As an auditor, the admonishment and reminder I get from my supervisor regularly is we can never presume or assume anything. It is extremely easy to assume you have a match when you see two numbers that are the same, however, until you have the evidence to prove this is so, then you must keep digging.
For example, when looking at a general ledger, examining the bills of an organization, though it may be a coincidence, and not happen often, bills for two separate companies could be exactly the same, which is not necessarily a problem; however, the auditor’s job is to ascertain whether those expenses are allowable or not, in the contracts that the company has signed and are obligated to. Numbers on the page do not always tell the full story. You may find that the receipt was for an acceptable vendor that they use regularly but the expense itself was misappropriated. Also, you could have a purchase that was perfectly legitimate, but it was entered into the wrong fund. Then one must go even further to find out if this were indeed an innocent mistake, or if there are more entries like it, which would raise the question of possible fraud. Quite interesting. This is why auditors are not to assume anything. I would not go as far as to say that we must ‘presume’ people guilty until proven innocent, but you must go into an audit with a critical and analytical mindset to do a thorough job. Assuming and being incorrect can also put you and your company in a questionable position.
As humans we pride ourselves on our self-proclaimed, keen ability to eavesdrop. However, the problem is that if you are not part of the entire conversation, though you may hear a sentence or two accurately, you do not know the context in which it is being said, which can change the entire meaning at times. You could hear an answer to a question, but not know it, and you probably did not hear the question, or you may hear the question and miss the response. This is also a prime example of when not to presume or assume anything, because you may find yourself in an embarrassing situation. If you do plan to pass anything along that you have just heard by happenstance, be sure you are wearing chocolate shoes, because your foot may very well end up in your mouth.
There are presumptuous people who think that if something did not originate with them, then what good is it? Could it even be a valid idea? These could also be referred to as narcissists, which by the dictionary definition is, an extremely self-centered person who has an exaggerated sense of self-importance. We used to use the word conceited, in my younger days, which is similar, which by the dictionary definition is, having or showing an excessively high opinion of oneself. These types of folks are often prone to speak quickly without thinking or having all the facts, because they feel they are always right. You could end up with ‘egg on your face’ if you fall into this category, because it will catch up with you eventually. James 1:19, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak.” Doling out your advice like it is a sample at Sams Club, and the best thing since grandma’s apple pie, thinking it is the only clear solution to someone else’s problem, is to be misguided in your own mind. Remember, as the Oldtimers used to say, “There is more than one way to skin a cat.” Though I am not sure I would want to skin a cat, I would have to seek help to get it done from someone who has done so in their lifetime. I say all of that to say that everyone is different and each circumstance that comes up will be unique. We should rely on the leading of the Lord, with much thinking and listening, before ever speaking.
The only way we can be sure we are not making things up, or presuming, or putting everyone into the same box, is if when we rely on the Word of God to be our text book, and the manual for life. God’s word is the final authority and has answers to any question we might have, even then, the key is knowing your audience because the application can be different depending on culture, education, environment, and so forth. 2 Timothy 2:15 states, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Ephesians 4:11-15 tells us,” And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” There are two key points. One is not to be persuaded by everything you hear without validating it in scripture, and the other, found in the last verse is, ‘speaking the truth in love.’ Yes, you may be very versed in scripture and be full of knowledge, but if it is not administered properly aka ‘rightly divided,’ and ‘in love,’ the new born child of God could die. It does not matter your title or status in life, do not be presumptuous.
We cross over into presumptuous speaking when we really are not well versed in the situation we are dealing with or with the word of God itself, which is where true answers lie. Jesus said to the Pharisees in Matthew 15:7-11, “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, this people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” When we begin to speak, teach, or preach our own opinions as doctrine and become incensed when others do not follow our directives, we have just presumptuously stepped above our pay grade. We begin to play the part of the judge, which is a judgeable offense. God alone can fill that position. The Word of God is clear. It tells us about God and His nature and how great He is. He gives us the commandments which guide us on how to live morally, and He has made available to us His Spirit to dwell within us to give us power to fulfill His demands. When it comes to our salvation there is no guess work, and no individual opinions needed. Just obedience. If you do not know the truth, do not assume that you are fine, or that what others are saying is correct. Ask questions, study, and find the answers until, you are sure. This is a matter of life and death.
