AI: Use It, Don’t Be Used by It

THE AGE OF AI & ITS PROPHETIC IMPLICATIONS

It may be time to use AI detection software for the sermons we hear. As the ease of productivity through tech advances has increased, so has the temptation for preachers to use such tech as a crutch or even a ghostwriter. Like any other informational resource, artificial intelligence can be useful as a research and study aid—at least for now. Perhaps God will allow me to speak more on this later, but I must acknowledge the elephant in the room and say this: Yes, one day we will look back and see that this form of AI was the foundational building block—essentially the primitive version—of the entity that the Bible calls “the image of the beast.” To this image life will be given by the beast to savagely oppose the people of God (Rev. 13:15).

Advances in quantum computing and the advent of artificial superintelligence (ASI) will radically alter the abilities of AI. Great feats of good will be heralded while clear signs of danger grow visibly alongside. Leaders will emerge who play tug of war over its character and the centrality of control over its purpose. And all of this will occur against the backdrop of wars, rumors of wars, and various disasters (Matt. 24:6-7) signaling the soon return of Christ. There is already one working behind the scenes during this time—a human manifestation of the Antichrist spirit (ie. 1 John 4:3)—whose influence of spiritual lawlessness and destruction is only restrained by the Holy Spirit who contends with Him through the prayers of God’s remnant. As he seeks to connive his way into the driver’s seat of every government through chaos, corruption, and demonic compulsion (in part through the harnessing of AI), goat nations and sheep nations will emerge and revival will sweep across the globe like a net in search of its final catch. None of the enemy’s schemes will stop the advancement of God’s Kingdom, which will increase in power, purity, and exploits (Dan 11:29) even in the face of bloody persecution (Rev 13:15) and the damnation of the souls which take the mark of the beast (Rev 14:11). All of this was written in the Bible aforetime and none of it should make you afraid IF you have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

But for now, in its raw generative form, AI is like the internet itself: What you seek through your interaction with it, will find you. And, as has been proven through countless whistleblowers and investigations, the system is standing by to feed your appetite for evil more than your desire for good. So we must be alert and intentional when engaging with it. Like fire, it can be used to help or hurt based on our choices. That being said, whatever its value as an assistant to our pursuits may be, it ought never to become a minister’s source of inspiration. The Holy Ghost is the inspirer. And the divine authority revealed through Him is the only thing powerful enough to establish God’s Kingdom in the earth by subduing Satan and breaking the chains which imprison mankind—all in Jesus’ name. So we must be guided by the Spirit in order to be truly effective against the kingdom of darkness. Therefore, the moment you cease to be led, you cease to be lethal.

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

So when does consultation become divination? When does using it slip into being used by it? Here are some tips:

1. When you find yourself asking AI to a message topic instead of asking God, discerning the status of your audience within the arena of warfare you are joining them in, and contemplating the observable needs of your target demographic, you have crossed the line. Every message must start with prayer, whether it be communication to God or from God without a direct request. If you feel this is too difficult in light of the pressures of ministry schedules and deadlines, make falling back in love with prayer your preaching focus and simply bring your audience along with you on the journey. Be transparent. Jesus will help you. In your weakness, His strength is perfected (2 Cor 12:9). And in choosing this path rather than that of artificial maturity, your progress will be evident to all (ie. 1 Tim 4:15).

2. If you find yourself not reading, studying, or meditating on the Bible for personal growth or insight for your preaching, but somehow feeling like you’ll be fine as long as you have AI to feed you a relevant topic, an outline, or a full sermon, you’ve crossed the line. Just as in the case above, get off the freight train to mediocrity and do what’s best for you and God’s people. Drop everything and make falling back in love with God’s word your preaching focus for the foreseeable future and bring your audience with you on the journey. Again, Jesus will help you.

3. If you find yourself going down rabbit holes of information that you hadn’t been looking for at the onset of your AI query, you’re en route to crossing the line. Start with the core idea, burning conviction, or echoing thought that God communicates to you—AND STICK WITH IT. You can build around it, but don’t build under it, changing its foundational point or confusing the listener through adventures into unnecessary information or revelation which obscures the listener’s grasp of the truth to live by.

4. If you find yourself doing more repeating than releasing, you have crossed the line. What I mean is this: If my message is primarily a patchwork of quotes from revered leaders of the past or popular authors of the present with a bit of expounding on what each of those people meant, I become a second hand echo of someone else’s revelation rather than a firsthand witness of God’s glory. Thus, one ought to use long quotes wisely and sparingly, no matter how appetizing they may appear in the catalog of options presented by your AI assistant.

5. If you feel like you can’t produce a solid sermon without it, you’ve crossed the line. A sincere love for Jesus, a passionate faith in His word, a willingness to fulfill His sacred calling upon your life, and the help of His Spirit are all you need. When we lose sight of that, we must ask ourselves .

6. If you find yourself fantasizing about the acclaim and popularity your ministry will gain by using it, you must disconnect yourself. Don’t hesitate to seek prayer from a Spirit-filled leader.

7. If you are reading this thinking I am being too spiritual because prayer can only take you so far, AI is the least of your problems. You either need a relationship with Jesus in the first place, or you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit after some introspection and repentance.

PROMISE OVER PERIL

All in all, we stand on the brink of a new dawn in the history of the world. There is much to celebrate and much to hound heaven about through intercession as both the potential for immense good and  unthinkable havoc loom. We must approach AI with care, caution, and complete dependence upon Jesus. As the Lord has used me to say prophetically in times past, we need believers in the labs of innovation and the tables of decision-making as it relates to this burgeoning technology. The Kingdom of Light needs enlightened squadrons of skilled experts in artificial intelligence related professions who can communicate and translate intel to God’s people so that we might know how to pray, move, prosper, and wage effective war with every available modern  resource. As in the case of iron, the printing press, television, or the internet, God’s chosen ones are always given favor to harness tech for the spread of righteousness and the glory of God in spite of the enemy’s intentions for it. By God’s grace, I am confident that we will again use the sword of Goliath to cut off his own defiant head that the world may see evidence that the God of Israel reigns supreme.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Even so, as the world speeds up, it is wise for Church leaders and Kingdom officers to slow down and make more room for time to hear from and relate intimately with our Heavenly Father. When we seek and wait on God for a fresh message, we model for his people the posture they ought to take before Him in pursuit of His life-changing rhema word. Leaning too heavily upon AI for a divine message causes this prophetic order of transmission to break down, resulting in slop being served rather than the fresh bread of life. Rest assured, one message born out of prayer, Bible study, meditation, and a surrendered life before God is more powerful in the spirit realm than the best hodgepodge sermon produced by AI.

PROPHETIC PRAYER

May God give us grace to avoid the pitfalls laid out for us in the age of AI and to instead seize the promise of increasingly glorious revelation concerning Christ and His everlasting reign. I pray this in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

Jason Weathers

Prophet & Mentor

Kingdom Heritage Ministries USA