In Experiencing God, Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Henry Blackaby makes this powerful statement:
"The Bible is the record of God accomplishing His purposes through His people. It is not the record of His people's walk with Him. It's a difference of focus. The focus of the Bible is God. The essence of sin is a shift from a God-centeredness to a self-centeredness. The essence of salvation is a denial of self, not an affirming of self. We must come to a denial of self and a return to a God-centeredness with our lives. Then God has us where He can accomplish through us purposes He had before He created the world."