I posted a couple of pictures of a ministry facility in Haiti that was basically destroyed by Hurricane Matthew. It also serves as a visual lesson concerning what happens in the lives of Christians who are ravaged by spiritual storms.
A material building is not able to stand up to various levels of natural phenomena. The loss of a building is not necessarily the fault of those who built it or maintained it, however, we are responsible for our own spiritual integrity and resolve. It takes the grace and power of God to keep us from failure, but it takes faithful obedience to appropriate that grace and power.
If we consider the two photos of the Hatian church building (before and after the storm) to be illustrations of the believer who has failed to abide in Christ during a blast of temptation, or we liken the two photos as examples of a local body of Christ before and after a Satanic onslaught, we begin to see the reason for the deplorable condition of modern Christianity. Individuals and churches are often overwhelmed by the attacks that Satan unleashes on them.
Only God can give us victory,
but we can only have victory...
if we walk in the Spirit (Ga. 5:16),
if we continue in the faith (Ac. 14:22; Co. 1:23),
if we continue in the Lord (Ac. 11:23), If we continue in His word (Jn. 8:31), if we continue in goodness (Ro. 11:22),
if we continue in His grace (Ac. 13:43),
if we continue in sound doctrine (1 Tm. 4:16),
if we keep ourselves in the love of God (Jd. 1:23).