I would not leave this subject with you ‘assuming’ that what I am saying is that we have nothing to offer and that ministering to others is not valid, because as we have already read in the book of Ephesians, “God gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers”, but we are not the originating source of the answers. That remains God’s expertise, but we are conduits through which the Spirit of God flows. We are facilitators for those who want to find answers and change their lives. In Hebrews 11:6 we see, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Then we see how people will be able to lay hold onto faith in Romans 10:17 which tells us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” This is where our ministry of teaching, preaching, witnessing, and sharing the word, and life coaching if you will, comes into play. Yet, if you are a presumptuous speaker or one with narcissistic tendencies, this calling will not be for you. 1 Corinthians 1:21 says it is not going to be as illustrious a job as you think it is, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” However, if you genuinely want to see lives change, you will do it as unto the Lord, sticking to the facts of His word, and leave the fiction and presumptuous speaking for those who deal in fairy tales. Yes, we all have our own private opinions, ideologies, thoughts, and convictions, but those are not what will save or set free.
We must keep the mission in mind when trying to minister to others. I recently heard a short clip where a pastor stated that if you are a pastor and you are constantly writing blogs because you want everyone to see what a great writer you are, you have missed the point of your calling. You must consider that all the time you are writing, is time that has been taken away from your own congregation. The calling of a pastor specifically is to be the shepherd of a flock, not to the world. Find out where the person or people you are ministering to are in their walk in life and with the Lord. Learn about them and where they have come from, and what they want their next steps to be as they relate to their lives. Do not go off on a wild hair, chasing bunnies without stopping and listening first. This is presumptuous speaking. Do not be ‘that person’ who jumps into every conversation without invitation. Do not be a pot stirrer putting your own spin on everything which will only muddy the waters.
We know that this concept played a huge part in the original sin of pride, when Satan began to ‘blow smoke,’ and speak presumptuously. Isaiah 14:12-15 tells us what happened, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” He stepped out of line, and it cost him dearly. Ever since then, he has been trying to impose his methods on mankind to take them down with him. We see Eve make the statement, “Did God really say?” in the garden of Eden. And we have been going down a slippery slope ever since.
In a conversation between God and Moses in Deuteronomy 18:17-22, God gives this directive. “Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord said unto me, they have well spoken that which they have spoken.” I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”
Preacher and teachers should be incredibly careful when they say thus saith the Lord. They must be sure that they have heard from God, and that what they are saying also aligns with the word, because it is dangerous grown if you are speaking presumptuously. Saints must be sure that they are vetting things through the Word of God as well. 2 Timothy 4:2-4, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” Here Paul gives a warning to both preachers and saints. Though giving a ‘word of knowledge’ to the church is a gift of the Spirit, we must approach it in the fear of the Lord, while employing other gifts along with it before speaking, namely discernment and wisdom, then allow the Lord to speak through you for the edifying of the saints.
As we read in Deuteronomy, we must beware of whose words we listen to. As we see the people, “hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners” which was not God’s plan for His people. There are many scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments that share this principle. We must not read horoscopes hoping to find direction for our lives. Relying on the Zodiac signs to see how our day is going to go is allowing others, not God or another ‘higher power,’ but other humans just like us to speak presumptuously into our life, which can lead us astray. They are often led by evil spirits who are prompting them to try to, “be like the Highest.” Which is Lucifer’s mantra. We must put away the tarot cards, soothsayers, and crystal balls, and seek the Lord for the answers we need in life. Numbers 23:19 gives us these comforting words, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
In Genesis, it tells us that God created the heaven and earth by his word. Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31 and Luke 21:33, state, “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” Jesus knew the power of the spoken word. In Matthew 16:15-19 while talking to his disciples, this happened, “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Peter was given the keys not because he made a profession that he fully understood, but because He spoke out in faith. Jesus pronounced a blessing upon Peter that day that if he continued to speak out the word of the Lord, then what he said would come to pass. We see the true fulfillment of this and the beginning of Peter’s ministry in Acts 2:14 after the Holy Ghost was poured out and everyone was confused as to what was taking place, “ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words.” And we are now a part of the New Testament church, continuing that ministry. Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” We must beware not to misappropriate this power.
In conclusion, there is one more aspect of this subject I would like to touch on briefly. We know that prayer is essential to our Christian walk, no argument there. We also know that prayer is communication with God. He wants us to commune with him, and let him know our needs, ask him, seek after him, and knock so that doors can be opened in our lives. However, we must never come to him as though we are the star in a Broadway show, with all our antics and theatrics thinking that we are going to sway his decision on our behalf. In Matthew 6:5-7 Jesus was preaching his renown Sermon on the Mount, and instructed the multitude, “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
We need a revolutionary change in our lives, where we put away any presumptuous speaking, especially when we are approaching the Throne of Grace. Exodus 14:13-14 tells us, “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” God is still fighting our battles today and he is victorious, therefore, all we need to do is stand still, hush, and see the salvation of the Lord. Enough said, hold your peace.