And frankly, it is very shallow of us to measure ourselves only by external measures of activity. For example, everyone who enters a worship service carries with him so many cubic feet of spiritual atmosphere. When a person comes in filled with bitterness and unbelief, they drain the the spiritual climate. Any pastor can tell you that it is easier or harder to preach depending on who is there on the given Sunday. There is no point of maturity which marks the end of the conflict, but only the end of the beginning.
Battle is part of the Christian life.
Mark Bubeck, in his book, Overcoming the Adversary , tells the story of a Canadian woman who had read an earlier book of his on resisting the devil. She was so defeated that she was no longer attending church. As they talked, Bubeck asked her if she had ever thanked the Lord for the battle. He inquired if she had ever asked God to teach her through this prolonged conflict. David grew faint.