Daring to Live the Life He's Called You to Live
This morning, as I read Luke 1, I was struck again by the lives of Zacharias and Elizabeth. Both came from priestly lines and are described by God as righteous, “blamelessly” following all God’s commandments and ordinances (Luke 1:6) — an amazing description to be remembered by.They had given themselves fully to the Lord, yet their deepest desire — to have a child — hadn’t been fulfilled. In old age they likely assumed the dream was over and set it aside.
As the years passed without a child to hold, they could have become angry, bitter, disillusioned, or discouraged. Yet they didn’t waver in faith and trust, even when God’s answer seemed to be “no.”
They were well past childbearing age when Zacharias served in the temple and learned that their prayers had indeed been heard and answered. When they finally held John in their arms, I can only imagine their joy — no moments wasted on wishing it had happened sooner, but fully reveling in the miracle of becoming parents when it had seemed impossible.
God didn’t just answer their prayer; He exceeded it. John was born to go before the Messiah in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). The truth God saw was that they weren’t too old for their dreams — and that His timing, outside of their own, was crucial to His plan.
Age did not disqualify them; it positioned them to pour wisdom and faith into the next generation. Their influence on John would ripple across history in ways they could never have known. Their focus never shifted as they loved God and lived for Him in every season of their lives.
In their story, I saw my own reflection — the dreams I’ve held onto and the prayers I’ve prayed that seem to hang in the silence. Maybe because I’m in my late fifties and we’re newly empty nesters, this theme hit deeper. I’ll admit recent events have sharpened it, too.
So I looked in the mirror and asked some hard questions:
• Am I wholly giving myself to the Lord, following where He leads no matter the cost?
• Have I given up on dreams, assuming it’s too late for them to be fulfilled?
• Have I made God small in my belief of what’s possible?
• Am I investing in the next generation in ways that will outlive me?
• What changes do I need to make to live fearlessly and take risks?
• What’s holding me back from taking action?
The dreams, passions, and prayers in our hearts have divine purpose. We aren’t too old or too young for them to come to pass. Those of us who are older bring wisdom from maturity and experience; those who are younger bring fresh perspective and insight. Both must be heard, valued, and passed on across generations.
Living for Him means laying down our lives — our hopes, dreams, and desires — and trusting Him with the timing and outcome, just as Zacharias and Elizabeth did.
No matter our age, we need the courage to live boldly and humbly for God, believing that our lives are not about us. We were made for Him, and His heart longs that all would know Him.
How are we living toward that end?
Ask God these questions (and any others He brings to mind). He meets each of us personally — your questions may be different than mine.
Then take the steps He’s leading you to take. Don’t wait — none of us is promised tomorrow.
Take the risks.
Live fearlessly.
Love those He puts before you.
Fulfill God’s mandate on your life — wholeheartedly.
When you follow God’s leading, you have the backing of all heaven. We can’t do it on our own, but God goes above and beyond anything we can ask or imagine. His ways are higher than ours, so we can trust Him even in disappointment, anger, or when things don’t make sense.
I’m cheering you on, sweet friend. If you ever need a listening ear or prayer, please reach out.
Living for Him,
Andrea
P.S. If you'd find it helpful, a few days ago, I did a video processing around the passing of Charlie Kirk. Click below to listen on YouTube. (It's also on my FB wall.)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH, 7:00 EST
One last thing . . .I would love for you to join me Tuesday night --> TOMORROW!
(The recording will be available if you can't make it live.)
✨ Have you ever had something catch your eye during the day — a detail, a moment, a symbol — and deep down you just knew it mattered, even if you didn’t quite understand why?
What if those moments weren’t random at all?
What if God was highlighting them to you — speaking, inviting, revealing?
What if God was highlighting them to you — speaking, inviting, revealing?
Sometimes, He nudges us toward a treasure hunt.
Sometimes, He whispers secrets.
Sometimes, He simply wants to draw us into conversation.
Sometimes, He whispers secrets.
Sometimes, He simply wants to draw us into conversation.
God is always speaking. The question is: are we noticing, and do we know how to follow where He’s leading?
That’s where mapping comes in. It’s a simple yet powerful way to recognize the things God is highlighting, connect the dots, and grow in hearing His voice — whether for prayer, the prophetic, or direction in your everyday life.
📅 Tuesday, Sept 16 | 7:00 p.m. EST | Online via Zoom
💡 Donation-based (give what you can — no one is turned away!)
👉 Register to get the Zoom link + reminders + the recording & notes
💡 Donation-based (give what you can — no one is turned away!)
👉 Register to get the Zoom link + reminders + the recording & notes
Don’t miss this chance to sharpen a skill that can transform the way you recognize and respond to God’s voice.
Come curious. Leave equipped.
Feel free to invite others!
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
Fire Doesn't Define You, It Reveals You
I love those moments when you’re speaking with someone and you say something, then realize they weren’t your words.
That happened to me today, and when I said it, I knew others needed to hear it.
This is what happened.
A friend called and shared something she had walked through in the last 24 hours. As she recounted what had happened, I could hear from her response to it how much she had grown in her relationship with God and how she had matured in her faith. I called out all the things I saw.
- Even though she had a valid reason to freak out and react, she chose to respond by reading the Word, worshipping, and pouring out gratitude to the Lord.
- She awoke to an amazing morning and truly enjoyed it, despite not knowing how things would turn out.
- Mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, she was in a really good place.
I recounted each of these things and more to her, telling her how I saw so much fruit in her life.
Then came the statement that hit us both.
You don’t know what you’ve gained until you’ve walked it out through fire.
How can we know we’ve grown if we’ve never been faced with situations when we have to choose to walk in faith, peace, trust, or hope, or need to cultivate an expectation of His goodness, provision, protection, and more?
We can’t know what’s been refined in us until it’s been tested.
Our human nature doesn’t want to face trials. We do all we can to avoid them, and sometimes, we even blame God when they happen.
But what if we viewed trials from a different perspective and saw how they show us who we’ve become?
I’m not suggesting that we look for and welcome trials or intentionally leave ourselves open to attacks from the enemy. However, God told us we would face hard things - He didn’t hide that fact, but prepared us for it. Not only that, He overcame it all on our behalf and called us the victors.
“‘I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.’ [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]” (John 16:33, AMP)
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [as conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Cor. 15:57, AMP)
We get to choose how we’ll respond to the tribulations, distresses, and sufferings we will face. And when we do, we discover who we’ve become through the intimate times of connection and encounters we’ve shared with Him.
If you’ve been walking through fire, I want to encourage you to take a moment and identify ways you’ve grown.
Think about how you would have reacted to a similar situation in the past and recognize the difference in how you’re responding now. Celebrate His faithfulness and the ways you’ve matured in your faith and trust in Him!
And, allow me to say it for Him - “Well done, beloved son/daughter. Well done!”
Living for Him,
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
