John 21:3 (NIV) “I'm going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We'll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

See how the things they put into second place in their lives are still around. If Jesus’ second command had been to sell it all and give the money to the poor, then Peter would have left everything and lost everything as well. But, that wasn’t a requirement. Jesus just wanted first place in his life. The boat was Peter’s source of income. It was a major factor in how he was able to pay his bills. When Peter left the boat, his source of income changed.

John 12:6 (NIV) He [Judas] did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Here is the results of all of them putting their trust in God for financial supply. They had a money bag. They even had a money bag that had enough money in it that Judas could pilfer it. And, it still had enough money left for all the bills to be paid. Even when Jesus had them strip down to the bare necessities for a short training session, their needs were met.

Luke 9:1-6 (NIV) When Jesus had called the Twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey--no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.

Luke 22:35 (NIV) Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.

Are you seeing a pattern here? Me too! God isn’t calling us to financial ruin. We just aren’t going to be able to get our financial needs met through self-dependency. God is going to put us all on a God-dependency system. The pattern isn’t that we all quit our jobs and go in full-time ministry. The pattern is that we immediately respond to whatever God asks us to do. That isn’t going to happen, if we haven’t settled major issues in our relationship with Him.