Faith, Foolishness, or Presumption by Dr. Frederick K.C Price [Summary] 

Main Summary: Faith, Foolishness, or Presumption by Dr. Frederick K.C Price is a practical guide distinguishing genuine faith from foolishness and presumption in everyday Christian living. The author examines real-life situations—finances, insurance, medication, family relationships—showing believers how to walk in biblical faith without veering into extremes.

Lessons You’ll Learn From This Post 

• Laying The Foundation
• Owe No Man Anything?
• Should I Borrow For Life’s Necessities?
• Stepping Stones In The Faith Walk
• Insurance? To Have Or Not To Have
• Family Obligations 
• What About Taking Medication
• Family Relationships
• Casting Out Calories!
• Believing God Not To Have Babies
• Claiming a Particular Husband Or Wife
• Finances In The Home Situation
• Faith Vs. Fear

Also read The Law of Faith by David Oyedepo [Summary] 

Too many have thought that faith was an instant, ‘get-rich-quick-scheme,’ a panacea for all your ills: a parachute to instantly bail you out of a problem in which you may be presently embroiled. Faith is a way of life.

Laying The Foundation

• Faith is a lifestyle, not an instant “get-rich-quick” scheme or emergency parachute. 
• The just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38) establishes faith as a way of living. 
• God gives every believer the same measure of faith at salvation (Romans 12:3). 
• Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17)—not by prayer, fasting, or religious activity alone. 
• Faith requires corresponding actions—believing without acting produces no results. 
• Faith is acting on what you believe based on what God’s Word says. 
• Foolishness means acting without understanding, judgment, or wisdom. 
• Presumption means assuming something is true without biblical proof or examination. 
• Confession matters—you must speak what God’s Word says about you, not what your circumstances or feelings dictate. 
• You can be sincerely wrong—good intentions don’t equal faith. 

There is a place in Jesus Christ where you can rise above the circumstances economically, and financially. You can be financially independent and financially free, but you’re not going to start out like that.

Owe No Man Anything?

•  “Owe no man anything” (Romans 13:8) does not prohibit buying on credit—it means don’t live in perpetual obligation to others. 
• Using credit is not unscriptural—God commands lending to others in Scripture, which requires borrowing on the other end. 
• Christians can use the world’s systems (banks, cars, credit) but operate from God’s Word as the foundation. 
• Refusing to buy needed items on credit while sitting on apple crates is foolishness, not faith. 
• Young couples should use available credit for necessities and grow their faith gradually. 
• Faith develops progressively—you don’t start believing for $50,000 cars when you can’t afford bus fare. 
• Buy a Volkswagen first, believe for the payments, then step up as faith grows. 
• The author’s testimony: went from being denied credit to paying cash for everything through developing faith. 
• You can use credit cards wisely—for convenience, record-keeping, and building credit, not for bondage. 
• Credit is a tool—use it; don’t let it use you. 

Also read Rescued From Destruction by Faith Oyedepo [Summary]

It is a lot easier to believe for $150 a month than it is to believe for $100,000. It doesn’t take as much faith force. But as you keep on believing you are going to be strengthening your faith muscle.

Should I Borrow For Life’s Necessities?

• We live in a material world—denying this reality is foolishness, not faith. 
• The goal is to get financially free—credit is a stepping stone, not a permanent lifestyle. 
• 2 Corinthians 8:9 reveals God’s heart: Jesus became poor so we, through His poverty, might be rich. 
• Matthew 6:33 must be first: seek the kingdom—things are additions, not the goal. 
• If the Mafia can ride in luxury, King’s kids shouldn’t settle for less—but you must grow into it. 
• Don’t try to start at the top rung—faith develops like climbing a ladder. 
• Credit cards are tools for convenience—use them wisely, pay them off monthly. 
• The author refused to buy Christmas trees for two years to get out of debt—a temporary sacrifice for permanent freedom. 
• Renting is like flushing money down the toilet—buy a house if possible, even if you must finance it. 
• Real estate builds equity—the author turned a $12,500 house into a $5,000 down payment on the next home. 
• Start where you are—believe for $150 monthly payments before trying to believe for $100,000 cash. 
• Being a preacher doesn’t guarantee blessing—obedience to God’s Word does. 
• The author spent 17 years struggling until he started acting on God’s Word instead of operating in foolishness. 

