I thought I’d write a part two of the blog post I wrote couple of days ago: The Battle In Our Minds. In that post I wrote about my struggle of creating scenarios that took place in the past, coupled with my imagined scenes of a confrontation that ended up upsetting me and stressing me out. I explained how the Lord was the one who helped me recognize this merry go round of thoughts I go through is just a waste of time and energy. Today I want to talk about something similar that I struggle with that the Lord has also pointed out that I need to avoid doing. I think we all at one time or another experience this bad habit of assuming too much. We assume or presume something that we believe is real based on appearance. For example, I was out to lunch with my husband when I noticed a couple sitting outside the restaurant sitting on the bench in the mall, talking. The couple were probably in their forties. They look like a nice, decent couple. The man was sitting straight in front with his face sometimes on his cell phone, while the woman’s face was turned towards the man with a smile as if desiring to hear what he has to say. I didn’t know what to make of it. I started to assume the scene in my mind. I started to think that maybe they are secretly meeting there. They’re not supposed to be there. The man doesn’t even really look at the lady as he talks, but she seems glad to be there. They don’t look too comfortable to me either. On and on I started to imagine scenarios in my head of what was the reason they were there talking. I was wondering, “Are they married? Maybe they’re brother and sister. Or maybe they’re just old friends catching up. What are two grown ups doing inside a mall? Young people should be here, not them.” You get the picture. I thought it was odd that they were meeting inside a mall. I tried to read their expressions, and presumed what the story was behind them being there. But really in truth I couldn’t come up with a conclusion, just my presumptions and assumptions.
Stuff like this can get us in trouble believe it or not. Unclean thoughts can enter into our hearts and we can start to sin against God. Even though it may seem innocent at first, if we’re not careful we can end up displeasing the Lord. The Collins dictionary defines being presumptuous as being bold and arrogant. We think we know and believe our thoughts to be right when they’re not. The Psalmist said this prayer,
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. {Psalm 19:13}
Only the Lord knows the real story behind this couple. Since I don’t, it was best for me to just stop my scenarios and stop entertaining thoughts that might end up displeasing the Lord. The Lord knows what is true and what’s right. There is nothing that is hidden from Him. Our thoughts and our hearts are open before the Lord like a movie He is watching. I could end up misjudging this couple and the Lord will not like that at all. There is nothing we can hide from Him. He knows all things.
The Psalmist prayed that God would keep him from “presumptuous sins” because apparently to him this sin is a great transgression before the eyes of God. Imagine? Being presumptuous can end up being a great sin? Who knew?
Well, think about this. How many times have we assumed God allowed miserable things to happen in our lives to punish us? Isn’t that being presumptuous? We don’t know for sure if God has allowed such a thing to happen, but we assume He’s doing it. Don’t we do this all the time? Is it right though? That would be like someone accusing you of doing something wrong, but you know you have not done anything wrong at all. Or someone assumes something about you when they don’t even know you for themselves. I remember one time a friend told me that so and so thought I was mean and unapproachable. I couldn’t believe it. What made them think that way about me? How can they just assume that? It hurt me. It hurts when people think evil of us without knowing the truth about us. How much more the Lord who knows and understands all things and who above all is good, must hurt when we think evil of Him? I’m sure I’m not the only one who has done this. I grew up believing that when bad things happen in my life God is out to get me or to punish me. I was told growing up that if I do wrong God will punish me, which translated in my mind as, “if I do something wrong God will never love me.” Who doesn’t make mistakes? It wasn’t until I came to know the Lord more did I realize that most of the time I’m being presumptuous about Him. I’m assuming about God too much. This is being too bold and being arrogant of me to think that way about God when I have no proof. You can imagine how God must truly hate this sin, because this kind of thinking turns us against Him. It makes us not want to trust Him anymore.
So what to do when we catch ourselves going through another merry go round in our mind of being presumptuous? The easiest thing to do is to talk to the Lord about it. Even if it feels scary we really need to talk to the Lord about what we think of others, and especially what we’re thinking about Him. Remember, there is nothing He doesn’t know already. As the Proverbs tells us,
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. {Proverbs 3:5-8}
Another Proverb also tells us,
Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. {Proverbs 16:3}
Overcoming the battles in our mind is not easy, but we need to fight against them. If we allow these presumptuous thoughts to reign in our hearts we can end up not only sinning against God, but miserable. How many times has assuming someone is against us or does not like us, or that some bad thing is going to happen has made us unhappy? These are all lies. Assumptions are basically lies. Unless we have proof that what we’re thinking about is true, they’re just a figment of our imagination and are lies. So the best thing to do is to stop them at the get go, and start reaching out to the Lord in our hearts and start sharing with Him our concerns. We can turn to the Lord and ask Him to take over our hearts and our thoughts. We can ask Him to help us with whatever we’re worrying about or bothering us. We can turn to the Lord and say this prayer that the Psalmist prayed,
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. {Psalm 139:23-24}
Prayer
Heavenly Father, Your are our God who loves us so much. You promised to never leave us nor forsake us. You gave Your life for us and overcame the cross, so that today we can overcome also. Please Lord, give us faith in Your love for us. Give us so much faith in You that we will not be afraid to commit every thought in our hearts and in our minds to You. Through You we will find peace. Through Your help and wisdom we will overcome this life. We are lost without You Jesus. You are our righteousness. Only You know the way to truth. Please Jesus, help us to turn to You always and commit every thought and every desire and every thing that is in our hearts, so that it will be well for us in our soul. I ask all of these things Father, in Your most wonderful and lovely name, Jesus. Thank You, Father. Amen.
