For years I read Ephesians 2:10 like it was a mission statement.

“We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

And I’d walk away thinking: okay. Find the good works. Do the good works. Don’t waste your life. Get moving.

Which sounds right. Except it kept producing this low-grade anxiety in me — this constant hum of am I doing enough, am I in the right assignment, what if I miss it?

Because I was reading verse 10 like it was the beginning of the argument. It’s not. It’s the conclusion.

And when you understand what Paul was building toward? Everything shifts.

Paul doesn’t start with what you do. He starts with who you are.

Open to Ephesians 1:4. Before Paul says a single word about good works, he says this:

“He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.”

Before the world existed. Before you did anything right. Before you did anything wrong. God chose you.

Your calling wasn’t a reaction to you. It was planned before Genesis 1.

You weren’t an afterthought. You were a forethought.

Then Ephesians 1:3:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

Every. Spiritual. Blessing. Already. In Christ.

Which means you’re not working toward blessing. You’re already working from blessing. The blessing isn’t the reward for obedience. It’s the starting point.

Then Ephesians 1:6:

“...to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.”

Freely given. Not earned. Not achieved. Not unlocked once you finally figure out your calling.

Grace is the atmosphere your assignment breathes in.

Then Paul turns up the volume in chapter 2.

Verses 5 and 6:

“...He made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions... And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”

You were dead. Now you’re alive. You were buried. Now you’re raised. You were low. Now you’re seated.

Seated WHERE? In the heavenly realms. WITH Christ.

I’m going to hold your hand when I say this: this is positional authority. You’re not fighting for a seat at the table. You already have one. You’re not waiting to earn access. You’re already seated.

Now notice the pattern.

Count how many times Paul uses the phrase “in Christ” across these verses.

Chosen in Him (1:4). Blessed in Christ (1:3). Grace freely given in the One He loves (1:6). Made alive with Christ (2:5). Raised up with Christ, seated with Him (2:6).

Paul is making a case — layering it, verse after verse — that everything you are, everything you have, everything you’ll ever do flows from one thing: your position in Christ.

Your identity isn’t in your performance. It’s in your position.

So THEN Paul drops verse 10.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Handiwork. The Greek word is poiēma — where we get the word “poem.” You are God’s poem. His masterpiece. His work of art.

But read the order: chosen → blessed → graced → made alive → raised → seated → THEN good works.

You don’t do good works to BECOME God’s handiwork. You do good works BECAUSE you already are.

The good works don’t earn the seat. You’re already seated. The good works are what you do FROM the seat.

And here’s the part most people completely miss.

Go back one verse. Ephesians 2:7:

“...in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

Why did God prepare good works in advance for you? Why does your calling exist?

So that through your life — through your obedience, your stewardship, your faithfulness in the thing He put in front of you — He might put His grace on display.

Your calling isn’t about you proving yourself. It’s about God showcasing His grace through your life.

When you walk in the good works God prepared — when you steward the platform, the gift, the conversation, the ministry, the skill He put in your hands — what people see isn’t “wow, look at her.”

What they see is: wow. Look at what His grace can do.

Hello?

Here’s what changes when you read it this way.

You stop striving for access you already have.

You stop auditioning for a calling that was prepared before the world existed.

You stop treating your assignment like a test and start treating it like a testimony.

Because if God chose you before creation (1:4), blessed you with every spiritual blessing (1:3), freely poured out His grace on you (1:6), made you alive when you were dead (2:5), raised you and seated you in heavenly places (2:6) — and THEN prepared good works specifically for you to walk in (2:10) — the posture isn’t striving.

The posture is stewardship.

Stewardship is the posture of someone who already has the seat. You’re not trying to earn it. You’re managing what you’ve already been given.

Your homework. Three things.

1. Read Ephesians 1:3 through 2:10 in one sitting. Circle every time you see “in Christ” or “in Him.” Let the weight of your identity land before you think about what you’re supposed to do.

2. Ask yourself honestly: What has God already put in front of me that I’m not stewarding because I’m waiting to feel qualified?

Maybe it’s a gift you’ve been downplaying. A word you haven’t shared. A skill you’ve been sitting on because it doesn’t look like a “real” ministry.

3. Do ONE thing with it this week. Not launch a ministry. Not build a whole strategy. One move. Post the thing. Have the conversation. Write the word down and put it somewhere it can be seen.

Because your calling is not missing. It’s not hidden. It’s already prepared. And the One who prepared it — who chose you, blessed you, graced you, made you alive, raised you, and seated you — is the same One who will equip you to walk in it.

