Welcome to transformed by the word, a podcast about discovering how to live your life with gratifying purpose. God created you for a reason and the Bible contains the keys to unlock your transformed life. Now, here's your host, Debora Barr
Thanks for joining me for transformed by the word podcast, a podcast all about life transformation.
One of the most amazing examples of whole life transformation in nature occurs when a caterpillar changes into a butterfly.
That kind of transformation can happen in your life too!
this podcast is for anyone who feels that their life can be more fulfilling than what they're currently experiencing day to day.
God created you with a plan and purpose, and you can experience abundant life.
Throughout the upcoming episodes, I will be sharing personal life stories of transformation.
You will learn about many things that have changed in my life and in the lives of people I know who will share their own amazing stories of metamorphosis.
The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11 I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope, and a future.
Now, you might not have grown up in a Christian home. Maybe you've never even gone to church or read the Bible for yourself. And that's perfectly okay.
When I was a little girl, I did go to church. But I ended up turning away from God before I even went to college.
And I became an atheist, denying the very existence of God for many years.
But even when I turn my back on God, he did not turn his back on me.
Even when I was not seeking Him, He was pursuing me. And I am so grateful that Jesus loved me enough to draw me back into a relationship with Him.
Jesus has said that he came, that we might have life and have it more abundantly. That's in John 10:10.
The Bible, or the Word of God contains timeless truths about God's design for human flourishing.
There are nuggets of wisdom that are revealed to us through the stories of people like you and me, whose lives were recorded in Scripture for us to learn from.
The Bible also contains many instructions and promises for us.
This show is about life transformation. And we will talk about how God's word when it is applied to our lives, creates lasting change.
Now, you may be wondering who is Debora Barr and why should I subscribe to this podcast? Well, that's a valid question.
My life consists of a patchwork of experiences, just like everyone else's. I have patchwork pieces of education, relationships, career choices, and the pursuit of meaning and purpose.
I spent a great number of years orchestrating my own life and pursuing things that I thought would bring me pleasure and satisfaction,
I flew helicopters in the US Army. And in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
I have four college degrees, and an airplane pilot's license, in addition to the helicopter licenses.
I've done things that are pretty amazing, like steering a ship at sea. And I've landed a helicopter on a ship at sea.
I've had the privilege of seeing polar bears and whales out in the wild, not in a zoo.
And I've traveled many places in the world. And I've met some very interesting and even famous people.
But the most amazing and satisfying parts of my life have happened to me since Jesus pursued a personal relationship with me and I gave my heart to Him.
As I started reading and studying the Bible and applying what I learned in the word to my own life, and I started to pray to God and communicate with him and miracles began to happen in my life. And I can now look back over the course of my life and see how God was protecting me and providing for me and orchestrating connections with people that I would meet along the way. Who are now some of my very dearest friends and mentors.
Nothing that I have experienced in life, whether it was good or bad, has been wasted. God is working it all together for my good.
Absolutely everything about my life has been transformed.
In the upcoming episodes, I will share nuggets of wisdom from God's word that can be applied to your life for your own transformation.
Episode Two will be about what God says about his own word, and the promises that he proclaims. When we stay rooted and grounded in the Word of God.
I will also have episodes where I'll bring on guests and let them share their own stories of life transformation, as a result of applying biblical principles to their own lives.
Now, at the beginning, I mentioned the example in nature of the metamorphosis of a caterpillar.
I love taking walks in the woods, and I love learning things about God through nature.
And I began to wonder, how does a caterpillar become a butterfly? What I realized is that it has
to cooperate with God in order to fulfill its purpose and live its best life.
Now a caterpillar’s life is pretty much consumed by trying to fill a physical hunger.
It eats, constantly munching away with an entirely self-centered focus, as if it's trying to fill a void that can never be satisfied…
until one day when it stops eating. Amd climbs up into a tree or a bush and it attaches itself to a branch.
It builds a chrysalis around itself, and it rests completely surrendered.
It essentially dies to what it was before.
Inside that chrysalis God rearranges everything about that caterpillar. And when it emerges on the other side, it is a beautiful butterfly, able to fly far above the ground that kept it bound. When it was a caterpillar, it can finally fulfill its purpose in life!
Now if that Caterpillar refuses to surrender and die to itself, it will die a caterpillar and never experienced the joy of becoming a butterfly.
Now the same is true for you and me. If we refuse to die to ourselves and surrender to God's plan and purpose for our lives, we will remain stuck in a less than ideal form of existence.
You can live an abundant and fulfilling life when you surrender to God's will and purpose for your life.
Now, if you want to experience a completely transformed life, you need the power of God working in your life.
If you've never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, you can do that right now.
The Bible tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose again from the dead, to take away our sins and give us everlasting life.
If you've never surrendered your life to Jesus,
you can pray this prayer with me right now.
God, I confess that I'm a sinner, and I need Jesus in my life.
I repent of my sins and I turned to you.
I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, was buried and rose from the dead.
I accept this by faith. And I invite Jesus to be Lord of my life.
To allow him to reign and rule in my heart.
Thank you for forgiving me and saving me. Amen.
Now, if you just prayed that prayer, and you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I want to hear from you.
Please visit my website at TBTWpodcast.com
That stands for transformed by the word podcast – TBTWpodcast.com. And let me know about your decision for Christ so that I can encourage you and support you.
My prayer for you today is that you will open your heart to receive what God wants to do in your life. He has great plans for your life!
Stay tuned for our next episode of transformed by the word, where we will learn what God says about his word.
Thank you for listening to transformed by the word with your host, Debora Barr, be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or Google Play and connect with us at TBTWpodcast.com. Until next time, be blessed.
