We each need to choose to “fight the right fight” when it comes to our personal circumstances. Too often we spend our time in anger, frustration, worry, self-pity and disappointment at what life has given us – keeping our “fight” focused on what seems unfair and unwanted in our lives.

God never asks us to deny the hurt and pain of the brokenness in this world and in our own experiences – whether this comes in the form of unhealthy relationships, unhealthy bodies or unhealthy finances. God doesn’t ask us to pretend that everything is OK.

But! God wants us to remember and intentionally choose to allow Him to help us “fight the right fight” – which, no matter what our circumstances, is always to make us more and more like Jesus. “Fighting the right fight” is choosing, passionately and intentionally, to let God’s Love and Peace, Grace and Truth, Wisdom and Word RULE over us in every way we respond and react to every circumstance and within every relationship and interaction we have. “Fighting the right fight” is freedom, life and peace!

- “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the the truth, and the truth will set you free.” - John 8:31, 32
- “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” – Romans 8:6

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                                          Sylane

Our God offers healing and transformation for all who have been wounded by the sin choices of others and also ourselves. Here I have put together these Major Therapeutic Choices for healing especially from sexual (or any) abuse based on the acronym TALLER (copyright © by Sylane Mack, 2011):
1) TELL! Open up with a trusted person – counselor, wise friend, clergy, etc – and tell your truth of your experience, tell your hurt, your anger, your shame, your fear, your bewilderment.
2) ACKNOWLEDGE how ugly and evil, how sick and wrong this abuse really was. This person was horrendously, selfishly cruel to take away your innocence, twist and confuse your mind about yourself and your worth, and crush your ability to trust.
3) LET go of all the LIES that you came to believe. You are not alone, unloved or worthless. This was NOT your fault!
4) LET go of your victimhood – you are no longer the powerless child. Choose to take responsibility for getting well.
5) ENGAGE in healthy, health-bringing relationships — with friends, family, in a personal FAITH relationship – to learn how to trust again.
6) RELEASE the anger, hatred and hurt you have (and rightfully so) towards your perpetrator. Release comes through forgiveness! Forgiveness is not about denying, dismissing or down-playing the evil that came against you. Rather, forgiveness is the courageous choice to release yourself from the power of your perpetrator and the residual effects this abuse had on your life.
The CHOICE to be set free has made me stand TALLER through the unfailing love of Jesus Christ! (Even though I’m still only 5’2″!)
I am CONVINCED! Get CONVINCED!, too! Read my book – God’s story of His transforming love written in my life!

Order your copies at www.createspace.com/3404109

Transformed by Grace – that’s what we who place our trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are. Well, that’s what we are on the eternal plane anyway. Through the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ we are transformed by His grace from being lost in our sin to being forgiven and eternally held in the love of our Holy God.

For God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. — Colossians 1:13-14

Wow! Take a minute…take a few more…and think about what that means. Really means.

Does this rescue, does this eternal transformation change anything for me here and now? Does it change how I think? How I speak? How I act? How I interact with others – with all others? Does it change how and what I do in public? How and what I do in private?

Does Jesus really make a difference in who I am? Does who I am in Jesus make a difference to those around me? Do I look and act transformed? How deep is this transformation? Does it only go to my superficial level? To my comfort level? To my go to church, offer my tithe, say some prayers, read my Bible level?

OR does the radical, outrageous act of Jesus dying on the cross to rescue me transform me in radical, outrageous ways?

…I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies [your whole being, all that you are, think, say and do] as a living sacrifice to God – this is your spiritual [reasonable] act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. — Romans 12:1-2

May we each allow the radical, outrageous love of God, who has rescued us and transformed us on the eternal plane, to radically, outrageously transform us on this earthly plane. Right here. Right now. Every day, in every circumstance, in every relationship we have.

May the Body of Christ – that would be us – look, love and live more and more and more like the Body of Christ! May we each be Transformed by Grace! Starting with me. Right here. Right now. Amen and Amen!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                                          Sylane

May Your Unfailing LOVE come to me, O LORD,

your salvation according to your promise;

then I will answer the one who taunts me,

for I trust in Your word.

Psalm 119:41-42

Oh, my goodness! Do you have anyone in your world that “taunts” you…mocks you…or just drives you totally nuts because of the way they interact with you?

If you don’t, get on your knees and give great thanks to the Holy Living Lord of all creation! Then, you may stop reading…and proceed directly to heaven!

But! If you do have someone that interacts with you in ways that totally drive you nuts…make you crazy…angry…frustrated…hurt…or dumbfounded, know that God is able to give us the manner in which to answer these people in our life.

And our answer to others is to be same the way that God answers us when we drive Him nuts…make Him crazy…angry…frustrated…hurt…or dumbfounded!

God answers us with His Unfailing LOVE.

God answers us with the fullness of grace and truth. God answers us — knowing our sins fully…yet in His Unfailing LOVE God determined to sacrifice His own Son our Lord Jesus Christ to pay the death price of our sins. God reaches into our  world and into each of our lives to offer us His salvation, His full forgiveness, and the promise of eternal life with Him. 

God answers us with His Unfailing LOVE.

