Dear Beachside Family and Friends, 

When Barack Obama was our president, I prayed for him. I prayed that the eyes of his understanding would be enlightened, and that he would embrace Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. I prayed that he would lead our nation in Godly ways consistent with the Bible, and that he would acknowledge our Judeo – Christian heritage. I pray in the same way for our current president Donald Trump. I fervently desire that he would understand what it means to be born – again, and lead our nation in paths of righteousness.

I have prayed for all Presidents, current and past, because I am a Christian. Christians are instructed by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity." President Obama did many things that I believe violated the scripture, but I still prayed for him. President Trump is not a perfect man, but I still pray for him. As I see the ongoing efforts to undermine and destroy the Trump administration, I am saddened by the lack of knowledge that exists among some of our citizens. 

This ignorance appears on several fronts. A lack of knowledge exists about the foundations of our Nation and our Constitution. There is also a profound lack of understanding of our Judeo-Christian heritage, and the fact that our Constitution was based on the law of Scripture. It is true that the Constitution does not mention God, but it was written by men who acknowledged the authority of the Bible. James Madison, author of the Bill of Rights, said that he discovered the plan for our three branches of government in Isaiah 33:22 "For the Lord is our judge, (Judicial) the Lord is our lawgiver,(Legislative) the Lord is our king; (Executive) he will save us." Our founding document, the Constitution, was intended by the writers to endure and be interpreted exactly as written more than 200 years ago, unless otherwise amended by a vote of two-thirds of the states. 

There are those amongst us who have chosen to ignore the parts of the Bible they do not like, and there are those among us who choose to ignore the parts of the Constitution they do not like. In fact, the two are inextricably connected. Those who deny the authority of the Bible as written deny the authority of the Constitution as written. The result is chaos in our culture and a Constitutional Crisis in our government. 

Recent judicial decisions staying the implementation of the lawful Executive Orders of our current President show a willful disregard of laws passed by Congress.  Laws which are fully supported by the Constitution. When unelected judges overrule both the Executive and Legislative branches, they should do so based solely on law, not their policy opinions and social agenda. Blocking the power of the President to regulate our borders makes us less safe, and promotes a progressive cultural agenda inconsistent with both the Bible and the Constitution. I pray that judges on the Federal Bench will turn from their own opinions and follow the Constitution. If not, i pray for their retirement, removal, and replacement. The assault of the judiciary upon our culture must be stopped. 

Lest you think I am against refugees, immigrants or immigration, I assure you I am not. I fully recognize the value of immigrants who come legally to this nation in order to work and provide a better life for themselves and their families, but their value to our nation is not in the ability to work. It is found in the desire of these individuals to be assimilated into our Judeo-Christian culture and become Americans. If they want to retain their own system of laws and hold onto cultural norms that are violations of the Constitution and our system of laws, they should not be allowed to come here. Those who come are not required to become Christians, but they are required to understand that American culture is founded upon the Supremacy of our Constitution, which is based upon the law of Scripture. 

Moses addressed a similar situation in Israel this way:  "You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born. I am the Lord your God." (Numbers 24:22) Those who lived in Israel were required to obey the law of Israel. If they did not, they received the penalty for disobedience. There was no choice given  foreigners in Israel to retain their own laws and customs. They simply had to accept Israel's laws and culture. When Israel entered the promised land, the leadership forgot this commandment of God, and began to allow foreigners in their midst to retain their own culture. God warned Israel “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you." (Joshua 23:12-13)

The Government of Israel's failure to insist that strangers in their midst embrace their culture and follow their laws resulted in the destruction of their nation. Israeli culture was polluted by those who did not embrace the laws of God, and instead followed after other gods. They embraced diversity over dedication to the written Word of God. Just as in America today, there were those in Israel who cried out for compassion, acceptance, and tolerance of other cultures. The result of not insisting that foreigners in their midst embrace the cultural values and laws of Israel was not positive: it resulted in the failure and defeat of the nation. 

In order for America to survive, we must pray for our leaders, and vigorously hold them to the standards of our laws and Constitution. We cannot allow unfettered illegal immigration into our nation. We cannot accept refugees who do not wish to become wholly American. This nation was founded by those who saw Judeo-Christian values as a light to the world, resulting in a unique and special American culture. A culture based upon the rule of Constitutional Law that prospers its' citizens. God grant that we keep the flame of American Culture burning brightly, and God bless America!

Pastor Ramon