What is being presumptuous? According to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, presumptuous means bold and confident to excess; being rash in confidence; willfully done with bold design; or founded on presumption. So, that got me to thinking, what exactly is presumption? I want to make sure I understand it completely. Presumption, is the supposing of truth or real existence of something without direct or positive proof of the fact; being blind or having headstrong confidence; arrogance; unreasonable confidence in divine favor.
I would say by reading all of these definitions, (without trying to be presumptuous), that we all have at some point and time been presumptuous.
Sadly, we are sinners by nature. In this world, and in the flesh we dwell in, we are sinners. According to Romans 7:18-19, For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do.
So many times, as children of God, we know what we should do, and we’ve studied that in which we should do, and know within us, what we should do, but yet, this rotten flesh, goes against every good that we know to be true. It will fail us every single time. We know we should walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh, yet we fail.
Especially those of us, who study the Word of God each day, we assume we know what to do, what to say and when we should do so. Assuming and presuming are twin brothers.
To assume also means to take for granted, or without proof; to suppose a fact; to take to one’s self; to take what is fictitious; to take in appearance; to be arrogant.
We take being presumptuous or “assuming” as no big deal. We take presuming and assuming very lightly. Just because it is what seems right or as a fact to be. In reality, everything we see, and hear is not a fact or is not reality. A fact, is any thing done, or that comes to pass; an act; a deed; an effect produced or achieved. It is actually something that really does happen.
We stray from facts and truth so many times in this life. Truth is defined as the conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be. Truth is a true state of facts or things. Truth is a purity from falsehood; a correct opinion; constancy; honesty; sincerity; a real state of things.
In John 14:5-6, the bible says, Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus tells us plainly, He is the way, the TRUTH and the life. The only way we can know truth, is by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We in our flesh, cannot know real truth. But when the Spirit of God, dwells in us, we can know truth. But walking in this ungodly flesh, we cannot recognize truth, even when we hear it. That is why it is so important to stay in the Word of God. We will not be able to recognize truth, unless we have the Word of God, dwelling within us. 2 Timothy 2:15, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
By staying near to God, and staying in His word, the Holy Spirit will guide us in what is truth. In John 16:13, the Lord says, Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. At any time, we are at a point of confusion or strife in our lives with others or ourselves, we can come to the Lord, and ask Him, “What is truth?” This life has so many twists and turns, we can get confused very quickly. So many things happen in this life, that can get us away from reality and away from facts. Sometimes, things happen over and over, and we just start to believe that is the way things are or “that’s the way they have always been” so it must be truth. We base our current circumstances most of the time, on what we have always known. This is to our own destruction. This is where the devil wants to keep us, so we do not progress into the perfect will of God for our lives. We base our past experiences on the reality of now. When we do that, we are believing our own opinions, and the devil’s lies above what God says and is doing in us for our good. This holds us up and hinders our walk with Him.
We then become blind to our own sins, believing what used to be, as truth. We then err in our ways, our thoughts, and our walk with the Lord. Psalm 19:12-13, David says, Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. This means, we cannot understand our own errors. These presumptuous sins become our own secret faults, that sometimes we won’t be able to recognize. Being presumptuous, and believing things that are not facts, can create a dominion over us. A dominion is defined as, a Sovereign or supreme authority; power of governing or controlling. We are allowing our own thoughts and opinions or what the devil says, to have dominion over us. We are allowing something else, to take the place of God in our lives. God is the only One who should have dominion over us. He is the only Sovereign and only rightful authority over us, and this world.
To presume is to take or suppose to be true or entitled to belief, without examination or positive proof, or on the strength of probability. I started examining myself and asked what proof do I have on the circumstances that is in front of me, and what strength am I putting into the probability of what is actually happening? The definition of probability is, the likelihood; the appearance of truth; inclining the mind to receive it as truth, but leaving some room for doubt. Therefore falls short of moral certainty, but produces what is called opinion. Basically, any thing that has the appearance of truth or reality. We do this many, many, many times. We do this to ourselves, to others, especially those closest to us, and exceedingly to the God of heaven. Our presumptions are nothing but our own opinions derived from what we have experienced, or what appears to be reality right now. The old saying, “Things are not always as they appear”, is truth. We get so caught up in comparing our present, with our past, that we forget what is truth. We forget what is right in front of us. God did not bring us this far to leave us, nor to destroy us. We use probability to assume proof or fact. This is wicked and ungodly. We should seek the Lord, when seeking truth and will always find it in His word.
