Presuming on God

The Bible has episodes where people presumed on God.

• Jesse Presumed that David couldn't be anointed King
• Aaron presumed that his sons would be his successors and walk in the integrity of the office
• Eli thought his sons would be natural inheritors of his office and carry it out well
• Absolum presumed that he would be King, that it was his right
• Samuel assumed that his anointing as a prophet washed over to his role as a father
• Abraham assumed that Ismael would be a son of promise
• Esau assumed that as first born he would be the natural heir

I'm sure if I thought about it a bit more, I could come up with several other examples. People assume that their desires are God's desires. HE does say He will give us the desires of our hearts, that would be reasonable if we consider that HE places them there in the first place.

God has said that He will bless who he chooses to bless. That our assumptions on who is going to carry the mantle of the anointing of one generation into the next is up to him and his purposes.

There is no real sense that this can or will be the case if we look at history.

Even if we look at recent history, Crystal Cathedral as a poster church, succession in hands of a board and of man is a failed strategy.

God says he puts one up and another down.

I get very nervous when a leader announces that his or her son, daughter, nephew or whomever is going to take over his or her ministry. Now if it's a nominal ministry, that's no problem. There really is nothing going on anyway, so it's a moot point. It's when the power of GOD is resident in the chosen vessel that is about to step aside, what makes US think we can choose FOR God. That isn't transferable by the choice of a human. That would be presuming on God. He MAY honor it...but most of the time not.

We must be careful in our presuming on God. The mantle must go to the one capable of wearing it, not as a hand me down, as a double portion....like Elisha.

When it comes to who he will or will not anoint, who he will place in authority or an office, He seems to be pretty proprietary about all that. HE wants to make that decision.