Homepage – Page 3 – The Journal Of A New Creation

Missed Opportunity

Author: Randall Daluz December 14, 2016

Acts 13:47 “For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

Dearly Beloved: May GOD’s grace, peace, courage, strength and LOVE be ever upon you. This is a very sad time for me. My eldest brother passed away on November 19th. I did not find out until two days ago. He had been estranged from the family. I loved him very much, though I did not show it enough. I deeply regret not getting to know him better. We did not grow up together. He was nearly twenty years older than I. In his youth, my father immigrated to Africa in search of a better life for his brothers and sisters. His parents had both died, leaving him as the eldest sibling, to raise his brothers and sister. It was there in Senegal, Africa where my eldest brother was born. My brother was the spitting image of my father. My father sired a large family in Africa before immigrating to America where myself and my two younger siblings were born. My mother is a Caucasian-American. My father worked very hard and saved his money. Eventually, he earned enough to bring his African born children to America. I remember meeting my older brothers for the first time. I was five years old at the time. I had stared at their pictures before they came. Father told me lots of heart-warming stories about them. They were like rock stars to me. And when the day came where I finally got to meet them, I was so excited. I remember teaching them English and playing with them for hours on end. They were all musical prodigies. They had been performing since they were knee high to a grasshopper. I loved watching them perform. They would practice for shows at my Dad’s house. Those were great times. (more…)

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Acts, Ephesians

Focus On God

Author: Randall Daluz December 7, 2016

Mark 14:38 “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Dearly Beloved: May God’s grace, peace, joy and love be ever upon you. There are a lot of distractions in this world. Things like sex, drugs, money, lust, toys and gambling. My biggest distraction has always been women. In the four years that I have been incarcerated, I have sworn off women. I haven’t even considered them. For the most part, I’ve kept my focus on God. I have never been good at choosing the right women. Thus, after becoming a Christian, I made up my mind to remain single. Besides, what woman would want to marry a lifer? I am broke and I can’t take care of her physical needs. All I have to offer is love, devotion, loyalty and support. Without my physical presence, that is not enough for most women. Over the years, a few have reached out to me, but I just brushed them off – not wanting to take a chance of being hurt. I am a man and GOD gives me strength, but I still have feelings just like almost everyone else. (I have met some in my time who are truly heartless.)

Some months back I began corresponding with a very beautiful woman. I was in a very depressed and vulnerable state at the time. I kept her at arms length at first. I intended only to be a friend to her. Well, after several months of getting to know her I became smitten with her. She had been through a lot and like me, she’s a survivor. Her story touched me deeply and (more…)

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2 Samuel, Judges, Mark, Philippians

Spiritual Warfare

Author: Randall Daluz November 29, 2016

Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Dearly Beloved: May God’s grace, love, peace and hedge of protection be ever upon you. We are at war with forces that are unseen, but whose presence is felt. I realize that my writing this piece may make me sound crazy. Heck, it took my quite some time to believe it myself, but I tell you that there is a spiritual war going on all around us. We are bombarded and besieged by dark forces on a daily basis. Whenever we feel angry or sad, those are dark spirits plaguing our minds. Likewise fear, doubt, worry and pride are all products of dark spirits. And, it is important we recognize them so we can defend ourselves.

I have been engaged in a fierce battle these past few weeks. I have been pouring over documents relating to my criminal case in preparation for an appeal brief. It is very painful for me. (more…)

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Ephesians

It’s Time To Decide

Author: Randall Daluz November 12, 2016

Dearly Beloved: Well, the election is finally over. My predictions were wrong as were many people’s. I know that some of you are very frightened. A very radical change has taken place. As I have stated before, I don’t like either of the candidates. That being said, as an American, I will support my President, flawed as he may be.
I am reminded of I Samuel 8:7-9
“And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.” The people have spoken and their voices have been heard by God. Just like the Israelites, the people have been given the king that they wanted. (more…)

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1 Samuel

Walk With The Redeemer

Author: Randall Daluz October 24, 2016

John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Dearly Beloved: May God’s grace, peace, mercy and redemption be ever upon you. May you bask in the glory of the Lord for all eternity.

I remember what it was like being unsaved. That was about four years ago. Boy, what a confusing time it was. I remember feeling so cold and lost. Each day just dragged into the next. I was always stressed out and worried. I ran with sinners and lowlifes. Thus, I was always paranoid that one of them would backstab me or cheat me. Yes, sir, I remember like it was yesterday. Often times, I didn’t live day by day, but from one drink to the next. I remember not having a sense of direction, feeling like I was wandering aimlessly. I remember the pain. Lord knows, I was hurting so bad. The pain was deep and excruciating. I remember feeling like my only reason for being was to provide for my family and find ways to numb the pain. I remember chasing false remedies. I remember grasping at what I thought was a cure, only to find out it was nothing but a deep, dark pit – a vast expanse of nothingness and solitude – a cold dark place where once you were trapped, you felt as though there was no way out. Every time you tried to escape it, the pit got deeper. I remember how scary that was. I remember how hopeless I felt. I lost faith in everyone and everything – (more…)

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John

The Urgent Call

Author: Randall Daluz October 19, 2016

Dearly Beloved: May God’s grace, power, love, peace and joy be ever present in your life. That is my great hope for all of you. You will notice a pattern in my recent posts. I have been more evangelical as of late. God has inspired me to plead with both the unsaved and His lost, wayward sheep. I have been praying: “Lord, help me to reach them; give me the words, Father.” My heart is burdened for you all. This election has brought out the worst in many of my American countrymen and women. I am seeing a great split and division in the church. It is true that a lot of what we are seeing is nothing new, but never has it been so out in the open. As I searched for answers, I went to the only place where they can truly be found, The Bible. I read the sermon on the mount – Matthew chapters 5 thru 7. I was drawn to it like a moth to flame. It is there where the true fundamentals, essentials and principles of Christianity can be found. It is there where no Christian, neither conservative nor liberal, can deny the Lord’s message to us all. It is there that we can all agree despite our differing doctrines and denominational lines. For it is there where our core values intertwine…or at least, they should! It is in those verses of scripture that I believe we can be united and find common ground. (more…)

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1 Peter, Matthew

Separation From God = Death For Democracy

Author: Randall Daluz October 13, 2016

Philippians 2:14-16 “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”

Dearly Beloved: May God’s grace, peace, wisdom and love be ever upon you. Democracy in America is slowly dying as a result of our separation from God. Do you know what communist countries have in common? They are by and large atheist. Because of that, they are far more restrictive. You see, absent a faith in God, it has been shown that mankind is more likely to be immoral and thus more likely to be unlawful. Freedom without morality leads to chaos. When man has faith and a sense that God is watching, we are more likely to be moral and law abiding without the need of a restrictive government. America has endured for centuries due to the fact that we were by and large a Christian nation. That is now changing. As more and more of our citizens deny God, we are becoming more chaotic and thus our freedom is being stripped from us as our government tighten its grip on us. We are on the verge of imploding. (more…)

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Philippians, Psalms

Now Is The Time

Author: Randall Daluz October 11, 2016

Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Dearly Beloved: May God’s grace, blessings, love, peace, wisdom, mercy, and most importantly, salvation be ever upon you. For all of you out there who have not made the most important decision you will ever make – NOW IS THE TIME!!! It is time to choose JESUS. You can’t afford to keep stalling and being indecisive.

Let me tell you a story. When I was a kid, I loved boxing. I watched it faithfully with my dad. I always wanted to make my dad proud and I knew how much he loved boxing; so, at the age of twelve, I went to a gym and started training to be a fighter. I was devoted. I trained hard. My trainer started taking me to fights. He, himself, was a pro fighter at the time. I trained and sparred for four years until I started to see an ugly truth: boxing is rigged, for the most part. I am not knocking the greats. They were indeed truly greats, but what I came to see is that if you yourself were not especially talented, you were little more than a prop for those who are. You see, in boxing, mediocre fighters are pitted against talent-less fighters in order to boost their ratings and make them look like contenders. And, when they are ranked high enough, they are then put in the ring with a monster who they stand no chance against. Bets are placed, insiders who set up the fights make money hand over fist and most of the fans are none the wiser. (more…)

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John, Mark, Revelation

Do Not Return Evil For Evil

Author: Randall Daluz October 4, 2016

I Peter 3:8-9 “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.“

Dearly Beloved: May God’s grace, peace, mercy and tolerance be ever upon you. The past four days have been difficult. The prison that I am in is one of the most oppressive in Massachusetts – second only to D.D.U. (Disciplinary Detention Unit) where men are kept in solitary for as many as 10 years. Recently, Channel 5 News in Massachusetts did a story about drugs being smuggled into this prison. They focused on the visitors who smuggled drugs, but of course failed to mention the guards. Just last month, a large alleged smuggling ring, which was allegedly headed by an officer, was busted. That was kept silent and never made the news. After the news aired, the story about drug smuggling visitors (which, by the way, only make up about 5% of all visitors), the oppressive totalitarian administration here has decided to try and make all visits non-contact. That means that the 90 to 95% of visitors who do not smuggle drugs will have to suffer for the few that do. In an act of protest, the kitchen workers refused to go to work. That is maybe 30 men out of 1000. As a result, the whole prison has been locked down for 24 hours a day. That is mass punishment and it is illegal under the U.S. Constitution. The prison is flexing it’s muscle and as per usual, it is overreacting. By the way, there are no new policies to curb officers from smuggling drugs. In fact, it seems to me, in my opinion, that the timing of the visitor news story was designed to draw attention away from the guards smuggling drugs in. This is all political and we inmates suffer over the games played by the administration. (more…)

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1 Peter

Lean On Me

Author: Randall Daluz September 21, 2016

Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.“

Dearly Beloved: May God’s peace, grace, mercy and love be ever upon you and may you share it with one another. Oh boy, what a month! My dear friend, Erica, died and now my beautiful and precious Goddaughter and niece, Kyrah, is fighting for her life. She has been med-flighted to Boston by helicopter and as I am writing this, she is on life support and in a coma. Kyrah was born with a heart defect where only one side of her heart works. She has been a miracle child since she was born. She is only sixteen and she has had more than five open heart surgeries. People with her condition usually don’t live past thirteen years old. Ever the fighter, Kyrah has defied the odds. Throughout her life, doctors have been stunned at the level of energy Kyrah has. Most kids with her condition are weak and tired all the time. Not Kyrah. If you didn’t see her scars or heard her story, you would never know that she has a heart condition. Her strength and energy are remarkable even for a healthy person. Kyrah has always been an inspiration to all of us who know and love her. I believe that that is exactly what God intended her to be. (more…)

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2 Corinthians, Romans

Love In Spite Of Hate

Author: Randall Daluz September 1, 2016

Image Credit: www.rlmuzic.com ~ #allsoulsmatter

Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Dearly Beloved: May God’s mercy, grace, wisdom, love and understanding be ever upon you. I want to start by sending my deepest and sincerest sympathy and condolences to the family of my dear sweet friend Erica L. It is with a heavy heart that I report that my friend Erica lost her long and hard fought battle with opiate addiction. I had an overwhelming urge to call one of my family members a few days ago. That family member was very close to Erica and battling the same addiction. When she answered the phone, I began talking to her about her addiction. I told her I loved her very much and that she needed to get help. I asked her, “What is it going to take to wake you up? Please get help. I am praying for you.” That night, Erica overdosed and I was so sad and angry. I called that same family member when I heard the news the following morning. “You see?”, I yelled. “What did I tell you?! (more…)

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1 Peter, Ephesians, Mark

Prosperity Vs. Avarice

Author: Randall Daluz August 20, 2016

God's Plan versus My Plan Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

Dearly Beloved: May God’s love, grace and peace be upon you and may you prosper in the Lord. Amen!
It seems today that everyone wants to be wealthy, but not everyone understands what that means. You can be wealthy with material things, yet poor in the spirit. Likewise, you can have an abundance of the Holy Spirit beyond measure and yet be physically dirt poor. I would choose the latter over the former any day of the week and twice on Sunday. For, what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet has not love? God is love and love is God. Without love, without God, it is pointless to exist and you shall forever feel empty and incomplete. Now, let me be clear…God wants us to prosper both spiritually and sometimes financially. He wants all of our needs met both physically and spiritually. That is a fact. Solomon and David are prime examples of the wealth God can lavish on His children. When you are a child of God, you are meant to prosper. Of course, there are times such as in the case of Job when suffering may be part of His plan. In His infinitely divine wisdom, He sometimes allows folks to be physically poor. Just as steel needs to be pounded and tempered, so too must God’s children in order to gain strength and wisdom. (more…)

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Jeremiah, Luke, Proverbs, Psalms