Ah…nothing like a reality check and acknowledgement of where you’re at and how you got there! We all have influencers in our life – good and bad – hopefully mostly good! As a matter of fact, todays influencers are taking social media by storm.

By definition, an influencer is someone who has the power to affect the purchasing decisions etc of others because of their authority, knowledge, or position to their particular audience. Typically, each influencer is known for a specific niche – fashion, travel, gaming, beauty, health, fitness and so on. These people routinely earn from

$3,000 to $15,000 per month. Apparently people love to influence and others love to be influenced!

But, foremost for us should be: “Who is influencing our lives that keep us sharp for God?” If your answer is no one, that’s probably not a great thing! Proverbs 27:17 flat out tells us: “As iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens a friend.” I call these iron sharpening sessions ‘sword fights’ and they can be tough for sure.

As one person remarked, “He that struggles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper.” Definitely not fun but if we are mature enough to take some constructive criticism, we can land on our feet and be the better for it.

These iron sharpening sessions can serve as reminders of the importance of surrounding ourselves with people who push us to be our best selves. They should inspire us, challenge us, and motivate us to growth. Personally, I occasionally need to be pushed out of my comfort zones into new levels of personal greatness. We should all desire to be our best selves!!!

Think of yourself as a bar of iron. A raw bar of iron might be worth $5, but if made into horseshoes, its value increases to $12. Made into needles, its value skyrockets to

$3,500 — going up! And finally, if this same bar of iron is made into balance springs for watches, its value soars to $300,000.00. That’s pretty amazing. Allow yourself to be sharpened and watch (no pun intended) your value soar!,

Have you ever tried to use a knife or pair of scissors only to find that they wouldn’t cut? Pretty frustrating. They needed to be sharpened. People are the same way.

Without “iron sharpening iron” we tend to stay in our comfort zones and nerd. It’s the truth. We need to surround ourselves with people who push us to be better.

There was once a lumber company who was looking for a few good men. They had two candidates – a young man and an old man. They gave both men the same kind of saw and a number of trees and gave them eight hours to cut. The young man cut nonstop. The old man would cut and sit down. Cut and sit down. All day long the two were cutting trees.

At the end of the day, the owners evaluated the amount of wood that was cut. The old man had cut twice as much wood. The young man said, “I don’t understand. I never sat down to take a break. That old man sat down real often. How did he beat me?” The owner simply replied, “That old man was not sitting to rest. He stopped to sharpen his saw.”

Ecclesiastes 10:10 reminds us that “Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.” So how does one acquire this great wisdom to succeed? Again, the Bible says our friends should be helping us get sharp – and get smart. (Iron sharpening iron)

So let’s give it a shot here with a quote by A.A. Milne = “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” Maybe try that on for size!

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org

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Fortunately for us, John 10:10 tells us that although the thief has come to steal, and to kill & destroy, Jesus has come that we might have abundant life through Him. And one translation actually tells us we can have a better life than we ever dreamed of!

So many people struggle with purpose in their lives. If asked, many well-known public figures have ‘answers’ for us. Try these on for size:

Oprah Winfrey: “You’ve got to figure it out by yourself.” The Materialist: “Life is all about getting things”

Self-Group Group: “You’ve got to create your own purpose in life”

Carl Yung: “I don’t know the meaning of life or the purpose of life, but it looks as if something were meant by it.”

Joseph Taylor: “I have no answers to the meaning of life and I and longer want to search for any.”

It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland where Alice approaches a fork in the road. She spies a Cheshire cat nearby and asks him which road she should take? The cat replies by asking Alice where she wants to go — Alice doesn’t know. The cat responds with: “Then it doesn’t matter which road you take!” Profound answer. Purpose always has direction but how often do we simply not understand this? Life is a journey and every journey has a destination.

There’s an interesting story of a young 5 year old boy who showed up one day to play T-ball. It was now the last inning – bases were loaded and there were two outs and the other guys were up to bat. The hitter hauled off and swatted the ball way out into left field. Every eye watched it sail toward the new little guy. He saw it coming, ran toward it and just barely missed the game-winning catch. It plopped down in front of him rolling right into his glove.

One runner had crossed home plate but there was still time to throw home and tie the game. Everyone in the bleachers was yelling, “Throw it! Hurry up – throw the ball.” But to the surprise of both sides, the little guy pulled it close, hunkered down and held onto it like a prize trophy. He seemed to be saying, “I have waited all afternoon for this thing and I’m not about to let go of it now.” The crowd went nuts. “Throw the ball kid. Hurry up – throw it!” And the poor coach looked like he was just about to have a coronary right there on the spot. The entire game hinged on this play.

About this stately a tall, stately man came out of the stands and walked slowly toward him. Dad. His father stooped down and hugged the little fellow as he stubbornly clutched the ball. Then his dad spoke to him – and moved his hands at the same time. Sign language. A hush fell over the stands. “It’s OK son give me the ball.” I heard him say, as he signed the words.

Embarrassed heads bowed. The little boy looked his dad in the face; tears spilled out of his eyes but he slowly turns over the coveted ball. He simply did not get it. He did not understand the game. In his child’s mind he just wanted the ball. He didn’t hear the crowd – He could not – he was deaf. But not understanding cost the game.

Understanding! It’s a big deal. Proverbs 4 tells us this: “Write this at the top of your list: Get understanding! Throw your arms around her – believe me, you won’t regret it; Never let her go – she’ll make your life glorious. She’ll garland your life with grace, she’ll festoon your days with beauty.”

It’s easy to get comfortable and not understand our God-given purpose in life. Les Brown says it this way: “The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determine to carry out their dream.” Understanding – worth the get.

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org

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