When God Spoke to Me, He Said...

By Vera L. Smith

Often, God's will is found in the eye of the storm. From battle scars that you would not have included in your own life story, God fulfills purpose through heartache, disappointment, and sorrow where He sometimes speaks with a voice that can audibly be heard.

From personal encounters that remind us that God has not forgotten about us when

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Jan 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781637695814

Vera L. Smith

Vera L. Smith is an author and poet. Coming from a place of loss in her youth, Vera began writing and continues writing inspirational messages that draw the reader closer to God while enriching the heart of those already seasoned. From impactful messages aired on radio, she continues her ministry through podcasts. Vera majored in psychology in a Bachelor of Science degree program.

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When God Spoke to Me, He Said . . .

Vera L. Smith

When God Spoke to Me, He Said…

Trilogy Christian Publishers A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2021 by Vera L. Smith

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org. Scripture quotations marked AMPC are taken from the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.TM. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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Trilogy Christian Publishing/TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 978-1-63769-580-7

E-ISBN: 978-1-63769-581-4

From brokenness to victory, When God Spoke to Me, He Said… unveils God’s presence and calls the human spirit to a remarkable journey that encourages faith, refreshes biblical insight, and equips one with wisdom to help set others free.

Vera L. Smith

Dedication

This book is dedicated in memory of my beloved mother, who was born as Ruth Berry. Your time in my life was much too brief, but the memories of you are as a storeroom of precious treasures. Thank you, Father God, for molding with Your hands this precious jewel whom I miss deeply.

Acknowledgment

This book has been a solo project for me—one between God and me, and so I thank Him profusely for guiding me through the writing of yet another book. When I started writing this book some seventeen years ago, I stopped along the way several times. It was when I paused several years ago, the words that I wrote on my own website encouraged my heart to keep moving forward—Keep fanning that small flicker of hope because dreams can be born at any season of life. Some will birth dreams in the fall season of life, and they are just as beautiful as the dreams birthed in the spring of life. Birthing dreams takes a lot of hard work and perseverance before they become a reality. I believe this is my season.

Had I published this book years ago, the timing would have been off because there were experiences waiting to happen that needed to be included in this book. Sometimes re-reading our own words refresh us again and again, which is something that is also needed. There is a purpose and a season for all things, even seemingly delays.

I also want to acknowledge my son Bryon. Over eight years ago, when I began to write again, he continued to gently nudge me forward, and he also provided creative ideas for marketing. My son Bobby would intently listen as I read portions of my book to him and reflectively questioned when I told him that I wrote about him in my book too. And my grandson, Victor, who unbeknownst to you when you would shove your favorite books under my nose and say to me, You got to read this book, Grandma! You fueled a small flame to keep me writing. And my only sister-friend, Neda, who kept telling me years ago through dozens of emails—Write a book, write a book, write a book. Neda encouraged me every step of the way until I wrote my first book. She made me smile when she shared with me after reading my book that the birds chirping outside her window at five o’clock in the morning are welcomed sounds to her now. She faithfully read and commented quite emphatically on every page. Well, Neda, I’ve written a second and third book now, and there are others to follow. Thank you, dear friend, for seeing something in me those many years ago that I can now share with others. Sis Dot, I appreciate you taking the time back then to read and comment on the first chapter of my first book, which encouraged me to keep going. And to my dear Aunt Lettie, who has since gone home to be with the Lord. You shared with me that you stayed up all night until you finished reading my book, and your comment that the stories you read reminded you of your growing up years and mine’s too has created precious memories that lay tucked away, nestled warmly inside my heart. All of you have inspired me on this journey.

I also want to thank you too, Pastor Gainey. I hadn’t forgotten when years ago you took me around the side of our church building, and not knowing where we were going, we stopped in front of a door that you pointed to and said was going to be my Sunday school classroom. Startled, I responded—I can’t do that, but you calmly insisted that I could. After giving me time to think about it, I ended up doing just what you said. I co-taught a class with a young student from Africa who was attending Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Thank you, Pastor Gainey, for an experience that has enriched my life and the lives of many others.

Years later, I left this body of believers but happened to return while working on the book you now hold in your hands, and wouldn’t you know it was Pastor Gainey who offered encouragement to me again. From time to time, he would ask me about my writing, and then one day, he mentioned he would like to endorse my next book, and we worked on the endorsement while he had returned to seminary.

