We assume a lot of things, and we do it constantly like breathing the air, but there is a danger—several dangers—when we live by our assumptions. To be considerate, some of our assumptions are spot on accurate and even encouraging, but then many of them show how blind we are and can be very hurtful to others. We assume, including myself, that everything we watch and hear on the news broadcasts are exactly what’s taking place in the world. The older and wiser we become, we learn that assumptions are very misleading. We assume we are the ones in control, when the reality is that’s only an illusion. We may have some control, but there are other forces at work that can put us in our place at any moment. God is in control and that’s no assumption.
We assume everyone thinks like we do and everyone feels the same way about something than we do. Wrong! We assume that tomorrow will come and that we will still be here. We assume things in our relationships. We assume our children should naturally know to clean their rooms and to take showers. We assume our spouse knows they love us. Someone once said, “Assumptions are the termites of relationships.”
Don’t we assume things about God? We assume that God despises the same people we do, but that’s not true. We assume that God feels the same way about things that we do. We assume God will swing heaven’s gates open for us because we have lived a morally upright life and we have treated people really good and have given to good causes. We assume that since we attended church and never missed a Sunday and never used God’s name in vain, we get a ticket for heaven and eternal life. We assume that Jesus will not return in our lifetime. We assume that we are doing God’s work alot of times, when the reality is, it’s our work and what we want.
There were two brothers who lived by their assumptions and they both ended up dead because of it. They were captains in an army and went together and killed their king so that another king could come to power. They were evil assassins with false and fatal assumptions. The believed with deep convictions they were doing the right thing and what God wanted them to do. Here is what they said,
2 Samuel 4:8 “And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; and the LORD has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.”
These brothers assumed this was what King David wanted and they assumed they were doing the work of God. They also assumed they had killed all of Saul’s descendants. In their assumptions, they got it all wrong and it cost them severely. First, this was not what the LORD wanted, second, King David was not pleased, and third, there was still one descendant left. King David had those assassin brothers executed because they lived by their assumptions.
The devil wants you to keep living by your assumptions instead of knowing and living with understanding. He wants us to live that way because he knows we get it wrong most of the time. We can avoid a lot of hurtful misunderstandings just by talking to people and asking questions. God wants us to know the truth about Him and not go around assuming things about eternal life and heaven. Those who live by their assumptions rarely consult with God in prayer and study in His word because they believe in their intuition and their own intelligence, but God’s word says something different about that in
Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way [that seems] right to a man, But its end [is] the way of death.”
Proverbs 12:15 “The way of a fool [is] right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel [is] wise.”
Instead of living in danger by living by our assumptions, let’s continually go to God in prayer asking Him to show us the truth. Let’s do the work in knowing the will of God. Let’s be bold enough to ask questions when our relationships are involved. Let’s use caution with our preconceived thoughts. When eternity is involved, don’t assume anything about your relationship with God, but ask God to show you if you are His or not!