The Struggle With Dust

This is a little long, but bear with me....

I was sitting in the recliner, having breakfast and coffee, watching the morning sun stream through my living room window. I noticed how where the sunlight didn't hit the glass of the window, it appeared clean and clear. Yet, where the sunlight hit the glass, it appeared very dirty and blotchy and just plain yuck.

I also noticed the thousands of teeny tiny dust motes swirling in the air, exposed by the sunbeam. I couldn't help but be disgusted because I knew I was breathing in those dust motes and there was no getting away from them. However, I looked closer at them. Some of the dust motes sparkled like tiny diamond dust. They were beautiful! Others were dim and dark - just specks swirling around mixed in with the sparkly pretty ones. Then the Holy Spirit spoke. He's been giving me this same analogy in so many different ways.....Who is the light? Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:13 it says, "But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Likewise, 1 Corinthians 4:5 says, "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God."

Who exposes things? Jesus does. Only He can shine the light that exposes the darkness. The window in my living room represents our heart or the window to our heart per se. We can't see the dirt and grime caked upon the glass until the sunlight hits it and exposes it. Likewise, oftentimes we are unable to see the sin in our lives or the sinful behaviors and thoughts we harbor in our heart. As is also so prevalent in today's Christian home and church, we may be unaware that we are participating in occult traditions, practices, or holidays and are unaware that the things we do for innocent fun and happiness are actually incredibly detestful in God's eyes. It is not until the Lord shines His light upon us that all is revealed. He shines His light through His Word and through His Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

The dust motes in the air are thoughts, ideas, beliefs, desires, etc.... Some are wicked, sinful, and evil - proof of our fallen nature and sinful flesh, obvious to everyone as sin. Others were bright, sparkling, colorful, beautiful - those things that are - at the root, sinful, but that we see as good or justify them as good, though they are not. Those things that we have a hard time giving up because we force ourselves into a state of denial concerning them. Or they can also be those things that though they do not glorify God, we do not know it - we are ignorant or unknowledgeable as to either their presence or their true origin.

This can apply to so many things. Many Christians are in denial concerning sexual immorality, witchcraft/occult practices, and idolatry. Other Christians, just plain don't know something is a sin or unholy because churches no longer teach righteousness, discipleship, or discernment. Most Christians today, look no different than their secular "unsaved" neighbor. The only difference is one goes to church and the other does not. One says "I believe in Jesus, I'm a Christian." and the other does not. But they look, act, and think identically because of their sinful hearts.

Back to our analogy, what does it mean? Our heart is filled with the spiritual warfare of sinful flesh vs. the righteous spirit (if a born-again follower of Christ). The dust motes of sin eventually coats our heart (like furniture) with a layer of dust if we do not work hard at keeping clean. Think about it...when you go to dust your coffee table, entertainment cabinet, shelving, etc....is the dust sparkling and pretty? No. lol....No.

What does it look like? It is dull, gray, lifeless, dingy, and dirty. You see, when we allow sin to build up in our lives, what happens? Our hearts and minds become dirty, blemished, unclean. We cannot live like the world, we cannot live a life of sin - no matter how small or insignificant that sin is, and expect our hearts to be clean. Sin is dirty and sin is death. How quickly can the dust of sin pile up? Rather quickly. Literally only three days had passed since I had last dusted/cleaned. Sin is so prevalent!

1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

But praise be to the LORD JESUS, that He is willing to shine His light upon our hearts to expose and bring to light the things of darkness. When we come to Him in repentance and full surrender, like sunlight in a living room, He exposes the sin in our lives and the areas of our heart that we need to work on - or dust/clean. Without His exposing light, we oftentimes can't see the sin in our life, we think everything's fine or that we're good, especially with those things that seem innocent. But, when it is exposed, like with dust, it should motivate and convict us to do something about it.

Some people reject the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit and rebel against Him, choosing to keep their dusty furniture, their grimy windows, their sin. They justify it saying that it makes them happy, feels good, makes them accepted by people - the world. However, how are we to respond when convicted? We repent and we get off our butts and dust that furniture and windex that window! We get rid of all of the filth in our heart, mind, and life.

Allow Jesus to cleanse you. He is your dusting rag, willing to remove the accumulated filth of sinful dust. He is your windex cleaner, willing to restore the window to your heart in order to make it clean again. How did our heart get so dirty!? "Oh be careful little eyes what you see....Oh be careful little ears what you hear....Oh be careful little feet where you go...." Just about everyone knows the verses to that children's song. What that song means is, be careful what you allow into your hearts, for what you take in - will decide whether you are clean or whether you are dirty.

Do you watch or listen to media that does not glorify God or display righteous principles? Or does it contain sinful behavior, glorified. Does the music you listen to worship the One True God, or does it glorify man and self? Do you find your feet rushing to entertain and satisfy the desires of the flesh, or are you eager to serve and minister to others in the Name of the Lord? What we surround ourselves with inevitably affects our heart.

Will you let Jesus shine His light on your heart today? Will you let Him, through His Word and through His Holy Spirit, expose the dust and dirt in your life? And when He does, will you be repentant and humble, allowing Him to cleanse you and make you clean? We don't have much time left before the darkness fully envelopes this earth in a way that no one has ever before seen. Who will be allowed to inherit eternal life and enter the Lord's Kingdom? Those whose garments are spotless, without blemish, white, and without wrinkle. No dust allowed.

2 Peter 3:14 says, "Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless."

Does that mean we can be sinless and have to be perfect? No, because we are still in the sinful flesh. But we do know One who can cleanse us and keep us clean if only we allow Him to, if we repent, and if we surrender all to Him.....Jesus. May this word speak to you and may the Holy Spirit convict you to come to Him and surrender all. Don't let the dust of sin pile up on your heart. Don't let your windows become grimy.

I too need to do this because I am human, still in the sinful flesh, just like you. I too need to go to the Lord and have Him expose the "dust" in my life. So, I want to leave you with this Scripture to reflect upon and ponder:

5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 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." -1 John 1:5-7