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Hello,

Thank you for the excellent question!

Without humility, we cannot see God. To say it differently, proud people would assume they are God and will not see a need for Him.

Let me give you a few examples from the Scriptures:

Consider Adam and Eve. They were completely dependent on God and enjoyed all that God provided them.

Genesis 2:15-17(NLT)
15The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16But the LORD God warned him, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden 17—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."

Unfortunately, in the next chapter, we see Eve and Adam and Eve go against God, hoping to be wise apart from God.

Genesis 3:6(NLT)
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.

Verse 6 above is an example of pride or a loss of humility. Adam and Eve wanted the power to contend against God, so they were cast away from Him.

Genesis 3:23(NLT)
So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.

Many examples abound in the Scriptures where pride leads to turning away from God. In 1Samuel 15, we see Saul losing the favor of God because he relied on his own intellect and experience to go against God's plans.

So, to your question, humility is essential to walk with God. That is why James 4:6 says, "God opposes the proud but favors the humble." Psalms 51:17 says, "The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God."

David said this after he had forgotten about his need for God because of his comfort as a king. His way of turning back to God was repentance, or turning back to God in humility and dependence.

To your latter question, how can we remain humble and be dependent on God? The answer is not easy.

As humans, we have a tendency to rely on our own experiences and knowledge to be self-sufficient. Note that the more-developed countries encourage individualism and praise the success of capitalistic successes of entrepreneurs. Following the trends of the world's culture and upbringing, pride is the natural response. So what can we do to turn from our evil ways? We need a Savior.

It was for that reason Jesus came to earth. All men were sinful, and no one was righteous (Romans 3:23), and Jesus came while we were proud to die for us (Romans 5:8). This gift of Jesus is to transform our inability to place God foremost (See Deuteronomy 30:6, for example). So, the answer to your second question is to trust God to enable you to remain humble before God.

That is what Ephesians 2:8-9 points to. His salvation is a gift that no one can boast that they have done it on their strength and abilities. For example, if I told you that you could be humble by doing 1, 2, and 3, you may find yourself "wise" and claim that this humility results from your excellent discipline. However, our faith in God is a gift from Him. He can keep us faithful and from falling away. It is a gift, and our role is to trust Him and remain in Him.

May your life's journey be one of humility and deep love with God. Write back if I can be of any further help. Many blessings!

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