May we invite God to come to us with His Unfailing Love so that we may know the peace, the joy, the healing and the hope of His promised salvation! And may we invite our God to work His Unfailing Love in us and through us (and in spite of us!) as we interact with all the people in our lives — even if they totally drive us nuts!

God’s Love is Unfailing…and BIG enough to do this! May we LET HIM!! Amen and Amen! 

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

 Oh! We can all be so foolish at times! Thankfully, most of our foolishness leaves only a temporary mark or memory–with maybe just a bit of embarrassment thrown in.

But the greatest act of foolishness, with eternal consequences, we could ever commit is to not put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

In perfect wisdom and boundless love, our Heavenly Father allowed Jesus–the sinless One, His perfect Son–to die for our sins so that we could be brought before our God as righteous, holy and redeemed. 

To those who do not yet know the grace and truth of God’s greatest sacrifice, this seems like absolute foolishness! It is too outrageous, too simple! 

Jesus Christ chose to die so that my sins–all my sins–would be forgiven!? Yes!

I can live now and for all eternity in an intimately, loving relationship with my Heavenly Father because through the resurrection of Jesus the power of sin and death was trampled forever!?  Yes!

How could this be? It doesn’t make sense.

Oh, but it does. To our God. 

Jesus–through his death and resurrection–is the very power and wisdom of God! By God’s will.  In God’s way.

May we each accept fully God’s foolish wisdom to transform our lives now and for all eternity!

…to those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom…

…Christ Jesus, who has become for us the wisdom of God–that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:24-25,30

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call on him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way,

and the evil man his thoughts.

Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways.

As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts…” declares the LORD.

Isaiah 55:6-9

God’s ways are not our ways…God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. God’s sense of timing is not the same as ours. And it’s a darn good thing.

When it comes to precious ones in our lives — those who are either not-yet-believers or not-freed-up-believers — I have found that God’s ways, thoughts, words and actions are always perfect in love and perfect in timing…even if they differ (dramatically!) from what I want and when I want it. Sound familiar?

We need to actively PRAY for those who do not yet know Jesus as Savior…and for those who do not yet know the fullness of His transformation and the full life He offers through His unfailing love. To this, and of this, we must SPEAK. And we must always speak in LOVE…always act and interact in LOVE. And we must TRUST GOD in the WAITING.

While we wait on God – for days, weeks, months, years, decades – God is actively working deep within us, calling us to trust Him fully, opening His loving arms for us to surrender ourselves to His embrace…to surrender our pride and our fear to His perfect way and His eternal will…so that we may be conformed more and more to the likeness of God’s Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

And while we wait, God is also constantly working around and within those for whom we are praying…constantly tugging at the hearts and minds of those for whom we want God to show up mightily and tenderly and amazingly in their lives.

Oh! The wait is not so easy. Yet, in the waiting there are deep blessings of knowing our Sovereign and Intimate God in unimaginable ways as we seek to live a life that is being continually honed by trusting God’s Word and yielded to His Spirit. Our lives…and the waiting…become purposeful and peaceful, passionate and fruitful.

Keep praying, my friends. Keep trusting God for all those who do not yet know the unfailing love — the salvation promise and the transformation power – of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray. Speak. Love. And Trust God in the Waiting!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

What really matters to God? What really counts as God’s top priority for us as His children–as His people of faith? God gets right to it, and He schmushes (my word!) everything down for us. God’s Word speaks so clearly and concisely that we cannot deny or doubt God’s meaning.

What matters–what counts–to God is that we love. Is there anything unclear about that?

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Galatians 5:6b

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I know for some of you this is just a schmaltzy day that the card, candy, flower, jewelry and restaurant industries have infused with advertising-steroids to make it bigger and more important. I’m not going to argue that point. But let’s put all that aside.

What is going to make this day count for you? Whether you have that someone special in your life or not right now? Whether or not that someone special–that is in your life now–has been acting all that special to you?

Real love. Really given. God has given us His perfect, sacrificial, passionate, compassionate and everlasting love through the life, death and resurrection of His One and Only Son Jesus. God has given this love through His Son to all who would believe–that we may become God’s full children by faith in Jesus. Each one of us, as God’s child, is to draw from God’s love–constantly and continually–as we interact with others. All others. Our special ones. Our more challenging ones.

As a child of God we are given the answer for how to make Valentine’s Day count. Actually, God has given us the answer for how to make every day, every moment count. And it’s not convoluted or complicated. To live out our lives as a child of God–to live out our faith in Jesus Christ–the only thing that counts is love.

We are called to love. Really love. Our love for God and our love for others really do count to our God. We shouldn’t waste any more time. We need to stop doing any and everything else that isn’t a true expression of love–no matter how entrenched in our not-so-loving habits we may have gotten. We need to get over ourselves and love those around us.

Make this day count for God, for others and for yourself. LOVE…really LOVE…in your thoughts, words, actions and interactions!

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Galatians 5:6b

Happy Valentine’s Day…each and every day!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

I want ALL of it! Give me ALL of it! Now!

