Discover why presumption is like a poison pill for God’s prophets and prophetic people.
Doctor. Livingstone, I presume?
Many of you have heard the story of Henry Stanley, the ambitious
American reporter who went to the Dark Continent in search of Dr.
David Livingstone, a 19th century missionary who explored
sub-Saharan Africa.
When Stanley finally tracked down the famed evangelist, his first
words when approaching the only other white man in Ujiji, Africa
were, as the story goes, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” The white
man’s identity may have seemed like a no-brainer to the young
journalist, but if he had been a prophet Stanley’s presumption would
have landed him in a heap of trouble. That’s because presumption is
on God’s blacklist.
What does it literally mean to presume? And what exactly is
presumption? Webster defines “presume” as “to form an opinion from
little or no evidence” and “to take as true or as fact without
actual proof.” Presumptuous is defined as “to overstep due bounds”
and “to take liberties.” Those definitions outline some critical
prophetic dos and don’ts.
First off, there is no room for personal opinion in the prophetic.
Our “proof” must come from the Holy Spirit, not our own spirits or
some other spirit. As mouthpieces for God, others take our words and
insights very seriously, and we cannot abuse the grace people
perceive on our lives.
We must not fall into the trap of filtering prophetic utterances
through our own biases and, in doing so, deceive the hearers. What
would cause the prophet to think anyone wants his opinion, anyway?
(We’ll get to that in a minute.) The function of the prophet is to
reveal the mind and will of God, not the mind and will of the
prophet.
Second, prophets must recognize boundaries and not take the liberty
of overstepping our prophetic authority. Yes, where the Spirit of
the Lord is there is liberty. But not the liberty to speak outside
our God-given spiritual jurisdiction.
That jurisdiction begins in the local church and expands as the
prophet matures. Even the president of the United States, with all
his authority, would be presumptuous to issue a decree over another
nation. His words would fall to the ground because he would be
overstepping his bounds.
CLICK HERE
to get a
FREE issue
of The Voice magazine.
Doubtless, God hates presumption – and He has good reason. There are
several variations of the Greek word “presume.” Typically, the word
portrays insolence (insultingly contemptuous speech or conduct),
pride, arrogance, or audacity (bold or arrogant disregard for normal
restraints). Considering that the Lord includes a proud look and a
false witness among His seven abominations, presumption is not
something to be taken lightly.
In fact, while the Bible only mentions the words presume, presumed,
presumptuous and presumptuously 11 times, it almost always leads to
the death. Indeed, there are few things worse than a presumptuous
prophet. Deuteronomy 18:20 declares, “The prophet who presumes to
speak a word in my name which I have not commanded him to speak, or
who speaks in the name of other gods, the same prophet shall die.”
Mercy! Of course, we are living in a time of grace and even the most
presumptuous prophet probably won’t be struck dead for this sin. But
we must ask ourselves, what is happening inside of us, in our
spirits, when we presume? Selah.
If you think God likes presumption any better in the New Testament
than the Old Testament, then think again. Or ask the Apostle Peter.
He was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost when he
revealed that those who walk after the flesh in the lust of
uncleanness, and despise government (authority) are presumptuous,
self-willed and slanderous (2 Peter 2:9-19).
After pointing out that these presumptuous ones love to indulge in
evil pleasures, revel in deceitfulness, possess an insatiable lust,
lure people into sin, and train themselves to be greedy, among other
sinful qualities, Peter finally connects them with Balaam, the
presumptuous prophet.
You remember, Balaam. King Balak sent messengers to him with a
sinister request and rewards of divination in their hands. Balak
offered to pay Balaam to curse the Israelites. Wicked story short,
Balaam initially refused to pronounce the curse, but eventually
helped King Balak defile the Israelites by giving him a strategy
involving sexual sin (Numbers 31:16). Balaam wound up committing
treason (fighting against the Israelites) and his end was death.
Listen to how the Apostle Peter referred to Balaam’s presumption...
“They have wandered off the right road and followed the way of
Balaam, son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong. But
Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him
with a human voice. These people [Which people? Presumptuous
people!] are as useless as dried-up springs of water or as clouds
blown away by the wind – promising much and delivering nothing. They
are doomed to blackest darkness” (2 Peter 2:15-17 MSG; comments in
brackets added).
Go to
www.TheVoiceBooks.com
for more prophetic resources.
 |
Prophets Pitfalls &
Principles: God's
Prophetic People Today
By Dr. Bill Hamon
Reg $14.99
Save 15%
Only $12.79 |
 |
Extreme
Prophetic Studies
By
Jonas Clark
Reg $19.99
Save 10%
Only
$17.99 |
CLICK HERE for more
great books at
www.TheVoiceBooks.com.
FREE GIFT:
Subscribe to The Voice magazine today and
receive a
$5.00 Gift Coupon for
TheVoiceBooks.com.
CLICK HERE
or call
800.943.6490.
Remember our friends young Stanley and Dr. Livingstone?
Livingstone’s fascinating books sold in huge numbers all over the
world as he pursued his dream to open the continent to make a way
for other missionaries to preach the Gospel. Stanley, on the other
hand, was notorious for changing the facts to suit his purposes – or
even making them up – in his books.
Stanley even lied about his heritage. He fought for the South in the
American civil war, and then committed treason (like Balaam) and
served the North when captured. He later helped the King of Belgium
fulfill his greedy purposes (like Balaam) in Africa. Like Balaam,
Stanley’s greed and pride caused him to compromise his professional
ethics. Stanley eventually became a mass murderer.
It seems the fate of the presumptuous is ultimately the same
throughout history. Thank God we have a Savior. We can repent of
such sinful works. We need to pray like David. In Psalm 19:13 he
cried, “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them
not have dominion over me: then I shall be upright, and I shall be
innocent from the great transgression.”
Hungry for more?
Get
The Voice magazine.
CLICK HERE to subscribe or call
954 456-6032.
