Revelation 12:7–11, New Living Translation

“Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, ‘It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.’”

Pride is a dangerous thing. When we walk for example in scripture, we can look to the fall of Satan and him taking a third of the angels with him.

“Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, ‘It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.’” (Revelation 12:7–11, NLT)

There are many important things to take away from the scripture. Satan was cast out of heaven because of pride. He wanted to be like God. Even now, he seeks to find those who will serve him instead of God. The Bible says, “…He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. So, when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me!” (John 8:44–45, NLT) Satan will do anything to lie to us from knowing the truth. Why, because truth will set us free.

Jesus told us, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, NLT) Jesus also said, “…You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31–32, NLT)

When Jesus began His ministry, He told the people, “…Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:17, NLT) This is where I want to talk to us about pride. This is for me too. If we are too prideful to confess our sins and repent, those sins can keep us from heaven. Scripture tells us that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5)

It can be a difficult thing to admit you were wrong, to ask for forgiveness, to repent. Really, when you are able to do this, it is a sign of spiritual growth in maturity. Also, God knows our hearts, if He knows our every thought, word before it’s spoken, which He does, and He is just waiting for us to make the next move.

We can’t make it through this without Him. We look through biblical history, time and time again, humanity tries to do things on their own. Finally, they reach a place where they recognize their need for God, because what they are doing isn’t working. This is the same for us. We must be willing to die to self. Jesus told us in Matthew 16: 24–26 (NLT). “…If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”

Died to save our souls. He recognized our value and knew that we were worth dying for. But do we recognize our work? Do we see what God sees us? Our true potential? Today, I pray that God would open our eyes for us to see ourselves as God sees us, to not take it for granted His love and plan of salvation, and to walk out our destiny; to bring glory to God. In Jesus name, amen.