The devil's attacks

It's easy to get discouraged as time passes when we think we will be growing in our resistance to the devil and all his works and we fall: but we learn from our Carmelite teachers (and of course from Scripture) that the devil doesn't like us growing spiritually - so he will quite likely redouble his assaults if he sees signs of that. One of the readings at Night Prayer tells us that he prowls around like a roaring lion, and that is certainly my own experience. But it does encourage me to think that if he continues to pester me with bad thoughts, that is actually itself a sign that he is worried about me.