Swatting the Fly of Pride

Ed Silvoso, founder of Harvest Evangelism, tells the story of a pastor, who one day, was walking along the seashore. As he was trying to enjoy the scenery, a swarm of flies began bothering him.

“There is a spiritual truth here,” the Lord said. “Understand the life cycle of the fly and you will begin to understand how to get rid of negative spiritual issues in your life.” Upon investigation, the pastor found that the life cycle of the adult fly is 21 days in the summer. The larva stage of the fly is a few days while the pupa stage is three to seven days. The truth then became clear. If you can get rid of a fly and its offspring, then the cycle of the fly’s generation is broken and you will be rid of all flies.

The lord then told the pastor to proclaim truth for forty days. He then specifically told the pastor to take an area of his life in which he wanted freedom. Find forty key biblical verses in that area and proclaim them as truth for forty days.

Here are verses to help that help proclaim truth over the fly of pride.

Deuteronomy 8:2 “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”

II Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, In whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Proverbs 13:10 “By pride comes nothing but strife, But with the well-advised is wisdom.”

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Proverbs 18:12 “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty. And before honor is humility.”

Isaiah 29:19 The humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord, And the poor among men shall rejoice In the Holy One of Israel.”

Isaiah 29:13 “Therefore the Lord said: ‘Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,”

Isaiah 31:1 “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the Lord!”

Jeremiah 9: 23-24 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the Lord.”

Jeremiah 17:5 “Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength. Whose heart departs from the Lord.”

Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.”

Daniel 4:37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.”

Zephaniah 3:12 “I will leave in your midst ‘A meek and humble people, And they shall trust in the name of the Lord.’”

Luke 16:15 “And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

I Corinthians 1:26-31 “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.’”

I Corinthians 2:1-5 “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

II Corinthians 12:4 “For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God, For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.”

Galatians 5:24 “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Philippians 2:3 “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 2:7-9 “but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond- servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,”

James 1:9-10 “Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.”

I Peter 5:5-6 “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders, Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,”

I John 2:16 “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”