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Perceptions, Cynicism: A Deceptive Perception

By: Alan Smith

• Gal. 6:2-4: Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.  Each one should test his own actions.

Cynicism, what a word!  How could this possibly be a problem, you might ask?  I thought being “cynical” was just a word for people who are not like me?  Let’s take a closer look at this word, because in my studies, I am finding that this is a spiritual disease.  A person who has allowed “cynicism” to be part of his/her “perceptions” is a person that will soon be divided from church, family, and friends.  Pretty strong statement, huh?  I believe when this spiritual disease invades a person’s mind that his/her spiritual man becomes sick and will eventually die!  Did you know that when “cynicism” has been introduced into your thoughts, your perceptions have been invaded by the powers of darkness?  Here is the definition of the word “cynicism”.

• Cynicism: An attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others.

Have you ever let your thoughts run wild, seeing only what is wrong with every thing?  Perhaps it has been more subtle than this for you.  Maybe you started out just trying to help some one in trouble, but then began to see yourself as the “great, wise one”.  Or maybe you have told yourself that your gift of discernment is kicking in when you have seen “hidden motives” in other people?  Remember, there is a very fine line between having “discernment” and being “cynical”.  Again, I believe being cynical is the worst thing that can ever happen to anyone.  The danger and destruction of this spiritual disease is staggering; and spiritually, it is deadly.  Most of the time, you do not even know you are doing it.  One of the problems with this deadly “perception” is that you believe it is the Holy Spirit giving you this internal prophetic information; when actually it is a projection from the dark side of your own heart.

Let’s do a brief history lesson on the origin of this word, cynical.  In ancient Greece there was a group founded by Antisthenes called Cynics, and cynicism was their philosophy.  Their belief system was built around the “perception” of neglecting anything that was not furthering their perfection of virtue.  Therefore, they considered themselves the chief judges in the matters of human behavior.  These Cynics were very intelligent and were even sought out for judgment about certain matters.  They perfected the art of “criticism” and used “sarcasm” as part of their language of communicating their beliefs.  One of their trademarks was that of ridiculing the behavior and motives of others.  As time progressed the Cynics sold their homes and all of their possessions.  Their “perception” was that all of these “things” were against “virtue” and were ultimately bad.  They believed in their philosophy of religion, which was cynicism, to the extent of neglecting personal hygiene, family obligations, and society.  Ultimately, they believed they were “happy” because every thing around them was bad, except for their perfect way of thinking.  Their “perceptions” of cynicism caused them to become isolated from every one around them, and therefore, singled them out of society.  The term “Cynics” is actually derived from the Greek word “kuon”.  In English the word is “dog”.  This word was given to Cynics because they ultimately lived like dogs in the outskirts of Rome.  Nearly 2000 years later, writers such as Shakespeare and Swift used heavy sarcasm and satire to ridicule human behavior, thus reviving cynicism into human culture.

I’m sure you may be wondering at this point how you can know if you have been infected by this spiritual disease?  First of all, you must understand that this disease or “spiritual destroyer” must have a place where it attaches itself and grows.  This place within you is “pride”, and pride is the fertile ground of this “fatal disease”.  Cynicism will take root and grow at a rapid pace in a perfect environment of pride.  It is a spiritual disease that must first seduce and then deceive its carrier.  How can you know if you have allowed this to happen?  You can know if you stop “carrying each others burdens” and start thinking too highly of yourself.  This disease is “pride” on steroids.  Christ has called us to help, and not to condemn one another.  Let’s explore cynicism further to see how it evolves within our thinking.

I believe there are 4 stages to the disease of cynicism.  Below, I have listed these stages of development.

Stage one of this fatal disease is “hopelessness”.  Cynicism starts taking over when “hope” begins to diminish.  Diminishing hope is “bate” on a spiritual hook.  Satan’s attack is to discourage you, because he knows when you are discouraged you are a candidate for his religion and philosophy of “cynicism”.  In this stage you will lose hope in your friends, family, and the church of Jesus Christ.  As imperfect as we all are, we are still to love each other in our imperfections, for we are looking unto that day that we will all be like Him.

• 1 John 3:2-3: Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him , for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

Hope in Him, and not in every thing that is wrong with every one, purifies your “thoughts” and helps create fresh perceptions that are full of fresh ideas of life and not of death.

Stage two of this false religion is “criticism”.  When you become better at “criticizing” than loving the unlovable, you know that you have started this journey of deceiving yourself.  This deceptive road is a very lonely road.  The further down this path you go, the less people you see traveling with you; thus creating a spirit of fear and loneliness.  For some reason you will say to yourself, “I feel the best I have ever felt in my entire life and I have never thought more clearly”.  However, deep inside, you feel alone, scared, tired, and very unhappy.  What a deception!  This “criticism” will cause you to bear a false witness in your heart against the ones you once loved and respected.  You have now not only taken the bait, but you have begun to swallow the hook.

• Exodus 20:16: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Stage three of this deadly spiritual disease is feeling very “intellectual”.  The further from the Spirit of God you get, the smarter you think you have become; only making it harder for the truth of God to invade your thoughts and change your perceptions.  This deceptive, lonely road has been paved with stones of pride laid by your very own intelligence.

• Gal. 6:3: If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Stage four is the stage of death.  The bait has been taken, swallowed, and now the hook has been set.  Your thoughts have been taken captive by the evil one.  When you have been fully captured by this false religion, you have lost “faith” in the things that once had tremendous spiritual value to you.  You can be certain that your “faith” has been robbed from you when this evil perception starts living in you.  This is the weapon of Satan to stop spiritual revival within you.  This type of thinking seems right, but it brings death to your soul and spirit.  This capturing of your thoughts is the most deceiving weapon upon the Christian church.  It is a subtle spiritual virus that will invade your perceptions, thus changing your realities into ones of dividing you from the Body of Jesus Christ and others.  It also prevents any harmony in your life.  Let’s once again consider this scripture.

• Gal. 6:2-4: Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.  Each one should test his own actions.

My prayer is for each one of us to identify this scheme of the dark side and to not participate in any of its activity.  Each one of us must test our own actions to see if they are truly in harmony with the Kingdom of God.

Blessings,

Alan