Example of Total Faith

Scripture: He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a walking stick: no bread, no traveling bag, no money in their belts. They were to wear sandals, but not put on an extra shirt. Mark 6:8-9

Observation: When the disciples were sent out, they went with exactly the bare minimum ... shirt, pants, shoes, and a walking stick. This is the opposite of how must of us take trips. We pack for what we know we will do, plus contingencies in case plans change, plus necessities required for personal care, plus some comfort items. The disciples went with nothing. They barely had what they needed to just walk from one town to the next, let alone what they would need when they got there.

That is total faith in God. The disciples went forward with nothing, trusting that all they would need would be handed to them by others. Moreover, they trusted that others would give them what they needed because they would be able to perform miracles once there as a way to 'earn their keep'. They took nothing because all would be just provided.

Application: I don't know how to have faith like that. Yes, I trust God to provide for me and my family daily - I know that what I have is in fact a provision from God and not of my own doing. And yes, I walk into situations like Alpha last night completely empty and mentally exhausted and totally unprepared, and trust that God will show up and guide all our conversations ... and he does. But would I simply go and make no plans for my survival and trust God to just give me everything, from food, to a warmer shirt, to a toothbrush, to a change of socks?

If there are degrees of trusting God, where am I on the scale? If I'm not a "10-level disciple casting out demons and healing the sick," am I a "7-level helping others discover Jesus during conversations about faith"? I hope so, and I hope I'm moving up.

Prayer: Lord, may my faith increase daily. I do not doubt you in any way, but that is not the same as fully surrendering. I thank you for your presence and care last night during our Alpha conversation, and for the men you have set there to learn and discover you and your love. May they hear your message, not from my mind, but from the Holy Spirit's truth. Amen.