As I continued working on this book for about two years, I had an opportunity to work behind the walls of a state prison. Sometimes the work I was doing there reminded me of the Bible story of Joseph, except I was free to come and go, but Joseph wasn’t. I had no clue my experiences there would end up being so rewarding that I have included that experience in this book. Admittedly, I received more encouragement to continue writing from those locked behind the bars of a prison than from many in leadership throughout the Body of Christ, with the exception of Pastor Gainey. A few places where I fellowshipped, there was no room for my gift though I sought it earnestly, and there was no encouragement to use it either. I am reminded, God’s gifts make room for us, so I am right where I need to be—wholly dependent upon Him to chart my way. I thank you again, Heavenly Father, for guiding my steps and teaching me along this sometimes arduous but fruitful journey.

Endorsements

I highly recommend the book ‘When God Spoke to Me, He Said…’ as a must-read for anyone seeking and needing encouragement to stay with God’s will for their life. The words in this book are Vera’s odyssey inspiring readers not to give up but give God an opportunity to do something with their lives too. Vera’s personal stories and creative writing poetry have given me a greater appreciation for qualitative research. Her inspirational work is well written and with clarity, and I especially like the easy-to-read formatting style which is consistent throughout the book’s three major sections. When I think about the years that Vera has listened to the Lord and put it all down, no one could have accomplished this task without Jesus’ anointing. I remember Vera as the rock of her family and how biblically grounded she is, never wavering from God’s will for her life. This book is her life with revelation from God. I hope that Vera continues to write and serve the Lord in whatever capacity the Lord sees fit.

—Leroy Gainey, PhD

JM Frost Professor of

Educational Leadership,

Gateway Seminary, SBC

January 2, 2019

Your Scripture saturated, powerful form of writing allows readers to easily grasp the concepts you present in each chapter. We love how you incorporate personal testimony, specific application, and Biblical examples throughout the text. We enjoyed your description of poetry usage in the Bible and how you intertwine it so eloquently between your text. Your words of faith are absolutely encouraging and discerning, presenting many Biblical truths such as reminding readers how precious they are to God, the power of prayer, and how important it is to stay intentional and to listen to Him. Your content is very well organized, and we are happy to partner with you on the publication of ‘When God Spoke to Me, He Said…’

—Ashley W.

TBN

Preface

The real-life stories in my book are intertwined with biblical truths and inspired poetry that proclaim God’s presence and illustrate the truth that when God created man in His own image with ears that hear and a voice that speaks, He did not lose His own ability to speak to those who are made in His likeness. The premise of my book is most people leave the voice of God on the pages of the Bible or to Bible greats from our past, but God’s voice is not silent, and neither are life experiences. From engaging life encounters that remind us that God has not forgotten us when dreams fall apart or when crushed beyond measure, these revealing life stories speak in their own voice of authority to remind us that destiny often arrives on the heels of adversity. Thus, from battle scars that you would not have included in your own life story, God fulfills purpose through heartache, disappointment, and sorrow, where He sometimes speaks with a voice that can audibly be heard.

The purpose of this book is to unveil God’s presence in life experiences that are common to man and to illustrate that God woos man to communicate with Him and to provide direction for him in a way that only He can.

The goal of this book is to help bridge the gap that sometimes exists when translating spiritual truths into modern-day life application to enable more of God’s people to view life as a courageous journey rather than seeing life as one long and arduous struggle. I discovered when we view life as anything but a courageous journey, we miss out on so much of what life is meant to teach us, and we miss divine principles that God is working to build into our character. We can also overlook small yet precious moments designed for our own happiness. There is so much in our private little worlds where we sometimes retreat that we can be thankful for, so many precious divinely wrapped pearls of wisdom, albeit painfully packaged, which often lay dormant at our feet when our focus is on the trial that looms ahead. If you are tired of the struggle, walk with me as I share insight on challenging moments that you may be facing, and be prepared to find some answers too. Trials, I believe, are a precursor to growth, greatness, and purpose.

This book is also written to keep driving home helpful insight for those whose steps are already strong and who already see life as a courageous journey. For you, this book can mean helping others translate personal struggles into more meaningful life experiences.

Walk with me through Chapter 1, titled A Word for the Journey, to take home insightful and helpful principles that can be used ahead of a trial to avoid costly mishaps later on. If you’ve ever lost something of value because you overlooked the obvious, this is the place for you. But I believe we can all use a good word for the journey, so enjoy enriching anecdotes such as "Journey to the Potter’s Wheel, Wrestling with the Arm of God, The Sound of a Gentle Blowing, and My Shepherd" which are real-life stories enriched with life lessons that mesh our daily walk with God’s revealed word and thought.

