You Were Made for This
You were designed for greatness, crafted in love, and set apart with purpose. Let that sink in for a moment.
In a world that constantly demands we prove our worth—through performance, achievement, appearance, or approval—it’s easy to lose sight of who we really are. We wear masks to fit in, to be liked, to be accepted. We strive and strain to measure up to standards that God never put on us in the first place. And in the midst of all this noise, we forget the most important truth: Our God-given identity isn’t something we earn. It’s something we receive.
God established who you are before you even took your first breath. Before you accomplished anything. Before you failed at anything. Before anyone had an opinion about you. You were His idea. His delight. His masterpiece.
But let’s be real—just because something is true doesn’t mean we always believe it or live from it. We hear words like “beloved” and “chosen” and think they sound nice, but then we step into our everyday lives, and suddenly, that truth feels out of reach. The opinions of others, the weight of past mistakes, the pressures of life—they all try to drown out the voice of God reminding us who we are.
So how do we bridge that gap? How do we not just know our God-given identity, but actually walk in it confidently every single day?
That’s what we’re diving into in this post. This is more than just a motivational pep talk. It’s an invitation to step into the fullness of who you were always meant to be—without fear, without striving, without apology. Because the world doesn’t need a watered-down, half-hearted version of you. The world needs the real, radiant, confident you—the one God designed from the very beginning.
So take a deep breath. Open your heart. Let’s go on this journey together.
Identity Defined by Love, Not Performance
If we’re being honest, most of us have spent way too much of our lives trying to earn what was always meant to be received freely—love, acceptance, worth.
From the time we were kids, we learned the unspoken rules of the world: Be good, and you’ll be loved. Work hard, and you’ll be valued. Make people happy, and you’ll be accepted. And without realizing it, we started building our entire identity on a fragile foundation—one that could crumble the moment we failed, disappointed someone, or didn’t measure up to expectations.
But here’s the truth: Your worth, rooted in your God-given identity, was never up for debate.
God didn’t look at you and decide to love you because of what you could do. He loved you because He is love (1 John 4:8). It’s His nature. His essence. Love isn’t just something God does—it’s who He is. And because of that, His love for you is not conditional. It’s not based on your performance. It’s not swayed by your good days or bad days. It’s unshakable, unchanging, eternal.
Think about this: When Jesus was baptized, before He ever performed a single miracle, before He taught, healed, or went to the cross, the Father spoke over Him:
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)
That was His identity—Beloved Son. And it wasn’t because of what He did. It was before He did anything.
The enemy, of course, tried to attack that very identity. Right after His baptism, Jesus was led into the wilderness, where the enemy whispered, “If you are the Son of God…” (Matthew 4:3). Notice the tactic—Satan didn’t question Jesus’ power, He questioned Jesus’ identity. Because if the enemy can get you to doubt who you are, he doesn’t even need to steal anything from you. You’ll give it up willingly.
And that’s exactly what he tries to do with us.
He whispers: Are you really loved? Are you really enough? Are you really chosen? He points to your mistakes, your shortcomings, your struggles, and says, See? You’re not who God says you are. You’re not enough.
But here’s what we need to remember: The enemy is a liar.
His only strategy is deception, and deception only works when we believe it. So let’s shut that down right now:
- You are NOT your failures.
- You are NOT your past.
- You are NOT the sum of people’s opinions.
- You are NOT what you do.
You are who GOD says you are. Period. Your God-given identity is unshakable.
And who does He say you are?
- His beloved (Romans 9:25)
- His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
- Chosen (1 Peter 2:9)
- Complete in Him (Colossians 2:10)
- Seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6)
- Fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
When you truly grasp that your identity is defined by God’s love—not by your performance—you walk differently. You move through life with a confidence that isn’t arrogant but secure. You stop striving to become someone and start living from the truth that you already are someone.
This changes everything.
When you know who you are:
- You don’t have to prove yourself.
- You don’t have to hustle for approval.
- You don’t have to live for validation.
- You don’t have to fear failure because failure doesn’t define you.
Instead, you get to live free—secure, bold, and fully alive in your God-given identity.
And here’s the best part: When you embrace who you truly are, you give others permission to do the same. Your confidence in your identity becomes an invitation for others to step into theirs.
So let’s break free from the lie that we have to do something to be worthy of love. Let’s receive the truth that we already are.
Because the moment we do, we step into the kind of confidence that no circumstance, no failure, and no opinion can ever shake.
And that, my friend, is exactly how God designed you to live.
Aligning Your Thoughts with God’s Truth
If the enemy can’t take away your identity, he’ll try to make you forget it.
I remember a time in my life when I knew, technically, that I was loved by God. I could recite the scriptures, sing the worship songs, and tell others that they were chosen and cherished. But when I was alone with my thoughts, the battle raged. I doubted myself. I second-guessed decisions. I let the fear of rejection and failure keep me playing small.
