James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

I will never come to that place where I want nothing because I have everything I need without my faith being put on trial. I am talking about myself and my self only. What James is saying here to you must touch your heart where you live. Just because a thing touches me in a particular way does not mean it is the same for you.

Do I still want? Yes but those are worldly items which are commercial in nature. Faith is a spiritual application and in that Kingdom, all my needs have been supplied. I am sure you have heard the term “we live in the world but we are not of this world.” My mistake was to mixing the two kingdoms and weaving them together in my theologies.

Genesis 9:9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

A proper understanding of His covenant is required to establish what God will or will not do for us in His Kingdom. Not the kingdoms of this world.

Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Who are your influences and why are you attracted to their persona?

I asked the question and perhaps you will understand better if I answer the question myself.

Isaiah 50:4 The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.

I do not remember who introduced me to the works of A. W. Pink but I do remember the impression that was left upon my soul. Here was a brash bold author from the turn of the century who was well read and was firm in his convictions. His words stung of the correction I needed and desperately sought. His style was matter of fact, without hesitation and had that air of black and white.

I liked what I read because it touched something in me that I was not aware of at the time. My natural tendencies. That resonance reaffirmed the old man and not the new creation in Christ. To become that new man, I had to stop affirming the old tendencies in favor of this new identity.

Judgment, even if speaking truth, is still judgment. What I discovered as I grew in Christ is that truth doesn’t have to be blunt. Some like it but most do not. I could take it, and that is fine. I could also dish it out and that was not acceptable to my Lord. I was still being me, the natural man, educated in the Word in a style many found offensive. Then I began to see the agenda that he had taken up and how his agenda directed his language to well-meaning students. His language became our language and it cost us friendships that would have better served Christ if left intact.

I studied alone in that enormous library of intellect without any fellowship with earnest Christians. Our theologies need to be tested to refine the ideas that settle in our minds. If their roots are not of the Tree of Life, they need to be cut off.