THE HIDEN DUST

THE HIDDEN DUST by Christopher Chanda

 “They will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil who has taken them captive to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:26

CONTENT

………..……………………………………………………………………i Introduction……………………………………………………………………...ii
CHAPTER ONE……………….……..DUST IN COMPARISON TO OUR SIN…….….…………1.
CHAPTER TWO………
WHERE DUST SETTLES WHEN IT ENTERS OUR HOMES..………5. CHAPTER THREE…
.HOW TO REMOVE THE HIDDEN DUST FROM OUR HOMES…13. Conclusion.………………………………………………………………………14. i

INTRODUCTION

One day in the early morning hours I was sweeping in our church building. As I was doing so, in my heart I began praying for the church members asking God to get rid of all their hidden sins just the same way as I was removing hidden dust and dirty out from the church. A voice came in my heart asking me to look behind; when I turned, I saw the dust particles hovering back again. How did I see the dust particles? Well, the morning rising sun pierced its rays through the window and the dust was clearly exposed. Without the light I could not have seen anything. As I stood motionlessly watching the dust, a silent voice came back again telling me that the same way I saw the dust returning back in the building, is the same way sins return in the hearts of the members of this church unless the light pierce through their hearts they will continue to live in sin. From this experience I believed God wanted to reveal something very special about hidden sins in comparison to dust. So, the reason why this book is written is to expose those hidden dust to the light of God’s word so that you can be aware of them. I trust that as you read this little book God will speak to your heart through the Holy Spirit so that you can hear his silent voice and what he has to say about your life.

 CHAPTER ONE

DUST IN COMPARISON TO SIN- The hidden dust has so much in common with the hidden sins in our lives. Sin just like dust sneaks in to hide in our lives usually without our realization. It spoils the quality of something. It brings in infections, illness and death. It accumulates if not cleaned quickly. It makes a beautiful thing appear dirty. It is stubborn to be removed. It is not easily perceived without the help of the light. It makes you feel embarrassed in the presence of others etc. 1.

SIN JUST LIKE DUST SNEAKS IN OUR LIVES USUALLY WITHOUT OUR REALIZATION -Dust as described by free Merriam- Webster Dictionary are dry powder made up of very small pieces of earth or sand that builds up inside buildings on surfaces that have not recently cleaned. When dust enters the house i.e. the place where you live, you may not easily notice its entrance. It comes in quietly through open holes such as windows, air ventilation, doors, roof and so on. The behavior of dust is exactly the way sin may enter your life as a Christian. Many times you never notice its entrance. Open holes are those areas in your life where you allow Satan to trade with you. They are windows of temptation, areas of your weakness to sin. Temptation is a place where Satan invites you slowly by slowly until he catches you in his net. Slowly by slowly are those things you start little by little until they grow big and strong to overpower you such as beer drinking, stealing from home, watching pornography, gossip, sexual lusts, illicit drugs, and so on. When you fall into his net it becomes very difficult to escape. It becomes like a rope that has been tied on you several times. It will take some strong Christians to help you free (Gal. 6:1). Like someone who has fallen into a deep sleep so is a Christian who allows sin into his/her life without realization, waking up is sudden usually it is too late. By saying too late I mean, the time typically is spent away like a burning candle. But with God it is never too late to repent!

SIN JUST LIKE DUST SPOILS THE QUALITY OF SOMETHING. There is nothing so disturbing and frustrating as the area where dust is prevalent. I remember when I was living near a mining area where there was too much dust such that we always kept the windows tightly closed. Whenever we left food uncovered we could find dust all over. This used to be irritating! When we say sin spoils what do we exactly mean? It means it lessens or destroys the value or quality of something. When you fall into sin you feel guilty and shameful. You feel condemned as if you are not even worthy of anything but death; this is what Jesus Christ came to redeem us from. He died for us on the cross so that we may be set free from condemnation. The Bible says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…and so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the spirit” (Rom.8:1-4). What would you feel if you were dressed smartly and someone throws some mud on your clothes? This is exactly the same feeling that comes upon us when we fall into sin as Christians. God through Jesus Christ has given us new natures that detest sin. When we slip into sin it makes us very uncomfortable, it robes us peace to move freely. We quickly want to wash it away through confession and the peace that come through the forgiveness of sin in Christ Jesus.

