Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall—Proverbs 16:18

What brought Adam and Eve down? We assume it was the attractiveness of the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But it wasn’t the fruit; it was what the fruit promised.

Satan told them, “God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). In other words, “Eve, listen. You will be a goddess. Adam, you will be a god. Come on, go for it.” And they did. The devil had appealed to their pride.

That is one of the devil’s subtle ways to strike: he attacks us through pride. Popularity can be more deadly than persecution. Christians start believing their own press and become inflated with pride.

First the devil comes to us and says, You are worthless. You are a piece of garbage. God would never use someone like you.

We reply, “Well, I don’t know. The Bible says that if I will confess my sin, God is faithful and just to forgive me my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. And the Bible also says that God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. So I think God will use me.”

Then the devil changes his whole mode of attack. Instead of trying to tear us down, he whispers in our ear, You are the awesome man of God (or the wonderful woman of virtue)! Everything you say is wonderful. You are so great! And we soak it up.

So if you have become filled with yourself and have started to believe you’re “all that,” then watch out. The Bible tells us that “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).