The essence of the transformed life. Where God's Word is taken in to your very soul and becomes a way of life.

It is not as if the Bible is one of many sources for all that is necessary to lead a healthy and complete existence fully immersed in the reality of God's Kingdom. It always fascinates me when even the most conscientious person seeks other paths rather than the Bible as a source for living.

You will find that any truth out there that actually works has its source in the Bible. For example, the recovery movements like AA are based on biblical principles. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey, biblical principles. The business books by Ken Blanchard and John Maxwell. Yes, even Dr. Phil.

I am not saying that all of these and other resources are 100% pure Bible, I am just saying that they have actually proven helpful in the long term. The only reason people make progress as a result of these writings is when the biblical principles are actually lived. That's the key.

Go to the Bible itself and actually try to follow one of its teachings. Dallas likes to say if you intentionally and honestly follow any one teaching, then Jesus will draw you to all that is necessary for you to come to confident faith in Jesus and begin to learn to have the faith of Jesus. Start anywhere. One teaching.

Have you actually tried to live one teaching? Have you actually incorporated this into your life? Until a conscious, obedient effort is made to let Jesus guide you in a specific arena of your life it doesn't make sense to say, "I can't," or "It won't work for me," or "I have already tried that." Really? Have you really been saturated by the way of Jesus?

One place to start pondering this process of soul transformation is to live in Psalm 119 for awhile. See the respect and integrity the Psalmist has for God's law as life-giving, not a hard set of rules to condemn us to a life of misery. Spend some time there and see what comes to mind.

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