to accomplish.
2. Somebody that you can bounce things off on; somebody that can challenge you and build you up if necessary.
3. Somebody that you can pour into, all the knowledge that you gained can now flow into the life of somebody else.
Col 1:3-5 says: The Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.
We need that, don’t we? We need comfort, but then there are times that there are other people that God calls us to bless in a relationship. They need what we have to speak into their lives. Most importantly we can have relationships where we can confess our faults one to another so that we can be healed.
And at the same time, we can affirm each other; “I believe in you, I know that God has great things in store for your future, this is not the end; things like that seem to encourage us in a great way. Prov 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Ecc 4:9-10 “Two people are better than one because together they have a good reward for their hard work. If one falls, the other can help his friend get up. But how tragic it is for the one who is all alone when he falls. There is no one to help him get up.”
Two heads are better than one.
~John Heywood
Walking with a friend in the dark is
better than walking alone in the light.
~Helen Keller
A true friend never gets in your way
unless you happen to be going down.
~Arnold H. Glasow
You weren’t meant to go through life alone. God created you for a relationship. Relationships that will encourage you and strengthen you and challenge you. But more than anything, God wants a relationship with you Himself. God wanted a family from the very start; He wants you as a part of His family.
You can make a choice today to surrender your life to Him. He is a very good iron sharpener 🙂 Most important is that He loves you no matter what.
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Yes, we need accountability in our life.
I like it that you said that sparks are going to fly when people sharpens each other; I have a few of those in my life. I will look at it a little different from now on. The confronting part is the part that I don’t like so much. Anyway, great article again!
Great article. Everybody needs a little bit of iron in their life! even though it hurts sometimes 🙂
As I read this article what came to mind was how often we forget that it is the relationships and love that matter most in life…They are what we really need to put our focus on rather than material things that come and go. Whether it is your relationship with your spouse or your children or your next-door neighbor, human interaction is what truly sustains us. Great Post!
This is something i didnt think was mentioned in the Bible. I would love to have a friend that i can relate to like that. I pray God gives me one.
Thanks for the insight
What an interesting take on relationships. Your list of three people has given me a lot to think about! Thank you for sharing your passion for Christ 🙂
Glad you like it Carolyn! Yes, I find out more and more how important it is to have these three people in my life.
Beautiful article, Olga. Everyone need a little bit of iron in their life! Thanks for sharing such great post.
Thanks Alexandra!!
I agree. As much as we need someone to teach us, it is important to be able to share what we learn along the road of life.
Thanks Maria, you got it; it is a principle in life that we need to use.
I have a huge smile on my face. The last few months I have gone back to having more conversations with my father above, and letting him more. It’s been great.
Love to hear that Jamie; keep me posted!!
I love this Helen Keller quote, “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light”…we all need those important relationships in our lives and accountability. Great post!
Yes Sherie, I also like that quote from Helen Keller and we really do need relationships in our life; we cannot do without.
Lovely article Olga, thanks for sharing. God, our Heavenly Father, Spirit, however one calls Him, He is alway with us, ready to listen and to help each of us. Blessings, Mary
Yes Mary, thanks for visiting my blog. You know what you’re talking about by the sound of it! Blessings!
Thanks Mary for coming to my blog and your wonderful comment.
Very thought-provoking post, and I agree — we need all three kinds of people in our lives.
I guess it can be thought-provoking isn’t it, but we need to be challenged in our own ways isn’t it?
I like the part about the 3 people you need in your life. Excellent!
Thanks Sara; yes we need them for us to grow to our fullest potential.
Love this comment, Olga, and couldn’t agree more! “You weren’t meant to go through life alone. God created you for a relationship. Relationships that will encourage you and strengthen you and challenge you.”
I can see that you like the challenging part Kim, knowing you! Thanks!
For me I’d say it’s three GROUPS of people and many people that I know fit into more than one of these categories. Great post Olga!
It is a simple principle that works for us and for others around us. Thanks Heather for your comment
I think about who I want to hang out with all the time, I want to hang out with smart people who like to create things. I like people who are real, even if the truth hurts, I like to hear the hard reality. I like fun people who stay out of trouble but yet fight for what’s right and mostly I want to hangout with people who think the impossible possible.
It sounds like you are a go-getter Karla; I like your attitude!
