Podcast appearances and mentions of Miles J Stanford

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

The subject of this podcast is the Works of Miles J. Stanford. I start by doing his Introduction & Personal Testimony and then cover 18 things from PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Here is a link to all his writings: https://milesjstanford.com/

If the teaching of the cross is hid from the lost, the result is spiritual damination. If it is hid from those who are saved, the result is spiritual defeat. This study is the result of my study of -The Green Letters- by Miles J. Stanford and Watchman Nee's -The Normal Christian Life.-

  2 Corinthians 12:8-10  Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  Ah, the manifold ways God uses suffering. What an unusual and odd-shaped tool it is in his deft hands, capable of all kinds of good, and yet, like wide-eyed patients laying on the operating table, we shrink back from the shiny instrument of suffering, moving in every direction to avoid its touch – especially in America today.   On March 3, 2020, I found out that I have Type I diabetes. It was a shock, it immediately changed my life, and it will be a disease I have until I die. While it does not compare with the pain, impact, and risks of many diseases, an extra portion of suffering has been added to my plate (and it replaces that nice afternoon soda I have often enjoyed so much). I accept both the good and the evil that God places in my life (Job 2:10), in fact I believe I've received a triple portion of undeserved good from God that far outweighs this disease. But what purpose does God have for me in my diabetes? One obvious change that loomed before me was that of being more limited. I imagine this is often the case for those who have big plans and get sick. “I wanted to do so much, why is God holding me back, limiting me?”  John MacArthur Jr. summarizes a few of the good, powerful, biblical uses God has for suffering in the introduction to his book on Job.  “God ordains that his children walk in sorrow and pain, sometimes because of sin (cf. Num. 12:10–12), sometimes for chastening (cf. Heb. 12:5–12), sometimes for strengthening (cf. 2 Cor. 12:7–10; 1 Pet. 5:10), and sometimes to give opportunity to reveal his comfort and grace (2 Cor. 1:3–7). But there are times when the compelling issue in the suffering of the saints is unknowable because it is for a heavenly purpose that those on earth can't discern (cf. Ex. 4:11; John 9:1–3).” So, which of these was behind my diabetes? In his mercy, God did not even allow me to consider this question fully. The morning after I received the news, I read this quote in my devotional reading and it has changed me forever.  “You may have been in the fires and have been having a pretty hard and painful time in your spiritual life, but that only means that God has been preparing you for something more. No, God is not a God who believes in bringing everything to an end. He is always after something more. And if He has to clear the way for something more by devastating methods (Cross), well, that is all right, for it is something more that he is after. There is so much more, far, far transcending all our asking or thinking. (Miles J. Stanford, None But the Hungry Heart, p.46)" More, more, more! This hit me like the opening of the gates at Disneyland! God, you didn't give me diabetes to hold me back, to limit me. You don't want to do LESS with me, you're not a God of less…you always want to do MORE with me! More than you could do before. The problem is that I don't think big enough, I think too small – I would never have given myself a disease. But you did, and that means you have an even BIGGER plan for my life than I imagined. You won't allow your plans to be pent up by my small view of pain, inconvenience, or sacrifice.  A few days after I was diagnosed, I drove to meet a friend for coffee and was again considering this new understanding I have for how suffering frees up our life to be more, not less. I found myself confessing out loud, with my whole heart, for the first time, “Thank you Lord, for giving me diabetes.” This amazing paradox touches my deepest emotions.   So, using the specifics of my real life today (and for the rest of my life, just like Paul's thorn in the flesh) I join him in this personalized version of 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.  God, I believe that your power is made perfect in my diabetes. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my diabetes, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with diabetes, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak and limited, then your strength is unleashed through me in new ways that were locked before! And I want more of you!   