No, I’m not mimicking a two year old who is demanding what she wants, how she wants it, and when she wants it. Although, I can, and certainly have sounded (or thought) this way far too often!

The ALL of “it” that I’m talking about is wanting ALL that God has for me — ALL that God has for ALL of us when we let God be God and follow our LORD’s loving, healing and renewing ways for our lives.

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:

In repentance and rest is your salvation,

in quietness and trust is your strength,

but you would have none of it. 

Isaiah 30:15

O, Holy LORD, I want ALL of it! Don’t let me be foolish enough to choose none of it!

Help me to turn to You in repentance — daily, in honesty, in humility — and turn away from my sins, my wrong attitudes, my excuses, my judgments, my pride, my laziness, my yuck! Help me to rest in You, rest in the truth that You are Sovereign, You are God and I am not. Help me to rest in Your perfect care, in Your loving arms as the very little, very dependent child of Yours that I truly am. LORD, help me to want to live in the gift of of Your Salvation – in ALL ways, each and every day of my life!

Help me to quiet myself before You, LORD — to still ALL of my thoughts that do not line up with the truth of who You are and ALL the strength You have to give me! LORD, help me to quiet ALL my anger, frustration, self-righteousness, self-pity, self-focus and selfishness of any kind so that I may receive ALL of Your strength!  Help me, LORD, to trust You in ALL areas of my life, in all circumstances and relationships that flow in and out of my life. LORD, help me to trust You with ALL that I am, ALL that I do, ALL those I love, and ALL those precious ones still lost or limited in knowing Your trustworthy, eternal love. Help me to trust in Your Sovereignty and Your Holiness with every thought I have, with every breath I take so that I may know and live ALL of my life in ALL of Your strength!

O, Holy LORD, I want ALL of it! Help me to follow Your loving, healing and renewing ways so that I may live in ALL the freedom of Your salvation and the power of Your strength!

May this be ALL of our prayer! And we can be sure that our Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, will give us ALL He has promised. Our God is faithful and true to His Word! Amen and Amen!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

As the aged King David prepared his son Solomon to take up the throne—as servant of God and King of Israel—David had strong and wise counsel for his son.

“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.

If you seek Him, He will be found by you;

but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”

1 Chronicles 28:9

David’s counsel to Solomon is counsel that we, too, as children of God should embrace fully as we live out the details of our daily-day lives…and during our times of great joy and peace…and during our times of great turmoil and sadness.

God knows us full well. And our LORD wants our hearts and minds to be wholeheartedly and willingly devoted to Him—actively seeking Him—in all that we do and think. Our blessing, and God’s promise to us, is that “He will be found”  by us!

Our God has promised that we will find and know our LORD, His loving, intimate presence with us and His strong and holy leading of us—all the days of our lives.

Through our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, we, as children of the King of kings, have been invited “to approach the throne of grace with confidence…” –Hebrews 4:16.

Is there anything stopping you from serving and seeking the LORD—and approaching His throne of grace—with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind? 

Ask the LORD to take away any and all obstacles that you have put up in your own life that stop you from serving and seeking the LORD—and approaching His throne of grace—with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind.

Ask the LORD to take away any and all obstacles of hurt, bitterness and resentment that may have grown out of experiences with other people or from disappointing and difficult circumstances.

Let nothing rule over you except the love and leadership of the LORD our God!

There is joy and freedom, peace and purpose as we serve and seek the LORD—and approach His throne of grace—with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane 

How was that for a blunt title for this blog-post devotional? Don’t Be Stupid!

Sometimes the Book of Proverbs actually makes me laugh out loud because of the extreme, cut-to-the-point, life-lessons that are put before us. Like this one:

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who hates correction is stupid.

Proverbs 12:1

It really says that? That way? Yep! And it’s even from the NIV translation—not from a paraphrased version of Scripture. Isn’t that cool?

I believe God wants us to clearly—and without a lot of room for interpretation—understand that there are consequences for our attitudes and behaviors. God wants us to understand that this all-up-in-our-face Proverb is meant to bring us life-giving, life-freeing truth.

When we love discipline—when we love to learn how we should live and act, speak and respond—we will love the knowledge and understanding it brings to our lives. And when we reject and hate the wise and godly correction that comes to us—we’re just being stupid!

And PRIDE is the root-feeding material for that kind of stupidity.

Our pride blocks us from humbly and open-mindedly accepting and learning lessons about ourselves that would actually free us and deepen us to grow in strength, wisdom and love.

We may not like the manner in which the discipline and correction comes into our lives. We may not even like (at all!) the person from whom the discipline and correction comes into our lives.

But it would be STUPID of us to NOT check our PRIDE at the door, and PRAYERFULLY ask GOD:

• What truth-filled discipline, from His heart and mind, should we learn and accept?
• What correction in our thinking, doing, speaking and responding needs to happen?

Learn! Grow! Accept correction that comes from the heart and mind of God—even when it comes to us in harsh ways, teaching us hard truths about ourselves!

Choose the attitude of our Lord Jesus Christ—who brings truth and freedom and power into our lives! Choose HUMILITY—and, thereby, choose wisdom!

In other words: Don’t Be Stupid!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane