News & Blog

The Legacy of a Mother

My mom is one of those people whose faith is steady.  It’s unwavering.  She has known her share of hard times but even in the midst of difficulties, her heart is toward the Lord.  At eight years old, she and her parents and siblings were saved and right away my mom started preaching to the neighborhood kids.  She has always had a heart for evangelism.

As she grew up, got married, and had children, God gave her the opportunity to become a speaker, speaking at luncheons, events, and retreats—sometimes about her area of expertise and training with fashion and interior design but also about her testimony of how God has miraculously worked in her life.

To this day, my mom does not know a stranger.  Most people know “Miss Barbara” because she is not afraid to enter your space or your bubble and get to know you, letting you know that she loves you, God loves you, and she’s praying for you.

A while back, I came across Psalm 116.  I’ve read this psalm before, but this particular time it resonated with me in a totally different way.  It reminded me of my mom’s testimony, her life, and the legacy she has passed down to me and my siblings.  Take a look:

“I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.  Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.  The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.  Then I called on the name of the Lord:  ‘Lord, save me!’ 

“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.  The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.  Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.  For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.  I trusted in the Lord when I said, ‘I am greatly afflicted’; in my alarm I said, ‘Everyone is a liar.’ ” 

“What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?  I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.  I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.  Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.” 

“Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.  I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.  I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord—in your midst, Jerusalem.  Praise the Lord.”

That last part gets me, “Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.  I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord…”  For me, I understand the value and the cost of the legacy that has been handed down to me from my mom, and I will serve the Lord as she did.  God’s grace has been upon my life, and He has delivered me from my difficulties.  I know and understand the rich inheritance I’ve been given, and I will thank the Lord and follow Him all the days of my life.

Katie Botello
FBC Aztec Member

Will You Walk In It?

Sometimes God works by doing the unexpected.  And I think that we have a difficult time accepting the unexpected because it’s unfamiliar and unpredictable and yet, God’s there.  He has a never-changing character (James 1:17) that we can count on and trust in, but His ways are different than ours; they are unexplainable, so why should we be surprised when He does something unusual and outside of our comfort zone?

We can choose to walk in His promises, or we can choose to turn away.  Turning away may not be some big, dramatic ordeal.  It may be as simple as, “I don’t feel like it.”  “It’s not what I really want.”  “It makes me uncomfortable, so I’ll pass.”

But what is left if we choose to pass on God’s direction and the path He’s laid out for us?  What if we choose to not follow His voice or His leading into the unknown?  Is there any real fulfillment left?  I would argue that the answer is “no”. 

When Jesus came to the disciples and called them into the unexpected, they had a choice.  When Christ called them into the unknown, they had a free-will decision to make.  No one could make it for them, but they did have to take that leap of faith that required them to jump…not walk…but jump into the uncertain.  The fulfillment of God’s promises in their life depended entirely upon their “yes”…yes to the calling, yes to the unforeseen, yes to the unusual, yes to the unexplainable…:

“As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’  At once they left their nets and followed him.  When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.  Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.”  Mark 1:16-20

“At once…”  “Without delay…” these phrases from the passage pierce my soul.  The disciples’ responses were not just “yes”, they were immediate and in the moment.  Sometimes God calls us and beckons us in the moment and we must be very careful to respond to Him at once and without delay or the blessing, the calling, the opportunity…may be delayed or pass by.

Today, what is God doing that is unexpected in your life?  What is He calling you into that may be unpredictable?  The question truly is…will you walk in it?  It’s a choice.  What will you choose today?

Katie Botello
FBC Aztec Member

The Battle is God’s

Some battles are not fought with physical weapons.  They are spiritual in nature.  The Father outlines in His Word very clearly that our battles are not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12); there are dark forces at work.  These battles must be fought with supernatural weapons. 

