One of my favourite movies of all time is TROY. It is Mythical story of the powerful city of Troy. For those who may not be familiar with the movie, let me give a brief story of the plot. Troy was a very powerful city protected by very high walls and a strong army. The Greek King had conquered all the surrounding nations but Troy. So when an opportunity came, the Greek Kingdom and all its united kingdoms attacked Troy. For ten years, they could not break through the army or the high walls that Troy was known for. As all efforts proved abortive, the Greek kingdoms were already planning a return back to Greece, when one of the Kings had a light bulb moment and deviced a plan.
They built a big wooden horse and presented it to the City of Troy as a gift asking for prayers for the safe voyage of the Greek Kingdoms back home and signaling the end of the war. When the King of Troy saw the horse, his son said “Father, Burn it”, but the King refused and the wooden horse was moved to the city center. Unknown to them, the Greek nation had planted soldiers inside the wooden horse and at night, the soilders broke out of the horse. Can you guess, where they headed to first? The Watch Tower! They took out the watchmen and then opened the city gates and for the first time in years, the City of Troy was open and under siege, leading to the downfall of the once great city.
In our post last week, we talked about how being a watchman protects you and all you love from external attacks. But there is another kind of attack that Christians should be more careful of, the attack from inside. With external attacks, even if the watchman is late to alert the city, there is still the possibility that the army can muster and still protect the city with limited damage. When the attack is internal, the insider will have made significant advancement in the plot to destroy before you even realise that they are there. The insider is often a trusted party with unlimited access.
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
1 Corinthians 10:12 NKJV
The thing with internal attacks is that they never come as attackers, they always come wrapped as friends, gifts or tributes, very similar to the Trojan Horse. They always appear harmless at first sight.
One of the reasons why we need to be watchful about internal attackers is that they come in diverse forms, relationships, movies, music, business deals, books etc. They are usually motivated by deep hatred for you or the future that God has prepared for you. You may not recognize them for what they are, their camouflage is quite sophiticated. They are patient and know very well that slow and steady wins the day.
If you are headed in one direction, and the people or things that you give access to, are pointing in a different direction, your house is divided and you are bound to fall.
“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
MATTHEW 12:25B NKJV
It usually starts with an ‘it won’t hurt’, ‘it is only a gift, an innocent phone call, visit or text message or just another movie’. But before you know it, it has gone deep into your mind and your good habits are corrupted. The main characteristics of an inside attack is deception.
Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV
In the movie, Troy, if the King had listened to his son’s words of counsel to ‘Burn it’, the story may have ended differently. When it comes to internal attacks, that should be the watchman’s response BURN IT!. The Holy Spirit always gives us that nudge that something is not right and we need to act immediately. Burn the thought, Burn the gift, Burn the relationship, listen to your inner witness and say No! Like Joseph, flee!
If you act with less urgency, just like the movie, the attackers will head straight for your watch tower, bring down your defences and cause lasting damage. You may even still be asleep when this all unfolds.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
1 PETER 5:8 NKJV
Our adversary never sleeps, so should the Watchman.
We would love to hear from you, so please share your thoughts on this post with us and tell a friend.