One of the reasons I believe God opposes the proud is because pride opposes faith, and without faith, it is impossible to please God. Pride stands directly in the way of faith because it is putting your faith in yourself. It is believing that you are in control. It is believing that your needs come first. It is believing that your struggles are more important than others, and it is believing that you know better than God.

Humility paves the way for faith. But it has to be a genuine humility. It isn’t avoiding the seat of honor to make sure you aren’t embarrassed by a more distinguished guest. That's pride. It also isn’t taking the last place at the table so you can be promoted in front of the crowd. That’s also pride. Humility is not caring where you sit because you know you didn’t deserve to be invited in the first place.

It is impossible to have a genuine faith without humility, but until that faith is tested, how can you know if either are genuine? When God gives you a chance to put that faith into practice, it isn’t so you can prove to Him that it’s real. It’s so He can prove to you that it’s all you need.