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&
Brooksyne Weber
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Friday,
July 14, 2023
Farmer with mule team baling Alfalfa hay.
(Click on photo to enlarge)
"A
New, Ancient
Message
summary:
"But still our
ancient foe,
doth seek to
work us
woe." We
must always be
on our guard
against
spiritual
deception.
“For
such men are
false
apostles,
deceitful
workmen,
masquerading
as apostles of
Christ. And no
wonder, for
Satan himself
masquerades as
an angel of
light. It is
not
surprising,
then, if his
servants
masquerade as
servants of
righteousness.
Their end will
be what their
actions
deserve” (2
Corinthians
11:13-15).
AI
is a fancy
thing, two
letters that
stand for
Artificial
Intelligence.
But we suppose
99.99%+ of our
readers
already knew
that!Some
believe AI
shows promise
in making life
better but
many see the
potential for
abuse for a
variety of
reasons. Today
we want to
consider one
that we are
sure our
ancient foe
will use, AI
as a means of
deception. As
one
commentator
puts it
“Garbage in,
garbage out.”
Regarding
the title of
today's
message I
wanted to use
a
strike-through
over the word
"new" but
don't have the
skills to do
so, although I
tried. Most
that seems new
is really
ancient such
as our
consideration
of "woke"
several days
ago. In regard
to deception
there really
is nothing new
under the sun!
A
specific
deceptive use
of AI is
"deepfakes",
which is
digitally
manipulated
media designed
to replace or
alter a
person's
likeness. It
might be
putting words
into a mouth
that appear
altogether
authentic or
even putting
one person's
words into
another
person's
mouth, another
form of
counterfeit
and
masquerading.
Many of you
have probably
seen examples
of this and
indeed it is very
realistic.
(see below for
link to brief
video)
In
his great
hymn, "A
Mighty
Fortress"
Martin Luther
wrote "but
still our
ancient foe,
doth seek to
work us woe".
Indeed our
ancient foe
has always and
continues to
work us woe!
Whether
through
deepfakes or
something less
technical life
is full of
masquerades
and
counterfeits
that can be
hard to
detect,
requiring us
to have
Spirit-empowered
discernment.
The value of the genuine spawns the counterfeits and masquerades and thus it should not surprise us when we confront counterfeits and masquerades in the spiritual realm as well. Paul confronted and warned against counterfeit teaching and masquerading apostles. That’s one of the duties of a caring shepherd.
The value of the genuine spawns the counterfeits and masquerades and thus it should not surprise us when we confront counterfeits and masquerades in the spiritual realm as well. Paul confronted and warned against counterfeit teaching and masquerading apostles. That’s one of the duties of a caring shepherd.
In
2 Corinthians
11:1-15 Paul
dealt with the
topic of false
apostles who
preach a
different
Jesus than the
one he
preached. This
portion of
Scripture is a
warning in
general about
counterfeit
teaching, a
warning just
as applicable
today as the
day Paul wrote
it.
In another Scripture Paul specifically exposes the false teaching of two men, Hymenaeus and Philetus. These troublemakers, who were once teachers of the genuine gospel, had wandered from the truth, denying the resurrection, and were thereby destroying the faith of those who chose to embrace their false teaching (2 Timothy 2).
Paul describes the counterfeits he dealt with in 2 Corinthians as "false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ". The relentless attack on the genuine faith that Paul encountered continues unabated today and is actually increasing in my view. AI will likely be a new method in our ancient foes' arsenal of deception.
In another Scripture Paul specifically exposes the false teaching of two men, Hymenaeus and Philetus. These troublemakers, who were once teachers of the genuine gospel, had wandered from the truth, denying the resurrection, and were thereby destroying the faith of those who chose to embrace their false teaching (2 Timothy 2).
Paul describes the counterfeits he dealt with in 2 Corinthians as "false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ". The relentless attack on the genuine faith that Paul encountered continues unabated today and is actually increasing in my view. AI will likely be a new method in our ancient foes' arsenal of deception.
We
face deception
from the
scientific
realm, media
outlets, the
political
arena,
educational
field,
entertainment
industry and
certainly the
religious
establishment.
On the
personal level
we daily face
the flaming
arrows from
our enemy who
seeks to move
us off the
right course.
We must
always be on
our guard
against
spiritual
deception.
The chief masquerader is Satan himself. It’s his very nature to masquerade as an angel of light. In the Bible he initially came on the scene masquerading as a cunning and clever serpent. In his deceptive craft he convinced Eve that he was able to impart wisdom and that he was looking out for her best interest. What a lie!
The chief masquerader is Satan himself. It’s his very nature to masquerade as an angel of light. In the Bible he initially came on the scene masquerading as a cunning and clever serpent. In his deceptive craft he convinced Eve that he was able to impart wisdom and that he was looking out for her best interest. What a lie!
The
word
“masquerade”
means “to
transform
one’s outward
appearance, to
disguise.” In
the Garden not
only did Satan
disguise his
outward
appearance but
also his
inward
motivation.
Surprise,
surprise, he
lied! In our
daily text the
original Greek
"masquerade"
is translated
in the present
tense
indicating
this is
something
Satan
habitually
does.
It is not surprising that Satan’s servants also "masquerade as servants of righteousness". We must continue to examine and discern all that we see, read, and hear so that we base our standard on the genuine Word of God, which remains and always will be the firm foundation of truth!
It is not surprising that Satan’s servants also "masquerade as servants of righteousness". We must continue to examine and discern all that we see, read, and hear so that we base our standard on the genuine Word of God, which remains and always will be the firm foundation of truth!
Be
encouraged
today, (Hebrews
3:13)
Daily
prayer:
Father, we ask
You to not
only open our
eyes to that
which is
around us, but
we ask You to
open the eyes
of our hearts
so that we
might envision
that which is
true and that
which is false
on a spiritual
level. When we
hide Your Word
in our hearts
we more
quickly
discern that
which
masquerades as
good, but its
source is from
one of Satan’s
servants
“masquerading
as a servant
of
righteousness".
Because Your
Spirit reigns
in our hearts
and knowledge
from Scripture
fills our
minds, we
affirm that
which is
Scriptural and
reject that
which is
heresy. May we
be vigilant in
attaining
Scriptural
knowledge and
fervent in
prayer as we
encounter the
gods of this
age. In the
matchless and
true name of
Jesus’ we
pray, Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"Deepfake
example.
Original/Deepfake
close shot of
Bill Gates"
Click
to watch on
YouTube
(28 seconds)
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In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world.
To
donate
directly
online
click here.
(This will
open to a page
that
designates the
offering
to: STEPHEN
&
BROOKSYNE
WEBER -
700001-237376 SERVING
IN SPECIALIZED
CHAPLAINCY)
If
you desire you
can also
donate
directly
through PayPal
using this link.
This will open
to a page that
states
"Brooksyne
Weber". We
keep this
option
available due
to the
familiarity,
convenience,
for
international
supporters,
and for those
who may not
need an
official
receipt. You
can also set
up for
recurring
donations.
Thank
you,
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
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radioPermissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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