IN TOUCH IMPACT TEAM

The Importance of Listening to God

    Is communication an important aspect of your life? On a scale of 1 to 10, where would you rate it? An essential element in all relationships, communication comes in many forms: the spoken word, the written word, body language, and even acts of kindness. The greatest form of communication comes through the Spirit of God living within every believer. Just as a child must have training in order to communicate in a particular language, so we must be trained to hear the voice of God. It takes time, energy, and effort.

    In 1 Samuel 3:1-19, we find the future prophet learning how to recognize and listen to God's voice. A helper in the temple, young Samuel "did not yet know the Lord," but now it was time for him to learn to listen to God's "still, small voice." (1 Kings 19:12) Three things are required if we are to hear the Lord. First, we must have a desire to hear His voice. Next, we must prepare ourselves by being still and quiet. And third, we must want to obey whatever He tells us.

    God desires that we have a growing, intimate relationship with Him. This relationship develops through continuous prayer, the method by which we communicate with the Lordboth in speaking to and hearing from Him.

    Our prayers can not only deepen our relationship with the Lord; they can also powerfully affect other people. One way your prayers are able to impact the world is by your participation on our prayer team. To register, visit our website at www.kintera.org/prayerteam. If you lack access to the Internet and e-mail, you can still partner with us in prayerto receive an automated telephone message listing our requests and answers to prayer, U.S. and Canadian readers may go to the enclosed magazine order form and check the "Yes" box for prayer partners (above the item code column). Please make sure the phone number printed by your address is the one at which you desire to receive our automated message. Otherwise, write in the preferred number. (International partners, please register on the website listed above.)

    The Lord never speaks simply for the sake of speaking; every word of His has significance. When God called Samuel by name, his response was, "Speak, for Your servant is listening." (v. 10) Is God calling you to action? What will be your response?

The Key to Proactive Planning

    There are only two ways to walk in this life: wisely or unwisely. We can walk in God's perfect wisdom, allowing Him to direct our steps and light up our path, or we can stumble along in the darkness of our own limited wisdom, hoping we are headed in the right direction. If we walk in God's wisdom, He will allow us to see things from His perspective and respond according to His principles. He will guide us into the decisions that represent His best for us.

CHALLENGING DECISIONS

    Estate planning, by its very nature, requires tremendous wisdom. Decisions have to be made proactively without knowing the circumstances under which they will be carried out: Who will be most appropriate to serve as my personal representative? Who will be best suited to be the guardian of my children? How can I make sure my family is provided for? How do I keep my children from fighting over my estate? How much is enough? Why has God given me more how does He want me to use it? The list goes on.

DIVINE WISDOM

    The only one who knows the answers to these questions is God. Therefore, we must seek His wisdom in order to make effective estate planning decisionswe must choose to get His viewpoint on a situation and then read Scripture and meditate to check what we believe He is saying to us. Meditation involves reading God's Word, pondering the message, asking questions, and allowing God to speak to us about it. Through meditation, we can know God's mind about our estate planning issues.

    The Lord also guides us toward right decisions by making us sensitive to His leading. A prompting of the Spirit is like a flash of lightninga sudden illumination whereby God reveals a sense of direction. To ignore His guidance is costly every single time. Those affected by our estate planning can suffer if we fail to follow the recommendations of the Holy Spirit.

    Estate planning sometimes requires tough decisions. But we learn to make courageous choices by doing what God tells us to do, experiencing the fear associated with it, and watching Him bring us through it.

    In Touch Foundation has the tools, advice, and services you can depend upon to help you plan proactively.

In Touch Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 620362
Atlanta, GA 30362
(800) 967-2200
foundation@intouch.org