If this connected with you

I went deeper on all of this on my YouTube channel this week — walking through the full Ephesians 1-2 build on camera, with my Bible open, my journal out, and probably too much coffee. It’s the kind of Bible study we don’t get enough of — verse by verse, in order, letting the text say what it actually says.

And if you want to study Scripture like this regularly — with women who are figuring out their calling without the performance pressure — come sit with us inside The Purpose Bridge. $7/month. We read. We ask questions. We do the work together.

Join us here → [Skool Link]

Drop “I’M SEATED” in the comments on the video or reply to this email if this hit you today. You’re not auditioning. You’re not proving. You’re already seated.

Now steward from there. 🤍

— Belinda

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

God prepared the works beforehand.

Before you had a preference, He had a plan. Before you had a strategy, He had a destination. Before you had an opinion about how this thing should look, He had already authored the assignment and laid out the path.

You were not consulted. You were created for it.

This is the thing we keep missing. We treat the calling like a job offer we get to negotiate. We come to God with our terms — our timeline, our comfort level, our aesthetic preferences for how the assignment should present itself — and we’re genuinely surprised when He doesn’t adjust the assignment to match our proposal.

He doesn’t negotiate the assignment. He invites obedience to it.

And the moment you stop trying to redesign it and start walking in it — that’s the moment the works that were prepared beforehand start to become visible.

In this deep-dive episode of The Purpose Bridge, Belinda unpacks the hidden connection between identity and impact. Looking at the biblical story of Gideon, we explore why God must always shift who you believe you are before He unlocks what you are called to do. If you are tired of creative burnout and ready to break free from the pressure of performance culture, this episode is your invitation to cross the bridge into true creative freedom.

Inside the Episode, We Cross:

The Performance Trap: Why linking your worth to your metrics creates a volatile spiritual life.

The Anatomy of Gideon’s Calling: How God called a fearful man hiding in a winepress a "mighty warrior" before he ever won a single battle.

The 3-Part Alignment Strategy: Practical steps to separate your soul's peace from your phone's notifications.

Love the show? Support The Purpose Bridge by upgrading to a paid Substack subscription for exclusive behind-the-scenes content and community mentorship

This is a Christian women's podcast built on one truth — God doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called.

Welcome to The Purpose Bridge Podcast hosted by your sis in Christ and Kingdom building partner, Belinda Desmarat- a wife, mother, entrepreneur and digital messenger.

The Purpose Bridge delivers weekly encouragement, accountability, and Biblical strategy for purpose-driven women who are done waiting and ready to start walking in their calling.

If you've been sitting on your God-given calling for any length of time— this is the Christian women's podcast built to help you cross.This podcast exists to activate called Christian women to move toward their purpose while they build a Kingdom business or ministry and occupy the territories He's called them to.

Every week, we walk across a bridge together — the identity bridge, the fear bridge, the hustle bridge, the business bridge, the community bridge — using Scripture, real testimony, and practical Kingdom strategy rooted in identity in Christ.

You'll get equipped with

- Biblical truth that reframes your calling and your capacity

- Real stories from Christian women walking in their purpose

- Practical Kingdom strategy you can apply weekly

- Encouragement and accountability to keep crossing, even when it's hardIf you're ready to stop circling and start walking in purpose, meet me on the Bridge.

GET FULLY LOADED: The Activation Kit

New episodes drop weekly. Rooted in Scripture. Built for Christian women who are ready to cross.

Welcome to The Purpose Bridge Podcast hosted by your sis in Christ and Kingdom building partner, Belinda Desmarat- a wife, mother, entrepreneur and digital messenger.

The Purpose Bridge delivers weekly encouragement, accountability, and Biblical strategy for purpose-driven women who are done waiting and ready to start walking in their calling.

If you've been sitting on your God-given calling for any length of time— this is the Christian women's podcast built to help you cross.

This podcast exists to activate called Christian women to move toward their purpose while they build a Kingdom business or ministry and occupy the territories He's called them to.

Every week, we walk across a bridge together — the identity bridge, the fear bridge, the hustle bridge, the business bridge, the community bridge — using Scripture, real testimony, and practical Kingdom strategy rooted in identity in Christ.

You'll get equipped with

- Biblical truth that reframes your calling and your capacity

- Real stories from Christian women walking in their purpose

- Practical Kingdom strategy you can apply weekly

- Encouragement and accountability to keep crossing, even when it's hard

If you're ready to stop circling and start walking in purpose, meet me on the Bridge.

New episodes drop weekly. Rooted in Scripture. Built for Christian women who are ready to cross.