SIN JUST LIKE DUST IT GATHERS IF NOT CLEANED QUICKLY When dust is not cleaned up immediately, it will quickly increase to build up. This is exactly the way sin behaves. It is like garbage that continues to mount up if not collected. It is also like a garden that is neglected with weeds. The longer they take to stay the more they gain ground and become strong. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). Confession comes through the reading of God’s word that convicts us to say we are sorry to God. It 3 works like a detergent that helps to restore our clothes from dirty to cleanliness again.

SIN JUST LIKE DUST IT MAKES A BEAUTIFUL THING APPEAR DIRTY When dust falls on the polished surface, it masks it to appear completely different from the original picture. Sin just like dust does the same thing. It changes your appearance in action, speech and character. It makes other people associate you to wrong things. When people associate you to something evil they will always avoid you. One day I was reading in the Word of God and at this place the Bible says, “Come now let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

SIN JUST LIKE DUST IT IS STUBBORN TO BE REMOVED Sin just like dust when it enters your home sometimes it becomes very difficult to remove completely. You have to struggle to remove it because it stains; it gains control. When you allow sin to gain ground, it will have such power over you that you will be a slave to it. This is because you have made it a habit to do it again and again. It becomes part of your daily lifestyle such that you begin to fail to do without it. The Bible says, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Rom.6:18).

SIN JUST LIKE DUST IT IS NOT EASILY DETECTED WITHOUT THE HELP OF LIGHT When you are in a dark room, you can never see there was a snake inside unless someone switches on the lights. This is exactly the same with enemy of dust/sin sometimes you can never see it unless someone brings it to your attention. You can only repent when you see your own wrongs. The word of God through the conviction of the Holy Spirit shines through your heart so that you can be able to see your own sins so that you can repent. The Bible says, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil. Everyone whose does evil hate the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be 4 exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”(John 3:19-21).

SIN JUST LIKE DUST IT MAKES YOU FEEL EMBARRASSED IN THE PRESENCE OF OTHER PEOPLE. Naturally, you would not feel excited to invite a guest or a friend in a house or room that is full of dust and dirty around. You would feel very uncomfortable to the point where you would be give excuses after excuses to your guest just to try to beat your shame. This is exactly the same with sin, when people find out about your sins it make you feel very embarrassed to the point where you would wish to hide. No matter what you would try to do own your own you can never hide from your own sin. The best way to do is to be able to accept your situation and repent ask Jesus to forgive you. Satan wants you to continue living in guilty, fear and shame so that you cannot be free. Jesus wants to set you free the power of sin. The Bible says, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”(Luke 5:32) 5

CHAPTER TWO WHERE DUST SETTLES WHEN IT ENTERS OUR HOMES Where does the dust settle when it craftily enters your home? Here are several places it may be found: On top of the ceiling board or roof, in the corners of the house, behind Television set, on the wall, under the carpet, on your clothes, books, hair, behind the stove, fridge and so on. From what I have mentioned, we are going to take each one of these areas and see what they mean to us spiritually. You will find that all these places I have mentioned have a lot of significance in revealing the truth of God to us in a very simple way. The Bible says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?...” (1 Cor. 9:19). Let us look at each one of them carefully.

