I’m Not Paranoid, but …

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“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” – Luke 12:2-3

One day I had become so sick of the he-said-she-said of the media, with every story being “fact checked” and every source labeled a liar, I asked, “Alexa, do fact checkers tell the truth?”

After a long pause, “Alexa” just shut down.

Just as I thought.

More recently, my husband Marty was asking me what the best antihistamine was for a constant cough. Having never thought of antihistamines in the context of a cough, I said I didn’t know. I suggested he “google” it. He typed in the search bar, “best an…” and his phone finished the phrase for him, “… tihistamine for cough.”

Creepy.

It would seem that there is no such thing as privacy anymore, at least not when there are “devices” around, and in the modern American lifestyle, there usually are.

The latest development, artificial intelligence, “AI,” has made evident some terrifying implications.

AI can make it appear a leader says things (s)he never said, and such deception can start protests, riots, even wars. (Where are those fact checkers when we need them?)

On a more personal level, the same kind of technology can make an innocent “significant other” look guilty and cause a breakup or divorce. It can even use a child’s voice for extortion from a parent. A woman recently testified that she had received a phone call in which she heard her daughter’s voice sobbing and pleading desperately for help. A man’s voice came on, telling her he had her daughter and started making demands.

It’s hard to fathom what kind of cruelty would subject a spouse, fiancé, or parent to this kind of torture, but sadly, nothing should surprise us lately. The Bible says the human heart is “desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). And of course, Satan, whose evil knows no bounds, has been unleashed in these last days.

Humanly speaking, we can’t control the masses. Prayer is the only weapon we have against the powers that try to manipulate the nations. On the other hand, it is the most powerful weapon on the planet! Use it daily.

On the more personal level, I have some additional suggestions that might save your family from AI-caused disaster.

Have a password or phrase that only you and your spouse or you and your child know. If, God forbid, you get one of those phone calls and the person on the other end of the phone doesn’t use that word or phrase, it’s not your loved one. Period.

CAUTION: Make sure that word isn’t one you have ever used for anything else. If possible, make it something obscure, or that isn’t even a real word. And when you discuss what that word or phrase will be, make sure there are NO devices around, even ones that are (allegedly) turned off. Take a walk in the woods or out in field with empty pockets, and whisper.

Paranoid? Perhaps, but better to be paranoid and safe. Nothing is more precious than your loved ones.

Regarding the passage of Scripture quoted above, while this seems to predict the present-day AI phenomenon (and it’s true, nothing surprises God.), ever since the creation of Man, whatever we say – or even think – there has been One who hears and knows. It has always been wise to live our lives as if none of our words, deeds, and thoughts were really “private.” The big difference now is that the God who knows us inside and out loves us and wants the best for us.

AI, on the other hand does not have our best interest at heart – AI has no heart.

“Therefore be as wise as snakes, and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16

Prayer: Lord God, You are the only God. You alone know all things – what we do, what we say, even the intents of our hearts. We know there are those who are Your enemies and would try to usurp Your power over Your people. Keep us in the hollow of Your hand. Help us to be both wise as serpents and innocent as doves. For we are YOUR people, the sheep of YOUR pasture. Faithful Shepherd, we love You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Published by seekingdivineperspective

I am a forgiven sinner and adopted child of God, seeking to see life from His perspective - as opposed to the world's flawed perspective - and living my life accordingly.

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36 thoughts on “I’m Not Paranoid, but …”

  3. “If you aren’t paranoid you aren’t paying attention,” as the saying goes. 🙂

    I like “my sheep know my voice.” That passage has profound meaning today in a world full of deception, artificial intelligence, and very little natural intelligence!

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  6. I agree Annie, it does feel creepy when you would be speaking about getting something and suddenly you have suggestions on your social media of ads related to what you were talking about.
    I so agree on prayer with a fervency and strength that this time needs.
    I like the secret password, that is smart.

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  7. As a wise person (or wise guy, perhaps) once said, “It’s not paranoid if someone really is out to get you.” I have to applaud the U.S. Surgeon General for declaring social media a menace to young adults’ mental health this past week, but we parents also need to do more direct intervening.

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    1. Amen, Russ! I remember once hearing that a psychiatrist did a study on Jesus to see if He was mentally sound. The results were that He was psychologically healthy except for being paranoid, because He thought people were out to kill Him. (So, since He was right, that makes Him mentally perfect.)

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  9. False information is magnified because there are so many who don’t first put their trust in God and his Word. They trust in what they see and hear which could be lies by omission or fabricated truth. Luke 12:2-3 is a great Bible verse to share. Thank you!

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  10. Not paranoid in my opinion. The technology is there, and I believe it’s mostly used to show us ads.

    I used to write short stories in my Google Docs, but kept them private. One time I was writing a short story about a glimmering jewelry box. “Glimmering” is a word I like, because it sounds better to me than “sparkly” or “shiny” or “glittery.”

    And what do you know? Even though my Doc was set to private, I was given ads for **glimmering** jewelry boxes.

    Not glittery. Not shiny. Not sparkly.

    Glimmering.

    Odd, eh? So even so-called private documents are scanned for key words (automatically) to then advertise to us. No, there’s not a person reading my docs individually (though I’m sure they could), but Google certainly scans it for ad revenue opportunities.

    At best, it’s for ads. At worst, it’s for spying. That’s why they wanted Snowden. You don’t go to jail for lying about your company ~ you go to jail for sharing company secrets.

    At least, that’s my opinion!

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  11. So right, Annie. AI had, and never will, have heart. It is a comfort knowing God is All-knowing, All-Powerful, All- Around us. Nothing gets by Him. He is never in a mode of “reaction”. He is the Beginning And The Ending.
    He’s got this.

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  13. Good insight, Annie….love this truth you wrote:

    It has always been wise to live our lives as if none of our words, deeds, and thoughts were really “private.” The big difference now is that the God who knows us inside and out loves us and wants the best for us.

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  16. Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean that they are NOT out to get me!😂
    That said, Anita and I long ago realized that there would be some risk in some o the places to which we would travel. We agreed we would NEVER pay a ransom nor request one no matter what the apparent consequences would be. We have held each other in prayer daily and we know that nothing happens TO a Chirst-follower; filtered by His love, it will only happen FOR us.
    ❤️&🙏, c.a.

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