Romans 6:1-11 Calvary is the key to the Christian life - PRESENTLY! There is no victory for believers that was not first His. Warren Wiersbe: "As far as God the Father is concerned, I was saved when He graciously chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world, but I knew nothing about divine election until after I was converted. As far as God the Son is concerned, I was saved when He died for me on the cross, and I knew that great truth from the earliest days of my life. But as far as God the Holy Spirit is concerned, I was saved in May 1945 when the Spirit of God convicted me and I trusted Jesus Christ. Then what God had planned from eternity all fell into place in my life." A life of holiness begins with identifying WITH Christ in His death and resurrection. Romans 6:6 Romans 6:11 We have been justified by FAITH in His death for our sins. Understanding our union with Christ at Calvary is the key to progressive sanctification. Romans 6:6 We are forgiven because He died on our behalf. We are delivered because we died with Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 R Paxson: "...this accomplished fact can only become an actual reality in the believer's experience as faith lays hold upon it and enables him moment by moment, day by day, though temptation assail him, 'to reckon' it true. As he reckons, the Holy Spirit makes real; as he continues to reckon, the Holy Spirit continues to make real. Sin need have no more power over the believer than he grants it through unbelief. If he is alive unto sin it will be due largely to the fact that he has failed to reckon himself dead unto sin." Most believers lack a proper emphasis upon growth. We are freed from the penalty of sin by His finished work. We are freed from the power of sin by His finished work. Colossians 2:6 Calvary is as much the foundation of sanctification as of justification. Confession deal with the "penalty", not the source! C. Ussher: "The believer can never overcome the old man even by the power of the new apart from the death of Christ, and therefore the death of Christ unto sin is indispensable, and unless the cross is made the basis upon which he overcomes the old man, he only drops into another form of morality, in other words, he is seeking by self-effort to overcome self, the the struggle is a hopeless one." Marcus Rainford: "It is not to be a mere passing impression of the mind when we are undisturbed by active temptation; no mere happy frame of spirit when under temporary refreshing from the presence of the Lord; non self-flattering consciousness of a heart exercised in good works; from none of these is the believer to infer his practical mastery over sin, but on the ground that Christ died unto sin, and liveth unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Ian Thomas: "I must recognise that the enemy within the camp -- the flesh, the old nature, self, I, the old Adam, is a usurper. By faith I must reckon him to be in the place that God put him -- crucified with Christ. I must realise that now my life is hid with Christ in God; that He is my life." Credit: Adapted from Miles J. Stanford's The Complete Green Letters

Roman 7:24 Roman 6:1-7 Thralldom: or thral·dom [thrawl-duh m] noun the state of being a thrall; bondage; slavery; servitude. Mortification A.W. Tozer: "There have been those who have thought that to get themselves out of the way it was necessary to withdraw from society; so they denied all natural human relationships and went into the desert or the mountain or the hermit's cell to fast and labor and struggle to mortify the flesh. While their motive was good it is impossible to commend their method. For it is not scriptural to believe that the old Adam nature can be conquered in that manner. It yields to nothing less than the death of the cross. It is altogether too tough to be killed by abusing the body or starving the affections." Conquest Training Revivalism Growth "That which is born of the flesh is flesh" John 3:6a "Sometimes this self is entirely bad, as when it is angry, spiteful, unkind, unjust, untruthful, unloving, catty. In other cases a good exterior conceals an evil heart, as when we are proud of our humility, conceited about our Christian service, boastful of our orthodoxy. And an overforwardness and obvious conceit at the sound of one’s own voice spoils many a prayer meeting." Cleansing Experiences Mrs Jessie Penn-Lewis: "Calvary precedes Pentecost. Death with Christ precedes the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Power! Yes, God's children need power, but God does not give power to the old creation, or to the uncrucified soul.... Satan will give power to the 'Old Adam,' but God will not." The Cross Romans 6:5-7 Andrew Murray: "The powerful effect of the cross with God, in heaven, in the blotting out of guilt, and our renewed union with God, is inseparable from the other effect—the breaking down of the authority of sin over man, by the crucifixion of self. Therefore Scripture teaches us that the cross not only works out a disposition or desire to make such a sacrifice, but it really bestows the power to do so, and completes the work. This appears with wonderful clarity in Galatians. In one place the cross is spoken of as the reconciliation for guilt (3:13). But there are three more places where the cross is even more plainly spoken of as the victory over the power of sin; as the power to hold in the place of death the ‘I’ of the self-life; of the flesh (the outworking of self); and of the world (2:20; 5:24; 6:14). In these passages our union (identification) with Christ, the crucified One, and the conformity to Him resulting from the union, are represented as the result of the power exercised within us and upon us by the cross." Credit: Adapted from Miles J. Stanford's The Complete Green Letters

