April 24, 2017 (Monday)
Some say that today, April 24, is the anniversary of the Trojan Horse and the resulting victory over Troy by the Greeks. Others say the horse was not a horse at all, but a battering ram. Still others say it was a ship filled with soldiers and myth has turned it into a legend. Some say the whole idea is mythological. Here is a representation of the horse featured in the movie, “Troy.”
Others have created replicas of the horse in places around the world, as tourist attractions.
Whether there was such a horse and whether it successfully won a war for the Greeks is an interesting subject for debate among those interested in such things.
The people of Troy opened their gates and brought the “gift horse” into the city. During the night, soldiers emerged from inside the wooden horse and opened the gates for their fellow soldiers to invade the city and conquer the Trojan warriors.
Did the incident really happen? I don’t know. What I do know is that it is a remarkably true-to-life illustration of the way Satan tempts his victims.
The Devil temps people into believing that smoking makes them look “cool” (thankfully, fewer people in our country are falling for that lie, but people around the world are smoking more than ever), but once a person becomes a slave to tobacco, he risks becoming a victim of disease. Millions still die from smoking. Tobacco is a Trojan Horse.
Lucifer does the same with alcoholic beverage. More people drink more today than ever before. Increasing numbers are “binge drinkers.” The unhealthy effects of this are seen in many different kinds of health problems. But the ads continue to stress the “Trojan Horse” of beverage alcohol promises a really good time.
The Prince of Darkness is at his best when persuading people to become drug users. This epidemic is on the way toward becoming a universal calamity, and few people seem to know much about a cure. People keep opening the gates to let the Trojan horse of unwise drug use come into their lives.
These three are only a few of the Trojan horses in the Devil’s stable. There is not enough space in a little blog to describe the various ways we are tempted to allow into our lives attractively dangerous things and, sadly, tragedies that result.
In the meantime, we are being equipped by the Lord and the Scriptures to be wise in our choices and refuse entry to the Devil’s stallions, mares, and pretty little Shetland ponies: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV).