Hey Jude

I was reading in Jude this morning and here are some thoughts that came to me. 

But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Jude 1:10

We are always told to trust our guts and trust our instinct. (After doing a lot of reading on how parasites can affect our brains, I don't think I can ever just fully trust my instinct again. Although I think intuition and knowing something is a little different from trusting your gut.) But according to Jude, our animal instincts are the ones that get us into trouble. They are the carnal thoughts that urge us to behave impulsively and act upon those sins of the body, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. There are some animals species that work together, but for the most part, when we think like unreasoning animals we are only looking out for ourselves. You know, some animals eat their own puke and roll in feces.

We are spiritual beings in a human body. We are spirits living in animals. So we have to make the conscious decision to put off that lizard brain and think eternally with our spirits. What is coming from a real holy place of love, and not what what the world tries to force feed you as love. Animals can be greedy and scared. Animals in the wild act upon those fearful instincts that come naturally to them with self preservation as the goal. While humans may be in the animal kingdom, the Lord has created us to be much more than that. 

I have come to realize that unless a random thought enters my mind and is absolutely rooted in love or conviction, it is not from God. Satan is the one who wants us to be reactive instead of proactive. He is the one that wants us to act on our animal desires and not think about consequences. The Lord prefers to guide us and have us think about decisions before we make them. Kind of like that quote from a Greek philosopher that says something like, "You have two ears and only one mouth, so listen twice as much as you speak." You have a left brain and a right brain. Let them have time to work together before you react. Meditate twice as long on the impulsive reactions your mind is giving you before you act on them. Or just try not to act on them at all. Our animal instincts and desires will never come from the Lord. 

When I see some of the things that are ok to showcase in the entertainment industry and on social media, I think of wild animals who are only thinking in the moment and not worrying about consequences of the future. I get it. It is so much easier to numb yourself and not want to live in this world. But like it or not, we still do. And our current actions affect our future. So we have to think not only looking straight ahead, but also nonlinearly. 

God didn't give us a spirit of fear; but of power, love, and sound mine. 1 TImothy 1:7

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24