"Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

and Jesse the father of King David."

Matthew 1:5-6

Meet Ruth the Moabitess - the widowed daughter-in-law of Naomi who has every reason to leave and return to Moab after going through a famine in the land of Israel. She could have gone back with her sister-in-law Orpah to enjoy her zone of comfort with her family and worship the more familiar gods of Moab, but she stuck on to Naomi, who had turned bitter about her plight, and determined to follow the God whom she did not have a clue about. Despite the odds and uncertainties, Ruth was blessed with generosity as she gleaned grains in Boaz’s field and later got married to him. She became a part of the lineage of King David and Jesus too.

It is like the saying that goes, "A silver lining behind a storm cloud." Ruth braved a famine, a seemingly hopeless wandering and the death of her husband, her breadwinner. But she didn’t quit when the going got rough and in the end, she enjoyed a sweet happy ending with her kinsman redeemer Boaz. You may be going through a rough patch now, but consider this before you quit: God may be putting you through that experience before unravelling a wonderful plan to you. His promise to you for your future is this: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you; thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

"For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." Hebrews 4:12

I love the word of God because it has created such a great impact in my life. When I felt unforgiven, He tells me through the Bible that the record of my iniquities are gone; I am fully forgiven and my faith in Jesus gave me a right standing with God. When I complained about working as a technician for an extremely busy workshop with much overtime work, God’s word encouraged me to work without complaining and serve my superiors as I would serve Him. His word instructed me to live a life of righteousness, faith, love and peace. It is my breakfast as I wake up to read a devotional, and my supper at night as I read it before bed.

It is in the Bible where the still, small voice of God can be heard speaking to you. You have to read it, not because He needs you to read it, but because you need it! It is your lifeline, a nourishment for your spirit, the raw material for your efforts to touch lives. It is the only thing that keeps you focused on your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the God who saves.

Ask Madame Sheikh about the power of God’s Word. She was born into a conservative Muslim family. Frustrated by her search of spiritual reality, she asked her chauffeur to bring her a Bible. As she opened the book, her attention was drawn to Romans 9:25-26 where God said that He will call believers His children. The Koran states again and again that God has no children. Madame Sheikh sank on her knees in prayer and addressed God as her father. Suddenly, the room didn’t feel empty to her as she felt His presence. She sobbed and repented for not knowing Him before. Then, holding the Koran and the Bible in each hand, she asked, "I am confused, Father. Which one is your book?"

She heard a voice that sounded as if she were repeating words in her mind. "In which book do you meet Me as your Father?" He asked.

The Bible is God’s book; all doubt fled her mind.

While you read the Bible, let your heart and mind be opened to allow the power of God’s words reach deep inside you. Dark thoughts of envy, bitterness and strife will leave you to be replaced by His reaffirming voice that tells you that you are His child, approved for eternal life with Him. He will instruct you through the Bible to mold you into a better person. His inspired words will bear great results for your life.

There are more than 6000 manuscript copies of the Greek New Testament or portions of it. No other work of Greek literature can boast of such numbers. Even Homer’s Iliad, the greatest of all Greek classical works, is extant in about 650 manuscripts (The Origin of the Bible). The Bible had survived countlessages of persecution when anti-Christians seized churches and burnt the holy book. Its publication was halted in ages past but God willed it to resume. Numerous skeptics of various nationalities, be it Greek, Jew, Arabic or Syriac, from many centuries AD had scrutinised it and were nevertheless convinced of the Bible’s truth. 

The Bible that we hold today is a work of God’s inspiration; it is living and powerful, and not a part of it can be broken by a heretic. Bible scholars went through years of toil to research and translate the Scriptures from the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages to produce the most accurate Bible to acquaint us with God. Those that were proven to be God-inspired get imprinted on the gold-trimmed pages while books that were written from the mere wisdom of man - considered so insignificant in God’s sight - were excluded. Frederic Kenyon, a renowned paleographer and textual critic, said, "The Christian can take the Bible in his hands and say without fear or hesitation that he holds in it the true Word of God, handed down without essential loss from generation to generation throughout the centuries."

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21

“but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” James 3:8-10

God wants us to speak words that give life; He wants us to encourage. It is his will that we bless people with words of acceptance, affection, approval, appreciation, and attention. As we speak such words, we are sowing seeds of love into the hearts of people. Jesus had planted His love in us, so that we in turn can give this Christ-like love to men and women who need it.

Words are powerful. They can enable you to become a difference maker for your friends, or dismay them. they can build you up or tear you down. when you proclaim a blessing for yourself upon the promises of God’s Word, your attitude makes a U-turn from the negative and you’ll feel confident of conquering troubles with the might of God. On the other hand, refusing to reject negative thoughts leave you paralysed in pessimism, fear and worry. Because you speak from the abundance of your heart, you would only be able to speak negative words that bear no hope.

Speaking negatively is contrary to God’s rule of the thumb for our victorious living. From the same mouth that confessed that Jesus is God Almighty should flow words that edify and build up the human spirit. What a huge difference you would make if you speak a word of appreciation to a friend, a word of affection for your loved one, and a word of promise from God for yourself! You can choose to speak words of life and make your day or you can grumble and curse with words of death and live in the darkest valley. Choose the former instead. Go ahead, make a difference; shine for Jesus!

This is the last part of the series on The Victorious Christian. God bless.