Sin and the Dragon

I was going through some old email and a friend of mine wrote this to me when I was going through some major spiritual warfare which seemed to be coming out in favor of the evil one. These words gave me great hope and encouragement to recommit to the battle. I've still lost many battles, but the war is far from over. Here is what he said:

Remember that the demon who tells you that you should despair over your sin is the same demon who tempted you to sin in the first place. They are playing a game with you. Follow the head of the dragon which is attacking you down to its tail and you will find the lie (falsehood) which he is using to mess with your head. For example:

THE DRAGON'S HEAD:
"You have fallen into the same sin again- how dare you presume on the mercy of God? You are beyond forgiveness!"

THE DRAGON'S NECK:
"You have chosen to give in to your passions and have sinned."

THE DRAGON'S SPINE:
"Your passions are unbridled."

THE DRAGON'S TAIL:
"Salvation depends on your sinlessness."

The dragon's tail is a lie. Salvation does not depend on sinlessness, but on the infinite Mercy of Christ. It doesn't depend on you or your "merits". It depends on Christ.

Thank you, my friend.