October 7th, 2025
This week, I’ve been thinking about the power—and danger—of presumption, especially in regard to the things of God. Webster’s dictionary defines presumption as “an attitude or belief dictated by probability.” A synonym would be assumption. We see the effects of presuming throughout the Word of God, when people act based on what they think or feel rather than the truth.
You may think that could never happen to you, but throughout the Word of God, we see examples of people who fully believed something was true about God that was not. We have to ensure everything we believe about God—who He is, how He acts, what He thinks about things, is founded in the Word of God. He has revealed Himself to us through His Word and Spirit. He has given us His Word as instruction, and He will guide us by the Holy Spirit as we seek Him! He wants us to know Him!
There is a story in the book of Numbers that demonstrates the power of acting presumptuously. After the twelve spies went to spy out the land of Canaan, ten of the twelve brought back a bad report. The people listened to that bad report and rebelled against God and Moses, accusing God of bringing them into the wilderness to die. As a result of their grumbling, God declared all that generation would die in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb, the two who brought back a faith-filled report from the land. In Numbers 14:39-45, we see the people’s response. It says,
“When Moses told these words to all the people of Israel, the people mourned greatly. And they rose early in the morning and went up to the heights of the hill country, saying, “Here we are. We will go up to the place that the LORD has promised, for we have sinned.” But Moses said, “Why now are you transgressing the command of the LORD, when that will not succeed? Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies. For there the Amalekites and the Canaanites are facing you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you have turned back from following the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.” But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed out of the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to Hormah.”
The people gathered together and admitted their sin. They tried to correct their mistake by entering the promised land, but God did not go with them. Moses tried to warn them, but they didn’t listen. In their arrogance, they presumed they would carry God’s blessing, even though His presence (the ark of the covenant) and their covering and authority (Moses) did not go with them. They presumed they would return in victory, but they went in arrogance, not in obedience and faith. This may seem like an obvious mistake we would never make, but how many of us have done this? How many of us have done something, presuming it was the right thing to do, only to later realize it wasn’t, and we’d never asked Him?
There would have been a battle to enter the promised land even if they’d gone with God, but the battle would have ended in victory if they’d gone with His presence, in the covering of their authority, when He told them to go. Every battle in life doesn’t mean you’re in the wrong place. There are things you’ll have to fight, but when you know the voice of the Shepherd and you abide in His presence, you know you have the promise of victory. The danger is only in presuming to go places He never told you to go! If you find yourself in a place like that, the answer is as simple as repenting and returning to the Shepherd. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and God will always guide and redirect our steps. We have to know that we know that we’re standing where He’s called us to stand and not in our own presumption!
Jeremiah deals greatly with the presumption of those who claimed to speak the Word of God but did not.
Jeremiah 23:16-18 says,
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’ For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened?’”
We can never presume to know what God thinks about something if we don’t ask Him. These “prophets” were declaring things God never said! However, God waits to reveal Himself to us. He wants to speak to you and as a believer, you have the promise of His voice. Jesus said, “My sheep know My voice” (John 10:27).
He is waiting to speak and reveal what He’s like. His Word teaches us about His goodness and mercy, and the seriousness of the sin that will separate us from Him. The New Testament also talks about “false prophets” who will teach things contrary to the Word of God and lead people astray. We can never assume to know what God thinks about something because of something someone told us or even something we hear from a pulpit. You must know that what you stand on aligns with the Word of God. If you are truly reading and studying His Word, open to hearing His voice and the leading of the Holy Spirit, and connected to the body of Christ, you cannot be deceived by these false doctrines. It doesn’t matter how you feel or what you think. Presumption is acting on what you think or feel and assuming it’s right, but Jeremiah 17:9 says,
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
You cannot build your life on how you feel or what you think. Your heart is not trustworthy unless it’s completely surrendered to the One who is trustworthy! The verses that precede Jeremiah 17:9 give us the answer.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 says,
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
You can trust Him completely and it is there you will find rest and safety! Don’t presume anything without seeking Him in His Word. If you do, you will fail and be defeated, like the Israelites who went into the land without Him. However, if you build your life on the truth of His Word, it is impossible to be defeated. He is the Rock—unchanging and completely faithful.
This week, we encourage you to seek the Lord with a humble and open heart. He is love, truth, peace, grace, and strength. He corrects us and guides us because He loves us and knows what’s best for us. Surrendering your feelings and opinions to the One who loves you completely is the only place freedom is found! He will lead you in all truth, in alignment with His Word. You will know Him and stand confidently before the throne of grace, when you stand on His Word and live in His presence!
