"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17

This verse is so powerful. So one person "sharpens" another. I don't know about you but I want to stay sharp. The world has a way of dulling us out. The economy, the "me first" attitude, sin, hate, fear it's enough to dull any person down. I lived in "the world" for so long and most of my so called "friends" were just drinking buddies. I thought they loved me but was their advice the correct advice? Probably not. Their advice came from "them." Not the Bible. Not Jesus. Not biblical principles and standards and certainly not from unconditional love. Don't get me wrong I'm NOT blaming them. They didn't know any better.

When I first came to Lakewood the very first thing I felt was love and acceptance. Not just by one person but by everyone. The way that people made me feel aligned with Pastor Joel's message. Hope. That was it. There is Hope. Hope for your addiction. Hope for financial stability. Hope for Love. Hope for prosperity. It was like a breath of fresh air or more like a breath of oxygen for a drowning man. For the first time in my life I felt like I was being treated...the way I wanted to be treated. With love and kindness.

Last night I was at Maximized Manhood and I reached out to one of my best friends for some advice. I know that when I reach out for advice from one of my brothers they always give me loving, caring and biblical advice. Their advice and guidance isn't based off of what they "feel" about a subject. It's based off of what the Bible says. It's like I'm asking advice from Jesus himself. So my brother gave me real guidance. Advice that has my welfare in mind first. Is their advice always what I want to hear? No it isn't. But I always know that when I come to my brothers for advice, it will be biblically based and what I need to hear. Why? Because they love me and want the absolute best for me. 

So if you're struggling today and don't feel like your circle of friends is giving you clear, loving, worthy advice then you need to seriously evaluate your circle of friends.

Thanks for listening.

We love you and Jesus IS KING!