Published: March 02, 2026 at 01:15 PM

Tags: books, pilgrims-progress, reading, gospel, christian-life, chapter-13

After the comfort of the Palace Beautiful, Christian is not sent into an easier stretch of road. He is sent into a place where pride is stripped away, and where the battle becomes personal.

Battle with Apollyon

Christian enters the Valley of Humiliation, and it is there that he meets Apollyon; dreadful, accusing, and determined to turn him back. The enemy does not come with new information so much as old shame. He drags up past failures, past inconsistencies, past sins, and uses them like weapons.

The fight is fierce. Christian is wounded, shaken, and nearly overcome. But he is not left without help. He clings to what has been given to him: armour for protection, and the Sword of the Spirit for defence and offence. He does not win by cleverness or courage in the flesh, but by refusing to yield ground and by using truth when lies are pressing in.

There is something sobering and encouraging here: Satan’s accusations can be loud, but they are not final. The believer’s strength is never meant to be found in self-confidence, but in submission to God and resistance through His Word.

James 4:7 (KJV)

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The Christian triumphs over Satan only by God’s strength and Word.