Fight off the Fakes

The other day while reading about new technologies, I found an article on NFTs and counterfeits. For those unfamiliar, NFT stands for non-fungible token: non-fungible means irreplaceable or unique and one-of-a-kind. A token is a visible or tangible representation of that irreplaceable thing. To clarify, NFTs reside on a blockchain like bitcoins or other cryptocurrencies.

However, unlike cryptocurrencies, which deal with currencies, NFTs represent digital assets such as drawings, music, art, or any created work in a digital format. The idea behind NFTs is for creators to “protect” their digital creations from theft and exploitation. Sadly for some, it hasn’t worked out that way.

Unfortunately, unscrupulous thieves have found a way to profit from this new technology. There have been multiple instances of forgers and counterfeiters taking original digital art and then registering it on the blockchain as theirs. They then auction off those artworks unbeknown to the artist.

These thieves are relentless, as there is an estimated market cap of NFTs valued at over $10bn. It’s become such a problem that the marketplaces that provide a selling platform for NFTs are struggling to deter them. Lamentably it seems that fighting these forgers and counterfeiters will be a long-term battle.

This reality reminds me of how we as men struggle to fight against counterfeits and fakes in this world. Regrettably, the world offers many worthless things in place of the in-valuable Christ. Things like power, prestige, possessions, pride, and more can never replace the true God. For this reason, we must stay vigilant and fight off the fakes seeking to take the place of Christ in our lives.

Daily Directive:

Answer and Journal the Following

Read:

Galatians 1:6-8
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷ not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

Pray:

Pray for discernment and vigilance to fight the fakes and stay focused on Christ.

Meditate / Make It Real:

Contemplate and meditate on or memorize the passage. What is God saying to you? Then, determine what you will do with what you’ve learned.

Share / Show:

Share and show what you’ve learned with someone else.