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In the semifinals of his high school wrestling tournament, Dave cracked a rib on his right side. He won the match but wondered how he’d survive the championship with a damaged ribcage. In the finals, Dave limped out to the mat on his left, uninjured leg.

Jesus Christ did not come to preserve empty religion. He came to set captives free.

Teaching from Luke 13, Dr. Michael Youssef examines Jesus’ healing of a suffering woman and His confrontation with legalistic religion. In doing so, Christ exposes the danger of man-made rules that obscure God’s mercy and reveals the true character of Kingdom power—holy, compassionate, and unstoppable.

Dr. Youssef also unpacks Jesus’ pictures of the mustard seed and leaven, showing how the Kingdom of God is both present and future. Through the Gospel, His Kingdom continues to advance until Christ returns in glory.

This episode calls listeners to:

• Reject legalism and man-made religion,
• Trust the liberating power of Jesus Christ,
• Repent and believe the Gospel,
• Recognize the present work of God’s Kingdom,
• Intercede faithfully for those still in bondage,
• Live ready for the return of the King.

The Kingdom of God is advancing. The King is coming again. Now is the time to repent, believe, and proclaim the Gospel with urgency.

Scripture Focus: Luke 13:10-21

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Artificial intelligence can help you build a budget, explain an investment, or compare financial options in seconds. But how much should you trust it with your money?

AI is quickly becoming part of everyday life, including the way we manage our finances. And like any tool, it can be used wisely or unwisely.

For Christians, the better question isn’t simply, “Should I use AI?” but, “How can I use this tool wisely and faithfully?”

When new technology arrives, we can be tempted toward one of two extremes. We either embrace it without much thought, or we become suspicious of it and want nothing to do with it.

Biblical stewardship calls us to a more thoughtful approach.

AI can already be remarkably useful when it comes to financial information. You can ask it to explain the difference between a Roth IRA and a traditional IRA, define an unfamiliar financial term, suggest categories for a spending plan, compare debt-payoff strategies, or help you prepare questions for a financial professional.

Used that way, AI can be a valuable research assistant. But there’s an important difference between having information and exercising wisdom. Proverbs 14:15 says, “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.”

That’s a helpful principle in an age of artificial intelligence. AI can gather, organize, summarize, and analyze information remarkably quickly. But having more information doesn’t remove our responsibility to consider carefully what is true and how we should respond.

Biblical wisdom is more than knowing facts. It’s applying truth faithfully before God—and that requires spiritual discernment.

AI might help you calculate whether you can afford a larger home. But it can’t determine whether buying that home reflects wise stewardship or simply a desire for more.

It can compare investment strategies, but it can’t decide what faithfulness should look like in your particular circumstances. It can calculate how much room you have in your budget to give, but it can’t worship God through generosity.

That doesn’t make AI bad. It simply means we need to keep the tool in its proper place.

Technology can assist the steward. It cannot replace the steward. A few practical guardrails can help us maintain that distinction.

First, verify information before making significant financial decisions.

AI can sound confident even when its answer is incomplete, outdated, or simply wrong. Tax rules change. Investment products differ. Government programs and financial regulations evolve.

The more significant the decision, the more important it is to confirm what you’re seeing with reliable sources or a qualified financial professional. 

AI can help you identify the questions you need to ask. It shouldn’t necessarily be the final authority answering them.

Second, be careful about the information you share.

Avoid entering Social Security numbers, account numbers, passwords, or other sensitive financial information into an AI system unless you fully understand how it will handle and protect that information.

And remember: AI isn’t only available to consumers. Criminals can use it too.

Voice cloning, convincing fake images and videos, and highly personalized scams can make fraudulent requests increasingly difficult to recognize. If you receive an unexpected request involving money—even if it appears to come from someone you know—verify the request through another trusted channel before acting.

A phone call to a number you already know or a face-to-face conversation could prevent an expensive mistake.

Perhaps the most important guardrail is this: Don’t surrender your responsibility to thi

Visit www.joniradio.org for more inspiration and encouragement!

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