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
The Bride Dismembered:
A Call to Love and to Reunite the Body
This message comes with a bit of a disclaimer. I've been sitting on this for quite a while. Sharing it now isn't related to a particular event or person. It simply continues to resound in my heart and is part of my prayers. I'm here if you need an open conversation rooted in love. I promise to listen.
This is a message for the Body of Christ, those who profess Jesus as their Lord and Savior.For a while now, my heart has felt increasingly heavy over the divisions in our nation, how it’s no different in the church, and that the factions sometimes appear even greater in His Body, His Bride.
I see the Bride of Christ dismembered with its pieces strewn about.
Passions run high for Jesus, and for what each believes rightly or wrongly reflects His heart in the things transpiring in our nation. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a time when anger has run as high as it is between those who are brothers and sisters in Christ.
We believe our position is “right” and the other is heinously in error. I’ve witnessed very few humble conversations seeking to understand from a heart positioned in love, and instead, have seen countless stones being viciously thrown from opposite sides.
What testimony is being spoken to the world through our words and behavior? How are we any different than someone who isn’t a follower of Jesus when we act and speak to one another as we do?
We’re more interested in winning arguments and turning people into converts, not of Jesus, but of our beliefs outside of our faith.
God is coming back for a pure and spotless Bride, not one that’s bloodied and torn apart from the battles we seek to win in an effort to be right and push a particular agenda.
We’ve got to do a better job of walking in humility and love, being willing to really listen to one another, and hear one another’s hearts speaking. We must allow the heart truths we hear to dismantle any lies we’ve believed because we’ve only seen part of the picture and written a false narrative we’ve believed to be truth.
It’s likely we’ll still believe differently, but in listening to understand, and valuing and honoring one another, my prayer is that we'll stop cutting off vital parts of the body. An arm or a leg can’t function on its own, and the body suffers greatly when either is severed.
Love is the glue that holds the body together and doesn’t let any part separate itself.
We can be the mature Bride and speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
“...Let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)
Do you know God? Love others by allowing His love to be reflected in your words and actions.
Living for Him,
Andrea
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
It's Time To BREAK THE GAME!
Recently, I read Sunrise on the Reaping, the latest installment in the Hunger Games series. The story takes place years before Katniss and Peeta enter the arena and centers around their mentor, Haymitch’s, game.
I read it because our daughter, Abigail, asked if I would read it, so she had someone to talk to about the story. I’d read the others alongside the kids, as well, so after she finished, I borrowed her book.
I didn’t expect to hear God speak through it, but He absolutely did.
While there are multiple themes, one that stood out to me was Haymitch’s offhand remark and later decision to try to “break the game.” Without giving too much away, let me share enough to be able to explain what God spoke to me.
There’s a moment in the training session before the game begins when both the Peacekeepers and several of the recruits are armed. Haymitch knew the recruits outnumbered the Peacekeepers by four to one on that particular day, and if they moved quickly, they could probably grab other weapons in the room and, if not subdue the Peacekeepers, they could at least do significant damage. He said as much aloud to another recruit, and Plutarch, who worked for the Capitol, overheard him. Plutarch’s genuine questions to Haymitch were to ask him why he didn’t take action and why he submitted to it all.
As the training continued, Haymitch discovered the arena in which the recruits were sent to fight to the death was a machine; he recognized that machines could be broken, and as the story unfolded, he decided to do all he could to “break the game,” even if he died trying.
What I heard God say is that it’s time to break the game.
You’re probably asking the same question I did. What does that even mean?
He showed me how we live according to traditionally accepted ways of doing things in every sphere of society. It’s the “game” we play and participate in without question because it’s what we’ve always known.
What’s the “game”? It’s the world’s system.
God is breaking that game and is inviting His sons and daughters to partner with Him in establishing something from heaven instead.
It’s far more comfortable to sit back, watch things unfold in the world, criticize it, and leave it to someone else to take action around it. Yet, Matthew 11:12 says, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”
I’m NOT suggesting literal violence. Hear me clearly on that. What I am saying is that there’s a forcefulness to God’s kingdom advancing on the earth, just as there’s a forcefulness to plowing new ground in preparation for seeds to be planted for harvest.
When we choose to forge new paths, we’re often met with resistance in the natural or spirit realm. Will we shrink back and give up, or push on to dismantle the old and build what God is showing us, even if it comes at a cost?
I heard a warning. If we don’t take up our roles and responsibilities in “breaking the game,” the rebellious will, because the game WILL be broken.
The question God asked me was, “Which fruit would you rather eat?”
What does it look like to break the game of the traditional ways of doing things in business, education, government, and more? God wants to have that conversation with us in every area of our lives, show us what needs to be torn down, and give us the blueprints to build anew with Him.
We’re designed to be pioneers, innovators, inventors, and those on the forefront of society as sons and daughters of the King of kings, ruling and reigning in every area of society. That’s our mandate from the beginning of creation.
It’s time to break the game and advance God’s kingdom in every area of society. The question is, are we willing to lay down our lives, sacrifice, and pay the cost of breaking the old and building the new?
If we don’t, others will rise in our place.
Either way, we’ll eat the fruit of what is established.
It’s time to break the game.
Living for Him,
Andrea
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
Understanding the Mysteries of God
God doesn't hide things from us - He hides them for us.
Ever go on a treasure hunt as a kid?
That’s what it can feel like when God invites us into the mysteries of His heart. He hides revelation not from us, but for us—to be discovered in His Word, in everyday moments, and in His presence.
Too often, we read Scripture like a story, skimming the parts we don’t understand. But every word carries the message of His heart. We know we’ll be with Him in heaven, but we long to encounter Him now. And we wonder… if God still speaks today, could we be missing what He’s saying?
Let’s explore that together.
Join me on Monday, June 16th, at 8:00 p.m. EST via Zoom as we dive into:
That’s what it can feel like when God invites us into the mysteries of His heart. He hides revelation not from us, but for us—to be discovered in His Word, in everyday moments, and in His presence.
Too often, we read Scripture like a story, skimming the parts we don’t understand. But every word carries the message of His heart. We know we’ll be with Him in heaven, but we long to encounter Him now. And we wonder… if God still speaks today, could we be missing what He’s saying?
Let’s explore that together.
Join me on Monday, June 16th, at 8:00 p.m. EST via Zoom as we dive into:
- Understanding the mysteries of God through His Word
- Encountering & Experiencing His presence here and now
- Recognizing His voice in the everyday
We’ll search it out like hidden treasure—and find Him in all His glory.
Who is this for?
Who is this for?
- This is for the curious and questioning…
- For those new in faith, just starting to explore God’s heart…
- And for those seasoned in the journey, hungry to go even deeper.
No matter where you are, there’s always more to discover.
Can’t join live? No worries—there will be a replay!
Everyone who registers will receive:
Can’t join live? No worries—there will be a replay!
Everyone who registers will receive:
- The Zoom link
- Recording
- A downloadable notes page with key points and resources
Cost: Donation-based (details in registration).
I’d love to have you there! Let’s discover more of Him—together.
PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH OTHERS who might want to join in! I love making new friends and helping others grow in their relationship with God!
#DiscoverHisHeart #HearingGod #FaithJourney #AustraliaInAugust #FaithInAction
I’d love to have you there! Let’s discover more of Him—together.
PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH OTHERS who might want to join in! I love making new friends and helping others grow in their relationship with God!
#DiscoverHisHeart #HearingGod #FaithJourney #AustraliaInAugust #FaithInAction
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
