There are only two sources of prophecy. One is divine. The other fits in your pocket and knows you’ve been looking at fishing boats.
Algorithm prophecy technology is real, and it should concern every Christian. Last Tuesday, I was thinking about my old seminary professor during morning prayer. I hadn’t thought about him in years. Nevertheless, that afternoon, my phone showed me an article about his school. First item in my feed.
Coincidence? Perhaps. However, I’ve been in ministry long enough to know that coincidences are often something else wearing a disguise. Furthermore, the algorithm knew I was thinking about him. It knew before I searched anything. It knew from inside my pocket, where it listens. I’m not saying my phone is possessed. But I’m not saying it isn’t.
How Algorithm Prophecy Technology Actually Works
Understand what an algorithm does: it predicts. Based on your past behavior, it forecasts your future desires. Essentially, it knows what you’ll want before you want it. In other words, it answers questions you haven’t asked yet.
In the Old Testament, we had a word for this kind of knowledge. We called it prophecy. And we were very careful about where it came from. Specifically, we stoned false prophets. I’m not suggesting we stone programmers. But I am suggesting we think about why we don’t.
True prophecy comes from the Lord. It aligns with Scripture and leads toward righteousness. False prophecy, on the other hand, comes from darker sources. It tells you what you want to hear and feeds your appetites rather than your spirit. Consequently, when the algorithm shows you content, you must ask: is it drawing you closer to the Lord? Or is it drawing you toward fishing boats you can’t afford?
I’ve been shown fishing boats seventeen times this week. I looked at one fishing boat. Once. Three weeks ago. And now the algorithm has decided this is my calling. Meanwhile, it has never once shown me a Bible study. Draw your own conclusions.
The Spiritual Danger Of Algorithm Prophecy Technology
Silicon Valley will tell you algorithms are neutral. Just math. Nothing spiritual about it. But consider who built these systems. The engineers didn’t set out to create tools for Christian discipleship. Instead, they set out to capture attention—to keep you scrolling, clicking, watching. In short, they built a machine that wants your soul, and they did it for advertisements.
Attention is a form of worship. When something captures your attention, you are giving it a piece of yourself. Therefore, the algorithm is designed to capture as much of you as possible. It’s tithing, but to the wrong temple.
My son Kyle spends eight hours a day on his phone. Eight hours. That’s more time than he’s spent in church his entire life, combined. I did the math. I added it to the board. As I discussed in my piece about spiritual warfare in the headlines, this is all connected. The algorithm feeds Kyle videos. Kyle watches the videos. The videos tell Kyle that his father is “cringe.” Additionally, they use that word—cringe—as if it’s a complete sentence. As if being embarrassed by righteousness is an argument.
What Algorithm Prophecy Technology Cannot Know
Here’s the good news: there are limits to this counterfeit prophecy.
The algorithm can predict your patterns, but it cannot know your heart. Similarly, it can guess what content will trigger your emotions. However, it cannot touch your eternal soul. It can show you what you’ve wanted in the past, but it cannot show you what God wants for your future. It can show you fishing boats, but it cannot show you the Fisher of Men.
I said that to Kyle. He said “Dad, please stop.” But I won’t stop. I can’t stop. The algorithm deals in data. God deals in grace. And grace, by definition, cannot be optimized.
When God speaks, He often says things we don’t want to hear. He calls us to sacrifice, to service, to love people we’d rather scroll past. He disrupts our patterns rather than reinforcing them. The algorithm would never tell you to sell all your possessions and follow Jesus. The algorithm would show you better possessions at competitive prices.
Reclaiming Your Attention From Algorithm Prophecy Technology
I’m not saying throw away your phone. Tools can serve the Lord’s purposes. After all, I’m using technology right now to reach you through this digital ministry that God called me to after the church situation in Georgia.
But tools must be used with discernment. When you pick up your phone, know that something is competing for your attention. Something that profits from your distraction. Therefore, set boundaries. Designate times when the algorithm has no access to you. I put my phone in a drawer during prayer time. Tammy says I still check it every fifteen minutes. Nevertheless, the intention is there.
Fill those times with Scripture, with prayer, with people who love you enough to tell you hard truths. Kyle, if you’re reading this—and I know you’re not, because you only read things the algorithm shows you, and it won’t show you this—I love you. Come upstairs. We can talk about something other than the board.
The algorithm knows what you want. But only God knows what you need. And in the end, that’s the only prophecy that matters.
Faith. Family. Freedom from targeted fishing boat advertisements.
Selah.
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