There are supernatural weapons listed in Scripture and even protective supernatural gear.  You are already familiar with them—truth, righteousness, and faith—think the armor of God in Ephesians.  Prayer is a key weapon at our disposal in the spiritual realm and so is the Word of God.  And though we have these weapons and gear within our reach that the Father has given to us and teaches us to use, sometimes the battles we face do not require all of these items; instead, there is a need to get ready and simply prepare, gird, and wait…wait on God to act.

In 2 Chronicles 20, the king of Israel, King Jehoshaphat, was faced with warfare and prayed the following prayer:

 “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.  Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?  They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’ ”  2 Chronicles 20:6-9

The king glorifies the Lord with his praise.  He acknowledges the Father’s authority and power.  He reminds God of what He has done for the people; then King Jehoshaphat declares that whatever the circumstances are, the people will turn to God and cry out to Him.  Jehoshaphat with confidence declares that the Lord will hear and save.

And look at God’s response to this genuine prayer:

“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s…You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”  2 Chronicles 20:15b, 17

I love this!  The battle is God’s—get ready, stand firm, and watch what the Lord does!  The Father says not to be afraid or discouraged.  And listen to this instruction…“Go-out-and-face-them.”

My friends, sometimes God does not need us to do the work in a battle.  He just needs us to be present and ready to go.  Like King Jehoshaphat, we need to praise the Father!  Acknowledge His authority and power, remember His already great and miraculous works in our life, turn to Him in our distress, then rest in confidence that He will do what only He can do and is able to do.

Katie Botello
FBC Aztec Member

God’s Love and Grace and Peace

There is a Christian song on the radio that lately seems to have gained some popularity.  It’s a beautiful song sung by Rachael Lampa and TobyMac.  I had heard it a few times before, liked it, and even added it to my playlist, but it did not really fully capture my attention until a couple of weeks ago.  It was the lyrics in the bridge that grabbed ahold of me one day.  The first part of the lyrics in the bridge say:

“You’re not a problem
You’re not a mistake
Don’t need fixing or solving
In the arms of His grace.”

That particular day, in that moment, it struck me differently than it ever had before and suddenly I began to cry.  I had no idea why I was crying, but I knew it was resonating with some part of me.  Then it registered, deep down inside I must believe this about myself…a buried “truth”?  And I had to ask myself and the Lord, “Do I really believe these things about myself?  And the answer stunned me:  “Yes, I think I do…I’m a problem…I’m a mistake…I must be fixed before I’m good enough.” 

Truly, it shocked me.  I had no idea that I had bought into these statements or others like them but when I really thought about, I guessed I could kind of see the evidence of this.  And let me be very clear before I proceed that I am in no way attempting to incur sympathy over these thoughts, but I would like to share with you what the Lord spoke to me through this and what He opened my eyes to.

He showed me that I had not recognized these lies for what they were when they came knocking at my door in a variety of ways and situations, but He did make it clear that these beliefs I had accepted were a result of demonic attacks.  I had unknowingly let the enemy in.  And it hit me hard.  I began to wonder how many other lies from the enemy I have bought into and not realized it?

It should be no surprise, though.  In 1 Peter 5:8, it says “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  Jesus says in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  The enemy will do anything to keep us from living fully in Christ.  But Jesus also says in 8:31,32, “…If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  It is only in Him, in His Word, in His teachings, and by His Spirit that we can combat the lies with the truth.

But here’s the beauty of it…in all our struggles and failures and as He gently and lovingly undoes the works and the lies of the enemy, He remembers who we are.  He knows our frailty and does not condemn us for it, but instead patiently keeps pouring His love and His truth into us.  The second part of the bridge is a reminder of this:

“You’re perfectly human
Made from the dust
You’ve got a heart, broken and scarred, yet perfectly loved.”

Today, let the Father’s love wash over you.  Let His Spirit breathe life back into you.  Let His Word and reassurances undo what the enemy has done, and then rest in His Presence as He refills you with His Grace and Peace and Power and Truth.

Katie Botello
FBC Aztec Member