If we were left to our own strength, we would fall from his malice.

Only then can we fight if we are strengthened "by the Lord and by the power of His might."

We must put on "the whole armor of God, that ... it was possible to stand against the wiles of the devil."

Only when we put on the whole armor of God, when we do not rely on our own strength, only then will we stand against his wiles. And what are these intrigues of his?

This is all that he seeks to destroy us, to distract us from faith in God, to distract us from the path of salvation shown to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. He and his angels, the spirits of darkness, are busy only with destroying us. Against all people, and especially against us Christians, he plots to destroy us. None of us is left alone. He sends His demons to all of us, so that they may guide us to the path of perdition, to the path of serving our lusts and passions, to the path of impiety and even blasphemy. These are strong, dangerous and terrible enemies.

And do you not understand that every enemy is the more dangerous the less we think about him, the less we watch him, the less we notice him?

And, on the contrary, it is all the more powerless, the stricter, the more tirelessly we always watch it, all its intrigues, all its actions and undertakings aimed at our destruction.

And how many people are innumerable who never think of a prince who dominates the air! And not only those who do not think, but do not even believe in its existence. For all those who do not believe in God, of course, do not believe in the devil, in his existence; they do not care at all about his attacks; they do not in the least beware of his terrible servants.

And this is all he needs, for if a person is careless and does not believe in God, does not want to know anything about Satan, then such an unfortunate person becomes a very easy prey for him, for an enemy who is unnoticed is the most dangerous enemy.

And every unfortunate woman, deceitful and lustful to the marrow of her bones, and every unfortunate man, drunk, often, if not always, become easy prey to demons, spirits of wickedness in the heavenly places. It costs them nothing to destroy such people completely.

And there are also those unfortunates who spend their whole lives in crime, in robbery, in robbery and theft, in fornication and adultery, who never think about either God or the devil.

These Satans are not worth caring about: they have already destroyed themselves. They are so bogged down in sins that there is no need to tempt them, pushing them to sin. The devil has few worries about such things, for they are his easiest prey.

And what can I say about us, Christians who believe in God, who do not doubt the existence of the devil and demons, who have heard and remember the words of the Apostle Paul about the prince who dominates the air — what can I say about them?

They are tempted by demons every day, they are pushed to fornication, and to the love of money, and to vanity, they are pushed to serve their passions and lusts. And if such unfortunate people are not vigilant, if they do not remember that the enemy is always ready to destroy them, then woe to them.