The dictionary defines dust as:
- Something of no worth.
- Fine dry particles of matter.
- A debased or despised condition.
- Rubbish ready for disposal.
- Confusion, agitation or commotion.
- Particles of matter regarded as the result of disintegration.
You can see why you need to get rid of dust!
Without dust, battle over uncleanness would automatically be won! But as it happens dust exists, and so to be free of dust, one must consciously remove it. God knows how much it is costing worldwide to get rid of dust every day. Think about it! You have a new car. It all looks perfect, but after a few hours drive, you will notice the shine is covered up with dust from top to bottom. You can have it all shining again, but not until it is cleaned!
I remember one day, I noticed men cleaning a road sign on the motorway. What an effort! They had to climb up ladders to reach it. It then dawned on me that the reason road signs remain visible and useful is because some people ensure that they are cleaned regularly! I praised God with all my heart for those in society who oversee such tasks and ensure that they get done.
With respect to us humans, not only can dust settle on the outside - if one is not vigilant, it can also settle on the inside and if it does, all the shine that was once on a person (or that one desires) can be covered up with dust. The dust of sin, the dust of hate, the dust of resentment, the dust of worry, the dust of anxiety, the dust of confusion, the dust of pride, the dust of regret, the dust of fear, the dust of unforgiveness, the dust of low self-esteem, the dust of disappointment, the dust of shame, the dust of guilt, the dust of covetousness, the dust of deception, the dust of hypocrisy - all these must be rid of, if one is to shine as God intends. Something must be done to remove dust; it just does not get rid of itself.
Unless dust is removed potential value may lie hidden - like in the example of the road sign. Fortunately, with determination and God's help every dust can be reached and removed. It is one thing dealing with visible dusts, but what happens when the dust lies buried deep within the heart. This is where the washing of the blood and the word become crucial - they are far-reaching and more potent than any detergent or vacuum cleaner! The word of God is quick and powerful. It is quick and powerful enough to reach dust and completely remove it. Glory!
Here are the things you can do to keep dust off your life
1. Take responsibility
Isaiah 52:
1 Awake, awake!
Put on your strength, O Zion;
Put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city!
For the uncircumcised and the unclean
Shall no longer come to you.
2 Shake yourself from the dust, arise;
Sit down, O Jerusalem!
Loose Yourself from the bonds of your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion
This text shows that everyone can potentially remove dust from their life. “Put on your strength.” It is personal responsibility: Shake yourself from the dust.
No dust can settle, unless one allows it through negligence or ignorance. Hence the word calls out: Awake, awake! Dust covers up glory, but it is time to shine, so shake yourself from the dust! Put on your beautiful garments. It's a matter of choice what you put on.
Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
In other words, allow your light to shine - get rid of the dust to allow the glory of God to be revealed!
2. Plead the Blood of Jesus
Maybe you are covered up with dust because of sin taking root. You can be rid of it and become clean again by pleading the blood of Jesus.
Hebrews 9:22 ... according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
The blood of Christ is anti-dust! It is capable of reaching and purging every dust from one's conscience! Glory!
Hebrews 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Ask God to forgive your sins because the blood has been shed once and for all for your justification (Romans 5:9). Accept (believe in your heart) that the blood has cleansing power and receive total cleansing from sin now by the blood of Jesus! Confess with your mouth that the blood of Jesus removes the dust of (name the dust) from you. You are to receive this by faith, because the gift of God is by grace through our Lord Jesus Christ. You have nothing to pay! The full payment for your deliverance from dust has already been made. Now, submit onto God (believe and confess your deliverance); resist the devil (stand against dust), and he will flee from you. Glory! God will give you the desire of your heart. Amen.
3. Meditate in the word of God and fellowship with other believers
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
The blood of Jesus removes the dust of sin when we walk in the light and have fellowship with one another! Glory! The entrance of God's word into your heart will give you light as you meditate upon it. So, meditate in the word of God.
Through the word you will receive manifold wisdom and understanding of how to remove and keep dust from your life. Every word from God is profitable. With the water of the word, the Spirit of God will wash away dust from you. Meditate in the word. Think about what it says and speak it out loud to yourself and whilst speaking, listen attentively to gain understanding and meaning from it. By doing this you will digest and assimilate the word into your heart and mind – and when this happens, you will acquire the strength and faith that will remove dust out of your life. The word is sharper than any two-edged sword and so it can penetrate deep into your heart and mind and bring transformation in the way you think and act until all dust are washed away from you. Glory be to God! Whatever dust it is, the word can wash it away. The word of God is alive and powerful. But you must attend to the word in order to tap into its cleansing power.
4. Listen to anointed preaching and teaching of the word of God
Jesus said to His disciples: John 15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
So listening to anointed words can remove dusts from you! Glory be to God! Regularly make time to listen to anointed preaching and teaching of the word of God.
In summary you need to get rid of dust everyday in order to maintain your shine and reveal God's glory. You need to take responsibility for keeping your life clean. You can purge your conscience of dust by pleading the blood of Jesus, by listening to anointed teaching and peaching of the word of God, and by walking in the light and fellowshipping with other believers.
You will succeed in Jesus' name.
Grace and peace to you.
Ola Stevens
