Every effort is being used to usurp God's place in man. When it looks like you and the world is as hopeless and fearful as each other, understand that Jesus sees us as partaking in sin. One of the reasons the elect is impossible to deceive is because they are and will not be looking at things based on how they feel, how they will be affected or looked at by others or what they see or hear. Their focus is to engage in the war to save their souls; not their lives and to stand with God by allowing the Spirit to convict them of what God is seeing and feeling and then choosing to stand with God and denying themselves. This is precisely what Daniel, John the Baptist, Elijah and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did. God refines and proves our faith because there is no room for our flesh/carnal minds.