Chapter 2 brings you to Tough Places, where iron sharpens iron. You will not only share in many of my own life struggles, but I believe you will leave with refreshing pools of thought as you engage trials that challenge our faith and spur our growth from life lessons in stories titled On Assignment from God, Desert of Broken Dreams, It’s Hard to See, and Baggage—a life story that sheds light on self-inflicted prisons. Woven between the pages of inspired poetry and personal experiences that are not so easily overcome, the reader will embark upon a quest that opens the eyes to defining moments that spell victory or defeat.

After leaving Tough Places, a road appears where the reader can stroll through ideals dear to the heart of God when it comes to man who is made in His image. In the chapter titled What I Desire! the human spirit is rekindled, and the heart is uplifted by divine insight delivered from adventures such as Let It Go, God’s Choice, and More Than the Promise.

The book When God Spoke to Me, He Said… winds down in Chapter 4 titled Thinking About You! The inspiration and encouragement presented in this section of the book get right down to affirming what you mean to God in spite of your past experiences and in spite of where you may have faltered. Our personal life experiences can color the view we hold of ourselves, and this chapter helps the reader see who they are from God’s point of view as unveiled to the spiritual eyes of the author. Including a few memories of others who have refreshed my own life, this inspired book helps the reader leave behind a past meant to be buried and not carried.

Except for the Bible, there is no one book that can address every aspect of life, but among the books that help move a person forward, this is one of them. God continues to use individual personalities to express His thoughts which strengthen, encourage, and motivate righteous living. He is still using modern-day voices to convey age-old words of wisdom. The book When God Spoke to Me, He Said… is written in a down to earth meet you where you are style of writing where the reader can easily glean insight to use on the battlefield of life. And borrowing from the words of Ms. Ashley Welch of TBN, Your words of faith are absolutely encouraging, and discerning, presenting many biblical truths such as reminding readers how precious they are to God, the power of prayer, and how important it is to stay intentional and to listen to Him. Enjoy the book When God Spoke to Me, He Said…

—The Author

California, May 14, 2021

Introduction

God is an author. And in the book When God Spoke to Me, He Said…, He has spoken through me—a human vessel much like you. He is still speaking today as He always has been. He is still using individual personalities and human experiences to convey age-old spiritual truths that advance His kingdom. Through situations that not only challenge and build our faith, God also uses what we’ve learned to position us to pass along sound wisdom to others so we all don’t fall down in the same places. When we learn from earthly challenges that buffet our trust in Him, we have something of value to help others live life with purpose. That’s the goal of this book—to pass on sound wisdom the reader can apply to challenges here on earth.

God has always been concerned for His people, and He will use an average person in the eyes of man to declare His love, His power, and His wisdom. One thing is for sure; you don’t have to know it all to be used by the One who does. We need only be willing and available to be equipped by the Father to speak forth words of encouragement and words of insight to those who will listen.

I might as well declare it right here—the Bible says it all! It is our roadmap for life. Yet, there are moments when we find it hard to translate spiritual truths into modern-day application. This is where my book comes in. God has extracted treasured principles from many of my own struggles, including a few struggles of others to address roadblocks in life. There is nothing like learning from the place where you are or the place you’ve been to help someone else. Underneath it all, it is God’s desire that we avoid costly mishaps so we can live better today and tomorrow. It is worth mentioning that our personal experiences may speak of where we have been but not of who we will become or what we can accomplish.

One valuable lesson God has taught me is that nothing we’ve gone through in life has to be wasted. No matter the situation dealt us in the past, there is something that can be learned and used to better our future. Life experiences are not silent, and it is my hope that you will see this in my book.

Another thing God has taught me is to reach back to those teetering to stand to help them move onto firmer ground. To give something of value to others so they become better equipped spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. The one thing we all need is to hear an encouraging word for this journey.

In the book When God Spoke to Me, He Said…, you will find inspired poetry that introduces many of the moving life lessons presented in this book. When there is a story to be told, God often used poetry in this book to introduce the message. Remember, God used poetry to teach spiritual truths throughout the Books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, and even in the Book of Lamentations, which is described as five individual melancholy poems. I believe poetry captures earthly experiences and spiritual messages in a very pithy way.

Summing up the goal of this book, if I can accomplish one thing, my desire is to bless you, the reader, with insight that brings glory to God’s name. Allow the words written on the pages to speak to your heart in a way that only God can. That’s the heart cry of my book.

Thank you, and may God bless our journey.

Also by Vera L. Smith

Your Creation Declares Your Glory!

A Hilarious Moment!

Author’s Story!

