Tuesday, September 01, 2009
♥ 3:37 PM
here's sth i've read from pastor's daily devotion which i felt is very good (:
And especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed … 2 Peter 2:10
David prayed, “Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression” (Ps. 19:13). As we live our lives by faith, we have to understand the difference between faith and presumption:
Faith is a response to the initiative of God.
Presumption takes the initiative away from God so that the believer acts on his own initiative. Presumption is acting according to our own human will. “But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved” (Ps. 78:17-18, NIV). Presumption is a sin against God. In almost all cases, presumption is classified as such a deadly sin, it is punishable by death!
Presumption is linked to the Word of God in two ways:
(1) To claim a prophecy to be a Word of the Lord when it is not, often leading to death (Deut. 18:20, 22).
(2) To overstep the Word of the Lord and to do beyond what His Word has said, often leading to destruction (Num. 14).
There are various occasions of presumptuous sin recorded in the Bible:
(1) The presumptuous sin of the children of Israel (Num. 14:39-45).
(2) The presumptuous sin of Saul (1 Sam. 13:8-14).
(3) The presumptuous sin of David (2 Sam. 6:1-7).
While faith recognizes and yields to God’s sovereign will, presumption asserts selfwill. Faith is totally dependant on God and His rhema-Word, but presumption is dependant on our own interpretation of the logos. Faith will bear fruits that glorify God, but presumption contains an element of human arrogance and self-glorifi cation.
Faith is yielding to God, but presumption demands, compels, forces and insists. So how can a Christian avoid presumption?
(1) Line-up your faith with the whole counsel of God’s Word.
(2) Do not do anything hastily (Prov. 20:21; 25:8, Eccl. 5:2).
(3) Never impose your faith on others (Rom. 12:3).
(4) Live at your own level of faith (12:6).
(5) Always remember that in the multitude of counselors there is safety (Prov. 11:14).
