AC 1812 - The Lord's Combats; AC 1820 - Our Temptations

AC 1812 [1,2]
He believed in Jehovah.
(Genesis 15:6)

That this signifies the Lord's faith at that time . . .
which is that while He lived in the world
the Lord was in continual combats of temptations,
and in continual victories,
from a constant inmost confidence and faith
that because He was fighting
for the salvation of the whole human race from pure love,
He could not but conquer;

 . . .  But in all His combats of temptations
the Lord never fought from the love of self, 
or for Himself,
but for all in the universe, consequently,
not that He might become the greatest in heaven,
for this is contrary to the Divine Love,
and scarcely even that He might be the least;
but only that all others might become something,
and be saved.

AC 1820 [1-2]

He who is in temptation
is in doubt concerning the end in view.
The end in view is the love,
against which the evil spirits and evil genii fight,
and thereby put the end in doubt;
and the greater the love is,
the more do they put it in doubt.
If the end which is loved were not put in doubt,
and indeed in despair,
there would be no temptation.
Assurance respecting the result
precedes the victory, and belongs to the victory. 

As few know how the case is with temptations,
it may here be briefly explained.
Evil spirits never fight against other things
than those which the person loves;
the more ardently he loves them,
the more fiercely do they wage the combat.
It is evil genii who fight against the things
that pertain to the affection of good,
and evil spirits that fight
against those which pertain to the affection of truth.
As soon as they notice
even the smallest thing which a man loves,
or perceive as it were by scent
what is delightful and dear to him,
they forthwith assault it and endeavor to destroy it,
and thereby the whole person,
for a person's life consists in his loves.
Nothing is more delightful to them
than to destroy a man in this way,
nor would they desist, even to eternity,
unless they were driven away by the Lord.