Elder St. Paisios on the Hidden Struggle
“If, again, we struggle aright but do not see any progress, sometimes the following is happening: Because we have declared war on a demon, he seeks reinforcements from Satan. So, if last year we were struggling against one demon, this year we are struggling against fifty, next year we’ll be struggling against even more, and so forth. God does not allow us to see this, so as we don’t become proud. But even though we may not realize iIns, God continues to work in our soul when He sees our good disposition.”
– ‘Spiritual Awakening’