CEILING BOARD OR ROOF A ceiling board is an upper interior surface of a room. It is used to cover the roof of the house. The main purpose of the ceiling board is to trap dust at the same time to reduce heat room temperature. On top of the ceiling board there is a roof that protect us from rain, wind and other things that may be of danger. A ceiling board or roof reminds us of our security. Whenever we lift up our eyes in our homes, we have all the assurance that we are safe from the rains, the cold winds, and many other things that may be harmful. One thing we always forget is that dust like sin, piles on top of the ceiling board. It is hard to see it on top of the ceiling board when you are comfortably seated in your living room. When things are going smoothly we get the mistaken idea that we can handle things in our strength and leave behind our love and trust in God. When God sees that you are putting confidence in your own intelligence, He will come down to remove the roof and the ceiling board so that you can see your own sins. During the day time the heat of the sun will bounce on you. During the night the wind, the cold and the rains will fall on you then when the sky is clear you will see the bright stars and remember to worship your God as your true roof under which you live. 6 Many times problems and difficulties come our way so that we may see God and appreciate him for who He is. It is always right as children of God to seek God first and acknowledge him. The dark clouds of problems may come our way, but there is always the sunshine tomorrow. The Bible says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33).

 CORNERS The dust has the tendency to hide in the corner and usually not easily noticed. Most unexpected evil in the night or day emanate from the corner. Thieves waylay at the corner just to rob, molest or kill someone. Prostitutes stand at the corner to entice the passerby for sex. Witches also like to plant their charm in the corners of someone’s house. All those who smoke marijuana or do other illicit drugs harbor at the corner. Terrible accidents happen at the corner of some street somewhere. There are a lot of mischievous activities in the place of a corner. Dark corner is also said to be an attempt to become unaware, or lack of awareness or insight. Spiritually, corners remind us about our need for honest and transparent to each other. The moment we begin to hide hatred, jealousy, unforgiveness, lust, bitterness, in the corner of our hearts, and then we know for sure trouble is around the corner. God loves us when we are honest and transparent in what we do. Hiding unpleasant things in the corner of our hearts and pretend to paint a good picture to others is hypocrisy. The Bible says, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”(Matt. 6:5) Pharisees were people whom Jesus strongly condemned because of their hypocrisy. They had an outward expression of loving God yet what they hide in the corner of their hearts were far away from God whom they professed. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like white washed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside is full of bones of the dead and everything unclean.”(Matt. 23:27). God does not like it when we hide bad things in our hearts against someone. Honest is a great virtue let us live by it.

TELEVISION A television set is one such a place where dust hides to stay. In every Zambian home I have so far visited, a television set has been given a special place. It is handled with special care. It is one item I have seen which has been given a central position of attention for everyone. In some homes they have given it a permanent place even cage it with iron bars to prevent it from being stolen. Yet as innocent as a television may look, it is the source of hidden sin that may come into our lives without our realization. At the same time it may be a powerful tool for our spiritual resource if a special care to guard and control it is put in place. So many times we sit before television and spend hours after hours without realizing how much dust/sin is blown into our lives. A television reminds us of an idol. An idol can be any person, object or activity that you give a higher priority in your life than a relationship with God. It is something you have given a central position; it is something you are wouldn’t want to let go because you have come to love and trust it more than you do for God. It is something you give a lot of time and attention to, it may be your job, your business, your marriage, your car, your computer, your phone, your children, entertainments and games like football, wrestling, chess and many others. You may not easily see how far you have fallen from the sight of God when you have an idol in your life as a Christian. You will always find excuses and justification to continue worshiping your idol. Those who have idols in their lives attract God’s wrath on them. The Bible says, “Do not worship any other gods beside me.” Do not make idols of any, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god!” What you watch on television is really a source of concern. You should always ensure you make the right choice to find a channel that help build your faith.