Living by faith does not mean that you don’t have a job. Living by faith means that you do not look to that job as the source of your supply.

Stepping Stones In The Faith Walk

• Young Christians mistakenly think they can have sex and not have babies —this is foolishness. 
• Galatians 6:7 is clear: “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”. 
• Sowing sperm produces a baby harvest —unless you do something to interrupt the process. 
• Praying “in Jesus’ name” won’t override biology —God is not mocked. 
• You reap what you sow —plant corn, get corn; plant babies, get babies. 
• Using faith without precautions is like planting corn and praying for watermelons. 
• Conception occurs when sperm and egg meet —before that, there is no human life. 
• Once conception occurs, you have human life —interfering at that point is murder in the author’s view. 
• Various birth control methods exist —the rhythm method, pills, and the diaphragm. 
• The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit —you don’t own it; God does. 
• Surgical procedures (tubal ligation, vasectomy) tamper with God’s property —be careful. 
• Birth control pills create a false pregnancy —they lie to your body. 
• The author predicts future reports will reveal dangerous side effects of long-term pill use. 
• Anything potent enough to alter body function has chemical consequences. 
• Convenience isn’t the best guide —seek God’s wisdom for your situation. 
• You must be convinced in your own heart —not just follow someone else’s opinion. 

• The faith life is progressive development—nobody is born a fully grown Christian. 
• Spiritual babies must grow up—trying to act mature before you are ready leads to failure. 
• Some hear the faith message and quit their jobs—this is presumption, not faith. 
• Faith is a force—like jet engines, you must build up power gradually. 
• You cannot push a 747 with a Piper Cub engine—don’t try to move mountains with undeveloped faith. 
• Start with headaches before tackling cancer—use faith on non-terminal issues first. 
• God will not drop money from heaven—He works through channels: jobs, people, opportunities. 
• Counterfeit money doesn’t exist—God can’t create currency outside the existing economic system. 
• 2 Thessalonians 3:10 commands: if you don’t work, you don’t eat. 
• Living by faith doesn’t mean living without visible means of support. 
• Ministry IS work—pastors and teachers labor in their calling. 
• The job is not the source—God is the source; the job is simply a channel. 
• Faith people don’t panic at layoff talk—their security isn’t in employment. 
• When the channel becomes too small, God moves you to another—not because you’re fearful, but because you trust Him. 

Also read Understanding Faith by Peter Tan [Summary]

Insurance can stop the devil from taking everything you own… It can keep the devil off your back.

Insurance? To Have Or Not To Have

• Insurance is a stumbling block for many Christians—some teach that faith means having no insurance. 
• It is wrong to impose no-insurance standards on others—you don’t know their faith level. 
• Insurance doesn’t prevent accidents—fire insurance doesn’t stop fires; medical insurance doesn’t prevent sickness. 
• Ephesians 4:27 says, “give no place to the devil” —insurance can stop the enemy from stealing everything you own. 
• We live in an imperfect world with imperfect people—even good drivers make mistakes. 
• The author’s daughter wrecked the car—insurance prevented a lawsuit and saved $700. 
• Health insurance provides protection when family members aren’t at your faith level. 
• You cannot override your wife’s or children’s wills—they may choose medical help. 
• Paul didn’t stop the storm in Acts, but God protected the lives, though the ship was lost. 
• Doctors and medicine aren’t opposed to divine healing—they assist at a lower level
• The author took his daughter to the hospital at 2 AM—not for healing, but to relieve pain until faith manifested. 
• Refusing help for a suffering child is not faith—it’s selfishness disguised as spirituality. 
• Your faith shouldn’t be based on rejecting medicine—it should be based on God’s Word. 
• Use available means as stepping stones until your faith develops to the point you don’t need them. 

