I normally enjoy writing this weekly blog and feel it is something the Lord has encouraged me to do. Every week, He seems to lay on my heart what I need to write about and then inspires me as I write. I prayed all week, asking for inspiration, yet nothing felt right. Well, it is Monday, and I post on Tuesday, so I prayed harder!

The question, "What do you do when you don't know what to do?" popped into my head and began to take root. That is usually a good sign for me that the Lord is speaking, so I sat and thought about that question. Honestly, if I knew what to do, I wouldn't be sitting here wondering what to do! Then it hit me—what do we usually do when we need answers? Google it! I entered the phrase, "spiritually what do you do when you don't know what to do" and sure enough, the AI Overview popped up with this:

"When faced with spiritual uncertainty, turn to prayer and meditation to seek guidance and clarity. Reflect on scripture, particularly passages that offer comfort and wisdom in times of doubt. Engage in practices like mindfulness and gratitude to foster a deeper connection with your faith and inner self. Seek counsel from spiritual mentors or leaders, and be open to receiving guidance through various forms, including dreams, visions, or even unexpected events. Ultimately, trust in your faith and allow it to be your guiding light during times of confusion."

The highlights are even AI's! My first thought was how amazing it was that even AI is telling people to turn to God when they don't know what to do! But hold on—is it really?

 Suddenly, I knew exactly what to write about!  

As Christians, we must hold EVERYTHING up to the Word of God to determine if it is right or wrong. We must be vigilant in looking beyond what sounds good and test it against God's Word! It is easy to see that the AI response mentions prayer and scripture, and then believe that is enough to follow this 'teaching?' What caused the Holy Spirit to put the brakes on when I read this? Here are my thoughts, and I would love for you to share yours in the comments. 

1. "...turn to prayer and meditation to seek guidance and clarity." It does not say to whom or what you are to pray to or seek guidance from! Perhaps AI left it ambiguous so people could 'plug in' whatever power they worship. That is definitely a red flag for me! 🚩
2. "Reflect on scripture, particularly passages that offer comfort and wisdom in times of doubt." I see two red flags in this sentence. The first is the failure to specify what scripture one should reflect on or read. There are a number of different materials people use to guide their lives instead of the Bible. Some use the Bible but add to or take away from it. 🚩 The second issue I have is that it points people to view passages that offer comfort and wisdom. I may be stretching it a bit here, but sometimes we need correction instead of comfort. There are times when I don't hear from God because I am not living in obedience to what He has already told me. 🚩 (Correction from God is always for my benefit and is always given without shame or condemnation.)
3. "Engage in practices like mindfulness and gratitude to foster a deeper connection with your faith and inner self." This one really got my attention! My inner self is usually what gets me into trouble. It sounds too much like 'live your own truth,' 'do what makes you happy,' and other feel-good cliches that are not what the Bible teaches. 🚩 There are just enough words like 'gratitude' and 'faith' to make it sound spiritual.
4. "Seek counsel from spiritual mentors or leaders, and be open to receiving guidance through various forms, including dreams, visions, or even unexpected events." This one made me stop and think for a minute. I do believe God speaks to us through Christian mentors and leaders, as well as through dreams, visions, and other means. The problem I have is that it is surrounded by other sentences that do not specifically point to Jesus or the Bible. ⚠️
5. "Ultimately, trust in your faith and allow it to be your guiding light during times of confusion." Again, no specificity here as to what/whom you should put your faith in—leaving it open for interpretation and political correctness. 🚩

God works in ways we never expect. Here I go Googling a question because I don't know what to do, and He leads me to exactly what I need to do!