When we see things or hear things that remind us of our past experiences, and use them to determine truth that is now, means we do not have the victory over the past. We need to ask the Lord to help and heal us from those thoughts and those experiences. Unhealed wounds become infectious. According to, Mainehealth.org, a wound that won’t heal can be a constant source of pain and frustration. It also can be a serious medical problem for patients who do not get the treatment and support they need. A non-healing wound can be very serious because it can become infected and lead to an illness or even the loss of a limb. A non-healing would sometimes be called a chronic wound. The most common is called, an ulcer. An ulcer simply put, is a sore that occurs continually in any of the soft parts of the body.
Some symptoms of a non-healing wound, are pain around the wound that doesn’t improve or seems to get worse. A wound that seems to be weeping, draining, or leaking more. Redness or swelling that spreads away from the wound. The wound also will start to smell bad.
If you start to notice things that are said or done around you, that really doesn’t improve or seem to get worse, that is a sure sign of an unhealed wound. Things that are said or done, that cause weeping, or becomes draining or leaks out bad things from you, is a sure sign of an unhealed wound. When you are easily angered, you will have the “redness” or swelling that spreads from that wound on to others. When they say or do things, that remind you of the original hurt, that redness and swelling comes out onto them. Even when they don’t realize they’ve said something or done something to rub that open wound. When they do, it is painful to you, who has the wound and doesn’t even affect them, until that swelling comes out. Once that swelling spreads to those around us, that wound then starts to stink! Sometimes those wounds are so deep, we don’t even recognize them, until someone says or does something to aggravate it.
When those wounds are aggravated, then we start presuming what they are saying or doing is the very same thing that caused that wound from the beginning. When in reality, it is the farthest thing from the truth. We have formed a wrong opinion of that person, according to the probability that the things they are saying or doing will make that wound worse or even create a new wound. Probability is not based on facts or truth. Relying on probability is a lie. When we rely on our own probability, we do not rely on the Lord and what He says is truth. In this circumstance, it is best, to seek the Lord and ask Him, and keep our mouths closed until we have found actual proof of the truth, in God’s word.
Psalm 39:1-2, David says, I SAID, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me. I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. It is best to always take heed to our ways, and think before we speak. To take heed, means to regard with care; to take notice of or to attend to and observe. We must take notice of ourselves and what people are actually saying and compare it to the word of God, before we claim we know truth. We should hold our peace, even from good, until we know the truth of the matter, then the Lord says, we may speak with our tongue. When we do these things, and evaluate ourselves and what is reality and truth, according to God’s word, we then will be obedient to the Lord.
In Galatians 5:14-17 we are commanded to these things: For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
We will never be able to walk in the Spirit, and do the things that the Lord commands us, until that wound is healed. A wound only happens in the flesh and it is seen in the flesh. We must be healed of that wound.
Some ways, physically, to heal a wound, are these:
- Topical wound medication and specialized dressings.
- Compression wrappings/ stockings.
- Patient education on self-care.
- Antibiotics.
- Removing the unhealthy tissue or surgery.
- Negative pressure therapy (air is pulled from a closed dressing, which improves blood flow and draws out excess fluids from the wound).
- Growth-factor therapy (help wound-healing cells to grow).
We should utilize these physical treatments for our spiritual healing. You can apply medication, such as a balm, that can be used as an antibiotic. God says in Jeremiah 8:22, Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? The Lord Jesus is the One who has the balm and HE is the Great Physician. In Revelation 3:18, He says, I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. The Lord is waiting for us to ask Him, to heal us. He has the only medication, we need. Our “self-care” is staying in God’s word and allowing Him to put us through the fire, to burn off those old wounds, and unhealthy tissues in our lives, so we can be clothed in the white raiment He has for us, as His children. This fire, cures us of the wounds we have and the shame that occurs when we let those presumptuous sins have dominion over us. Then, that “negative pressure therapy” takes place. The air flow is pulled through the bandages the Lord uses the cover those wounds. The air, is a picture of the Holy Spirit of God. Many times in the bible the Lord uses the east wind to blow in provision for His people. In John 3:8, the Lord says, The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
When that air flows through, that creates the flow of the blood to the wound, that then drives out that excessive fluid, that lingers on that unhealed wound. We must allow the Spirit of the Lord to do His perfect work in us, then the blood of Christ can be applied, which in turn, takes away those excessive fluids, that cause infection, and then new life can grow. New tissue, then will grow and replace the old, unhealed tissue. Proving that Leviticus 17 verse 11 is truth: For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
There is life in the blood of Christ. No matter what has happened in the past, what is happening now, or whatever happens in the future, the blood of our Lord Jesus, covers it all. We will not find healing, peace or enjoy the new life the Lord has planned for us, until the blood is applied. We can be healed, if we will let the Lord do it. 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.