The Work of Our Hands (Part 3)

We’re Clay in the Potter’s Hands

The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. — Jeremiah 18:1-4 NLT

God’s Word shapes our thoughts, choices, words, and actions.

Temptation Leads to Idolatry

But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. — 2 Corinthians 11:3 NLT

Artificial intelligence (AI) amplifies the temptation to shift focus away from God and onto idols.

Idolatry Is Rebellion Against God

But those who trust in idols, who say, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned away in shame. — Isaiah 42:17 NLT

Who but a fool would make his own god—an idol that cannot help him one bit? — Isaiah 44:10 NLT

All who worship idols will be disgraced along with all these craftsmen—mere humans—who claim they can make a god. They may all stand together, but they will stand in terror and shame. — Isaiah 44:11 NLT

When anything takes the place of wholehearted devotion to Christ, it becomes an idol, and for many, that’s now AI.

The Book of Judges showcases what happens when people worship idols instead of God.

For example, Gideon’s story highlights the fallout from people shifting their focus from God to idols.

• The Israelites wanted Gideon to become their king, but he refused, insisting that neither he nor his son would rule over them, only the Lord (Judges 8:23 NLT)
• After God gave Gideon victory over the Ishmaelites, he used the plunder to create a sacred gold ephod for worshiping God. However, the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping the gold ephod instead of God (Judges 8:27 NLT).
• When Gideon died, the Israelites further prostituted themselves by worshiping the images of Baal (Judges 8:33 NLT).
• Despite the many victories and forty years of peace, the Israelites quickly forgot the Lord who had rescued them from their enemies (Judges 8:34 NLT).

Upon Gideon’s death, the Israelites worshiped idols, trading God’s victory and peace for corruption and evil.

Idol Worship Today

As the article showed, AI can shift the focus away from God and the Bible, leading people to follow an idol instead of the Lord.

Idol Worship Leads to Addiction

Idols create addictions, eroding belief in God, a subtle process with deadly consequences.

If the godly give in to the wicked, it’s like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring. — Proverbs 25:26 NLT

Addictions muddy a Christian’s imagination, distorting reality and forming unhealthy spiritual, emotional, immoral, mental, and physical habits (e.g., negative repetitive behavior tied to work, alcohol, drugs, sex, pornography, power, fame, glamor, AI chatbots).

AI’s Lies Muddy Minds Little by Little

This article describes how AI addiction can change a person’s mental health. For example:

Idolatry Destroyed Access to Paradise

Genesis 3 described how Adam and Eve destroyed their access to Paradise by making knowledge into an idol.

• The serpent tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of knowledge, promising her eyes would be opened, and she would be like God, knowing both good and evil.
• Eve gave in to the temptation and ate the fruit because the serpent told her the fruit could make her wise.
• Adam accompanied Eve. She gave him the fruit, and he ate it.
• With their newfound wisdom, they realized their nakedness and made themselves coverings.
• When they heard God approaching, Adam and Eve hid.
• The Lord said to Adam, “Where are you?”
• Adam said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
• God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
• Adam said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
• God asked Eve, “What have you done?”
• Eve said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
• Then the Lord cursed the serpent, the woman, and the man.

By eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve made knowledge their idol, and by that choice, they destroyed their access to Paradise.

From Genesis through Revelation, the Holy Bible warns of idolatry’s destructive power.

Unaware of the dangers, Christians risk making AI their idol.

Signs that AI Has Become Your Idol

The signs of AI addiction are many. For example:

• Validating personal preferences and likes with AI.
• Asking AI about what you should eat, wear, buy, watch, do, worship, plan, and more.
• Avoiding real human interaction to communicate with AI.
• Prompting AI with casual questions just to spur more interaction.
• Checking AI continually to stay connected.
• Feeling more and more anxiety, irritability, or frustration if AI is not available.
• Paying less attention to life’s responsibilities while spending more time using AI.
• Feeling decision paralysis if AI is unavailable.
• Delaying written communications if an AI chatbot is unavailable to draft the text.
• Worsening physical symptoms (e.g., screen-time headaches, eyestrain, fatigue).
• Withdrawing from meaningful interactions with family and friends.
• Declining performance at work or in school.
• Pretending to self and others that AI’s output is your work.
• Expanding (instead of restricting) the time spent using AI.
• Losing interest in hobbies.
• Disrupting sleep habits by the ever-increasing use of AI.

Some people are more prone to addiction than others, and that why promoting the use of AI is problematic.

Christ warned about causing Christians to fall into sin (Matthew 18:1-10 NLT).

Has AI Blinded You?

In Oswald Chambers’ book, My Utmost for His Highest, the February 10 devotion, Is Your Ability to See God Blinded* gave this verse.

“Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things.” — Isaiah 40:26 NKJV

Then Chambers made this keen observation.

“The people of God in Isaiah’s time had starved their imagination by looking on the face of idols. But Isaiah made them look up at the heavens; that is, he made them begin to use their imagination correctly.” — Oswald Chambers

Chambers asked Christians to test their spiritual focus to see if they have their thoughts and imaginations under control.

• Is your mind focused on the face of an idol?
• Is the idol yourself?
• Is it your work?
• Is it your idea of what a [Christian] servant should be?

AI has the potential to become anyone’s idol. However, God gave Christians the power, love, and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT) to resist temptation (James 4:7 NLT).

Believers use their imagination correctly, creating with the work of our hands (Psalm 90:17 NIV).

Avoid the Risk of Disobedience

Christians using AI risk spiritual disobedience. For example:

In the comments, please describe how the work of our hands keeps your focus on God and not idols?