We all do it! When we assume immediately what people are thinking and presume what they are planning to do to us. However, this instinctive response leads to foolish behaviors. Assuming is falling the lies of the Deceiver who tempts us to see the worst in others. The Deceiver manipulates us to think the worst of others because he is the one who seeks separate us from Truth and those who live Truth so he can devour us like a lion devours a wandering sheep from the herd. Our enemy also uses gossip to command our attention and distract us from truth. “Satan is a liar and the father of all lies!” Jesus warned us of who he is and how he works! (John 8:44)
Assuming the worst and presuming what others will do to you so you do it first, is one of the Enemy’s oldest tricks in his habitual obsession to destroy healthy relationships with others and dismantle our faith in God. Why do we fall for him and his foolish tricks? Fear of the unknown shades our responses and reactions to life. Fear can lead us to fall for the temptations of foolish thinking and behaviors. Read on…
1 Chronicles 19
David Defeats the Ammonites
In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him as king. 2 David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.
When David’s envoys came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him, 3 the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Haven’t his envoys come to you only to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved them, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.
5 When someone came and told David about the men, he sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.”
6 When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maakah and Zobah. 7 They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, as well as the king of Maakah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba, while the Ammonites were mustered from their towns and moved out for battle.
8 On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men. 9 The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.
10 Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. 11 He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother, and they were deployed against the Ammonites. 12 Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to rescue me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will rescue you. 13 Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.”
14 Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him. 15 When the Ammonites realized that the Arameans were fleeing, they too fled before his brother Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.
16 After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they sent messengers and had Arameans brought from beyond the Euphrates River, with Shophak the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.
17 When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan; he advanced against them and formed his battle lines opposite them. David formed his lines to meet the Arameans in battle, and they fought against him. 18 But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also killed Shophak the commander of their army.
19 When the vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him.
So the Arameans were not willing to help the Ammonites anymore.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
Do we realize how truly unnecessary this war between Hanun, the Ammonite king and King David really was? Thousands of lives were lost all because of Hanun’s foolhardy assumptions and quick presumptions of David. Hanun’s fear increased as his own commanders gossiped about David and what they perceived as his real intention! How the Enemy must have laughed when Hanun and his men fell for his lies. But God intervened, as He always does, to bring the enemy to their knees while His Truth is revealed.
Our first impressions of people can set the tone for future relationships. What are the factors that lead us to our assumptions and presumptions? What are we thinking when we meet them? What causes us to assume who they are merely by what they are wearing, who we think they know, how they talk, or how they respond to our questions? And why do we gossip about someone we do not know? (One of the most destructive sins of the church!)
We need God’s Holy Spirit help for sure! Call on Him for wisdom and discernment! God always answers these prayers asked in the Name of Jesus. The Apostle Paul, inspired by God, writes of this help;
“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” Philippians 4:4-9, MSG
This is the gift of God’s peace! Don’t assume the worst which disrupts peace; think the best! The Holy Spirit who lives in us does not lie and will lead us to Truth. Ask for His wisdom and discernment and He will deliver—God promises to be with us always and God does not lie! It’s not in His character. To be more like God is to know His Son who did exactly what God said to be and do which was to teach us how to be more like Him who created us in His own image. When we truly believe God wants His best for us and is not against us; a new way of thinking replaces our old natural way of thinking.
To be more like God we do not assume the worst but think the best of others guided by His love in us. Jesus taught us and demonstrated for us the way to be more like the Father who demonstrated His relentless and powerfully love for us —”while we were yet sinners; Christ died for our sins.” (Romans 5:8)
God knows, really knows, and sees our hearts. He doesn’t need to fretfully assume what He knows and fearfully presume what we will do next—He knows! God wanting the best for us, gave His best to us to save us from ourselves and our foolish thinking and behaving. God knows that we are “presumed dead” in our sins until we believe, repent, and decide wholeheartedly to follow Jesus. When we say yes to Jesus; we are reborn! A new and forever life begins! God’s Holy Spirit living in us gives us resurrection power to overcome foolish thinking. We begin to judge less and love more! With God’s love in us, our punishment from sin paid in full by Jesus, and now God’s Holy Spirit living in us to guide us always to Truth—who could ask for anything more?
There is no one like our God! His love drives out all our fears! He is life, real Life!
Freely give to others what God has given to us! God’s mercy is the deepest gesture of His loving kindness. Paul equates the two. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
“Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life” …. (Old hymn)
Lord,
Thank you for your words of Truth that change our thinking, and by your help within us, transforms our behaviors. Lead us to Truth. Give us your wisdom of discernment. Help us to judge less and love more—like you love us.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 