CARPET The dust under the carpet reminds us of the story of Achan in the book of Joshua chapter seven. God had given Israel victory after victory. But when it came for a small city of Ai, they were terribly defeated. God had to let Joshua know the reason for their loss to Ai (v.11). It was found out that one man by the name of Achan had secretly dug a hole under his tent and covered three things that were supposed to be destroyed or turned over to the treasury: a beautiful Babylonian coat, 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50shekels. There was a heavy penalty upon Israel and Achan himself and the family as a result of what he did. Unconfessed sins remind us about our secret sins that we try to conceal as a result of greed and selfishness. Sins we are unwillingness to uncover because of fear, shame and guilty. As long as there is dust/sin under the carpet, the surface may look beautiful and clean to everyone, but there will always be a rotten rat to smell. No matter how carefully covered it may be, ultimately it will be exposed for there is nothing hidden before the eyes of God. The things we do in private bring their effect in public. What are the effects of unconfessed sins? The Bible says, “Whoever conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” (Prov. 28:13) In whatever progressive endeavors you may enter, there will always be set backs if you have deliberate hidden sins. Like cancer in your blood it will make you weak and later kill you. Hidden sins have power to rust your heart. Your relationship with God is terribly affected. The relationship between Israel and God was cut as a result of one man’s sin. Hidden sin bring shame and guilty which leads to a defeated life. Confession to God is the best way to go. Confession of your sins washes away sin like soap does. It brings purity and peace of heart. The Bible says, “If you confess your sins, God is faithful and just to forgive your sins.” (1 John 9:1)

CLOTHES Clothes are also a target where dust hides. Without realizing, we carry a lot of dust on them. Clothes are very important in our lives; we cannot walk without them. It is embarrassing to show our nakedness. We put on clothes in order to be 9 accepted to one another. They are our second self. They paint a lot about who we really are. People judge by what we wear. No one of us in our normal state would like to wear dirty clothes unless an insane person. Whenever we put on clothes, we are sending a message to the people around us and the world at large. Today so many people pay a lot of attention to their clothes. They purposely dress to kill which means they wear clothes with the intention to make people notice them. With the coming of fashion, they are particular about what they wear. Sin looms around what people wear nowadays because it speaks about their moral behavior. They wear to insinuate others for sex; they wear for pride; they wear for competition, for recognition, they wear for all sorts of reasons. What is the meaning of clothes as Christians? Clothes remind us of our righteousness. Dictionaries define righteousness as “behavior that is morally justifiable or right”. Let me give you a picture of what righteousness mean. If you are putting on the best of your clothes, and someone suddenly throws some dirty on you, how would you feel? I ‘m sure you can have a bad feeling about it. The next thing you would want to do is to have your clothes cleaned up as quickly as possible. Certainly none of us would be comfortable to move with stains of dirty on our clothes. It is abnormal and embarrassing. This is exactly what happens to us who are in Christ. Jesus Christ has clothed us with his righteousness which is pure and spotless so that we can be in right standing with the holy God. This righteousness is our new nature which dislikes the stain of sin. Sin makes us uncomfortable. We wouldn’t want to stay with it for a long time. The Bible says, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remain in him, he cannot go on sinning because the seed of God remain in him” (1 John 3:9).

