"Iron sharpens iron. So, look for the kind of person that sharpens you. Beware who you call your friend. Friendship is by choice and not by force. And friendship is not for fun. In the late 70's and early 80's, when believers met each other, their mode of greeting was, 'How are you,brother? Have you heard about the Welsh revival? Did you read about Evan Roberts? I saw something in 'Herald of His Coming' that just shook me. I read something about Smith Wigglesworth. Did you hear that John Hyde stained the walls of his room with the breath of his prayer? I read that Maria Woodworth Ether was approaching a place to preach and fifty miles from the place where she was, people were falling under the anointing..."
Those were the kinds of things we said to each other. When you heard it, it set you ablaze. Your friend might say to you, 'When I read that, I locked up myself for ten hours. I did not come out'. And you look at him, 'You said how many hours? I will see you later!' You just go into the room and lock yourself up: 'What! What am I doing with my life?' And you go on and on. That was how we sharpened each other in those days. Iron sharpeneth iron! We learned of William Booth of the Salvation Army. We learned of Charles G. Finney riding a horse through town and everyone was crying for his or her sins... We read of D.L Moody: They said, 'God is looking for a man to use, and he is looking for a man that will not care who takes the glory.' D.L. Moody, a shoe maker, said, 'By the grace of God, I will be that man'... When you read that, it sets you on fire. And if you heard it from someone who read it from somewhere and shared it with you, you would be sharpened. That was how we sharpened each other. Today,it is different. When two pastors meet, you hear things like, 'Pastor, how is the church building? Have you finished it now? I like this neck tie of yours; where did you buy it from? This wristwatch is powerful! Who helped you to get this car? Can you assist me to get the car also? I
like it! Your suit is powerful. Is it ready-made or someone sewed it? Who is your barber? I like the way you cut your hair.' These the vanities believers discuss these days - things of no eternal consequences. It is very rare before you can come into the presence of a servant of God and leave edified. We rarely hear that a person went to see a man of God, a real man of God and left there challenged, with his soul set on fire. It is very very rare. My heart yearns for those days... A brother would read a book that changed his life and he would share the inspiration: Have you seen Smith Wigglesworth 'Apostle of Faith'? You need to read it. John G. Lake's 'Adventure in God'? You need to read it. Leonard Ravenhill's 'Why Revival Tarries'? 'Sodom had no Bible'? What about E.M. Bounds 'The Power of Prayer'? Charles Spurgeons 'His Power in Us'? E.W Kenyon's 'Two Kinds of Faith'?, A.W Tozer's 'In Pursuit of God'? Oswald J. Smiths 'The Man God
Uses'? Those were qualitative materials that we advertised and used to change our lives... Who is it that is sharpening you? Who are the people around you sharpening your life? Please, watch your company. Some pastors had more fire until they entered the circle of friends they are in today. Watch the persons you call friends. Iron sharpens iron. Nothing sharpens iron like iron."
[ Courtesy: Dr. Paul Enenche.]
