Our Guest: Autumn Miles
Autumn is the founder and CEO of Autumn Miles Ministries, an organization devoted to spiritually challenging the way people think. She started her own international ministry in 2010 and has taught and led others to become more passionate about Jesus through hosting over 25 conferences and hundreds of small groups. Autumn has taught leadership development for the women’s ministry students at Liberty University for 18 years. She is the host of “The Autumn Miles Show,” a podcast that consistently presents its audience with bold truth and raw faith. The podcast is listened to across over 150 countries.
Before she started her podcast, Autumn hosted her own daily radio show on Salem Radio in Dallas/Fort Worth. Autumn has authored 4 books: Appointed; I am Rahab; Gangster Prayer; and now Holy Ghosted. In addition to writing books, she has written for many prestigious news and media outlets, including Christianity Today, Fox News, The Washington Post, Dallas Morning News, The Bible App, Religion News Service, and Christianity Today. She is also a regular media contributor.
As a survivor, Autumn is a passionate advocate for domestic violence victims. In 2016, she partnered with Lifeway Research to commission a study on Domestic Violence and the church. This study equips churches across the country with the education and awareness they need to plan to minister to a victim of Domestic Violence. Autumn regularly appears on various media outlets. She is passionate about women in ministry, Biblical literacy, leadership development, and adoption. Autumn has also served as the women’s prison pastor at Gateway Church. She has been married since 2004 to Eddie Miles, and they have four beautiful children.
Key Thoughts and Scriptures:
- Being led by the Spirit is not reserved for a select few. It is part of our everyday life with Him.
Romans 8:14 NIV For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
- If you belong to Christ, the Holy Spirit is not distant or silent.
“The Holy Spirit can and will guide me in direct proportion to the time and effort I put into walking with Him.” – Elizabeth Elliott
- Hearing God’s voice grows out of relationship, walking closely with Him, learning His heart, and trusting His leading.
- Autumn learned that knowing scripture is not the same as knowing God.
- She got married young not realizing that she was in an extremely toxic situation that would only get worse once they got married.
Matthew 18:21-22 NIV …“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?…
- An apology without change is just a different form of manipulation.
- The word repent in the scripture means to physically turn from that activity.
- Repent, not necessarily apologize, because bad behavior needs to be turned from, that’s how we turn from our sin and accept the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
- “I didn’t know how much I needed God until He was nowhere to be found.”
In the midst of Autumn’s situation, God spoke to her and said, “Do you remember Me?”
- When the Creator speaks to His creation, their soul stands at attention.
- Autumn told God that she didn’t believe in Him. But if He was real, He needed to speak right then or she was going to take things into her own hands.
Psalm 91 ESV …When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
- At that moment Autumn knew that there was a God. He does exist. And He was monitoring her situation.
- “You’re going to minister one day to other Autumns just like you. People that aren’t perfect, they don’t have a squeaky clean perfect past.”
- She took a year of her life, and her entire goal that year was to learn the voice of God.
- Autumn would take walks and just ask God questions.
- A lot of us talk at God, but we don’t wait for God to engage and respond to us.
- The Spirit of God doesn’t make Himself unreachable.
- But we have to have the Spirit and the heart and patience to sit, knock, ask, seek, and wait for that door to be open to us.
Matthew 7:7-8 NIV Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
- There’s a boldness that comes on you when you begin a personal relationship with God. Something shifts in your mind where fear is not as captivating as courage.
- God delayed His answer to her.
- “You don’t have to do it anymore.”
When the church told Autumn that God would never use her if she got a divorce, God told her, “They don’t speak for me.”
- When you’ve been through it and God delivers you, you need to celebrate what He’s done in your life.
- “God, I’m trusting you in this decision, not how I feel.”
- There is no more effective parent than God the Father.
- Autumn and her husband wanted the Holy Spirit to lead their family.
- “We’re not choosing, we’re listening for God.”
Habakkuk 2:1-3 NASB1995 I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved. Then the Lord answered me and said, “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run. “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.
- Autumn asked God to intervene and God responded with His Word.
- God challenged her, “You talk a lot about My goodness, but what if it doesn’t seem good? Am I still good even when it doesn’t seem good?”
- We have got to flip the narrative on our relationship with God. Show people there are hard places in God. However, God is the answer to the hard places in God.
- What God wants you to do is lean into Him for revelation.
- Job was the most righteous man in all the East, yet he went through hard times.
God’s leading in the midst of Autumn’s parenting
- Sometimes what we need most is a revelation from God that He is going to bring something good out of our suffering.
- We need to understand that He doesn’t always answer exactly what we are asking.
- Frequently God doesn’t give us parents answers because He’s pursuing our children and we need to let Him pursue them.
Isaiah 61:7 AMP Instead of your [former] shame you will have a double portion;
And instead of humiliation your people will shout for joy over their portion…
- God really does restore and bring His children justice.
Rahab’s Story
- Autumn is inspired by Rahab’s faith in the midst of her decision making.
- Rahab had courage and faith to do the incredibly difficult thing that no one else did in Jericho.
- There is something to be said about breaking off generational sin.
- It can stop with you.
- The Holy Spirit truly does walk with us through every season of life, even the places where we don’t always understand what God is doing.
Isaiah 30:21 NIV Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
“The voice of the Spirit of God is as gentle as a summer breeze— so gentle that unless you are living in complete fellowship and oneness with God, you will never hear it.” – Oswald Chambers
- Even in the hardest seasons, the Holy Spirit is speaking truth. And He’s present and strengthening our faith.
Psalm 32:8 NIV I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Links:
- Autumn’s website
- Podcast Link: The Autumn Miles Show
- Autumn’s Youtube channel
Books by Autumn:
Book recommended by Autumn:
- Spiritual Warfare: Overcoming the Enemy by Kay Arthur
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