Daily Devotions

Posts tagged “cynicism

A Place of Sanctuary

MARTY GABLER—By end of day, have you felt that you were in an environment that had no understanding of your beliefs and values? Did it press on you like a heavy weight that seemed to preoccupy your mind? You and each of your family members need a place that is familiar, a place that is a sanctuary from cynicism and expressions of hopelessness. May your home be a place of faith where you are edified and the Name of the Lord is spoken and His blessings are enjoyed.  (Prov.24:3, Amp) “Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation],”  We are praying you discover daily that you are making your home into a safe haven of faith and love. 


The Contagion of Cynicism

The attitude of cynicism tends to be contagious: the attitude of the person who has been somewhere and it was a disappointing venue, now others don’t want to go there; the attitude of the person who was married and it was a disappointing experience, now others don’t want to take the chance on marriage; the attitude of the person who went all out to succeed but they ended up broke and embarrassed for having even tried, now others are afraid to step out. Cynicism displaces anticipation and induces lethargy. We must dwell on the God of the impossible and His Word that brings our focus back to all possibility (Matt.19:26). He is God and will never cease being everything He has always been. Our experiences plus the experiences of others, or even the lack of experiences, do not determine the ability or reluctance of God to do wonders among His people. The Bible does not say, “All things are possible to him who has always had a perfect track record.” But it does say, “… If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mk.9:23, NKJV)


Bitter Roots

Free RootsLarry Burden — Bitter roots are defined as sinful reactions to painful events. The events, themselves, do not cause the root. The reaction to the events is at the core of the bitter root. Bitter roots express themselves as condemning judgments of people or the refusal or inability to forgive those who have hurt us. They manifest as names or careless words that we have either thought about, called others, or said about the ones who have hurt us. They are powerful toxic pollutants that damage and defile our souls and others around us as well. In response to hurts, wounds, or painful events, we express condemning judgments. We may try to push down the hurts, rationalize them, blow them off, or simply just pass them off as no big deal. But they are big deals! Over time these seeds of bitterness will build a root system and, if left unchecked, become the driving force of our personality, manifesting such things as: Cynicism, Apathy, Negativity and more.  (LARRY BURDEN will be speaking at Kingdom Congress 2022 March 2-4. Grace Church Willis: 936-856-2455; All info for KC2022 – martygabler.com/kc2022/)


Anticipation and Separating Ourselves

We may very well need to separate ourselves in anticipation of what we do not see in this moment so that we might see it in the next. We will need to separate Double Line Walking Beside.jpgourselves from what we have not seen in the past year. In order to see what we need to see in the next moment (or the next year) we must separate ourselves from the distractions, interferences and disqualifiers of the present. Joshua’s instruction for the people to “separate themselves apart from” could include separating from such practical and mundane things as (1.) cynicism (2.) unbelief (3.) opinions of others (4.) from past disappointments (5.) from past events that never culminated in the desired outcome and (6.) from people who never followed through with influence or promises. Joshua’s words that seem to really stand out in 3:5 are, “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow.” Anticipation is not an emotion but a matter of wise adjustments and preparation.


Bitter Roots

(Larry Burden) — Bitter roots are defined as sinful reactions to painful events. The events, themselves, do not cause the root. The reaction to the events is at the core of the bitter root. Bitter roots express themselves as condemning judgments of people or the refusal or inability to forgive those who have hurt us. They manifest as names or careless words that we have either thought about, called others, or said about the ones who have hurt us. They are powerful toxic pollutants that damage and defile our souls and others around us as well. In response to hurts, wounds, or painful events, we express condemning judgments. We may try to push down the hurts, rationalize them, blow them off, or sim- ply just pass them off as no big deal. But they are big deals! Over time these seeds of bitterness will build a root system and, if left unchecked, become the driving force of our personality, manifesting such things as: Cynicism, Apathy, Negativity and more.  (LARRY BURDEN will be speaking at Kingdom Congress 2018 March 7-9. Grace Int. Church: 936-856-2455)
LARRY AND OTHER GREAT TEACHERS WILL BE MINISTERING AT KINGDOM CONGRESS 2018
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The Fallout of Emotions and Moods

Time and ravaged relationships will eventually prove that giving in to negative emotions or moods causes suffering similar to the fallout of chemical warfare.  Moods are like a poisonous fog that suffocates everyone within reach!  It is dangerous to tolerate “moods” because the “fog” of “my  anger” or “my  fear” is blinding, and we lose sight of what our negative emotions are doing to others and our own physical bodies.  We can even wander deeper into the fog and reach a pit of indifference.  In that “pit,” isolation and cynicism become an anesthesia that numbs upsetting emotions while it blocks out rational thinking. The ripple effects can be lethal . . . loneliness, hopelessness and failure to fulfill purpose.   (The fifth excerpt from Kathy’s article “Investing in Relationships” published in SEEC Magazine.)

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Focus Back on Possibility

The attitude of cynicism tends to be contagious: the attitude of the person who has been somewhere and it was a disappointing venue, now others PictureFocusdon’t want to go there; the attitude of the person who was married and it was a disappointing experience, now others don’t want to take the chance on marriage; the attitude of the person who went all out to succeed but they ended up broke and embarrassed for having even tried, now others are afraid to step out. Cynicism displaces anticipation and induces lethargy. We must dwell on the God of the impossible and His Word that brings our focus back to all possibility. He is God and will never cease being everything He has always been. Our experiences plus the experiences of others, or even the lack of experiences, do not determine the ability of God to do wonders among His people. The Bible does not say, “All things are possible to him who has always had a perfect track record.” But it does say, “… If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mk.9:23, NKJV)


Read Marty’s latest article in SEEC Magazine
“Amazed and Perplexed”
CLICK ON LINK BELOW TO READ:
https://martygabler.com/magazine/