By: Crystal Lyons
Jesus taught how that when a person was rejected or treated unfairly because of the gospel, and it’s evidence in their lives, that they were to “shake the dust off their feet” and go on. Why dust? Why feet? Dust is dry earth….no moisture in it. It can’t be controlled or conformed. Add water and dust becomes clay and can be molded and shaped. Not so dust. Dust doesn’t submit. Our bodies are made of dust. Without the water of the Spirit abiding in us, we will live a life of non submission, non yielding, non conforming to the things of Christ, rebellious in nature. The Word boldly states that dust is what the serpent feeds on, and we all know who the serpent is. Dust becomes food for the Devil. (Gen.3:14b and Is. 65:25b)
When other people’s dust gets on us, it affects our walk with the Lord. That’s why Jesus said to shake if off our feet…..keep offenses out of our lives, out of our walk with the Lord. Shaking it off means we can’t be passive about it. It speaks of action on our part to rid ourselves of that which would allow Satan to have access to “eat on us”. Ever have something someone did….eat on you? We all have. That’s the dust that we have allowed to settle on us. Dust always wants to “settle” and dust is food for the Devil.
It’s an open door for Satan to come and steal our peace of mind….steal our victory….steal our faith and hope……
steal our courage…..steal our energy.
How do we shake off the dust? Phil. 3:13-14 tells us…..”Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things which are before, we press toward the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” The word used for ‘forgetting’ is a word that literally means to neglect. It’s not that we won’t remember….it’s that we ON PURPOSE,….NEGLECT TO THINK on those things that were done, that hurt and wounded us. Every time our mind goes there…arrest those thoughts and in it’s place quote a scripture, such as Phil. 3:13&14, saying it OUT LOUD. It’s not good enough to simply THINK it….we must SPEAK it. It’s not easy at first but it’s amazing how much peace will invade once we do this. We just shook off dust and took away the Devil’s inroad to “eat” on us. Also it requires a forward look instead of a backward one. Striving for the high call of God
for our lives, and focusing on what’s ahead, as we walk
with God instead of mentally living in the past and
wallowing in past hurts and regrets.
A scene from Seabiscuit gives a great picture of this. It’s after losing the race at Santa Anna, CA, Seabiscuit’s owner and trainer are asking Red Pollard, the jockey, “what in the world was he doing out there?” They had a game plan to win and he didn’t follow that plan and lost the race as a result. Red was screaming in his defense that he had been fouled during the race and did they just expect him to do nothing about it? When they said yes
to that, he couldn’t understand and just kept yelling, “but they FOULED me….they FOULED ME!!” Red….like us so often…. got so caught up in a wrong done to him that he lost sight of the REAL issue, which was winning the race. He lost the race,
In life’s race….we WILL get fouled…more than once. Offenses WILL come, Jesus said. As long as we focus on what’s been done and who did it….we are not going forward. Jesus said to “shake the dust off your feet and go on”! Shake it off…begin to actively
forgive and actively re-focus your attention on what God has for you…releasing what’s been done in the past. Let it go….
God has a game plan to WIN! Keep your eyes on the
prize, shake off the dust and finish well!