The human heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, and from it flows the resistance to God that Jesus describes in Matthew 15. The same heart also produces the belief that we are really something good, and this self-esteem turns our lives toward self-satisfaction and sin. Pride, the sense of being lifted up with an undue importance or superiority, is the root of this. It began with Satan, the anointed cherub whose heart was lifted up because of his beauty, corrupting his wisdom and leading him to say, "I will be like the Most High." He passed this spirit to the angels who followed him, then to Adam and Eve, and then to all mankind. Satan is king over all the children of pride. Pride exaggerates the value of our own thoughts and needs above God's and our fellowman's. It breeds competition, envy, anger, and enmity. Its worst fruit is self-deception, which blinds a person to his spiritual condition and makes him reject God's correction. Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Edom, Ephraim, and the Pharisee show this. Proverbs 16:18 says pride goes before destruction, and unless a person recognizes it and repents, destruction follows. Even after conversion, pride remains within us and hinders submission to God. God's Spirit gives power to overcome it, and the answer is to develop humility before Him.

In the context of a profound warning about the spiritual dangers of the Laodicean era, the concept of a heart lifted up in pride emerges as a central theme, reflecting a perilous attitude that God despises. This era, characterized by a lukewarm faith, breeds a sense of self-sufficiency where individuals feel rich and in need of nothing, yet are spiritually wretched and blind. Such pride, evident in both rich and poor, mirrors the arrogance of ancient peoples who sought to worship God in their own way, disregarding His commands. Their heart was lifted up, as seen in their desire to build a temple not for God's glory but for their own, an act of self-will that God found abominable. This same lifted-up heart is traced to its origin in the fall of Lucifer, who, filled with beauty and splendor, allowed his heart to be puffed up with pride, declaring his intent to ascend above God Himself. As described in Ezekiel 28:17, his heart was lifted up because of his beauty, corrupting his wisdom and leading to his downfall. Similarly, in Isaiah 14:12-14, his proud declarations reveal a heart lifted up in rebellion, aspiring to be like the Most High, establishing him as the father of pride and the king over all the children of pride. The consequences of a lifted-up heart are further illustrated in the story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:30-31, where, walking in his palace, he boasted of building great Babylon by his own might and for his own majesty. This display of a heart lifted up in pride led to immediate divine judgment, as a voice from heaven declared the loss of his kingdom, teaching him that all gifts and power come from God. God's disdain for a lifted-up heart is clear throughout these accounts, emphasizing that such pride leads to destruction and separation from Him. He desires a humble and contrite spirit, one that trembles at His word, as the only acceptable condition for those who would be part of His spiritual temple. A heart lifted up in pride, whether through self-righteousness or reliance on personal achievements, stands as an abomination, blocking the path to true worship and eternal life.

In Ezekiel 28:17, we find the origin of pride with Satan, as it is written: "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty: you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: I will cast you to the ground. I will lay you before kings that they may behold you." This lifting up of the heart marks the beginning of pride, a serious force that flows from him. In Job 41:34, Leviathan, symbolizing Satan, is described as beholding all high things and being a king over all the children of pride, revealing him as the source of pride in human beings. This pride generates damaging conduct, producing fruit that causes multitudes of problems, which will persist until pride is eradicated. In Daniel 5:20, we see the consequences of a heart lifted up in pride through Nebuchadnezzar: "But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him." Pride hardens the heart, making a person resistant and uncooperative, leading to a bitter fall. This elevation of self, as seen in Satan and exemplified in human lives, deceives one into ignoring reality and believing in a false sense of self-sufficiency, ultimately separating them from God and others.