New Person

Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Cor 5:17

The word "creature" is the Greek word ktisis. It is the same word used to describe the creation of the world. He created the universe with no existing materials or old elements. Everything in creation was newly made.

That same word is used to describe what happened to me. Everything about me is new! I am not an amended, corrected, improved version of what I used to be. I am an absolutely brand-new creation!

I am completely detached from the person I once was before Christ.

That old person no longer exists. She is dead. I am brand new.

I am a new person.

Ronda Altis is a brand new woman.

Let me tell you a little story...

I knew all about God and Christ while growing up. The story of Christ dying on the cross had been pounded in my head, but it just seemed like a story.

The whole Bible was just a story to me.

I had NOT known if God was real. I had actually come to the point where I was questioning God's existence. And if He did exist, He was just some far off deity that had nothing to do with me.

I plundered along in my life with no real sense of purpose or direction. I was actually baptized in water a couple of times, but with no real connection to God.

I walked hand in hand with the world. I let the devil guide me in my life. I let him whisper things in my ear and I believed him. I believed him when he told me that I had no sense of self-worth or self-respect. My sense of self-worthiness was null and void. I believed him when he told me I was ugly. I believed him when he told me that I had absolutely no joy in my life. I believed him when he told me that I would never be content with my life or my family.

Until, in November of 2005, when I realized that God did exist with the conception of my baby boy. I won't go into the details of why I thought that He existed (maybe one of these days, I'll relate my life story), but it was an obvious answer to my prayers. And yes, I talked with God from time to time, but it was only out of desperation.

At that moment in time, I got down on my hands and knees and asked Christ into my heart! It was at that moment in time that I knew He was real! He answered prayers!

I turned my life around. I followed Christ's example in the Bible.

But that was it. I didn't try to read the Bible. I didn't pray everyday. I honestly wasn't trying to build a relationship with God.

I was just living my life according to how I thought it should be lived. And once again, it was all wrong.

I was starting to slip down again. After 4 years of having Christ in my heart, I was slipping off my mountaintop.

I didn't have the Word ingrained in my heart. I just did not know anything about God. satan was stealing my joy, once again!

Until June 27, 2009....that was the moment that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God was so VERY real. He was right there, surrounding me, not in some far off place.

The Holy Spirit made all those stories and the Holy Bible come to life for me!

Suddenly, in a moment's time, I realized that Christ suffered and died on that cross for me! I suddenly GOT the real meaning of everything!

It was through the Holy Spirit that I received the joy that I had been searching and scrambling for all my life! I had accepted Christ into my heart, but the Holy Spirit made it SO REAL for me!

My old hang-ups, old self-worth issues, old self-respect issues....poof....they were gone! There was a brand new me reflecting back in the mirror!

And now I had the fire to read the Bible everyday, to pray everyday...to try to build that relationship with God that Jesus opened the doorway for me to do. I'm trying to listen to what the Holy Spirit is communing with me everyday.

It was like I was saved all over again, but this went to a whole new level. Not only was it now in my mind, it was in my spirit!

My husband and I sat out on our front porch last night discussing something about our church. But it progressed to discussion about what he was seeing happening in me.

He said that the woman that he married was dying.

The woman that he married was so bruised and beaten down by life. But he didn't know it on our wedding day. He learned about it over time.

He married a woman that he had visions for the rest of our marriage. But in the last 14 years of our marriage, none of those visions came to being. He was settling for what I had to offer.

But now he's seeing the woman that he had envisioned when he first married me.

He said that the woman of the past would never had the courage or the gumption to form a prayer circle at school or form a women's Bible study at our church. Or sit in an active discussion about the Bible with him! Or WANT to go to church every opportunity that came her way!

He said that the defeated woman was dying, but I was now growing into a courageous woman!

I am a brand new woman with Christ in my heart! I have joy in my heart! I am a strong woman who is worthy of God's Love!

And ladies and gentlemen, I will not let satan steal that newness nor that joy from my heart EVER again! I'm getting the word ingrained in my heart and I'm not just praying to God everyday, but I'm talking to Him everyday!

I am a very blessed woman, indeed!

And though satan may try to steal that away or try to diminish it in my eyes, he has absolutely no power nor authority over me ever again! And do you know why? Because Jesus defeated him, absolutely stripped him of his dominion, when He died on the cross!

satan has absolutely no right to ever steal my joy again!

I am a new woman of God!

Thank You, God! Thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You!

I LOVE YOU, GOD, WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL AND SPIRIT...WITH ALL OF MY BEING!

Dear Lord, You have given me so much! I have no excuse for accepting defeat or low self-esteem as a way of life, because You have made me totally new! Help me renew my mind to the truth about who You have made me to be, and help me to guard the words of my mouth so that instead of speaking lowly of myself, I affirm the truth about who I am in Christ!

I pray this in Jesus' Holy and precious and wonderful name!