Suppose she is pregnant and has to have a cesarean section and she doesn’t choose to use her faith. What are you going to tell her? ‘You believe God or die, Honey’?

Family Obligations 

• Husbands have a God-given responsibility to protect and provide for their families
• People are at various stages of spiritual growth —you cannot force your faith level on others
• Your wife and children have their own wills —they may not be ready to make the same faith commitments as you
• We live in an imperfect world with imperfect people —even Spirit-filled Christians have accidents
• A Christian hit another Christian’s car on church property —$100 damage, neither meant for it to happen
• The father/husband is obligated to provide security and protection for his household
• When family members choose not to use their faith (wife needs a C-section, child is suffering), you cannot override their will
• Letting a child suffer needlessly while you try to look “super-spiritual” is wrong
• You cannot make your faith work for someone else —they must exercise their own
• The author chose to endure severe back pain crawling on the floor rather than give in—but that was HIS choice
• Everyone isn’t called to that level of commitment —and you can’t force them
• Jesus has already paid the ultimate price —salvation isn’t based on going to doctors or not
• We need wisdom in leading our families, not religious tyranny

Also read Exploits Of Faith By David Oyedepo [Summary]

If you will learn how to use your faith on the little issues that are not terminal, you can grow to the point where you won’t need any medicine.

What About Taking Medication

• People put undue strain on families over healing and medication. 
• Not all divine healing is instantly manifested—there’s a gap between prayer and physical manifestation. 
• Throwing away glasses is foolishness, not faith—if you can’t see, you’re not healed yet. 
• Basing faith on not taking medication misses the point—faith must be in the Word, not in what you reject. 
• “Faith is the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1)—not the absence of glasses or wheelchairs. 
• The tragic case of the diabetic boy who died because parents withheld insulin shows presumption, not faith. 
• Your initial act of faith is confession—not physically acting as if healed before you are. 
• No one should tell wheelchair users to “rise and walk” —they’ll know when healing manifests. 
• Medication works with divine healing at a lower level—it’s not opposed to it. 
• God can work through medicine and surgeons—the author has seen miracles through medical channels. 
• Start using faith on small things—headaches and colds before cancer. 
• The author developed faith by standing against colds and flu—now tumors disappear. 
• Gifts of healing operate differently than faith healing—they come as the Spirit wills. 
• It’s work to stand in faith—sometimes family members don’t want to fight anymore. 
• The author hasn’t taken medicine in seven years—for himself, but won’t impose that choice. 
• Let medication be a crutch until your faith develops enough to walk without it. 

God never intended for you to become so super-spiritual that you cannot take care of family relationships. When you neglect that, without realizing it, you are giving the enemy an advantage over you.

Family Relationships

• Christians can become so “super-spiritual” that they neglect family responsibilities. 
• Some wives become too holy for sex—this destroys marriages, especially with unsaved husbands. 
• You won’t win an unsaved husband by treating him like a dog—he’s worth Jesus’ blood. 
• Sex within marriage is beautiful and holy—not mundane or unspiritual. 
• 1 Corinthians 7 shows God’s design—husbands and wives have mutual authority over each other’s bodies. 
• “Defraud not one the other, except with consent” (v. 5)—denying your spouse requires mutual agreement. 
• Submission doesn’t mean domination—it means yielding to make the other happy. 
• Parents get so spiritual they neglect children—this opens doors for the enemy. 
• Running to every prayer meeting while leaving husband and children is foolishness. 
• Husbands and wives don’t have to pray or read the Bible together—find what works for you. 
• The author and his wife have different prayer habits—and a beautiful relationship. 
• Posture doesn’t matter in prayer—God hears faith, not positions. 
• Being “too spiritual” leads to looking like sloppy rag dolls—take care of your appearance. 
• Husbands, be presentable—brush your teeth, use deodorant, stay in shape. 
• Wives, watch your diet—don’t let yourself go just because you’re married. 
• You reap what you sow—neglect your spouse, and they may be stolen. 
• Protect your investment—you’ve spent years training each other. 

Some people were sitting around the table and one person prayed this prayer: ‘I bind all of the calories in the food, and cast them out in Jesus’ name. And I believe that I can eat this food and not get fat.

Casting Out Calories!

• Some people pray over food to “cast out calories” —this is absolute foolishness, not faith. 
• Mark 11:24 doesn’t apply to overeating —you cannot believe away the laws of nutrition. 
• Proverbs 23:2 says: “Put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite”. 
• Gluttony requires self-control, not prayer —God won’t override the consequences of overeating. 
• Food is fuel for your body —excess fuel gets stored as fat. 
• You can pray all you want, but if you keep eating, you’ll keep getting bigger. 
• The author controls his diet —he and his wife watch calorie intake. 
• Even thin people develop potbellies as they age if they overeat. 
• 1 Corinthians 9:27 —Paul kept his body under subjection. 
• Your body is God’s temple —not the brick-and-mortar church building. 
• Overweight Christians can’t wear the clothes they’d like —and often don’t like themselves. 
• Discipline, not “faith,” is the answer to weight problems. 
• The author refused to become a “fat, sloppy preacher” —and changed his eating habits. 
• Non-eating produces non-weight —it’s simple cause and effect. 
• Glandular problems can be healed, but simple overeating requires simple solutions. 
• You look better in a size 10 than a size 18 —no matter what anyone says. 

You are going to reap what you sow! If you sow babies, you are going to have a baby harvest. That’s right. You can pray all you want, and say, ‘I’m going to pray in Jesus’ name!’ That’s not Faith, that’s Foolishness.

Believing God Not To Have Babies

• Young Christians mistakenly think they can have sex and not have babies —this is foolishness. 
• Galatians 6:7 is clear: “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”. 
• Sowing sperm produces a baby harvest —unless you do something to interrupt the process. 
• Praying “in Jesus’ name” won’t override biology —God is not mocked. 
• You reap what you sow —plant corn, get corn; plant babies, get babies. 
• Using faith without precautions is like planting corn and praying for watermelons. 
• Conception occurs when sperm and egg meet —before that, there is no human life. 
• Once conception occurs, you have human life —interfering at that point is murder in the author’s view. 
• Various birth control methods exist —the rhythm method, pills, and the diaphragm. 
• The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit —you don’t own it; God does. 
• Surgical procedures (tubal ligation, vasectomy) tamper with God’s property —be careful. 
• Birth control pills create a false pregnancy —they lie to your body. 
• The author predicts future reports will reveal dangerous side effects of long-term pill use. 
• Anything potent enough to alter body function has chemical consequences. 
• Convenience isn’t the best guide —seek God’s wisdom for your situation. 
• You must be convinced in your own heart —not just follow someone else’s opinion. 

What does the size of a woman’s breasts have to do with the happiness of marriage? We have got lust on our minds.

Claiming a Particular Husband Or Wife

• Mark 11:24 (“What things soever ye desire”) does not give authority over another person’s will. 
• You cannot “claim” a specific person as your spouse —they have free will. 
• A woman told a man: “I claim you as my husband… and there ain’t nothing you can do about it” —that’s presumption, not faith. 
• God will not override someone’s will just because you desire them. 
• The right approach: claim a husband or wife generally, then trust God to bring the right person. 
• You may get what you think you want and later wish you’d never seen them. 
• Looks are deceiving —beauty is only skin deep. 
• Many physically beautiful people make terrible spouses. 
• Let God bring the person —He knows what fits you best. 
• Women tend to do this more than men —and end up with the short end of the stick. 
• Men want virgins but rarely offer virginity themselves —fairness matters. 
• James 4:1-3 warns about asking amiss —with wrong motives, to consume on your lusts. 
• Claiming specific physical attributes (39-24-38) reveals lust, not faith. 
• Physical dimensions don’t guarantee happiness —people change after marriage and children. 
• You may be “short, fat, and ugly,” claiming “tall, dark, and handsome”—why would they want you?
• Adam didn’t complain about the wife God gave him —trust God’s choice. 
• The author thought he wanted certain physical traits —but God gave him someone better. 
• Color, hair texture, and measurements don’t make a happy marriage. 
• Seek first the kingdom —let God handle the statistics. 

