In a post last month I speculated on why demons did not attack everybody, all of the time - all-out.
And one conclusion (or suggestion) was that it hurts demons when they attacked and are repulsed; therefore they greatly prefer indirect and deniable assaults; and will only go all-out when confident of victory.
In other words: demons try to avoid being undeniably-defeated; because this causes them intense and personal suffering.
On further reflection - this seems to have the ring of truth; since for demons suffering is an absolute thing. When a demon suffers, there is nothing-else in his existence: suffering is total.
A demon lives for his own gratification - therefore when he suffers there is no 'long-term' benefit, nothing to be learned from the experience: so that demonic suffering is absolute in a way that is alien to a Christian.
Of course, demonic powers seek pleasure - the pleasures of sin. Yet these pleasure are temporary and partial, compared with absolute nature of suffering and the desire to avoid it.
Presumably, when tempting a soul to become a demon; the pleasures of gratifying his favourite sins are emphasized. But evil feeds upon itself, and it seems likely that after a while committed demons become more-and-more negatively-motivated.
The demon then lives mainly to avoid suffering, much more than to experience pleasure - because demonic suffering is so much more complete and overwhelming than the (always transitory and less-then-fully-satisfying) gratifications of pleasure.
This waxing of negative-motivation as evil develops, can be seen in the demonically-inspired Leftist movement - which began as utopian - claiming to build Heaven-on-earth; but has now become (with the birdemic-peck and climate-warmism) almost wholly negative and avoidant.
Modern Leftism is nearly-all about opposing and avoiding some (supposed) suffering; it is hardly-at-all about offering any positive satisfaction or pleasure.
Or the sexual revolution - which began with promises of untrammeled and non-responsible promiscuity with anybody you 'fancied'. But has ended in the inverted evils of the transagenda (with its mutilation, poisoning and official-grooming of children); this being 'justified' by the need to avoid and reduce human suffering!
In sum: demons have no courage; because they have no reason to be courageous.
They may be forced to do things they would rather not do by the threat of greater suffering. But even in their boldness they are suffering-avoidant: fearing the certain retribution of their demonic masters more than the threat of what Men may do to them.
(This progressive domination of demonic evil by negative avoidance of personal pain is neatly illustrated in the course of CS Lewis's Screwtape Letters and Screwtape Proposes a Toast.)
Yet Men may do much to hurt demons.
And what can be done to hurt Them can be inferred as the opposite of how demons themselves behave, and the opposite of the behaviours they encourage and enforce upon those Men who have given themselves to the service of evil: Men such as the institutional leadership class of The West.
The demons suffer, immediately and strongly, when their temptations are decisively rejected; when their assaults are thrown-back. Therefore, timidity makes them creep forward towards wickedness - one deniable-increment at a time; trying to avoid their covert evil-motivation being noticed, discerned, exposed - then rejected.
The demonic hatred of clarity and honesty is 'visceral' - clarity and honesty caused demons actual pain.
Therefore demons delight to cloud every issue with complexity and 'nuance'; they delight in paradox and ambiguity; a state of fearful perplexity, confusion and dread - is their ideal.
Demonic horror arises when their activities are seen clearly, and when even their baby-steps towards evil are immediately called and exposed. When their devious policies are rapidly recognized, repulsed, mocked - this causes actual and extreme, over-whelming, suffering.
When elaborately deceptive demonic plans are instantly seen-through and cast into oblivion... this is more than merely frustrating - it is a cause of total agony for the Beings involved.
So, we may begin to see what we should do, and what we should avoid, in our dealings.
It is wise to avoid getting enmeshed in the demonic agenda in any way; demons love to debate, endlessly, on their own ground.
Do not compromise or be 'strategic' with evil: what They hate most, what is most effective - is also the least 'sophisticated' response.
Keep it simple, keep it lucid, be concise; do Not try to meet evil half-way...
What is probably best, what likely causes most rapid and extreme harm to Them; is a childishly-direct response to what is childishly-obvious to the Christian discerning spirit.
As so often; we are called-upon to choose a 'return' to child-like simplicity - but consciously, deliberately, as mature adults.
As so often; the highest knowledge is a rediscovery of 'the obvious'.
