Jugglers

But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:13, NASB

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:13, KJV

In the King James Version of 2 Timothy 3:13, impostors are called “seducers”. According to the Encarta Dictionary, a seducer is a persuader who uses deception to get what he or she wants sexually. However, the same reference further reveals that the term isn’t limited to sexual enticement; a seducer also tries to talk someone into doing other things they wouldn’t normally do by painting a picture of how “amazing” or “truly noble” those things are. Lastly, the same source states that the term “seducer” can be used to describe a person who manipulates others into giving them their support or agreement.

The term “impostor” used in the NASB indicates the false, illegitimate character of this type of person, whereas the word “seducer” further reveals the manipulative, self-serving motivation by which they are driven.

In Greek, “impostor” is the word goēs and indicates not only a deceiver and an impostor, but also reveals some other very interesting peculiarities (see < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1114&t=KJV >).

The first definition right out of the box for this Greek word is “a wailer” and “a howler”. Remember, impostors lie and manipulate, so this wailing and howling is not the genuine cry of pain, remorse, or compassion—no, the wail and howl of the impostor is a grand charade to further his agenda of conning and deceiving. Would you be surprised to learn that one of the strategies which activist Saul Alinsky included in his book, Rules for Radicals (© 1971), to force societal change was to loudly, disruptively, and continuously complain—to howl and wail—against the status quo? (Incidentally, Alinsky dedicated this book to “…the first radical known to man…Lucifer”.)

Another definition of goēs is “enchanter”—a person, according to the source, who would utter incantations in a sort of a howl.

But to me, the most intriguing definition of all is included in the second meaning along with “enchanter”—a “juggler”. You may wonder how this word “juggler” could possibly be related to “impostor” or “seducer”. Well, this is where it gets very interesting.

These days, information—extremely important information—gets thrown at all of us constantly. Any attempt to make sense of current events is dizzying and can make you feel as if you are watching a multi-object juggling routine in hyper-speed! You start to learn about one thing going on and before you know it, a second, and then a third, and then a fourth—all breaking news—all “just in”—slap you, one after the other, in the face. Changes and crises abound—whether in health care law, the resulting sweeping loss of hours, wages, and jobs, invasive privacy concerns, military changes and new crises in the middle-east and the Ukraine, growing concerns about the integrity of the IRS, skyrocketing prices, changes in the genetic makeup of food, gun laws, voting laws, immigration and the influx of non-citizens and unaccompanied minors crossing our borders, changes in the age-old definition of marriage and growing antagonism toward those who hold to traditional views, environmental regulations undermining the use of trusted energy sources while eliminating whole sectors of jobs, changes in the US relationship with China, Russia, Iran and the rest of middle-east, chilly relations on the part of the administration with Israel, predicted decline in America’s status as the world’s economic leader and super-power, changes in what is commonly accepted as right and wrong—all these things and so much more fly at us from every direction at the speed of light.

Most of us do not have the reading capacity of President Kennedy who was reported to read four newspapers in 15 minutes every day. And yet the daily, perpetual juggling of volumes of highly detailed information about ever-changing, significant events intensifies all the more, mocking our inability to comprehend even one piece, let alone grasp the entire scope of information.

Most folks just throw their hands up in the air, let the info fall to the ground, and walk away. Who can keep up with it all?

I propose that this “juggling routine” is by design to keep men and women of good will and honest heart off-balance as they attempt to bring order to chaos.

But I also believe with all my heart that there is a strategy from the Throne Room of God to empower His people to deal effectively in the face of this constant juggling of disastrous, poisonous events and information.

Consider this: It was rumored that baseball legend Ted Williams was able to see—as if frozen in space—the seams on any fastball hurled his way. Could it be that God might be “magnifying your vision” with one or two of the very serious issues facing our nation? Are you passionate about any of the crises or changes gripping our culture? What angers you? What makes you uneasy? What is attempting to rob your peace? Take note. Could it be that the issues that bother you the most are the “seams on the baseball” flying at you? Could it be that the Living God has prompted your ire and is coaching and preparing you to hit that issue out of the park in consecrated, heartfelt prayer?

It is my belief that God’s will in these difficult days is to send assignments to His men and women, boys and girls, “freezing in space” for each one of us the details concerning those things about which He is prompting us to pray. Look. He’s so much greater than any impostor, seducer, or juggler of oppression and folly that ever existed.

So when you see alarming information being juggled at warp-speed before your eyes, thank God that He has His “Ted Williams” prayer people stepping up to the plate all over the nation and around the world. They are poised, ready, waiting, bats in hand, anticipating those fastballs, and, seeing the seams, with their prayer muscles bulging, they swing with a force that could only come from God and connect—sending those balls way out of the park.

Get ready to play ball, Ted Williams—you!

Dorothy