If you have a non-believing husband, you will never win him by taking that man’s money and putting it into the church. Satan is going to use that to make him that much angrier against the church.

Finances In The Home Situation

• Writing checks without money in the bank is not faith —it’s dishonesty and Presumption. 
• A minister tried writing checks and believing God to supernaturally deposit funds —every single one bounced. 
• Checks represent a promise that money exists to cover them. 
• Post-dating a check with disclosure is honest —writing checks with insufficient funds is lying. 
• God won’t supernaturally drop money into your account to cover dishonest checks. 
• A legitimate faith approach: write checks but don’t date or send them until the money arrives. 
• Banks rarely make mistakes on personal accounts —”insufficient funds” usually means exactly that. 
• There is no “my money” vs. “her money” in marriage —it’s “our money”. 
• When only one spouse works, every dime belongs to both. 
• Men who hide their income from their wives are giving their wives a rotten deal. 
• Don’t take grocery money to tithe if your unsaved husband objects. 
• Fooling with his money is the fastest way to keep him from becoming a believer. 
• God knows your circumstances —He doesn’t expect you to tithe money that isn’t yours. 
• Household money is for household expenses —rent, food, and bills. 
• If you receive personal allowance or spending money, tithe from that. 
• Live the Christian life before your husband —that wins him more than stolen Tithes. 
• Even Christian couples should agree on tithing —not force it against a spouse’s will. 
• Using wisdom in finances is faith —foolishness with money dishonors God. 

Fear is one of the greatest things that hinders many Christian’s faith. Fear of the dog: fear of the dark: fear of the cat: fear of this and that. Fear keeps people in bondage.

Faith Vs. Fear

• Fear is one of the greatest hindrances to Christians’ faith. 
• 2 Timothy 1:7 declares: God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. 
• Fear has no legal right to dominate you —you can choose to refuse it. 
• You have authority in Jesus’ name to point your finger at fear and command it to leave. 
• Praying for circumstances to change (like a husband’s night shift) doesn’t deal with the root fear. 
• You’re trying to change the situation instead of overcoming the fear itself. 
• Any prayer that contradicts God’s Word won’t work—that’s foolishness and Presumption. 
• The author’s wife had a fear of the dark —she would stay awake all night when he was away. 
• She didn’t pray for God to stop his ministry travel —she dealt with the fear directly. 
• She learned Luke 10:19: power to tread on serpents and over all the enemy’s power. 
• She took authority over fear using the Word of God. 
• Now she sleeps peacefully —often falls asleep before the author gets to bed. 
• Praying “Lord, put him on a day job” avoids the real issue —you haven’t dealt with fear. 
• “Lord, send me by bus instead of airplane” still lets fear dominate. 
• Learn to rise above situations through God’s Word. 
• No need to fear dogs, frogs, toads, people, demons, or Satan —Greater is He in you. 
• There is no fear for those who walk in line with God’s Word. 

Now it’s time to examine your own life. Are you walking in genuine faith, or have you crossed into foolishness or presumption? Let God’s Word be your guide, not your feelings or religious traditions. Take one area and start applying wisdom today.

Finally, here is a question we’d love you to answer.

When it comes to your family, are you forcing your faith level on your spouse and children—or giving them grace to grow where they are?

We would love to hear from you. Please leave your answer and comment in the comment box below.

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