One day, in the middle of prayer, I felt the Lord gently interrupt my downward spiral.
“Catherine, who told you that?”
At first, I was confused. Who told me what, Lord?
“Who told you that you weren’t enough? Who told you that you had to earn My love? Who told you that your mistakes defined you?”
The question hit me like a ton of bricks. Because the truth was—I had been believing things God never said about me.
I had picked up lies from childhood wounds, past disappointments, and my own insecurities. And instead of aligning my thoughts with God’s truth, I had been replaying scripts in my mind that didn’t come from Him.
The reality is this: Your thoughts shape your life. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” What you believe about your God-given identity will determine how you live. If you believe you’re inadequate, you’ll shrink back. If you believe you’re unworthy, you’ll settle for less than what God has for you.
But when you align your thoughts with God’s truth, everything shifts.
So here’s the practical question: What are you thinking about?
Take a moment and do an inventory. Are your thoughts bringing life, or are they weighing you down? Are they in alignment with your God-given identity, or are they echoes of past pain?
If your thoughts are not in alignment with God’s truth, it’s time for a reset.
Here’s how:
- Recognize the lie. Ask yourself, Does this thought agree with God’s Word? If not, it has to go.
- Replace it with truth. Find a scripture that declares what God actually says about you.
- Reinforce it daily. Meditate on God’s truth, declare it over yourself, and let it become your new normal.
This isn’t about just “thinking positive.” This is about renewing your mind (Romans 12:2) so that your life is shaped by God’s truth, not the enemy’s deception.
Walking It Out: Identity in Action
I once heard someone say, “Confidence isn’t knowing you’ll always get it right. It’s knowing that even when you don’t, you’re still loved.”
That hit me deep.
Because for so long, I thought walking in confidence meant I had to feel confident. That I had to have all the answers. That I had to have it all together. But the truth is, confidence isn’t a feeling—it’s a decision.
It’s choosing to believe what God says about you, even when your emotions haven’t caught up yet.
It’s stepping out in faith, even when fear whispers, What if you fail?
It’s standing firm in your worth, even when rejection tries to shake you.
Take Peter, for example. When Jesus called him to walk on water, Peter didn’t wait until he felt like he could do it. He just stepped out. The miracle happened as he walked. It wasn’t about Peter’s ability—it was about His trust in Jesus.
And the same is true for us.
So, what does it actually look like to walk in your God-given identity?
- You respond to criticism differently. Instead of crumbling under rejection, you stand secure, knowing that people’s opinions don’t define you.
- You make decisions without fear. Instead of doubting yourself, you trust that God is guiding your steps.
- You take bold steps in your calling. Instead of waiting for “perfect” conditions, you move forward in faith, knowing that God qualifies the called.
Walking in your God-given identity is a daily practice. It’s not about perfection—it’s about persistence. The more you do it, the more natural it becomes.
Embracing the Journey: You’re Becoming More You
I used to think that once I understood my identity, I would arrive—that confidence would be a permanent state of being, like flipping a switch.
But identity isn’t a destination. It’s a journey.
The truth is, you are always becoming more of who God created you to be. Each step of your life is an unveiling. Some days, you’ll feel strong and secure. Other days, you’ll need a reminder. That’s okay. Growth is part of the process.
The enemy will try to convince you that because you still struggle sometimes, you must not really be confident in your God-given identity. Don’t believe that lie.
Even Jesus, in His humanity, wrestled. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He felt the weight of what was ahead. But His feelings didn’t change His identity as the beloved Son of God. And they don’t change yours either.
So give yourself grace. You’re allowed to be a work in progress. You’re allowed to grow. You’re allowed to have moments of doubt, as long as you don’t let them define you.
Because here’s the truth: God is committed to your transformation. Philippians 1:6 says, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”
You don’t have to force it. You just have to keep saying yes.
You Were Made to Shine
You were never meant to walk through life weighed down by insecurity, doubt, or fear. You were made to walk boldly, knowing exactly who you are in your God-given identity.
Not because you have it all together. Not because you never struggle. But because your identity was never about you—it was always about Him.
And He calls you loved. Chosen. Enough.
So what’s the next step for you? Maybe it’s recognizing a lie you’ve been believing. Maybe it’s speaking truth over yourself daily. Maybe it’s taking a bold step forward in faith.
Whatever it is, do it. Step into it. Own it.
Because the world doesn’t need a hesitant, insecure version of you. It needs the real, radiant, fully alive you—the one God has called and equipped for such a time as this.
So walk confidently.
Live boldly.
Shine brightly.
Because, my friend, you were made for this.
Love,
Catherine Toon
P.S. To watch a free masterclass that will build you up in your identity and support you in uprooting lies that hold you back, click here.