Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
This passage of scripture describes for us the great commission given to the disciples as well as to all Christians. This command of Jesus to his followers is all- inclusive, in that His enabling power will attend them on their way, to supply whatever is needed to fulfill the great commission. All of the commands of God to us come with promises of power and the wherewithal to implement the instructions thus given, even though the promises themselves may not be clearly stated every time.
For instance, when Christ gave the command to His disciples in the above passage, that command included food and lodging, travel and protection, strength and endurance, and all the abilities needed to complete the work such as intelligence, memory, perception, energy, faith, and power over all types of unclean spirits. In other words, His commands should be understood to be complete packages.
Many people are averse to the commands of God because they do not understand that whatsoever He has told us to do, automatically comes with whatsoever is needed to accomplish it. For instance, when He told the children of Israel to depart out of Egypt on that last fateful night, the command came preloaded with everything necessary for the journey, including things they would not naturally think about.
Obeying God's voice then would mean that He would regulate the temperature of the desert, so that the people and their little ones would not suffer from the extremes of cold and heat that are so often associated with the desert environment. It also meant that the wild beasts of the desert would be kept at bay, and the food that He would supply would contain all of the necessary nutrients in the right proportion to meet their every need.
The command also means that their clothes and shoes would be miraculously preserved over the course of the entire journey, and that every emergency they might encounter would be resolved, so that they need not fear for the future. For instance, the excavations that have taken place in the area of the wilderness wandering of the Jews, have turned up no clothes or shoes whatsoever. Archaeologists, in their search for tangible evidence of the forty years sojourn of the children of Israel, are at a loss to explain why no such evidence can be found. The reason is that the Jews did not need changes of raiment, nor bigger shoes as they grew, for the Lord took care of those needs by His omnipotent power. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 8:4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
This means that their clothes were not subject to the normal wear and tear associated with active use, and it also means that as their children went from teenage years to manhood, that their shoes also grew with their feet so that no new ones were ever necessary. All of these provisions were included in the simple command to depart from Egypt.
In our own experiences as Christians, we sometimes ask a whole lot of questions before we obey a "Thus saith the Lord". We often wonder how the commands of God can be fulfilled in the face of daunting problems to the contrary, and we reason and question and doubt, until the simple instructions of the Eternal God, seem impossible to obey. Thus by our habitual misunderstanding of God's enabling power, we rob ourselves of valuable life experiences that would otherwise serve to cement our faith in the living God.
For instance, when the Lord gives us a particular diet, all of the variables will be taken care of if we obey. There are many harmful pesticides that are used in the production of food and grain, and we all know that the nutrient values of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains are being depleted year by year.
However, in obedience to the instruction of the Most High, we can safely expect Him to take up the slack, once we have done all within our power to abide by the knowledge He has given us. Those who follow God whole-heartedly, by a faithful adherence to His every word, will not come up short in any area of life, and to those who might have been disenfranchised from birth, very much grace will be given for them to excel according to the will of God.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture that encourages us to trust and obey the commands of God, knowing that His enabling power always attends His every word. Let's read:
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
May we begin to take God at his word, for all of His instructions to us come preloaded with promises of enabling power. "Good night" and God bless!