Roman 7:14-25 We need to move beyond just knowing about Jesus. First: "Not I" Then: "...but Christ!" John 12:24 2 Cor 4:11,12 Romans 6:5-6,13 In the present age evangelism is centred on calling people to "make a commitment". Many modern conversions are fertile soil for SELF A healthy conversion based on: - Conviction of sin & - Repentance toward God... ...begins the new life with love and devotion to the Saviour The new believer's heartbreaking experience of sin, allows him/her to move on past the "birth phase"... ...into the growth phase - knowing Christ as Lord and Life QUOTES... Believers going through struggle and failure are being lovingly handled by God in a very personal way. Phil 3:7-11 God works by paradox: Success comes via failure - life springs out of death 2 Corinthians 4:11 Credit: Adapted from Miles J. Stanford's The Complete Green Letters

Romans 6:8-14 "Grace is not an excuse to sin, but a divine enablement to reign over sin." Healthy spiritual maturity does not come by means of meetings, nor continued exhortation. Healthy progress is based upon the apprehension, understanding and appropriation of those truths in Christ that make for real growth. The experiential aspect of all truth, and especially the deeper truths, is closed to all but the needy heart. Consecration is badly misunderstood by many. Hungry believers yearn for consecration. Most forward growth is through the "love motive". Andrew Murray: "Often the believer struggles hopelessly for years, until he listens to the teaching of the Spirit, as He glorifies Christ again, and reveals Christ, our Sanctification, to be appropriated by faith alone." Philippians 2:13 "For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure". Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." J.C. Metcalfe: "The modern teaching of consecration, which is tantamount to the consecration of the 'old man,' seeks to bypass the death sentence and, therefore, only leads to frustration and failure. When, however, you and I are prepared, in simple humility, to make the FACT of our death with Christ..." Q. Are we to consecrate the "old self-life" or the "new Christ-life"? Roman 6:13 "... and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." Yielding is about surrender. Roman 6:11 "Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Only those who are alive to God can present their members to be consecrated. "God asks us to present our bodies as living sacrifices to Him (Rm 12:1), Until we have done this, there is nothing else we can do. Notice this exhortation comes after Romans sin. There is a reason for this order -- crucifixion comes... ... DeVerne Fromke: "The sixth of Romans is not an aspect of the truth, but the foundation truth upon which every believer must stand to know anything about victory." DeVerne Fromke: "A careful study of all the Epistles of Paul will show that they are written on the basis of the cross set forth in Romans six: the fact that God consigns the old fallen Adam-life to the cross, and has nothing to say to it. God deals with all believers on the ground of "in Christ you died.' But the Church of Christ, as a whole, ignores this fact. It treats the fallen creation (self-life) as capable of improvement, and the meaning of the cross bringing to death the old Adam race as fallen beyond repair, is thus nullified." Q. Do you desire consecration? Credit: Adapted from Miles J. Stanford's The Complete Green Letters

Ephesians 3:14 The Two Essentials of Appropriation - Awareness of that which is already yours in Christ - Awareness of your personal need for it Ephesians 4:1 Wm. R. Newell: "Let us cease laying down to the saints long lists of 'conditions' of entering into the blessed life in Christ; and instead, as the primal preparation for leading them into the experience of this life, show them what their position, possessions, and privileges in Christ already are. Thus shall we truly work with the Holy Spirit, and thus shall we have more, and much more abiding fruit of our labours among the people of God." Life causes us to continually "discover" our need of Christ. As your needs are met, His glory is shown through you. Eph 1:3 There is usually a waiting period for appropriating. Isaiah 64:4 There are no shortcuts in Christian development. Col 1:19 Eph 3:19 Col 3:3 2 Cor 4:11 Eph 6:10-17 Stand, Stand, Stand Credit: Adapted from Miles J. Stanford's The Complete Green Letters

