One of the most interesting titles of the Devil is the accuser. The truth conveyed by this Biblical title is that the Devil attacks us through accusing us of our sins. He tries to convince us that our sins cannot be forgiven and that God’s love is conditional. Furthermore, he attacks our sense of who we are. In reminding us of our sins and our faults, the Devil often tries to persuade us to identify with our shortcomings, our sins, and our problems. He attacks our identity using one major strategy: He gets us to believe that we have to earn God’s love.
The good news is that our identity is not rooted in our sins, but in the fact that we are created in the image and likeness of God. Furthermore, we don’t earn God’s love. He gives it to us freely. Jesus reveals the love of the Father in his person, and his love is completely gratuitous. The Devil wants us to believe that only when we are perfect will God love us. He gets us to focus on self-improvement in ways that work against us actually improving.
Instead, it is helpful to focus on what is God wanting to do through me. This requires that we must learn to listen to the voice of God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Listening to God involves interiorizing and meditating continuously on Sacred Scripture because in Scripture we come to a deep knowledge of Jesus Christ. This, along with the sacraments, has the power to transform our lives. Once we have been transformed, we will then find that we are able to be better people.
Holiness is about receptivity and having the confidence of being adopted children of God. We have to learn to rest in the fact that God loves us. We have to let that reality sink into our hearts in a profound way. Are we going to fall? Yes, and probably every day. But God meets us in our sin. He invites us to experience his forgiveness and let that reality take hold of our lives.