Feeling so joyful when I first became a Christian, I was
surprised at the amount of conflict I was feeling inside.
And so, my Bible professor had agreed to meet with me, to
discuss my questions. Of course, now, as I was heading
toward the evening meeting with him, I questioned myself and
hoped that no one would see me. But still I went and hoped for
some answers.
As I poured out my heart to this stranger that I barely knew, he
looked me in the eyes with compassion, gentleness and love—
there was no condemnation there.
“Sally, I understand everything you are feeling. We all, all of
us, feel inadequate, because without the love and forgiveness
of God, we spend our whole lives trying to do enough good
deeds to earn His love. Your parents were not a good
representation of God, they made you feel further condemned
because it was based on your performance. But you are
listening to the old voices. God is so excited that you put your
faith in Him. Do you think that, now that you are a child of His,
He would try to discourage you in your faith?”
“The truth is, you will never have to perform for God, because
His love for you is endless, infinite, constant and abundant
once you put your faith in Him.”
“But I want you to look at me and listen. There is one who
wants to keep you from knowing the secret and amazing love
of God—Satan despises those who want to love God. He
would love to whisper words of darkness into your heart so
that you will be distracted and waste your time trying to please
God, when you are already all that you need to be to please
Him.