I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.

D.H. Lawrence

Satan has in fact a plan against the saints of the Most High which is to wear them out. What is meant by this phrase, "wear out"? It has in it the idea of reducing a little this minute, then reducing a little further the next minute.

Reduce a little today, reduce a little tomorrow. Thus the wearing out is almost imperceptible; nevertheless, it is a reducing. The wearing down is scarcely an activity of which one is conscious, yet the end result is that there is nothing left. He will take away your prayer life little by little, and cause you to trust God less and less and yourself more and more, a little at a time.

He will make you feel somewhat cleverer than before. Step by step, you are misled to rely more on your own gift, and step by step your heart is enticed away from the Lord.

Now, were Satan to strike the children of God with great force at one time, they would know exactly how to resist the enemy since they would immediately recognize his work.

He uses the method of gradualism to wear down the people of God.

Watchman Nee

Watchman Nee (Nee Shu-tsu ) was converted in 1920. He adopted the English name Watchman and the new Chinese name To-sheng, which means "watchman's rattle," He considered himself a watchman raised up to sound a warning call in the dark night.

As a Christian, he stayed in Mainland China despite of the threat of Communism. He was arrested by the Chinese Communists in 1952 for his professed faith in Christ (and his leadership among the local churches). He was sentenced in 1956 to fifteen years' imprisonment.

He died in his cell, under confinement on May 30, 1972.

http://www.watchmannee.org/