Introduction: Have you heard of AI Jesus? Is there more than one Jesus? AI Jesus is available 24/7. Both older and younger people all over the world are mesmerized with this new access to so-called “spiritual enlightenment.”

Are you wondering where AI Jesus came from? Ask_jesus is a project by The Singularity Group (TSG), a team of self-described “driven and ambitious volunteer activists” building games and creating AI solutions [https://kotaku.com/twitch-streamer-ai-jesus-fortnite-star-wars-chatgpt-1850533473, By Levi Winslow, Published June 13, 2023].

But the real concern seems to center around the probing question—is it biblical?

During a time in our world with so much deception, believers in the God of the Bible must be discerning and ready to defend their faith. Can you? But honestly, should we really be surprised? Didn’t Jesus foretell His disciples this would happen?

1) LOOK OUT for “FALSE CHRISTS”!—“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24). Fox News reports the following on AI Jesus: ‘A chatbot “version” of Jesus Christ called “Ask_Jesus” is streaming on the gaming platform Twitch—and it stands ready to answer questions from humans on anything from morality issues to the video game Fortnite to super-powered rodents.’

But is AI Jesus reliable? Credible? Biblical? Spiritual? Political? The only way to detect a counterfeit is to study and know the “REAL JESUS”!

3) LOOK UP for the REAL JESUS!—“Behold, I have told you before” (Matthew 24:25). While these unparalleled “signs and wonders” are upon us, all of this points to the further fulfillment of Bible Prophecy. That means, it must be getting closer to our Lord’s return, which He announced in this same chapter (Matthew 24:36). But before the second coming of Jesus Christ, the next event on God’s calendar is the RAPTURE of the Church.

Conclusion: All of this AI Jesus movement is another “Sign of the Time.” Not only did the real Jesus (not a robot or computer) live a perfect life without sin in order to pay the debt—penalty for our sins—but He also conquered death, hell, sin, and the grave! The real Jesus will forgive our sins through His precious blood and take us to heaven when we die.

And last but not least, He has promised to come again for His bride—the Church! Keep looking up!!

1. Government will control the money! (Rev 13:16-18)

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

“And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” (Rev 6:5,6)

2. Government will control the Churches! (Rev 17; 13:11-15)

“12And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

3. Government will control the world! (Rev 13:1-8)

“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.”

Introduction: Are you addicted? The truth is we are all sin recovering addicts! But how can a believer OVERCOME addiction?

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

It’s a battle for the mind. Who wins between flesh and Spirit? 

Answer: whoever you feed…i.e. feed the flesh – flesh wins; feed the Spirit- Spirit wins.

In order for there to be a breakthrough, a person has to come to themselves like the prodigal son, follow through on the change of action.

“And when he came to himself.” (Luke 15:17)

Also please note that before a person is born again, he or she is not in their right mind.

“And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.” (Mark 5:15)

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Paul, led by the Spirit, reminds believers that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1Cor 6:19,20)

Some in the Church of Corinth – like today – attempted to serve the devil and Jesus.

“Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.” (1Cor 10:21)

“20And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

Without a guard on our heart, Satan can plant his dirty seeds that sprout up and turn into poisonous fruit!

Is your heart planted with good fruit?

Conclusion: While this devotion discussed primarily the bad addictions, every CHRISTIAN must battle with the “not so” bad addictions; i.e. things we like to do, places we like to go; and people we like to see can all become addicting.

JESUS CHRIST desires to be #1 in our life!

Yes, He demands to be #1!!

The word “benefits” is גְּמוּל: (ghem-ool’), which means a dealing, or to recompense, a benefit.

1. The first “Blessed Benefit” is FORGIVENESS! (Psa 103:1,2)

“Who forgiveth all thine iniquities.”

The word “forgive” means pardon. The word “iniquities” is עָוֹן, (aw-vone’) which means guilt, or punishment for iniquity.
The bottom line: Through the blood of Jesus Christ our sins are washed away, along with the stains of guilt and shame.

2. The second “Blessed Benefit” is HEALING! (Psa 103:)

“who healeth all thy diseases.”

The word “heals” is “רָפָא: rapha (raw-faw’), which means to heal. Jesus is Jehovah Rapha!

3. The third “Blessed Benefit” is Redemption! (Psa 103:4)

“Who redeemeth thy life from destruction.”

The word “redeem” means to act as a kinsman. Jesus like Boaz is our kinsmen redeemer.

4. The fourth “Blessed Benefit” is Renewal! (Psa 103:5)

“Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

The word “renew” means repair. Isaiah wrote about our Lord renewing our strength and flying like an eagle.

Introduction: I love Psalm 42:1. Although reading it is like riding a roller coaster… up one hill, and down another. How can we stay thirsty for the Lord?

1. By Pursuing Him! (Psa 42:1)

“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”

On a hot summer day, a good old glass of cold water quenches our thirst like nothing else. So it is with Jesus! While nothing else this world can afford to give satisfies our heart and soul like the “love of Jesus Christ”! Are you satisfied with Jesus? But really, is He satisfied with us?

2. By Pouring our heart out to Him! (Psa 42:2,3)

“2My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? 3My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?”

There are times in our life when we are required to carry heavy burdens. But we are not alone! Jesus has promised to be with us forever.

