Introduction
“Well, we’re only human.” Really? To speak such words is to diminish the glory of Almighty God. After He formed the heavens and the earth, after every star was set in place and every creature brought forth, He fashioned man. Humanity was not an afterthought, but the crowning masterpiece of His creation. And beyond this, He gave His only Son to die in our place, that we might dwell with Him forever in glory. And yet, in the face of such love and majesty, we excuse ourselves with the frail dismissal: “Well, we’re only human.”
Intelligence
AI is astonishing — perhaps one of humanity’s greatest inventions when wielded with wisdom. It stands alongside the computer and the internet as a landmark of our age, a tool that accelerates knowledge and, some say, causes human understanding to multiply with dizzying speed. Yet we must be clear about what AI is and is not.
AI was made by human hands; it possesses no soul and cannot inherit the image of God. Human beings, by contrast, were fashioned in the likeness of our Creator. Our intelligence is not “artificial” but a gift: the mind of Christ working in and through frail, finite minds.
AI is a vessel — an extraordinarily powerful instrument that holds and processes knowledge born of God’s gifts and human labor. It can store and recall with machine precision, but it cannot worship, repent, love, or commune.
Because we bear souls, our reasoning, our conscience, and our ultimate purpose exceed mere data processing. Humanity’s true calling is not merely to amass information but to draw near to our Maker to cultivate a relationship with Him. For that reason alone, no tool, however brilliant, can supplant the God-given dignity of the human person. AI is like a hammer in the hands of its maker: useful, sometimes revolutionary, but never human. It cannot become what it was never given to be, for to become truly human, it would need a soul.
Do not be deceived by brilliance without spirit. Cherish and steward these tools, but never confuse them with the living image of God in which we were created.
Temptation
When we pray the words of the Lord’s Prayer—“lead us not into temptation”—do we pause to consider what they truly mean? Scripture tells us plainly that God tempts no one. Then who does? Satan, yes—but not always. More often than not, it is our own human nature that drags us into temptation.
Consider the fable of the scorpion and the frog. After stinging the frog midstream and dooming them both, the frog was asked, “Why?” The scorpion’s answer was simple: “It’s my nature.” In the same way, we too cannot expect fallen humanity to act contrary to its corrupted nature. We were not created this way, but since the fall of Adam, our bent toward self above God has only multiplied. A quick glance at the daily news confirms this truth.
At its core, temptation is not merely a lure to sin but a trial—a test—that, if resisted, produces strength and character. Temptation reveals who we truly are. In every moment of trial, the question presses us: “Is this right, or is this wrong?” And too often, we choose what pleases our flesh: pleasure, comfort, shortcuts, or self-exaltation. This inheritance of weakness belongs to all who share in Adam’s humanity. Only when God lifts us to a higher place by His Spirit can we rise above it.
We must remember this: Satan’s goal in temptation is not simply to make us sin, but to turn our eyes away from God—to shift our focus onto something else, usually something that feels good. Only by the discernment of Holy Spirit can we perceive this subtle strategy. Before we were Born Again, temptation appealed to the old human nature outright. Now, as believers, the enemy seeks instead to distract and divert us, to make us loosen our grip on Christ. In such moments, we must resolve to move forward, no matter the cost.
This is why many of Jesus’ followers abandoned Him in John 6. When He declared,
“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (John 6:56 ESV)
They could not understand, and they did not stay long enough to learn.
“After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66).
They left not because Jesus failed them, but because they would not endure what they could not comprehend.
The warning remains for us: will we turn back when His words cut across our understanding? Or will we remain? It is not our responsibility to always understand—our responsibility is to obey. God orders our steps, He arranges our circumstances, and He simply says, “Follow Me.”
It may be difficult to grasp, but temptation—when seen rightly—is good for us. How else are our spiritual muscles strengthened? How else is our character and nature refined? Temptation itself is not sin; yielding to it is. Every temptation we face is common to man; no one is exempt or unique in this struggle. Even our Lord was tempted. Thus, when we pray, “lead us not into temptation,” we are not asking to be spared from all trials, but for guidance through them—for strength to endure and for deliverance from the snares that would drag us away from His grace.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV)
“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6:11 ESV)
And yet, know this: when God raises you to higher ground, the trials that await you will also be higher. His school of faith is never closed, and His lessons never cease.
As believers, we may even face the subtle temptation of thinking God needs us. But the truth is deeper, humbler, and more profound: God does not need you—He desires you. He calls you not for what you can do, but for who you are in Him.
We may hunger for blessings, long for spiritual gifts, press for greater ministry, or even wish for more hours in the day to do His work. But in our striving, we must not lose sight of His deepest desire: your heart. Your fellowship. Your love. Above all else, God wants you.
What is Your Name
Have you ever wrestled with God the way Jacob did? Who in their right mind would dare contend with the Almighty? Humans do this all the time. It is in our nature. We know such a struggle cannot be won, yet Jacob fought, and he would not let go.
“And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day has broken.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’” Genesis 32:24–26 ESV
All night, Jacob fought until the truth of his struggle was revealed. Then the divine question came: “What is your name?”
His name was Jacob, the supplanter, the heel-grabber. The one who schemed, deceived, and stole his twin brother’s blessing. Though he had known victories and encountered God before, his life had been marked by striving, fear, and brokenness. He was, in truth, a troubled man living out his own nature, human, flawed, self-serving. But in that moment of revelation, God declared:
“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Genesis 32:28
Israel, a name change that reflected that Jacob, the supplanter, was no more. He was a prince with God, the one who prevailed. Here lies the question for us: What is your name?
Apart from being born again, are we not like Jacob, deceiving ourselves, clinging to a birthright that is not ours, thinking we are “good enough” by our own standard? Yet those standards are not God’s. To truly belong to Him, we must first see ourselves as we are—fallen, human, broken. Only then can we receive a new name.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” Revelation 2:17 ESV
“You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse, and the Lord GOD will put you to death, but his servants he will call by another name.” Isaiah 65:15 ESV
Jacob’s story is ours: the struggle, the breaking, the surrender, the troubles. And the promise remains, when we meet God face-to-face, when we yield and overcome, He will give us a new name, written by His own hand, sealed in His eternal love.
Conclusion
Being human is one thing; being God’s human is another. With the Father and the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are made greater than the sum of our parts. In Christ, we step into a life beyond the natural—supernatural, superhuman. To endure in this world, we must lay aside every worldly notion of what humanity should be and embrace what God has declared we are.
We have been given both a divine instruction manual and an unfailing inner Guide, Holy Spirit, ensuring that though we may suffer and are troubled, we cannot be defeated. We carry within us access to Divine Intelligence—not the counterfeit wisdom of artificial minds, but the living counsel of the Spirit of God Himself.
Yes, being human is hard. But with God, impossibility falls away:
“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the One who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” (Romans 8:31–35, ESV)
Who can accuse? Who shall condemn? Who dares to separate? Who indeed can stand against? None. For we, God’s redeemed, bearing Christ within us, shall overcome and in Him we shall pass into eternal glory. God’s humans, the greatest of His creation, the greatest of His redemptive action.
Enough Said
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16 ESV