You may think that could never happen to you, but throughout the Word of God, we see examples of people who fully believed something was true about God that was not. We have to ensure everything we believe about God—who He is, how He acts, what He thinks about things, is founded in the Word of God. He has revealed Himself to us through His Word and Spirit. He has given us His Word as instruction, and He will guide us by the Holy Spirit as we seek Him! He wants us to know Him!
There is a story in the book of Numbers that demonstrates the power of acting presumptuously. After the twelve spies went to spy out the land of Canaan, ten of the twelve brought back a bad report. The people listened to that bad report and rebelled against God and Moses, accusing God of bringing them into the wilderness to die. As a result of their grumbling, God declared all that generation would die in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb, the two who brought back a faith-filled report from the land. In Numbers 14:39-45, we see the people’s response. It says,
“When Moses told these words to all the people of Israel, the people mourned greatly. And they rose early in the morning and went up to the heights of the hill country, saying, “Here we are. We will go up to the place that the LORD has promised, for we have sinned.” But Moses said, “Why now are you transgressing the command of the LORD, when that will not succeed? Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies. For there the Amalekites and the Canaanites are facing you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you have turned back from following the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.” But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed out of the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to Hormah.”
The people gathered together and admitted their sin. They tried to correct their mistake by entering the promised land, but God did not go with them. Moses tried to warn them, but they didn’t listen. In their arrogance, they presumed they would carry God’s blessing, even though His presence (the ark of the covenant) and their covering and authority (Moses) did not go with them. They presumed they would return in victory, but they went in arrogance, not in obedience and faith. This may seem like an obvious mistake we would never make, but how many of us have done this? How many of us have done something, presuming it was the right thing to do, only to later realize it wasn’t, and we’d never asked Him?
There would have been a battle to enter the promised land even if they’d gone with God, but the battle would have ended in victory if they’d gone with His presence, in the covering of their authority, when He told them to go. Every battle in life doesn’t mean you’re in the wrong place. There are things you’ll have to fight, but when you know the voice of the Shepherd and you abide in His presence, you know you have the promise of victory. The danger is only in presuming to go places He never told you to go! If you find yourself in a place like that, the answer is as simple as repenting and returning to the Shepherd. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and God will always guide and redirect our steps. We have to know that we know that we’re standing where He’s called us to stand and not in our own presumption!
Jeremiah deals greatly with the presumption of those who claimed to speak the Word of God but did not.
Jeremiah 23:16-18 says,
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’ For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened?’”
We can never presume to know what God thinks about something if we don’t ask Him. These “prophets” were declaring things God never said! However, God waits to reveal Himself to us. He wants to speak to you and as a believer, you have the promise of His voice. Jesus said, “My sheep know My voice” (John 10:27).
He is waiting to speak and reveal what He’s like. His Word teaches us about His goodness and mercy, and the seriousness of the sin that will separate us from Him. The New Testament also talks about “false prophets” who will teach things contrary to the Word of God and lead people astray. We can never assume to know what God thinks about something because of something someone told us or even something we hear from a pulpit. You must know that what you stand on aligns with the Word of God. If you are truly reading and studying His Word, open to hearing His voice and the leading of the Holy Spirit, and connected to the body of Christ, you cannot be deceived by these false doctrines. It doesn’t matter how you feel or what you think. Presumption is acting on what you think or feel and assuming it’s right, but Jeremiah 17:9 says,
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
You cannot build your life on how you feel or what you think. Your heart is not trustworthy unless it’s completely surrendered to the One who is trustworthy! The verses that precede Jeremiah 17:9 give us the answer.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 says,
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
You can trust Him completely and it is there you will find rest and safety! Don’t presume anything without seeking Him in His Word. If you do, you will fail and be defeated, like the Israelites who went into the land without Him. However, if you build your life on the truth of His Word, it is impossible to be defeated. He is the Rock—unchanging and completely faithful.
This week, we encourage you to seek the Lord with a humble and open heart. He is love, truth, peace, grace, and strength. He corrects us and guides us because He loves us and knows what’s best for us. Surrendering your feelings and opinions to the One who loves you completely is the only place freedom is found! He will lead you in all truth, in alignment with His Word. You will know Him and stand confidently before the throne of grace, when you stand on His Word and live in His presence!
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