Have you ever had someone tell you that you were “acting brand new?” I’ve heard this one quite a bit since I chose to give my life back to Jesus, & my favorite response is “That’s cause I AM brand new!” God’s Word tell us, that when we give ourselves to Him, He makes us over into new people.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!” -2 Corinthians 5:17

Now, y’all know I love to go back to the original words used, & dig into the meaning of them. When I read the definitions of the Greek “kainos,” I got so excited!! “Fresh, new, unused, novel” (emphasis mine)… Helps Word Studies says “not found exactly like this before.”

I want to take this opportunity to speak to other women with pasts like mine, & young girls who maybe find themselves caught in the destructive lifestyle I was once caught in:

When I was fourteen, for whatever cliché, statistical reasons you can imagine (seriously, insert any one you choose, I’m sure it applies somehow), I lost my virginity & began sleeping around. I gained for myself a reputation I hated, & got pregnant before my freshman year of high school was over. I had never set out to do this, it wasn’t my intention to go around giving pieces of myself away, & yet I kept finding myself in these situations & doing the exact thing I said I wasn’t going to do, even after my son was born. If this story sounds familiar, then you know how you end up feeling in the midst of it all, & long after, even after you’ve changed & moved on with your life. You might feel dirty, broken, unlovable, worn, & used.

Ladies, there is GOOD NEWS for us! God’s Word tells us, that when we received salvation, we were made brand new, you are not like you were before! Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says we are “…recently made fresh… unused, unworn… recently made.. superior to what it succeeds” (emphasis mine). We are not who we once were.. whoever that was, I don’t even know that girl anymore! Don’t let the past dominate your mind & the way you see yourself (Isaiah 43:18). View yourself as God has always seen you, even in the middle of your mess:

Beautiful

Perfect

Loveable

Worthy

A Masterpiece

UNUSED, UNWORN, His TROPHY

We were all born messed up, each with our own set of problems & issues, unable to save ourselves from the sin nature, the things we’ve done wrong & the mistakes we’ve made. That is why Jesus said we must be born again (John 3:3). Through His finished work, we are given the opportunity to walk in newness of life- nothing from our past matters anymore (Romans 6:4)!

When we allow Jesus into our hearts, He gives us a makeover from the inside out, making us more like Him each day. That is why Paul instructs us to “put on the new self”(Ephesians 4:24)- we have been made new spiritually, so why walk around acting like the same person we were before?

Accepting salvation involves repentance- turning & walking in a new direction. If you’ve struggled with getting out of old habits & behaviors, or with the long lasting effects your past has had on you, I’m here today to tell you that you CAN let it go! You CAN move on, into a new life, walking into the glory that God has always planned for you! You are never too far gone, for Him to come in & make you new. And if you EVER need someone to confide in, knowing you won’t be judged for anything you could say, & pray with you, feel free to reach out to me, & I will be happy to listen, pray, & encourage!

** Also, in any moment you’re feeling down & hard on yourself for any reason, try listening to “You Say” by Lauren Daigle- & sing it at the top of your lungs like no one’s listening!!

-Walking in Newness of Life by Faith & Receiving the Blessings That Come With It, Gerri