Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
Martin Luther King with Gandhi and other world peace leaders
Dear Readers:
I have been praying a lot for my country lately. It was very hard to watch the video of police choking an unarmed man to death. It was equally hard to see people rioting and looting in Oakland, California. It was uplifting, however, to see all the peaceful protests across the nation; people of all colors coming together in a sign of solidarity. Sometimes the most beautiful things come out of the ugliest situations. America is a beautiful country, but we are plagued by racial disparities and class-ism. There is no doubt that a segment of our society is being oppressed – not just colored men, but all underprivileged people. Unfortunately, colored men seem to get it the worst. Jim Crow is still in effect in our justice system. People are still being lynched, but it is done in our courtrooms now and sadly, sometimes by police in the streets. We can change if we put God in our hearts and soldier on. We must not stop pursuing equality. We must protest until we see real and lasting change.
I implore you to pray for our oppressors worldwide. There will be a day of reckoning, a day of atonement, when God’s wrath and judgement will be meted out on the wicked. It is not God’s desire that any of us shall perish or be condemned to eternal damnation. I pray that the wicked repent. I pray that they change their ways. We are at war in our society – politically, spiritually, mentally and physically. Nelson Mandela said that he survived his incarceration by being smarter than his captors. He said that he forgave them the day he was released and that he left the hate he once harbored in that prison. He did not take it with him and thus he truly became a free man. Brothers and sisters, we must be smarter and more civilized than our oppressors. We must fight economic, political and spiritual war. But, we must not shed blood nor should we be anything but civilized. We cannot give up the fight. We must continue until we see change. There is a song I love by Bob Marley called “WAR”. There is a verse that says, “Until the color of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes, I got to say WAR.” He was right. We are right to fight back, but we must not shed blood. Please be safe out there, brothers and sisters. Always do right and you’ll never go wrong [one of my father’s sayings].
As I was writing this, I was reminded of one of my favorite writers, Henry David Thoreau. He was a non-violent man who protested peacefully in his day. He was also a believer who adopted the ways of Jesus and chose peace over violence. Gandhi and Martin Luther King were both admirers of Thoreau and of course, Jesus. I encourage you to learn about Jesus and Thoreau. Here is an excerpt from one of Thoreau’s writings titled “Civil Disobedience“. It was written in 1849 and it is as relevant now as it was then.
Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once? Men generally, under such a government as this, think that they ought to wait until they have persuaded the majority to alter them. They think that, if they should resist, the remedy would be worse than the evil. But it is the fault of the government itself that the remedy is worse than the evil. It makes it worse. Why is it not more apt to anticipate and provide for reform? Why does it not cherish its wise minority? Why does it cry and resist before it is hurt?… Why does it always crucify Christ, and excommunicate Copernicus and Luther…
There is a lot to be learned from men like Thoreau. We can learn even more from Jesus.
Our fight is just. God is with us. All of us around the world must come together. We must put aside our differences and unite to fight oppression. God does not see color and neither should we. This is not a race war. This is a war for humanity. It brings me joy to see colored men and white men coming together to fight a common foe. We are not enemies. Greed, gluttony and oppression are our enemies. All of that is perpetrated by our true enemy, the devil.
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Remember, love conquers hate [Matthew 22:37-40]. Only then, can we truly know victory. Only when we follow those commandments can we defeat our true enemy, the devil. We must fight the good fight, brothers and sisters. If I can be strong in here, then surely you can be strong out there. If I can have faith in my current circumstances, then surely you can too. I will not give up the fight for freedom and neither should you. I invite all of you to write me at the address provided below. I promise to read every letter, though I may not respond to all of them for logistical reasons. Send me your prayers, send me your testimonies, send me whatever you choose to express. I will select some and publish them online. You need only grant permission in your letter. Write “I, (your name), give permission to TheJournalOfANewCreation.com to publish my writing and/or picture. Sign and date it.
I am happy to report we are in 47 countries now and growing. Praise God! I would love to share your stories. I cannot have all of them published, but I will do my best and I will pray for all who send mail. Please don’t be shy. Have faith, brothers and sisters. I leave you with this:
Psalm 18:25-30 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks. For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
May God Bless and Keep You!
Love In Christ,
Randall
For further study, read Psalm 18
CONTACT
You can write to Randall at:
Randall Daluz – #455673 – Penobscot County Jail – 85 Hammond Street – Bangor, ME 04401