There is a fierce battle for souls between evil angels and God’s angels. Evil angels try to corrupt and dull the senses of people, while holy angels anxiously watch and wait to push back Satan’s forces. However, good angels cannot control minds against their will. If individuals do not resist the enemy, the angels can only hold Satan’s forces in check until more light is given to those in danger, prompting them to seek help from heaven. Jesus will not send angels to rescue those who make no effort to help themselves.

If Satan sees he is in danger of losing a soul, he will do everything he can to keep it. When a person realizes the danger and desperately looks to Jesus for strength, Satan fears losing a captive and calls in more demons to surround the soul with darkness, blocking heaven’s light. But if the person in danger perseveres and, in weakness, relies on Christ’s sacrifice, Jesus hears their earnest prayer and sends powerful angels to deliver them.

Satan cannot bear to have Christ appealed to, for he fears His strength and majesty. At the sound of fervent prayer, Satan and his host tremble. When angels clothed with heavenly power come to help the struggling soul, Satan and his forces fall back, knowing they have lost the battle.