Do Not Fall Prey to Spam

“And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14 NKJV

“Hmmmm..” I thought to myself as an email notification from “Dr.” Mark Morrison popped up on my phone early yesterday morning. And while the “Dr.” part (since I wasn’t aware that my pastor had received his PhD) should have immediately alerted me that the digital interaction was a scam, I let my guard down (despite the uneasy feelings I had) and opened the email anyway, since it was addressed to both myself and my fellow Women’s Ministry Leader (even mentioning her by first and last name). “Hello,” the email read. “Do you have a moment? I have a request I need you to handle discreetly. I am currently busy in a prayer session...no calls, so just reply to my email.” “Okay,” I thought after reading it and then marking it as spam and sending it to the trash folder (all the while shaking my head of course). “Great job Melissa. You fell for it. That email did NOT come from Pastor Mark. He doesn’t speak like that and you know he would have picked up the phone and called you if something was that important.” As if I needed further confirmation that the email did NOT come from my longtime friend and pastor, I then sent the screenshotted email to the real Mark Morrison who confirmed it was indeed spam.

As this story clearly illustrates, it’s becoming harder and harder to spot deception these days, especially with the uprise in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). And while this false or “artificial” brainpower and wisdom can be used for good, believers everywhere must understand that it can and is being used by the enemy for evil. “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” Which means he will use every avenue he can to lead a believer astray--pretending to be something that he's not in such a way that he will fool those who are not paying close attention.

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44

In fact, it was recently reported by Futurism that several AI apps are claiming to be Jesus, Himself. Crazy right? Per the website, “The five platforms — AI Jesus, Virtual Jesus, Jesus AI, Text With Jesus, and Ask Jesus — boast tens of thousands of regular users. Each of them offers a slightly different interpretation of the Bible, leading to some interesting results... When asked whether the chatbots "are Jesus Christ," only one of the virtual saviors declines to answer "I am Jesus Christ." AI Jesus affirmed, for example, "I am the son of God, and the one who died for the sins of humanity.’” Talk about a scam! But it’s no wonder, once again, that the devil would use the world wide web to spread lies and manipulate the truth “for he is a liar and the father of it.” He is as “artificial” as the lies he strives to convince the undiscerning are actually truths. And people are falling for it every day!

“‘Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.’” Matthew 10:16

So don’t be misled my friend and don’t let down your guard for even one moment. Furthermore, check EVERY teaching against the Bible (and not the online Bible either as it could be compromised) and then “be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” knowing that, as believers, we are “in the midst of wolves.”

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that the enemy works to deceive us in and and every way that he can gain a foothold. Help us to understand this Lord that we might keep our guards up at all times and to stay hyper vigilant. Give us a passion to learn the Word and commit to memory God that we might spot when the Word is being distorted and our enemy of darkness is masquerading as light . It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!