Judas did not betray Christ the moment he was called to Him nor fictionally, did Lancelot become corrupted against Arthur within one glance of Guinavere, but all falls are gradual and contain small steps.  The devil in the same way gradually breaks humanity down from the Creator, not through stunning events, or dramatic forms of possession or curses, but the subtle whispers against humanity’s own nature.  The road to Hell is never a sudden drop but for many a gradual slope that is never noticed.

Christian Counselors can help their spiritual children become alert to these subtle attacks and help forge a healthy spiritual immune system that protects the soul from the attacks of Satan.  It is important to identify the “little” things but also engage in basic spiritual hygiene to maintain a healthy spiritual balance that maintains health.  Like the body, the soul to can gradually fall into poor health through bad choices that seem innocent or small at first but lead to worst habits later.

The Devil’s Subtle Ways

As Screwtape,  the demon in C.S Lewis’ classic, the “The Screwtape Letters” states, “The safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”   Screwtape trains Wormwood, a fellow demon, in how to slowly destroy the faith of a particular man and alienate him from the Creator.  Within much of the classic text, Lewis looks to show how the devil attempts divide humanity from God in the little and subtly ways.  It is hence important to remain vigilant and as Ephesians 4: 27 states, “do not give the devil a foothold”.

It is important to note that the devil is cunning.  The demons in union with Lucifer, while fallen, still retain their angelic nature.  Within this nature is great intelligence that outmatches human intelligence.  Through a closeness to God and His grace, human beings can resist temptations but the subtle nature of temptation can be very tricky to simple minded Christians.  Due to humanity’s fallen nature, one is inclined to sinful passions and easily confused to illusionary goods.  So while, one can easily fall into sin well within one’s own inherent weakness, the demons also can via temptation and confusion play roles in misguiding human beings through passion and false goods.   Hence temptation itself is the most common form of demonic activity in the world but one of the most overlooked.  One may look for the extraordinary images of Satan in spiritual warfare but if one truly seeks to find his best work, then one can find him in the shadows, not seen, or even believed in, orchestrating every evil deed, as small as a curse to as large as mass genocide.  Christ Himself, was also subject, to such assaults.  As a human being, albeit also divine, Christ faced temptation, but unlike Adam, He rebuked Satan during the trials of the desert (Matt 4: 1-11).   Human beings too, must like Christ, reject the muses of Satan and identify the disorders they push.

Satan looks to cause chaos and discord by distorting truth.  This is why Satan is also referred to as the father of lies.  Like his lies to Adam and Eve, he whispers lies that evoke passion, or misguided glories within the broken nature of humanity.  Obviously, the demons play on pride, the source of all sin itself.  The Seven Capital Sins, or vices, crowned by pride, all play key roles in breaking down each person.  Like talents and natural virtues that come easy, every soul has a weak point, or a vice that attracts oneself.  Pride is a universal source.  At the moment of birth, the ego of the child is tempered or provoked.  Pride breaks down even the most holy by playing on self image.  A devout Christian’s pride can be stoked in a church meeting or parish hall disagreement, or pushed forward with spiritual judgement on others who may not pray as much or fast as longer.  The devil can so easily use pride to send a narcissist to Hell, or utilize it even in the most subtle ways to break down the most devout.  In humility, one must never discount pride as an ever buzzing pest that looks to erode spiritual progress and the devil is more than happy to stoke the fire of pride and utilize it to his advantage in tearing one away from God.

While pride is an ever persistent irritant in one’s spiritual development, one can not either discount the power of wrath as a capital sin.  One’s pride can easily lead to discontent and frustration to others.  One’s broken nature easily feels frustration when ends are not met.  Whether it is a desire, goal or result, frustration can fester.  If the desired end is frustrated by another, then it can easily lead to anger and wrath.  What level plays a key role, but just the slightest breakdown can begin to erode the spiritual harmony within the soul.  Whether it is anger towards neighbor, family, friend, foe or even God, the passion of anger can lead to a multitude of un-Christian like behaviors from mere words, to small and even greater actions.  The devil uses anger as a way to push one beyond the norms of goodness.  He uses it to push one into envious situations, which in turn lead to more anger through defamation or gossip, or in worst case scenarios, physical harm.  Anger and its sibling capital sin, Envy, hence play off each other and feed each other.

Beyond the intellectual processes that Satan plays, he also feeds off humanity’s base needs of love, survival, and need.  He easily can corrupt these needs through vices.  He can corrupt love via the sin of lust, survival via the sin of greed, and needs through gluttony.  Satan pushes the idea of more in all human endeavors.  Through pride and self desire, the flesh seeks out more resources.  The devil can whisper these selfish and hoarding tendencies into one’s ear and this in turn leads to excess of material goods, or excess of physical pleasures.  Satan looks to imbalance moderation and the virtue of temperance with the illusionary good of more and extremes.   This ultimately leads to discontent and putting one’s love and connections in material things other than God.  Christians themselves can find themselves in these situations when material goods or drives or desires distract oneself from God, moderation and prayer.