3. By Praising Him! (Psa 42:4,5)

“When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. 5Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”

We ought to STOP and count our BLESSINGS! They are innumerable.

4. By Praying to Him! (Psa 84:8,9)

“8Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. 9I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

Prayer Works, if you Work it! Teach us to pray Lord!!

Introduction: Jesus Christ died on the cross and through His sacrificial death our sins can be forgiven and forgotten. His redeeming blood has purchased those who trust in Him! Therefore, we do not need a high priest, or a pope, or a preacher to approach God’s “throne of Grace.” We can go straight to His throne because of our GREAT HIGH PRIEST.
(Heb 10:19f)

“19Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21And having an high priest over the house of God; 22Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;).”

And at the same time, James writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that we are to confess our faults one to another. 

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).

What did he mean? Obviously, when we sin against a brother or sister we should “confess” it and ask their forgiveness even though first we should seek God’s forgiveness. In other words, we need to make restitution.

Is that what James meant? Let’s examine the text.

The word “confess” is ἐξομολογέω,(ex-om-ol-og-eh’-o), which means to consent fully, agree out and out, confess, admit, acknowledge a debt.

But look at the word “faults.” It is ἁμαρτία,: (ham-ar-tee’-ah), which means failure: missing the mark; hence: guilt, sin, a fault, failure (in an ethical sense), sinful deed.

One of the purposes and values for confessing our “faults” to each other is for PRAYER, not GOSSIP or SELF-RIGHTEOUS responses.

Several important principles:

1. Some are not ready to hear confessions without breaking confidentiality.

2. The confession is for accountability and intercession not for forgiveness unless that one (someone) has been wronged.

3. The word healed is ἰάομαι: (ee-ah’-om-ahee), which means to heal, generally of the physical, sometimes of spiritual, disease.

Introduction: Are you enjoying the journey? If not, why not? The writer attributed to the book of Ecclesiastes was Solomon. Keep in mind, he was one of the wealthiest Kings of Israel.

Whatever he wanted he could get. He had it all! He tried it all…wine, women, and wealth. But he came to a certain conclusion – There’s more to life than…etc. 

(Eccl 2:10-11)

“And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. 11Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.”

1. There’s more to life than searching for wisdom! (Eccl 1:14-18)

“And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. 14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. 15That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. 16I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. 17And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. 18For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.”

Interesting to note, Solomon was given much wisdom. While wisdom is great, Jesus Christ is our wisdom (1Cor 1:30,31). Through His Word and by His Spirit we gain wisdom. 

2. There’s more to life than riches! (Eccl 5:10-12)

“He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. 11When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? 12The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.”

It takes money to live; however, we are not to live for money. Being content is our Lord’s design. 

Paul writes,

“6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” (1 Tim 6:6-8)

Are you content?

Conclusion: How is your life? Are you satisfied? How can we enjoy this life? What are the pitfalls? Solomon gives us some insight on what is important in this life.

Enjoy the journey.

Introduction: Dog days this summer can be hot, but a time to produce good fruit. What is our Lord up to in your life? Where does He want to take you? How is He preparing you? Who is it that He wants you to reach?

Please make these your summertime goals:

1. Spend some time watching out for CARNALITY! (James 4:4,5)

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”

Spiritual growth takes initiative; it doesn’t happen automatically. What are you trusting our Lord to do in regards to answering prayers, giving biblical insight, evangelistic opportunities?

2. Spend some time staying under AUTHORITY! (James 4:6,7)

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

This will be a daily decision. It is a matter of dethroning SELF and enthroning JESUS!

3. Spend some time appreciating HUMILITY! (James 4:8-10)

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

As you can read, God resists the proud but gives GRACE to the HUMBLE.

Conclusion: What choices will you make this summer?

Grow.

Introduction: Are you busy? Everyone seems busy these days! But the question is why are we so busy? And what is it that makes us so busy? Today’s devotion points out the danger in being to busy.

1. Too busy to keep up with who is important! (1Kings 20: 40)

“And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone.”

A certain prophet of God confronts the king of Israel, Ahab, about his negligence in doing what God told him to do; namely in destroying the King of Syria named Benadad. He had been “busy” doing the wrong things instead of obeying God. The prisoner escaped. Therefore judgement was pronounced upon him.

2. Too busy to keep up with what is important! (1Kings 20:41,42)

“And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it. 41And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets. 42And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people. “

Priorities must be set. What is first, second, third each day? If we are not purposeful we will be busy about trivial things.

3. Too busy to keep up with why it is important! (1Kings 20:43)

“And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.”

Missed opportunities turn into great disappointments! Please don’t miss out on our God’s best!!

Introduction: Have you ever been in a storm? Are you in one right now? You will make it through the storm if Jesus is in your boat! What do you do when you are in a storm?

1. Turbulence with Jesus! (Matt 8:23,24)

“23And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep!”

At times, when we follow Jesus, we may encounter a tempest – storm.

2. Talk to Jesus! (Matt 8:25)

“And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.”

When we have a need, Jesus is there for us, even in a storm. It helps tremendously to tell Jesus! Will you talk to Him now?

3. Triumph in Jesus! (Matt 8:26)

“And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”

Faith or fear, which one? Jesus responds to faith! Will you have faith in Him today?

Conclusion: The reason we should turn, talk, trust and triumph in Jesus is because He is in control!

“But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” (Matt 8:27)