WALL You may not easily see the dust on the wall but it is very visible from what you can see hanging there. A wall symbolizes security. Security are things you have that give a sense of protection such as a good job that pays well, a good education that gives assurance to find a job anytime, a good business that gives a good profit, inherited wealth and so on. When you have these things in place, you may develop the tendency to think you can survive on your own even without 10 God. You easily forget to look up to Heaven and acknowledge God the one and true source of our security and provision. You always want to rely on your own intelligence in doing things. The Bible says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”(Prov. 3:7). (a) A Watch Dust is also found behind the watch. This is a device from which we check time for our daily activities. Dust behind the watch remind us about time. The time is given to us by God as a gift. A gift should always be received with thanks. If we truly treasure the gift, we would want to put it to good use. Now, how does the gift of time become sinful to us? How we use time is a matter of big concern in the eyes of the giver who is God. Unfortunately, most of us are bad stewards of time. Without realizing it, Satan robs this gift by using it to promote his own business on earth in the name of our interests other than that of God. In all our plans and desires for the future God is absent. The time has come to invest our time in the things of God. For those of you who barely have time to physically get involved in the work of God due to the nature of work you do, please use your resources to partner with those who are doing God’s work, I promise you that God will not overlook your action but you will reward you accordingly. We like spending a lot of time, energy and money on the temporal things of this world and overlook the eternal things of God. Building expensive houses; buying expensive cars, all for luxuries’ sake. The Bible says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”(Col. 3:2). (b) Education Achievements In many Zambian homes I have entered, I see certificates, medals, diploma, and degree hanging on the wall and so on. There are also pictures of to show what the owner of the house has achieved. But behind those picture frames, there is dust hiding. 11 This reminds us of pride. Pride is not easily noticed. Indirectly, many regard their degree as everything in their lives. They think it is their protection. They think their future depends on it. I remember one time a friend of mine shared a dream which terrified him one night. In that dream, he saw himself surrounded by a fence made of dry grass. His bed was right in between. According to him, he felt so insecure that he thought fire could easily catch him. When he woke up he sought for the interpretation of the dream. I reminded him that he had to put God’s priorities first. Whatever we have, we should always remember it is God who gives us. It is foolish to think that we earn these things by our own strength. Our strengths and pride are not in the things we do for our own glory, but the things we do for others. Never be cheated, life is too short to live it all. I have seen students who graduated today and die tomorrow. The secret is never put your education achievements above God’s will in your life. Always humble yourself before him and he will lift you up.

HAIR There are so many times when we don’t see the dirty on our hair unless others remind us. Hair is a point of beauty. It depicts how we want to appear before the public. A lot of people especially our ladies spend time and attention in the mirror. They spend time and money just on how they want to look. What does the hair remind us? It reminds us about our true beauty! Unfortunately, most of our ladies hide in plastic artificial hair. They hide their true nature. Some of them even feel ashamed of themselves when they look in the mirror. They continuously pretend to be who they are not. So sad that they keep ‘dust’ keep accumulating in their natural hair for months without a single drop of water to rinse their heads. They forget that true beauty lies in natural just the way God made them. So as a result most of them miss 12 chances of marriage and admiration by men who could love them the way they are. The Bible says, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” (1 Pet. 3:3-4). 8.

BOOKS We can find dust on the books as well. Millions of people have written different kinds and types books for reasons known to them. Some of them write through imagination, inspiration, love, and many other experiences. We cannot throw away everything about books; in fact wise people who have gone before us hide their knowledge in books. Some wise have written beautiful things that build our lives. They are like miners who go deep underground to fetch for precious stones and bring them on top where we can easily access them. Unfortunately, many people write dirty stories that aim to darken our minds with evil thoughts. Like miners, they too go deep to fetch for the worst things you can ever find. This reminds us about the Bible. The Bible is the only book that has the true information to transform your mind into a better person. If you spend time reading it, it is like a fountain of clean water to clean your soul. Read it constantly and soon you shall see the change.

CHAPTER THREE HOW TO REMOVE THE HIDDEN DUST OUT OF OUR HOMES The same way we get rid of hidden dust from our homes, is the same way sin is removed out of our lives. The moment you neglect your home without having it cleaned just for a day or two, dust settles in again. It is your duty as owner of the house to regularly and attentively guard your home from the enemy of dust/sin. When you find a beautiful glittering house outside and inside, know that it did not happen by chance. It simply tells you that the owner of the residence is diligent and devoted to ensuring that the house looked clean. Cleanliness is expected as a habit in every home because it is said to be second from godliness. At the same time it is possible that the house may appear clean from inside and out yet there are certain specific areas inside home where dust remain hiding because the owner of the house did not notice or bother to take time to clean them.

CONCLUSION There are many other places in our homes where we can find hidden dust, but I leave that for you to make out what it means. However, the main reason for this book is to remind you my fellow Christian to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). This means that yes you are saved, but you need to keep you house clean. It is not God’s responsibility to sweep and remove trash outside your house when he has already given you the cleaning materials. Develop a habit of reading God’s word, cultivate a culture of prayer, and meet