Picture this. . .

My wife has quite the green thumb. She loves her plants and takes meticulous care of them. She is particularly fond of her rubber and lemon trees. The rubber trees all started from a plant that her grandfather had some 50-plus years ago. Over the years, she has pruned and started new trees, giving some to friends, even to the mailman. I must not forget the Christmas cactus that is quite old as well.

There are times when the plants begin to show discoloration, leaves fall off, or various insects are spotted. For years, she had fretted over the possibility of losing her beloved plants, turning to her computer to try to solve the problems. It was a little hit-or-miss in diagnosing this condition with this research. But this all changed a few years ago when she found apps for her phone that, using her camera, let her take a picture and identify not only the plants but also the problems.

It has been said that these apps are like having a botanist in your pocket. All of this wonderful information is powered by scientists and everyday individuals who contribute to a powerful database. The more info/pictures submitted, the more reliable and informative it becomes. 

One such app, PictureThis, identifies over 400,000 plant species with more than 98% accuracy. It allows users to take a photo and instantly receive the plant’s name, care instructions, and disease diagnosis. Additional features include toxic plant warnings, weed identification, and watering reminders, making it ideal for both beginners and experienced gardeners. (Apple)

Visual search tools are growing rapidly.  AI continues to provide image recognition to identify not only plants and flowers but also animals, products, and more, often from a single photo.

I believe the greatest app in our hands is the Bible. It has a built-in camera, the Holy Spirit, and is 100 percent accurate. Nothing generated by artificial intelligence; it is ANOINTED INTELLIGENCE. The Holy Spirit identifies the type of tree we are and the fruit we bear. With a single picture of God’s Word, He can determine whether the fruit is good. If not, He can diagnose the problem; if the sin of the world diseases it, He will show, with complete accuracy, its causes and the remedy. We have the choice to see and be guided by the Holy Spirit to make the necessary corrections before it is too late. Jesus said, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He (repeatedly) prunes, so that it will bear more fruit (even richer and finer fruit).” John 15:2 (AMP)

The key is to save all the files that the Holy Spirit has revealed to our hearts. “For if anyone only listens to the WORD without obeying it, he is like a man who looks very carefully at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he immediately forgets what he looked like. But he who looks carefully into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and faithfully abides by it, not having become a careless listener who forgets but an active doer (who obeys), he will be blessed and favored by God in what he does (in his life of obedience.” James 1:22-25 (AMP)