TROJAN HORSES

Beware of Trojan horses both in the world and the church.

A food-borne parasite that infects domestic cats can get inside the human brain by using white blood cells of the immune system as a Trojan horse to enter the central nervous system where it may cause behavioral changes. *

A Casanova woos a lady with a promise of marriage. He showers her with expensive gifts and whispers sweet nothings in her ears. Then, after gaining her trust, he asks her for money to settle his debts. Completely besotted, the naïve lady, thrilled by the imminent sound of wedding bells, gives him half her life savings.

Some ministers have all the trimmings of religion but inwardly harbour an ambition for the world’s goods. Their ethos is coloured by material comforts and well-being far above spiritual considerations. These are the bad apples among the television evangelists and larger-than-life ministers who manipulate or pressure people to give to “God’s work”. They may have started out well but, along the way, got bedazzled by the gleam of riches.

In the realm of IT, a Trojan horse is “a malicious application that masquerades as a legitimate file or helpful programme but whose real purpose is, for example, to grant a hacker unauthorised access to a computer” (source: Wikipedia).

This Christmas we are reminded once again of the evil King Herod who had a personal agenda when he told the wise men to look for baby Jesus as he too would like to worship Him. In fact, he wanted to kill the infant, perceiving Him as a threat to his kingship.

We should wise up by preparing ourselves against deception. Jesus warns that deception will be a prominent feature during the end times (Olivet Discourse, Matthew 24).

Believers have to be wise – in fact, extremely vigilant and discerning – if they want to stand up against deception in these last days.

Beware of those who outwardly appear to be benevolent and kind but, in fact, have an ulterior motive. For Trojan horses exist both in the world and the church.

FOOTNOTES:

*  http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/cat-parasite-uses-trojan-horse-to-infect-human-brain/89900/

Trojan horse: 

The Trojan horse is a tale from the Trojan War about the subterfuge that the Greeks used to enter the city of Troy and end the conflict. After a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside. The Greeks pretended to sail away, and the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy. That night the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under cover of night. The Greeks entered and destroyed the city of Troy, decisively ending the war – (Source: Wikipedia).