It was 1973 and our trips to Brazil began. The Daniel S. Bonfim Mission came to life and our feeding program began to do what it does still today, 37 years of sweat, blood and tears.

About a couple years now, a  young preacher closed himself to us and began another church. I have never met the young man. Heard wonderful things about him and have seen him around the area. This young man has, for some reason, only God knows, has persecuted the ministry, spoke horrible things about us to most of the area and continues to this date to harass us on his website, for no reason. I have been thinking of how much good we have done to the poor: 32 houses built on the hill – almost one a year, thousands of meals given freely to the poor and needy, thousands  given to the needs of the people every year from hundreds of folks in America who are willing enough to share their hard-earned dollars so that the poor may eat, and yet, the persecution continues…

What should you do to someone who even though hecalls himself a Christian behaves as one lost? How should you respond to someone who persecutes and lies about you every time he speaks of you without any reason?

Psalm 31:20 says: ” IN THE SHELTER OF YOUR PRESENCE YOU HIDE THEM FROM THE INTRIGUES OF MEN; IN YOUR DWELLING YOU KEEP THEM SAFE FROM ACCUSING TONGUES.”

What should you do? Call a lawyer and sue this man and bring him to the justice system? No. I have prayed about this and this afternoon, I heard from the Lord. Elizabeth Wolfe called me and gave Psalm 31.

What do I do? I hide in the shelter of His presence from all the intrigues of men. In His dwelling, I am safe and no accusing tongues reach me any longer.

You see, when I am out of His presence, I hear these accusing tongues. When I am exposed in the world I hear the accusations. But, when I am in HIS PRESENCE, HE HIDES ME UNDER HIS DWELLING. Paul says, “He whom God called He will justify.” I am not suppose to justify myself and I am not to respond to accusing tongues. I am suppose to bless my enemy and love him and pray for him…

I AM HIDING FOR A WHILE NOW,

Rick Bonfim

When Paul left on this ship with 276 souls heading to Rome, he did not know a ” Northeaster” was about to hit them. A northeaster is a unexpected storm so great that the ship could not turn into the wind. A “Northeaster” is strong enough to cause a ship to lose direction against the wind, and as you know it will ” sink” you. Acts 27:15 says they gave away to it and were driven along. So, I define a ” Northeaster” as a condition that can alter your way of life.

Life is filled with ” Northeasters”. These are conditions that you find yourself in, loosing your control of life. Examples are a business that will not provide profit; a family that will not work together even after so much counseling; a marriage that does not come together, even after fasting; a personality that will not change in spite of much correction and on and on and on.

When all is as lost and undone, it is when God takes over and extends His grace toward you. YES. When all your efforts have failed and all the discussion is over, God can take over your boat if you allow Him to do it.

Paul’s cargo ship is almost lost. The storm was so severe that they began to throw the cargo overboard. Acts 17:21 says this: ” AFTER THE MEN HAD GONE A LONG TIME WITHOUT FOOD, PAUL STOOD UP BEFORE THEM AND SAID: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then, you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep courage, because NOT ONE OF YOU WILL BE LOST; ONLY THE SHIP WILL BE DESTROYED.”

When you have a ” Northeaster” come to destroy your call and what God is doing in your life and the life of others, stay calm. In the last minute, God will tell you what you must do. Do not give up. Do not feel rejected by men. Do not cry out that you got into the wrong boat. Stay calm and when God speaks to you, PROPHECY YOUR VICTORY!!!!!!

Rick Bonfim

OUR NOTIFICATION PROGRAM IS REPAIRED AND I AM SENDING YOU A NOTICE TO LET YOU KNOW YOUR COMMENTS WILL BE POSTED.. LET ME KNOW IF THEY ARE WORKING, PLEASE.. WITHOUT YOUR RESPONSE I CANNOT KNOW IF YOU ARE GETTING THEM OR NOT…. PRAISE TO JESUS

RICK BONFIM