“Shake Off The Dust”

I want to talk about a moment in Acts that speaks to those of us who've ever been shut out, looked over, or asked to leave simply for standing in truth. Acts 13:50-52 says, “But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.” 

Paul and Barnabas weren’t just dismissed—they were persecuted and expelled for preaching the gospel. Their response wasn’t anger. It wasn’t defeat. They “shook off the dust”—a bold act saying, “We’ve done our part. Now we move forward.” And here’s the twist: they left with joy and were filled with the Holy Spirit. This teaches us that rejection isn’t always a loss—it can be redirection. God honors obedience, even when it’s met with resistance.

Have you ever shared your faith, your story, or your truth—and been shut down? Maybe someone didn’t receive your encouragement. Maybe a door you prayed would open was slammed shut. Like Paul and Barnabas, you may need to shake off the dust—not as bitterness, but as release. God doesn’t call you to force the outcome. He calls you to faithful obedience. Ask yourself: Am I holding on to a place God has told me to leave? Am I measuring my value by the response of others rather than the call of God?

You don’t have to carry rejection into your next season. Let God fill your spirit with joy—even when you’ve been pushed aside. You’re not expelled—you’re sent. Once you’ve planted the seed, you can’t force it to grow. But you can trust the One who waters it. Paul and Barnabas didn’t linger where they weren’t received—they moved forward with joy and the Spirit still burning in them. Their calling wasn’t canceled, just redirected. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:6–7, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

So today, if you’ve done what God asked, spoken with love, served with faith—shake off the dust. You are not responsible for the harvest, only the planting. Let God handle the growth.