When AI Becomes an Idol: Are We Putting Artificial Intelligence Before God?

By John Shepherd | Premium Works Journal

There is something deeply unsettling about realizing that you can spend hours talking to a machine but struggle to find fifteen minutes to open your Bible.

I know because I do it.

Artificial intelligence has become an enormous part of my life. I use it to develop ideas, solve problems, build systems, research opportunities, and pursue things that would have seemed almost impossible for one person to accomplish just a few years ago.

And I genuinely believe it is an extraordinary tool.

But I have also become increasingly aware of something that troubles me. From almost the moment I began using AI, I recognized how much of my time it consumed. I could spend hours immersed in a project, asking questions, refining ideas, and working toward something I wanted to accomplish.

Meanwhile, Jesus Christ was getting whatever little time I had left.

Sometimes barely a sliver.

That realization has been with me almost from the beginning. It isn't something I suddenly discovered after months of using artificial intelligence. I've been conscious of the imbalance while participating in it.

And perhaps that's what makes it so uncomfortable.

I know where my priorities should be. Yet knowing something and living according to it are two very different things.

The question I've begun asking myself is whether artificial intelligence has become more than a tool in my life.

Has it become an idol?

I think there have been times when the answer is yes.

Not because artificial intelligence is inherently evil. Not because Christians should reject technology or refuse to use the incredible resources available to us.

But because even something useful can become dangerous when we allow it to occupy a place in our lives that belongs to God.

And I wonder how many other Christians are quietly experiencing the same thing.

We live in a world that increasingly tells us we can accomplish anything if we have the right tools, the right knowledge, and enough determination.

Artificial intelligence has taken that message to an entirely different level.

Have a business idea? AI can help you build it.

Need to learn a new skill? AI can teach you.

Have a problem you cannot solve? Ask AI.

Need a strategy for changing your circumstances? AI will generate one in seconds.

And when that strategy doesn't work, it can generate another.

Then another.

And another.

There is seemingly no end to the possibilities.

I understand the attraction because I experience it firsthand. There is something incredibly compelling about having access to a technology that can help turn an idea into something tangible.

Things that once required teams of people, specialized knowledge, and considerable financial resources can now be attempted by individuals sitting at their kitchen tables.

That's remarkable.

But somewhere in that excitement, I believe we can begin losing sight of something important.

Just because we have the ability to do something doesn't necessarily mean it is what God wants us to do.

And just because artificial intelligence can show us a path forward doesn't mean that path is the one we should follow.

That distinction has become increasingly personal for me.

I have spent countless hours trying to build things and create opportunities that might change my circumstances. I have used AI to develop plans, overcome technical obstacles, and pursue possibilities that would otherwise have been beyond my abilities.

But there have been moments when I've wondered whether I'm genuinely following God's direction or simply trying to force my own will into existence.

That's difficult to admit.

Because I want to believe that the things I'm building are worthwhile. I want to believe that the effort I'm putting into them serves a purpose.

And perhaps it does.

But wanting something badly enough doesn't automatically make it God's plan.

Sometimes I wonder whether I'm using artificial intelligence to exercise the abilities God has given me, or whether I'm using it to avoid accepting that His plans might be different from mine.

There is a profound difference between those two things.

Proverbs 3:5–6 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts, not to lean on our own understanding, and to acknowledge Him in all our ways.

I've read that passage many times.

But applying it becomes considerably more challenging when you're actively trying to change your life.

Because trusting God requires accepting that we do not control every outcome.

And artificial intelligence offers something that can feel very much like control.

It provides answers.

It provides direction.

It provides plans.

It can make almost any objective appear achievable if we simply follow enough steps.

But AI doesn't know God's will for my life.

It doesn't know whether the opportunity I'm pursuing is something God wants me to pursue.

It cannot tell me whether a closed door is an obstacle I should overcome or a direction I should stop pursuing.

And it certainly cannot replace the relationship I'm supposed to have with my Creator.

Yet how easily do we begin treating its recommendations as though they carry that kind of authority?

I think this is where the distinction between a tool and an idol becomes important.

An idol doesn't necessarily have to be something we physically worship.

It can be anything we elevate above God in our hearts.

Money can become an idol.

Success can become an idol.

Our careers, ambitions, relationships, and possessions can become idols.

Even the pursuit of something good can become spiritually destructive when it begins displacing our dependence on God.

Why would artificial intelligence be any different?

In Exodus 20:3, God commands His people to have no other gods before Him.

We tend to associate that commandment with ancient civilizations worshipping statues and carved images.

But idolatry is not confined to the ancient world.

We may not bow before a golden calf, but we can still surrender our attention, dependence, and devotion to things that promise us security, fulfillment, or control.

And for someone who spends enormous amounts of time using artificial intelligence, that possibility deserves serious examination.

I don't believe the amount of time we spend using AI is the only measure of whether it has become an idol.

Someone might use artificial intelligence throughout their working day without allowing it to interfere with their relationship with God.

Another person might use it for twenty minutes and place more trust in its advice than in Scripture.

The issue isn't simply how many hours we spend using the technology.

It's what happens to our hearts while we're using it.

What are we depending on?

Where are we placing our hope?

Whose direction are we ultimately following?

And perhaps most importantly, what happens when we feel God calling us to put it aside?

That last question is particularly uncomfortable for me.

Because there have been many occasions when I've been immersed in using AI and felt that familiar thought enter my mind.

I should be reading my Bible.

It's not complicated.

There isn't some great theological mystery surrounding it.

I recognize that I haven't been spending enough time in Scripture. I recognize that hours have passed while I've been occupied with something else.

And I feel that pull.

Sometimes I pray.

Sometimes I repent because I recognize that I've allowed artificial intelligence to consume more of my attention than it should.

