Twenty-One Martyrs For Christ
“Stoning of Saint Stephen” by Filippo Lauri, c. 1651. Saul in the extreme right (click to enlarge)
Acts 7:59-60 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Twenty-one Egyptian men were recently beheaded for believing in Jesus Christ. Twenty-one brothers in Christ were murdered for our Lord. I tell you, I am overjoyed for them. For what better way can one die than for the name of Jesus? We should count these blessed men as heroes, for they are true martyrs for Christ Jesus. Hallelujah! Praise God! Amen! My heart weeps for their families, for I know what it is to suffer the loss of loved ones to senseless violence. My prayer is that they realize how special those twenty-one men are. I pray they feel joy at the thought of those twenty-one beautiful souls frolicking with Jesus in heaven. Theirs is a place of endearment in the heart of the Lord for there is no greater tribute than to lay down one’s life in the name of Jesus. I would like you to take a moment to honor these twenty-one brothers. Pray for their families and praise God for their sacrifice. I want the enemies of Christ to know that you cannot kill a Christian, for our souls are eternal. True believers in Christ shall never die. The devil has convinced you that there is victory in the death of Christians. He has lied to you. Oh, there is victory alright; but it belongs to Jesus, not you. (more…)
“How Can You Explain Grace” by Randall S Daluz
Certainty In Uncertain Times
Colossians 1:3-6 “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;”
Dear Readers, The world is a mess right now. Don’t you agree? Plagues, war, deviant behavior, crime, poverty, terrorists, drugs, alcohol and sex trafficking are just a few of the awful things infecting this world. All of these thing cause a lot of anxiety. They shake our faith to the core at times. In this world, nothing is certain. We cannot be completely sure of anything. This is why the unfaithful tremble in fear daily; Because they lack faith, which means they lack certainty. Hear me, please. There is certainty in Christ Jesus. His word is guaranteed. (more…)
Seek Ye First The Kingdom Of God
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Dear Readers: What does it mean to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”? It took me a little while to grasp that concept. You see, I thought that by studying the Bible and praying, I was doing what Matthew 6:33 said; but I was only half right. We need to seek God in everything we do. We need to pray on every important decision we make.
I have been in three meaningful relationships with women in my life; two of them lasting for more than five years. My last relationship lasted twelve years. I still love them all very much, but our relationships were rocky. I was never able to make any of them a lifelong commitment. There is no doubt that the love was real, but something was missing and I know what it was – GOD. We needed God to make a solid foundation on which to build. (more…)
Jesus Christ – M.V.P.
Psalm 30:3-5 “O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”
Dear Readers: I would like to congratulate my fellow Patriots fans. What a thrilling game! I am going to be honest with you folks… I was praying throughout the game. I jumped for joy and hooted and hollered every time the Pats scored. Sometimes we fans get so enthralled that it is as if we worship our favorite team. There’s nothing wrong with having a favorite team and wanting them to win, as long as we put even more effort into praising the Lord. I wonder… how many Christians get more excited watching football than they do in church? (more…)
Faith Shall Conquer Any Storm
Matthew 8:23-27 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Even the most solid Christians have their faith shaken from time to time. Such is part of the human condition. Jesus never feared, for His faith was perfect. The apostles walked with the Lord on earth. They witnessed countless miracles; yet even they were shaken from time to time. The Lord always comforted them and restored their faith. And, after His resurrection, they were doubtless. In fact, all but one died horrible deaths because they refused to renounce their belief in Christ. They had pure faith. Praise God. I tell you, my brothers and sisters, that we can have that same faith. I know that if I were to be asked to renounce my Lord or die, I would choose death. If the State offered me my freedom in exchange for denying Jesus Christ, I would refuse it. (more…)
“What Do You Know About Me???” by Randal S Aube
I Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Click HERE to read Randy’s interview post.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME???
What do you know about four brick walls
with no windows and fifteen-minute collect phone calls?
What do you know about twenty-foot-high razor sharp wire fences
or about supervised visits
and being stripped searched after your loved ones leave?
What do you know about getting screamed at and told what to do
by an authority figure who couldn’t walk a day in your shoes? (more…)
We Still Have A Dream
Isaiah 33:17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see the land that is very far off.
The Lord chooses people to do His mighty works. Martin Luther King was one of His chosen. God gave him a dream and that dream did not die with him. It lives on within the soft-hearted people in this world. The dream that our Lord gave to Martin Luther King has yet to be fully realized and as I sit here in my cell, a persecuted colored man, I don’t know if it ever will fully come to fruition until my Lord Jesus makes His triumphant return. We have come such a long way in some ways; but in others – such as our legal system – we haven’t made many strides. Unless we all truly accept Jesus and His teachings, we will always be at odds in this world. Dr. King had Christ in his heart. He had hope and faith because he believed in the redeeming salvation of Jesus Christ. He knew he faced almost certain death, yet he fearlessly soldiered on. And like many a disciple before him, he died in service to the Lord. The message he carried was one of peace and love, one of togetherness and brotherhood. He had a message of hope and freedom, of unity and strength. The message he carried is divine, for it is the gospel of Jesus Christ. (more…)
A Christian / Citizen
Dear Readers / Fellow Citizens:
I want to offer my condolences to our readers in France and to the french nation as a whole. I also want to offer my thoughts and prayers to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, as well as all nations whom are experiencing conflict. Let me also apologize for the tardiness of this post. I had originally written this post on 1/11, however after conferring with my colleagues, the decision was made to rewrite it. You see, I allowed my political views as well as my worldly views to cloud the true message here. It is very important that we separate the two. As a Christian, I know and understand that God’s freedom is the freedom from sin. He also gave man the freedom of choice with the hopes that man would make the right choice. He allowed us to govern ourselves. (more…)
Resolution “2015”
Dear Readers:
Happy New Year, readers. I pray all is well with you. New years are synonymous with new beginnings. This is a time for resolutions. My New Year’s resolution is to totally eradicate cursing from my speech. Also – and most importantly – I want to do better with managing my frustration. Mark 7:15 says “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.” That is something I really have to remember – we all should. I am not a perfect man; none of us are. Lately I have had a problem with people shouting, “Nigger!” and other foul obscenities when I pass their cell blocks. It hurts. Usually, I ignore it and keep moving, but lately it has caused me some stress. Admittedly, I have allowed it to disrupt my peace. I was persecuted during my trial because of my color. (more…)
Pressure Makes Diamonds
James 1:1-4 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Dear Readers:
Diamonds are the hardest materials on earth. They are created under immense pressure. They start out as dirty black carbon, without much value; But, over time, the carbon hardens under pressure and becomes a beautiful diamond. After being cut and polished, that diamond sparkles and shines in the light. It goes from being soft, black carbon to a hard, brilliant, dazzling stone.
There is a diamond inside of every one of us. You see, the pressure we feel and the trials we face can strengthen us. The Lord can use that pressure to create diamonds. I am under tremendous pressure, but with the help of the Lord, my mind has become stronger. (more…)