Introduction
I want to start with something simple. Life today feels like one giant dating app. Swipe left. Swipe right. Reject this. Keep that.
But it’s not just dating apps. For many of us, life feels like an endless Zoom meeting — faces in little boxes, muted microphones, “connection” that somehow leaves us lonelier than before. Or maybe it feels like waiting for another Temu shipment. The little thrill when the order shows up. You open the package… and within a week, it’s cracked, broken, forgotten.
We are surrounded by things that promise connection, happiness, fulfillment — but so often they deliver only exhaustion. And in the middle of it all, everything is claiming our attention. Notifications, pings, meetings, shipments, headlines. And deep down, some of us are saying: I’ve just got to get my life together.
The question is this: when everything is fighting for my attention, what deserves a swipe left — and what deserves a swipe right?
That’s where God’s Word meets us.
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Point 1 – Discerning Truth in an Age of Illusions
Jesus warned His disciples in Matthew 24: “Take heed that no one deceives you… false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
He didn’t say the deception would be weak. He said it would be convincing. Convincing enough to fool even God’s people.
Think of that glass walkway in China. Perfectly safe. Strong enough to hold a truck. But they added an augmented reality effect — so as you walked, the glass beneath your feet looked like it was cracking. People screamed. Some froze. One man dropped to his knees and wouldn’t move.
The truth? They were fine. The illusion controlled them.
And friends, that’s what our world is built on right now — illusions strong enough to shape behavior. Zoom looks like presence but often isn’t. Temu looks like joy but rarely lasts. AI looks like wisdom but often invents facts out of thin air.
Swipe left on the illusion.
Swipe right on the Word of God — tested, true, unshakable.
Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures and who have received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusion.
The Bible is your anchor when illusions swirl.
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Point 2 – Real Relationships vs. Artificial Connection
At the very heart of Christianity is not information, but relationship. John 17:3 says: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
But here’s the danger. Artificial connection is easy. A “like” on Instagram, a chat on Zoom, a Temu box at the door. All of them create the feeling of connection. But none of them substitute for real covenant love.
In Japan, men are buying AI-powered dolls instead of forming real relationships — because it’s easier. That’s artificial love. It never demands patience. It never requires sacrifice. It never says “I’ll stay with you through the storm.”
But that’s exactly the kind of love God calls us to — because that’s exactly the kind of love God shows us.
The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and lovable Christian. You can’t deepfake that. You can’t order it on Temu. You can’t download it off Zoom. That kind of love is born only when the Spirit of God writes His character into your heart.
Swipe left on counterfeit love.
Swipe right on covenant love — the love that goes to the cross and stays there for you.
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Point 3 – The Lure of Convenience vs. the Call to Perseverance
We live in a convenience culture. One-click orders. Same-day delivery. Meetings without leaving your living room. AI that drafts the email for you before you’ve even thought about it.
Convenience feels good. But here’s the problem: it doesn’t build perseverance.
Revelation 14:12 says: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” That word “patience” means endurance. Staying power.
And Luke 21:19 echoes it: “By your patience, possess your souls.”
Machines are built to take away effort. But the Christian life is built on patient endurance. If we let algorithms do all our choosing, if we let convenience do all our heavy lifting, we risk losing the spiritual muscles we’ll need when the real test comes.
We need not expect that when the last great crisis comes, we shall be ready, unless we have cultivated a faith and trust in God now.
Swipe left on shortcuts.
Swipe right on perseverance.
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Conclusion – The Greatest Reality
So what have we seen?
1. Illusions will deceive.
2. Counterfeit love will compete with covenant love.
3. Convenience will tempt us away from endurance.
Zoom calls, Temu shipments, AI apps — they all promise to make life easier, fuller, richer. But most of them only make life noisier, shallower, more exhausted.
And here’s the truth: one day soon, every Zoom call will end. Every Temu package will fade. Every app, every platform, every illusion will go silent. And in that silence, you will stand before the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
On that day, you’ll want to be able to say: I swiped right on Jesus. I chose what was real. I held to what was eternal.
Final appeal: Friends, everything is claiming your attention. But only One deserves your life. Don’t let the illusions drain you. Don’t let the counterfeits distract you. Swipe left on the noise. Swipe right on Jesus. Every time.
Revelation 22:20 — “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
Closing Prayer
Lord, in a world full of noise and illusions, help us anchor ourselves in Your Word. Teach us to choose covenant love over counterfeit love, perseverance over convenience, and Your truth over every illusion. Keep us real, until the day we see You face to face. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
