Can the devil's attacks actually make me a better Christian?

The great irony is that the devil in his pride can't help but reveal himself in his warfare, and the warfare strengthens people's belief and their resolve. You can't get strong without pushing against weight. You can't be in a battle just shadow boxing in your house. All the things the devil stirs up end up making us more resolute in our faith, more serious about prayer, more serious about our repentance.

I remember the story of an unnamed monk on Mount Athos plagued by intrusive lustful thoughts. To combat them he kept saying the Jesus Prayer: lust, Jesus Prayer, lust, Jesus Prayer. In this way he obtained the priceless gift of ceaseless prayer, and he was praying all the time because the devil was provoking him to pray all the time. Even what the devil does helps accomplish what God wants in us, which is to be more deeply knit to him.

The saints tell us grace is expensive: to experience great grace we have to experience great trials and temptations, and without them we simply will not grow spiritually. The saints overcame unfathomable problems not by their intellect but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Either the devil totally destroys us, or we end up becoming more like Christ. When we abide in God and he abides in us, the trials stop being a distraction and become an encouragement for even greater intimacy with Christ.