Every Christian will face temptation at some point in their life. The devil wants their soul and tempts them according to their sin nature. Each human is created differently and with that, each person has been given their own set of obstacles which can benefit God, or the devil. Although everyone has different battles, there is one shared by all: choosing God or the devil. This internal struggle is known as psychomachia and is analyzed by C.S. Lewis in the Screwtape Letters. The Screwtape Letters, as defined by author and nationally known theologian, Edwin E. Aubrey, is: “The efforts of a junior devil to keep firm hold on a Christian convert by the sage advice of his infernal uncle, Screwtape, who is well versed both in human frailties and
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Wormwood believed that the “patient” was coming out of his “religious phase”, but Screwtape knew this “dryness” the human was experiencing is just a natural part of human life. “The dryness and dulness through which your patient is now going are not, as you fondly suppose, your workmanship; they are merely a natural phenomenon which will do us no good unless you make a good use of it” (12). Wormwood’s uncle is explaining that the “Laws of Undulation” is experienced in each human life and is not because of Wormwood’s tempting. Screwtape understood that human emotion often fluctuates, which can benefit them, but Wormwood must manipulate these times. These dry times in a Christian’s walk with God can cause a deeper relationship with God because He uses these times to teach the Christian how to have faith. Screwtape explains: “He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs…It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best” (13). These “tough periods” are used by God to bring the human closer to Him and to give the human a deeper faith. Screwtape understood what effects that could have on the process of Wormwood trying to win the “patients” soul. The “Laws of Undulation” are inevitable in the life of humans and can be used to bring Christians closer to God or away from God, but the more established of a relationship the human has with God will ultimately dictate how much the devil can manipulate that
Wormwood believed that the “patient” was coming out of his “religious phase”, but Screwtape knew this “dryness” the human was experiencing is just a natural part of human life. “The dryness and dulness through which your patient is now going are not, as you fondly suppose, your workmanship; they are merely a natural phenomenon which will do us no good unless you make a good use of it” (12). Wormwood’s uncle is explaining that the “Laws of Undulation” is experienced in each human life and is not because of Wormwood’s tempting. Screwtape understood that human emotion often fluctuates, which can benefit them, but Wormwood must manipulate these times. These dry times in a Christian’s walk with God can cause a deeper relationship with God because He uses these times to teach the Christian how to have faith. Screwtape explains: “He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs…It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best” (13). These “tough periods” are used by God to bring the human closer to Him and to give the human a deeper faith. Screwtape understood what effects that could have on the process of Wormwood trying to win the “patients” soul. The “Laws of Undulation” are inevitable in the life of humans and can be used to bring Christians closer to God or away from God, but the more established of a relationship the human has with God will ultimately dictate how much the devil can manipulate that