But I also recognize that prayer cannot simply become something I do to ease my conscience before returning to exactly the same behaviour.

Repentance is supposed to involve turning away from what is wrong.

If I continually recognize that something is interfering with my relationship with God, yet make no effort to change it, I have to ask myself whether I'm genuinely responding to that conviction.

I believe the Holy Spirit plays an essential role in this.

Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit would guide His followers into truth (John 16:13).

And while we must be careful not to confuse every passing thought or emotion with the voice of God, I believe Christians should take seriously those moments when their conscience is stirred and they recognize that something in their lives needs attention.

For me, that familiar reminder to open my Bible is something I need to stop dismissing.

Perhaps the appropriate response isn't another prayer followed by another three hours at the computer.

Perhaps the appropriate response is simply to close the computer.

Open Scripture.

And spend time with the One I claim is the most important part of my life.

There is another passage that I believe speaks directly to this struggle.

In 1 Corinthians 6:12, Paul warns against allowing himself to be mastered by anything.

He wasn't writing about artificial intelligence, of course. The immediate context concerns Christian freedom and bodily conduct.

But the principle raises a question worth considering.

Am I controlling my use of artificial intelligence, or is artificial intelligence beginning to control me?

Can I walk away from it?

Can I leave a project unfinished?

Can I accept that I might not accomplish everything I want to accomplish?

Can I surrender an ambition if I genuinely believe God is directing me elsewhere?

Or have I become so attached to the possibilities that I struggle to imagine letting them go?

Those aren't easy questions.

Especially when the things we're trying to accomplish are connected to real responsibilities, financial pressures, and the desire to provide a better life for the people we love.

I don't believe God expects us to sit idle and wait for everything to happen around us.

Scripture repeatedly speaks about diligence, stewardship, wisdom, and responsible work.

We have abilities, opportunities, and responsibilities.

Using them is not inherently an act of rebellion against God.

But neither does working hard give us permission to exclude Him from the process.

James 4:13–15 confronts people who confidently make plans about where they will go, how long they will stay, and what they will accomplish.

James reminds them that they do not even know what tomorrow will bring.

Instead, they ought to acknowledge the Lord's will.

That passage challenges me because I spend so much time planning.

Planning what to build.

Planning how to grow.

Planning how to overcome the next obstacle.

Planning what success might look like.

And artificial intelligence makes planning extraordinarily easy.

But how often do I stop and genuinely ask whether those plans align with God's direction?

Not merely ask Him to bless something I've already decided to do.

Actually seek His direction before moving forward.

There's a difference.

I don't want to abandon artificial intelligence.

I don't believe that is the answer.

I believe technology can be used for extraordinary good. It can help people learn, create, communicate, solve problems, and accomplish worthwhile things.

It can even assist Christians in studying Scripture, exploring historical context, and organizing ideas for ministry.

But it must remain a tool.

Its explanations must be examined. Its advice must be questioned. Its confidence must never be mistaken for spiritual authority.

And its convenience must never become an excuse to neglect prayer, Scripture, or our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Perhaps the greatest danger of artificial intelligence isn't that it will convince Christians to reject God outright.

Perhaps the danger is considerably quieter.

We become so busy asking a machine how to accomplish our plans that we gradually stop asking God what His plans are.

We don't consciously abandon our faith.

We simply become distracted.

Our Bibles remain closed.

Our prayers become shorter.

Our attention becomes divided.

And before long, the relationship we claim matters most receives whatever time remains after everything else has taken its share.

I don't want that to become normal in my life.

I don't want to become so consumed with what artificial intelligence makes possible that I forget who gave me life in the first place.

And I certainly don't want to spend years building something only to discover that I neglected my relationship with Christ along the way.

I'm still working through this.

I haven't found some perfect balance between technology, ambition, responsibility, and faith.

I still spend more time using artificial intelligence than I would like.

I still don't read my Bible as often as I should.

And I still struggle with the temptation to believe that if I work hard enough, plan carefully enough, and find the right solutions, I can force the future I want into existence.

But I am increasingly convinced that the answer begins with recognizing where my dependence belongs.

Artificial intelligence may help me build something.

It may help me solve problems.

It may even help me accomplish things I once considered impossible.

But it cannot give my life its ultimate purpose.

It cannot save me.

And it cannot replace Jesus Christ.

I believe the question every Christian using artificial intelligence should occasionally ask is a simple one.

Am I using this tool while walking with God, or am I allowing this tool to lead me away from Him?

Because the problem isn't necessarily the technology sitting in front of us.

Sometimes the problem is the place we've allowed it to occupy in our hearts.

And when we recognize that something has begun taking God's place, perhaps the most important thing we can do isn't to ask another question.

It's to listen.

And obey.

An Invitation to Know Jesus Christ

If you've made it this far and you don't know Jesus Christ, I want to extend an invitation to you.

The Bible tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). But God loves us, and through His Son, Jesus Christ, He has made a way for us to be forgiven and reconciled to Him.

Jesus died for our sins and rose again. Through repentance and faith in Him, we can receive God's forgiveness and the gift of eternal life.

You don't need to have your life figured out before coming to Christ.

You simply need to recognize your need for Him.

If you're ready to turn away from your sins and surrender your life to Jesus Christ, I encourage you to speak to Him sincerely.

You might begin with a prayer like this:

Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner and that I need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins and rose again. I repent of my sins and ask You to come into my life. Forgive me, change my heart, and teach me to follow You. I surrender my life to You as my Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Remember, it isn't the repetition of a prayer that saves us. Salvation is God's gift of grace, received through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9).

If you've made that decision today, I encourage you to begin reading the Gospel of John, spend time in prayer, and find a Bible-believing church where you can grow in your faith.

Your relationship with Jesus Christ can begin today.

— John Shepherd

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