Credit: Adapted from Miles J. Stanford's The Complete Green Letters

"Growth occurs because our needs drive us toward the Lord for answers." J.B. Stoney "The true value of anything is known only when it is wanted." J.B. Stoney "Wisdom and philosophy never found out God; He makes Himself known to us through out needs; necessity finds Him out. I doubt much if we have ever learned anything solidly except we have learnt it thus." J.N. Darby Without spiritual hunger, we cannot be nourished by the Lord Jesus Christ. Much evangelism results in nothing apart from a genuine conviction of personal sin, because apart from this revelation, the sinner does not realise he is lost. God's preparations are deep and thorough so that: Our life is Christ-centred Our walk is Holy Spirit led Our service glorifies our Father "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matt 11:28-30 The great struggle: seeing self for what it truly is, and attempting to be free from its evil power and influence. "When love of self and the world is gone, we learn to abide in touch with Him at all times, and in all places or surroundings." Credit: Adapted from Miles J. Stanford's The Complete Green Letters

Credit: Adapted from Miles J. Stanford's The Complete Green Letters

Credit: Adapted from Miles J. Stanford's The Complete Green Letters

Credit: Adapted from Miles J. Stanford's The Complete Green Letters

https://wisdom-trek.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Wisdom-Trek2800.jpg () Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy Welcome to Day 297 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Principles of Spiritual Growth – Continuance Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 297 of our trek, and yesterday we hiked on the 17th trail of this trek, which was the https://wisdom-trek.com/day-296/ (Trail of Cultivation). Today we will explore our final trail where we will learn how valuable it is to continue on our overall trek each day as we hike the Trail of Continuance. There were a total of 18 trails on the trek we call the Principles of Spiritual Growth, which is adapted from a short book written by Miles J. Stanford. These practical lessons were instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. As we complete our overall trek, I trust that you have found this information valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to https://wisdom-trek.com/ (Wisdom-Trek.com) to listen and read the https://wisdom-trek.com/wisdom-trek-podcast/ (daily journal). https://wisdom-trek.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/haleakala-10-12-12-near-the-trailhead.jpg ()Trail of Continuance We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. The new Air Conditioning and Furnace were installed on Monday and Tuesday, which replaced the furnace that had a crack in the heat exchanger. This was quite a large and unexpected expense, but as we mature we realize that things break down. And life does not always go as we expected or hoped. Regardless of what happens in life, we must continue on. Another Big House related task, we are continuing to make progress on the woodwork in the library as we balance that with our client workload. Just like every area of our lives, our spiritual growth is one of continuing on each day. It may not always be easy or enjoyable, but that should not prevent us from living the rich and satisfying life that Christ has given us. It is now time to continue on for one last hike on our current trek called the Trail of Continuance. This is the 18th  and final trail, which makes up the trek we call… Principles of Spiritual Growth – Continuance As with most new initiatives in life when we first start out on our spiritual trek, we are hungry and enthusiastic to serve God. We feel like we are making extensive progress, and yet we have barely begun. As our Lord takes us along through the years, it slowly dawns on us that there are vast, almost infinite, areas of development through which He must still lead us. Many of these development areas are like a dry desert—no noticeable spiritual activity, no service, little or no fellowship with God or with others. We feel like our prayers are forced and sometimes dropped altogether for months at a time. Bible study finally grinds to a halt; everything seems to add up to nothing. It is during these necessary times that the Christ follower often feels that God has ceased to carry out His part and that there is little or no use in seeking to continue on. When we are honest with ourselves, even during these dry times, there is a hunger deep within that will not allow him to quit. Truths like those found in 2 Timothy 2:19 helps us to carry on, even when we don't feel like it and life does not make sense, “But God's truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: ‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and ‘All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.’” https://wisdom-trek.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2-Timothy-2-19-300x363.jpg () Are we to love and trust and respond to God only when He seems to be “blessing” us? What sort of love is that?...