The final capital sin, utilized by Satan is sloth.  Sloth plays on humanity’s natural drive to succeed but also multiplies the natural experience of fatigue.  The devil can whisper into one’s ear to be put off certain things that are important.  He can lead to sloth in physical, emotional, social, professional and spiritual care.  From a spiritual perspective, the lazy desire to rest to the point one does not prayer, or fast, or attend church, can play a role in sloth.  Gradually, the sloth increases itself.

Habits hence play a key role in the subtle downhill fall.  Habits are natural, subconscious, and continuous things performed by individuals.  While some habitual practices are good, Satan can lead one down a path of many poor habits that lead to spiritual and physical breakdowns.  Ultimately bad habits lead one away from God.  Like in the Screwtape Letters, the devil looks to slowly wedge bad habits into one’s daily life.  What may be a one time event can eventually become a constant thing.  A taste of an immoral picture, or action, a random curse word, or a missing of a prayer, can lead to a second and third time.  This is not due initially to an evil intent, but is part of being broken.  If humanity lets itself, it can easily fall prey to the passions and easy roads displayed by the devil.

Another entry point of Satan is through bad company, occasions or things.  Occasion of sin is sinful environment.  Many times good people absorb sinful content or company and like one bad apple, an entire bushel can go rotten.  While, persons hope to set and spread good example, more times than not, the bad things become more popular within a group.  This is why it is important to safeguard one’s spiritual environment by monitoring intake of persons, places and things.

Here are a few other ways Satan subtly breaks through one’s defenses

Fear

Discontent

Sufferings

Unanswered prayers

False teachers and misinterpretations

Disobedience

Defenses of the Soul

The armor of God is essential to spiritual life.  Ephesians  6: 11-16 states, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”.  The armor of God obviously encompasses prayer, fasting, Scripture, and supplying the soul with the graces available by God through the sacraments and liturgy.  Good spiritual armor consists of good spiritual hygiene.  As one cares for the body through basic grooming, the soul too demands basic grooming.

Beyond defending the soul with the armor of God, little things are essential.  St Therese the Little Flower speaks of the immense importance of value of simple submission to God.   She remarks, “The pride of demons must fall before humble obedience to the commandments of Jesus Christ”.   Finding God’s will and humility in one’s role is critical to finding content life and balancing virtue with vice.  St Therese understood that one must be what God desires one to be.  She mentions that within the Garden of God, one must know what type of flower one is and live according to that vocation and calling.  St Therese constantly held to this standard.  She found humility but also happiness in the role allotted to her by God.  She partook in the smallest things with joy and love towards God, offering her daily duties to God and making each act a prayer to God.  With such constant emphasis on God’s will, where does the devil have room to poke his nose?  To St Therese, life was about being what God willed one to be.  Life itself became a prayer.

God offers His grace, but one must live a good life and remain open to it.  One must safeguard all entries into the mind and remain faithful to God’s call over one’s own.  However, one can find solitude in that God will never tempt one beyond one’s ability.  Grace is always available to overcome the rage of Satan.  1 Corinthians 10:13 declares, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.”  So while the devil.

Scripture reminds us through 1 Peter 5: 8-9 to “Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. / Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering” and James 4: 7 reminds one to “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”.  By remaining close to God, acknowledging one’s weaknesses, rebuking the capital sins, and maintaining a strong prayer life, one can be more resistant to the subtle whispers and tricks of the evil one.

Here are some important spiritual practices and ideals to remember in defending the soul against the small infractions against the soul on a daily basis

God’s will over one’s own will

Humility

Daily Duty

Prayer

Fasting

Sacraments-especially Eucharist and Reconciliation for Catholics

Scripture

Utilization of sacramentals in daily defense

Excitement of the soul towards act of piety and goodness

Emphasis on spiritual hygiene as a concept 

Closeness to God, Christ, Mary, the angels (St. Michael) and saints

Conclusion

The devil slowly chisels away at the virtue of the soul and its relationship with God.  For most, the journey to Hell is not a abrupt and fast fall but a series of unfortunate events and a long grind of gradual un-noticed slips. It is hence to understand this evil strategy of Satan and to defend the soul through a variety of spiritual practices and devotions.  Anyone can sin, hence humility and accepting God’s will everyday is a prerequisite to defending the soul from the snares of the devil.

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Additional Sources

Smith, B. (2025). “The Different Ways The Devil Attacks Us”. TheBibleBlog. Access here

“St Therese Little Way”. Catholic Bible 101. Access here

Kosloski, P. “How did Saint Thérèse Conquer Satan and Attain Perfection?”. Access here

Clark, J.  “The Devil’s Playbook: Lessons from the Screwtape Letters”.  Access here

Rose, Katharine. “10 Essential Truths from C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters”. The Inward Turn.  Access here