It's Time To 'Shake The Dust Off'

The day has arrived that we must 'shake the dust off our feet' in regards to some of the people in our lives that we have been trying to persuade to Christ.  When the time arrives to 'shake the dust off' in regards to a specific person, the Lord will speak to your heart.  It is important to  listen, because God knows the heart and He knows the point at which a person has decided that their 'final answer' is 'NO'.  Beyond that, you are wasting precious time. 

He may already be speaking this to your heart about some of the people in your life, and you may have found it very confusing--but He does not call us to devote our life to persuading anyone to turn to Him.  When He sent out the twelve disciples to different villages, two by two (as their first 'solo flight', as Christians ministering the gospel through the power of God) Jesus gave them specific instructions. Part of that instruction was:

'if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.'

His desire is that we present the truth, live the truth, and minister in what ways we are able.  We are not to so heavily invest ourselves in someone that we bind ourselves to them and make their choice our responsibility.  The Lord wants people who truly desire to walk with Him--who choose Him out of their own free will,  not from constant badgering or guilt. 

He called us to be witnesses--to the truth and to what He has done in our lives--not salesmen.  It is the job of the Holy Spirit to persuade men of their sins and personal need for a Savior.  In fact, if we go beyond presenting and living the truth and ministering as we are able, we may very well have the opposite effect and actually get in the way of the Holy Spirit and cause a person to harden his heart!  People come to Jesus out of hunger!  Force feeding has the opposite effect.

And that brings us to the unfortunate situation of people who are 'unequally yoked'.  If you are married to an unbeliever, you need to prepare your heart.  The day is soon coming that you will be confronted with a choice: will you choose to join your unbelieving spouse and turn your back on God, or will you stand firm in your faith, and lose your spouse?

When the time to choose arrives, the Lord will speak to your heart:

'Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.'

Will you heed His voice?

There comes a time when you have to let go of your hopes for someone and accept things for what they are.  I am not saying you should leave your spouse--that is a choice for the Lord to direct you in.  I am saying, don't be surprised if your spouse leaves you. 

Prepare your heart for the possibility that your spouse will leave you, in the not too distant future, if you continue to serve God.  Evil has greatly increased on the earth and people are now, consciously or not, making spiritual decisions.  As things get more difficult, they will act out of what is in their heart, and the spiritual decisions they have made.

Make up your mind now, what you will do when that time comes.  You will be very vulnerable to making a choice you will regret, when that horrible day arrives.  There are few things more agonizing than being left by the one you love.  But the Lord will sustain you through that time, if you choose to remain in Him.

The hour that Jesus spoke of has arrived:

'Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn

'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'  

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.'

There has recently been a shift in the spiritual realm. It seems that people are no longer restraining the evil that is within their hearts.  Evil wants nothing to do with good, and good wants nothing to do with evil.  Everyone seems to be choosing one side or the other.  The Lord is calling us again, to devote ourselves fully to Him, and to begin to emotionally distance ourselves from those who have rejected Him. 


[Here is a word to those of you who think that you can hide behind your  unbelieving spouse:
Do not listen to the lying whisper that tells you you can just keep quiet about being a Christian, find some way not to get 'The Mark' and be ok, (because you know your spouse will take it and will still be able to buy and sell, thus providing for your needs)!  The Lord knows your heart and is not pleased.  Repent and put your faith in Him.]

It's Time To 'Shake The Dust Off' (Part 2)
You Only Die Once--Make It Count!
Here's The Deal . . .