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A Cry For Peace In Ferguson

Author: March 14, 2015

Deuteronomy 32:35  Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.’

Randall Daluz Ferguson Protestors

Source: Wikipedia.org (click image)

When I turned the news on this morning, I was shocked to learn that two police officers had been shot in Ferguson.  My prayers are with them and their families.  I am shocked at the brutality, but I am sad to say I am not surprised.  Given the racial tensions in my own case, this situation is close to my heart.  I cannot lie; I am very disgusted with our legal system.  The racism in our justice system has deep roots.  It is heinous and unacceptable.  Does it anger me?  Yes, of course it does!  That being said, I want it to be known that I condemn the acts of violence perpetrated by misguided people against the police.  We are not living under the Old Testament.  We must not seek “an eye for an eye”.  It is wrong.   (more…)

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Put It All In God’s Hands

Author: March 10, 2015

Randall Daluz _ Dear God... Help!Psalm 57  “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!  For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by. I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah.  God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.  My soul is among lions;  I lie among the sons of men Who are set on fire, Whose teeth are spears and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;  Let Your glory be above all the earth.  They have prepared a net for my steps;  My soul is bowed down;  They have dug a pit before me;  Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah.  My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.  Awake, my glory!  Awake, lute and harp!  I will awaken the dawn.  I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;  I will sing to You among the nations.  For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, And Your truth unto the clouds.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;  Let Your glory be above all the earth.”

Dear Readers:
We all face hurdles.  We all have mountains to climb.  We all fear the unknown from time to time.  Sometimes our burdens are too much to bear alone.  I myself am facing one of those times.  I have a court date, finally.  On April 2nd, I will argue my first motion for a new trial.  If the judge has decency in him and respects the Constitution of the United States, then I should receive a new trial.  All I want is a fair trial – one where I am judged not by the color of my skin, but by the facts of the case.  It is not just for myself that I would like a new trial, but for all Americans.  For what they do to one of us, they do to all of us.  In times like these, we must not have faith in man, but in Almighty God.  All of this is too much for me to bear alone.   (more…)

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Nothing + Nothing = Nothing

Author: February 25, 2015

Randall Daluz sad depressedProverbs 22:24-25 “Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, Lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.”

Dear Readers:
There are many sad and depressed people out there who believe in nothing.  They have faith in nothing.  The trust in nothing and thus they love nothing.  They are the consummate nihilists of the world.  They refer to those of us whom are Christians as “Jesus freaks.”  To them our faith is completely illogical and irrational.  To them the world is in a perpetual state of randomness.  By their logic, we randomly started from nothing.  They believe that there was a vast expanse of nothing, and suddenly, an unexplained explosion occurred, giving birth to the universe.  Even that belief is nothing, for it is only a theory and not a proven fact.  What an awful and sad state of being.  I shudder to think I once bought into such ridiculousness.  I thank the Lord for revealing Himself to me.  As someone who has witnessed the majesty of the Lord first-hand, I can assure you that everything started from something and that something is the God Head [or Father, Son and Holy Spirit].  Now that I have that assurance, life is sweet – even behind bars.  The very knowledge that there is a purpose to all of this warms the soul.  I have confidence, I have faith and I have joy; For I know my Lord is my keeper. (more…)

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Twenty-One Martyrs For Christ

Author: February 18, 2015

"Stoning of Saint Stephen" by Filippo Lauri

“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…)

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Certainty In Uncertain Times

Author: February 11, 2015

Randall Daluz Apples On TreeColossians 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;”

Randal Daluz Dead End SignDear 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…)

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Seek Ye First The Kingdom Of God

Author: February 6, 2015

Randall Daluz _ Girl Looking At SunsetMatthew 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…)

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Jesus Christ – M.V.P.

Author: February 3, 2015

Randall Daluz Superbowl 2015Psalm 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…)

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Faith Shall Conquer Any Storm

Author: January 30, 2015

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?”

Randall Daluz Snow Storm City StreetEven 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…)

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We Still Have A Dream

Author: January 19, 2015

Isaiah 33:17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see the land that is very far off.

Randall Daluz We Still Have A DreamThe 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…)

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A Christian / Citizen

Author: January 16, 2015

Randall_Daluz_Paris_FranceDear 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…)

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Resolution “2015”

Author: January 5, 2015

Randall Daluz | New Year 2015Dear 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…)

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Pressure Makes Diamonds

Author: December 27, 2014

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.

Randall Daluz DiamondsDear 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…)

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