Why Looking Better Might Cost You Everything

If you could look better, would you? If you could make more money, would you? If you could have your cake and eat it too — would you?

My nephew Jay Owen, honestly one of my heroes, recently wrote an article about AI. He said something that stuck with me. AI increases capacity and productivity, but it’s also creating burnout.

People are working more without being asked to. So why are they doing it? Because it creates a buzz. A high. It makes us look good, sound smarter, feel sharper, and maybe even make more money.

As I read his article, something hit me. This isn’t new.

Every advancement whispers the same promise: You can be more. You can do more. The wheel, the automobile, the internet, plastic surgery, and now artificial intelligence. Each one offers speed, efficiency, elevation. You can be Superman, faster, smarter, more impressive.

We don’t even do long math anymore. We don’t write; we type. AI can write songs, generate content, even speak for us. So what’s leading you these days, the HOLY SPIRIT or a machine?

Are we in our Bible, or are we on an AI platform?

Because we’re not just getting better tools. We’re getting tools that can begin to replace us and take us away from God’s word.

And here’s what concerns me: we don’t handle improvement very well. Wendy and I have seen it as we counsel others; someone gets the makeover, the upgraded version of themselves, and instead of strengthening their marriage, they leave it. The improvement becomes the excuse. The transformation becomes the justification for destruction.

We’re doing AI makeovers now.

What happens when the average person suddenly sounds like a professional writer, looks like an expert, and performs like they have a team behind them?

Here’s the uncomfortable question: are we more into “us” than we realize?

Let me tell you what I think AI might actually be. It’s a lure. It’s shiny, fascinating, impressive,and the hook hidden inside can be deadly.

If you’re checking it constantly, if you feel a little thrill every time you see what it can do, pay attention. Why are people overworking when no one asked them to? Because it’s addictive.

Proverbs 7 describes it well. The lure never looks like death. It looks beautiful. The ox doesn’t see the butcher. The bird doesn’t see the trap (Proverbs 7:21–23, NCV). That’s the power of the lure, it never looks like death; it always looks like life.

Humanity has a terrible track record with powerful things.

Gold became greed. Land became conquest. Power became slavery. Every time we discover something that promises more, we corrupt it. We take the gift and turn it into an idol. We take the tool and make it a master. And that’s not an AI problem. That’s a heart problem.

The Apostle James said, “But people are tempted when their own evil desire leads them away and traps them. This desire leads to sin, and then the sin grows and brings death” (James 1:14–15, NCV).

The lure doesn’t create the desire. The lure reveals the desire that was already there.

In Genesis 3, Satan didn’t just offer information; he offered elevation. “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:4–5, NCV).

That’s the hook. It’s always been the hook. AI doesn’t create pride; it amplifies it. Social media doesn’t create attention-seeking; it magnifies it. That makeover didn’t create selfishness; it revealed it.

Jay also asked me somethign one time I’ll never forget: What if the anti-christ is not a person? He also said: God said don’t eat from the tree of knowledge - AI knows more than we ever could …

So here’s the real question: what is the temptation in your heart? Is it wanting to be admired? To look flawless? To be impressive? To be more?

I’ll go first. There’s a part of me that wants every podcast to be brilliant, every devotional powerful, every sentence perfect. I want people to think I’ve got it all together. And that hunger to appear flawless? That’s not from God. That’s the same tree Eve ate from (Genesis 3:6, NCV).

Scripture says some people think they’re doing right, but in the end it leads to death (Proverbs 14:12, NCV).

Jesus said you cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24, NCV). So the question isn’t whether AI is bad. The question is who is your master.

Because if it’s giving you a high, if you can’t step away, if your identity is tied to how polished you look, then it’s not just a tool anymore. It’s a master. And knowledge, Scripture says, puffs up, but love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1, NCV).

If what you’re doing is puffing you up instead of building others up in Christ, maybe you’re eating from the wrong tree.

So how do we move forward wisely?

First, name the desire. Ask God to show you what’s really driving you (James 1:5, NCV).

Second, audit your motive. Before you create or post, ask yourself, “Is this serving Jesus or serving me?”

Third, fast from self-promotion and see what it reveals.

Fourth, test for addiction. Can you step away?

Fifth, use AI as a servant, not a savior. It can assist your creativity, but it should never replace your dependence on the Holy Spirit.

And finally, remember who you serve. Before you open your laptop or pick up your phone, declare it: “I serve Jesus Christ. Not myself. Not my reputation. Not this machine.”

Because the danger isn’t technology. The danger is wanting to be like God instead of surrendered to Him.

LORD, help me evaluate my heart. Am I desiring more of Christ and less of me? Are we in Your Word, or chasing productivity and applause? Draw me to You please, not to performance, not to polish, not to platforms. Only You. Only Jesus. Only the Holy Spirit. IJNIP amen ♥️

(An AI generated photo of me - scary huh? Did I add this just to look good?)