Friday 5

This week’s Friday Five are extremely important. These are 5 areas that we have learned about over the past week and that we know we need your prayers for!

1. To change our worldview – Worldview is the way that we interpret things that happen around us and we often believe that others perceive reality the same way that we do. We are praying that the Lord will make us ever aware of the worldviews that will surround us. We desire to live with a Biblical worldview instead of an American one. We need to be mindful that we are not there to “westernize” the Mahafaly but to evangelize the Mahafaly. One helpful tool – to remember that 90% of evangelism is LOVE.

2. To learn the heart language – We’ve been studying through Acts and in chapter 2 when the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost, the Word says that each spoke in his mother tongue. We are praying that we will become fluent speakers of Malagasy to more efficiently communicate the gospel and His love for the nations.

3. To pray against temptation - We often pray in the middle of a crisis. Not that this is bad, but time after time in the Word we see the example of praying before the crisis/temptation comes. "Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil…" it's exactly how Jesus teaches us to pray! Wouldn't we live more victoriously if we prayed against the temptation before it arrived?!?!

4. To take every thought captive – 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 – Our minds are where so much takes place – Satan’s battle is being fought there. We should be renewing our minds (Romans 12:1-2), destroying speculation, and holding to His Truth, in order to "fight the good fight".

5. To not depend on our understanding - Isaiah talks about how high above our thoughts are the thoughts of God. He doesn’t say that they’re a few feet away – He says “as the heavens are from the earth” – that’s light years away! If everything in our life makes sense to us; then we are living according to our own thoughts! Proverbs 3:5-6 is verse that I memorized as a child, but often forget how radical it is. “Trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding…” O Lord, how we desire for this to be the theme of our life.