A Leap of Faith

When my kids were small, we moved out of our tiny rented duplex, which, of all things, I found out later, used to be a chicken coop. Because we lived up in the hills, every winter field mice would come in from the cold to keep warm, so at times, I’d find myself chasing those pesky little creatures with my broom from room to room, yelling at them to get out of my sons’ bedroom if I caught one hiding out there. Like a mother hen, I wanted to protect my children, especially from these little mice, because to me, they were dirty. There was another dismal reality surrounding our small rented duplex. Our utilities happen to be in our landlord’s name, and there were times when he would pay the bill late, and we’d get one of those three-day shut-off notices even though the other tenant and I paid the bill on time. The last time this happened, I went to my neighbor JJ’s house, who just happened to be a friend of our landlord. I wanted to find out where our landlord Armand lived. I had decided this last three-day notice was enough for me. Following JJ’s directions, I drove further up into the hills to find his house. By this time, I was fuming and feeling very frustrated over the situation he’d placed my family and me in. Trying to find his house in a maze of tree-shaded twisted roads in what appeared to be a secluded area was daunting. When I spotted his old beat-up truck, I knew I had found him. I hopped out of my car and made my way up to his driveway towards the front porch of his beautiful home. After ringing the doorbell, Armand appeared, and we exchanged a brief but intense conversation that drew his wife to the door. With embarrassment clearly showing on his face and a look of bewilderment in his wife’s eyes, Armand promised to pay the bill the next day, and he kept his word. As I drove away, I couldn’t help but think he must be using our money to pay his own bills.

Having had enough near misses over our utilities almost being turned off, it was the words recorded in the Bible about the fall of the walls of Jericho which rang in my ears and encouraged me to take a leap of faith. I gave a thirty-day notice to vacate our tiny duplex, although I hadn’t even looked for another place to live, nor did I have the money to pay a security deposit. My thoughts were on a nearby city that I felt would be a good place to raise a family, but I would have to wait until the weekend to drive there. Before beginning our search, one night during family devotions, I told my children to imagine our coffee table was the walls of Jericho, and so we sang and danced around our table to cause whatever was standing in the way of our new home to come tumbling down just like it happened in the Bible. My children followed me marching, dancing, and singing as we clapped our hands and circled our coffee table seven times. The following weekend we went to look for our new home, only nothing happened. And nothing happened the second weekend either. My faith began to wane because I’d given a thirty-day notice with no place to go. And it didn’t help matters when on Saturday of the third weekend, my landlord asked me if I had found a place, and I had to answer no. Then he asked me if I wasn’t putting the carriage before the horse, which immediately drew a mental image in my mind of a horse-drawn carriage in reverse order. I can still picture him standing there in the front yard, taking a breather from cutting the splotchy grass as he stared at me when he asked this question. I didn’t know it at the time, but Armand’s question was a setup to make me falter in my faith to get me to go back the other way, only it didn’t work. I was determined to move my family to a better place.

The following day while attending a worship service, Chaplain Bruce Ewing preached a powerful message on faith which ignited my own faith and challenged my rising fear. I knew at that moment God had a place waiting for us, so after the worship service ended, I gathered my children, and we headed towards the city where I believed we would find our new home. I pulled up in front of a 7-Eleven convenience store and bought a newspaper with the coins I had in the ashtray. I told my eldest son to reach inside my purse that I had flung over the back seat and to take out three dimes for me to make three phone calls because I knew one of the calls would be our new home. I remember Bryon saying to me, Mama, you got enough dimes to make five phone calls. My reply was, No, only give me three dimes because one of these calls is going to be it. The rest is history. Out of the three calls, two of them turned out to have a place available. I drove to the place where the landlord was waiting to meet us right away. Milt, who became our new landlord and a family friend, had two condos available, and he told me to choose. We chose the one that would give my sons their own bedroom and the one that felt like home to us. But then I hit another snare. I had to explain to the new landlord why I would need to wait until the following week before I could pay a deposit. With a somewhat puzzled look on his face, Milt remarked, Alright, Miss Lady, the condo might be gone before the end of the week, so you’d better put something down. I left his office that day with only my faith in hand and my two sons trailing close behind. By Friday, I returned to sign the papers for our new home. In the midst of our blessing, my faith was tested right down to the end.

The stories in the Bible have often persuaded my faith as they have yours. In my early walk with God, I didn’t know there would be Bible stories I’d read but not take to heart as I had done with the story about the walls of Jericho. When we marched around our coffee table that night, after I had gone to bed, I heard my name called out in the wee hours of the morning; only I didn’t know who it was.

From lessons learned back then, I now understand when we read the Bible and confess that we believe every word in the Bible, we must believe with our whole heart and know that miracles still take place because God is who He says He is. His still, small voice continues to beckon to be heard by those who will listen.

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

Hebrews 1:1-2 (NASB)

And without faith it is