Olga, I agree with you completely-I love being around people on fire for god they inspire me greatly! Love the 3 types of people we should be around – so very true–thanks for writing this!
Yes, I love that Linda….they are so very inspiring!
It’s so true, Olga- we are not meant to be alone. I love the list of three people to have in your life. Thank you for your beautiful post!
Thanks Lisa, glad you enjoyed my post today!
Agreed. We all need those 3 different times of people in our lives. A lot of times, that iron-iron relationship is exactly what we need.
Thanks Edmund, I believe that too, that the iron sharpening people in our life are very necessary.
As always, a lovely article Olga. “You weren’t meant to go through life alone. God created you for a relationship. Relationships that will encourage you and strengthen you and challenge you. ” – I agree and personally love this line. We were never meant to be alone. Thanks for sharing.
That is an awesome idea isn’t it? God doesn’t want us to be alone. He said it’s not good for us…so, we need people around us.
Dear Olga, it is always a blessing to read your wonderful teachings which really speak to my heart and touch my very soul. Its awesome to know and share in God’s love and teachings, thank you for enriching our lives so much more on a daily basis.
Stay blessed,
Your friend in Christ !
Thank you Beverley for saying that; that blesses me!
Great reference to the three types of people we need in our lives! Thank you 🙂
Yep Anita, we need them in our life.
Always love your posts, Olga!
Love your wonderful insight Olga! I have always believed this philosophy of iron sharpens iron. Thanks for the great post and the wonderful quotes. I enjoy visiting your site!
I love how you describe the 3 types of people we need in our life. So true! Thanks Olga for another great article!
Such a great verse of Proverbs. Love being sharpened by some iron! My wife and I pray together often and we have accountability partners. I find I’m not as focused – not as “sharp” – when I go too long without meeting my “iron” friend or skip prayer time with my wife.
Awesome Rob, that makes my day to hear that!
I love Proverbs and the lessons we can learn through them…although many are difficult they are lessons nonetheless:) Love your description of the 3 types of people we must have in our lives…great post! Hugs!
You certainly know the direction you want to follow Olga. Your passion jumps off the page, good job.
My pastor always said that people are like elevator buttons — some will take you up and some will take you down. And it’s important that we don’t allow ‘project friends’ be some that bring us down 🙂
Becky, you always have such awesome analogies; thank you sooo much for your comment!
Thank you, so much for such an Inspiring post! I love where you expounded on, “You actually need three types of people in your life.” So very true, it is so important to have Amazing people in our lives.
I love people God taught me how to love. Having good Godly friends is important to me because they lift me up when I need it and correct me in love when I need it. Great article. Great job writing it. Love ya my friend.
Thank you Carrie for your comment, I know that you are on the right path; stay in touch!!
Wow, Olga, this is a beautiful post. Our relationship with God is first and foremost and when we have that, we have all that we need to build and nurture relationships with others. So thankful that you are sharing God’s love here and building others up. You are such an encourager!
Thank you so much Sue for the encouragement
Yes!! I agree! I love the verse about iron. We need those three types of people on our life.
I love them too Mandy and I know that we need those 3 types of people…
Incredible article, Olga. I love how you broke down the three types of people you need in your life. It is absolutely true. I love watching the sparks fly!
hahaha Theresa, you love watching the sparks fly….that’s when the sharpening of our character happens!
For many of us (and for different reasons, including loss) our friends have virtually replaced our natural families. And those friendships serve all the functions mentioned in the three types of people we need in our lives. How grateful I am for the wealth brought by those people …
Sharon, I appreciate your comment! I also experience the people around me as a huge blessing.
I love this Olga I have those type people in my life and I try to keep the balance!
I love the three types of people we should be in relationship with! It is so true, we are created for relationship not solitary lives. THe right relationships will make us thrive and be all we were ever created to be!
Getting into relationships with the three types is so helpful. Groups can also fulfill the functions and are an integral part of my life.
I absolutely love the part about the three types of people you need! It is so true. Thanks for sharing this!
Christiane
Definitely find peace in relationships when those relationships include ‘iron’. Keeping the lines of communication always open allows for greater fulfillment.
So many good things in here Olga, thank you. I have become increasingly aware of the people I allow in my space, and it certainly is interesting the different roles people have in your life when you really start to pay attention to it. The “iron sharpens iron” analogy is great as applied to relationships. Makes me want to go in search of more iron!