February 9, 2026 Devo

February 9th, 2026

Powerful Words from the Prophets
The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel. All the people will know it—Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—who say with pride and arrogance of heart, "The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars…But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the LORD Almighty.” – Isaiah 9:8-10; 13 (NLT)
“Pride Kills”

Andrew Murray, in his book “Humility,” makes a fascinating and profound statement. He says, “Humility is the root of all virtue and pride is the root of all sin.” Wow. If I were preaching, I’d say, “Can I get an ‘Amen,’ somebody?” Murray is spot-on in his observation. Go back to the Garden of Eden for a moment. What was it that caused Adam and Eve to give up Paradise by disobeying God? The Devil told them that the forbidden fruit would make them “like God.” It was their PRIDE that brought them down. And pride has been bringing us down ever since.
The Lord points out through Isaiah that it was pride that was killing His People. They wanted to live their own way. They wanted to choose their own path. They wanted to follow their own gods. Even though it was the Lord they owed their lives and prosperity to, their pride led them to believe that it was THEY THEMSELVES, not God. And that pride brought destruction to their lives.
But here’s where it gets even worse. Once they saw the enemy overrunning the country, it STILL didn’t bring them back to their senses! They simply looked at the destruction and said, “Oh well, we’ll just rebuild.” Their pride not only knocked them down, it KEPT them down! They still refused to repent. They still refused to be broken. They still refused the path of the Lord and chose to even try to repair their lives with their own hands. And their future slipped like dust through their fingers. All because of their pride.
Please grab this, my friend. Pride kills. It’ll destroy your marriage. It’ll drive away your kids. It’ll cause infinite problems on your job. It’ll take you out from under the blessing and protection of God and destroy your life! How many losses do you have to have before you say, “Pride has taken enough.” How many wounds do you have to endure before you realize you’re hurting yourself? How lonely do you have to be before you swallow your pride, seek healing and wholeness with those you love, and humble yourself before Almighty God? The Bible doesn’t say, “Pick yourself up by your own bootstraps.” What it DOES say is, “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and HE will lift you up.” It’s a simple, but powerful lesson. Humility heals, and pride kills. That’s God’s Word for you today.