God has used my wallet to test my faith over the years. It first started in Dallas, Texas when i was a Journalist. I would always leave my wallet somewhere. On top of my car, at McDonald’s and an assortment of public places. It usually happened when I had my year old daughter in a car seat in one hand and my camera bag in the other. I would reach home only to find that my wallet was missing.

This same scenario happened to me at least six times and the outcome was always the same. I would realize that my wallet was missing after arriving home, I then would immediately sit in a comfortable chair and thank God for having someone finding it and giving me a call. After totally relaxing by faith and knowing all would be well, I would wait for the phone to ring  and it would.

The person would call and say “Hello Cedric Thompson …. I found your wallet”. I became so relaxed by Faith with my trust in the Lord that every time it happened I would reach home,  get my favorite drink, sit in my comfortable chair and confess out loud …. that the phone would ring shortly with the  person who found my wallet on the line.

People do not not try this at home! …. In my case, God has used this method to build my faith.

This relax and trust in God principle is applicable to any circumstance or situation. No matter what you are faced with …. think the best, relax and know that God will bring you through victoriously by faith every time.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. That’s right ….. all things ….. not some …. but all.

Your victory depends on how you react … are you like Peter in the boat with Jesus during the storm.

These wallet recovery testimonies happened in Dallas, Texas in the late eighties when my faith was at an all time high. Let’s fast forward twenty years later to Atlanta, even better yet this past Sunday. I missed placed my wallet with $400 cash , credit cards and many sizable checks. At first when i realized it was gone at 2 am at a 24 hour Walgreen’s, after assisting a friend with in a ministry engagement. At first I was calm, saying to myself that it could be worse. The more I looked  in my car, briefcase I became more anxious and I began to paint many “Negative Scenarios” in my mind.

That is the part that the enemy wants us to dwell on and believe. Ninety Nine percent of the time, the negative scenarios that cross your mind are not true and will not manifest. I began to believe that I left my wallet on the floor of the car after leaving a fast food restaurant before the meeting and I knew it for fact. After that so called revelation, I  began to create an assortment of negative scenarios.

The bellman at the Ritz Carlton took it from the floor of my car ….. some one at the meeting broke into my car and took it ….. a security guard at the college who was near my car after i dropped my buddy off, took it. It then escalated so that I could not deal with the cash being lost and my credit cards were gone in addition to the checks had to be replaced, it just got worse.

Where was the faith that I had twenty years earlier? Has God changed since then? Is it the economy that bad where people are desperate and will steal? How about a bellman at the Ritz Carlton who have been on the job for close to ten years ….. is he a thief?

I prayed that morning after being up all night and the Spirit prompted me to call all possible locations where my wallet could be.No one responded with the answer that I wanted to hear. I just knew I placed my wallet on the floor of my car after leaving the fast food establishment. I cold even picture the scenario in  my mind as clear as day. I still called the fast food restaurant just in case, but they were closed. I left all contact information on the voicemail as a formality, not expect any results …. I knew someone stole it, out of my car. Even if it was found the person would surely steal the cash!

I returned home at noon after being up all night fretting over my wallet and the phone rang. I had earlier put the contact numbers and names in my phone earlier. To my surprise the caller ID displayed the name of the fast food restaurant. I was afraid to answer, for fear of getting a …. I am sorry sir we found no wallet.I let the call go to voicemail and took  care of a chore.

I then experienced a calm feeling come over me and I felt like heard the Spirit of the Lord say that …

I have the all power through Christ to expect to hear good news and not an evil report. My faith instantly rose and I expected to hear someone say on the line …. Mr Thompson we found your wallet.

I checked my voicemail only to hear the Manager Fred voice say to call him back. When I did he said “Mr Thompson we found your wallet and we  know that everything is in it”. I began to thank him profusely, he said I will be here until 8pm and you can come in to pick it up. I had been up all night and was in desperate need of sleep. Can I trust him to hold the wallet and not take the cash? Did someone else find it taking out the cash only leaving the credit cards? There goes those negative scenarios again. I just had to put my wallet , cash and the manager in God’s hands and go lay down to rest.

After getting my rest I began to drive to the restaurant to pick up my wallet.I began to praise God in a torrential rain storm, knowing that it too shall pass …. learning the greatest lesson of Faith in twenty years. I arrived not to  find Fred but a suspicious looking Assistant Manager. She went back to get the wallet and negativity try to come over me saying ….. she took some of the money or will try to after going in the back. I rebuked the thought. When she handed me the wallet. I could no see the cash only my credit cards, after opening up the wallet section I was Blessed to see that all of the cash was there untouched, just as the manager said.

I offered to give the assistant manager a cash reward to pass on to Fred, she said ….oh no sir …. he would never receive it.

That day i said to my wife I have to write about it in my blog and live by it.

No matter what happens in life or what we may be faced with it says in the word:

All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Let me add that not only will thing work together for good but to expect a “Good Report” … not an evil one.

As we obey God’s commandments, live a righteous life, give tithes and offering we should not fear anything or any outcome and only expect to receive ”Good Report”. Our imagination, fear, doubt and unbelief accelerated by the enemy will produce lies, negative outcomes and worse.

God has used the simple parable of a lost wallet to teach me to expect the best outcome, if I have given my best …. to rest and relax in Him because he has everything in the palm of His hand…

He says in His Word to:

Cast your burden on the LORD, and he shall sustain you: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

With everything going on today do not fear anything. Not the economy, job loss, gas prices and not even foreclosure ….. “He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved”.