Iron That Sharpens You

Think about the people in your life you can call at a moment’s notice. They journey with you—sometimes in the long or short term—and sharpen your faith. They challenge you, encourage you, and point you to God’s truth. These people don’t just nod and agree—they speak up, pray hard, and remind you what matters.

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

– Proverbs 27:17 ESV

Like iron sharpening iron, God places these people in your life to refine what’s already within you. In moments when your confidence dips or your zeal for the Lord fades, godly friends and mentors help clear the fog and restore your proper foundation. True friends will love you and challenge you. They may say things that sting at first, but those words often strengthen you and deepen your trust in the Lord.

Faith isn’t built just in sermons or quiet places — it’s also formed in the sharpening that happens when someone loves you enough to speak into your life with spiritual courage, pointing you to God’s truth.

God created you for relationships.

Just as a knife is sharpened with tension and friction, your life is sharpened and strengthened with the same forces. That’s okay. When someone challenges your thinking or calls out a spiritual blind spot, take a breath. That may be the Holy Spirit using iron to sharpen iron. The goal isn’t to win an argument—it’s to walk more closely with Jesus.

This God-created sharpening also reciprocates. He created you to be an active participant in relationships to encourage and strengthen others. A timely word, a shared scripture, or a sent text message can spark hope, strengthen faith, and deepen relationships. God honors this type of spiritual sharpening.

Today’s One Thing

Declare aloud, “God has placed strong, faithful people in my life to sharpen and strengthen me. I receive their wisdom with humility and offer encouragement in return.”

Go Deeper

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