Humility opens you to God's favor and grace, while pride and self-reliance block them. The speaker warns against using prayer to manipulate God or trusting your own spirituality instead of depending on the Holy Spirit and Christ's work.
Humility invites the influence of the Holy Spirit. Humility invites God's grace. Humility invites God's favor. But if we are self-reliant, we think we have it all figured out. If we ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit, if we use prayer as a means to try to get God to do what we want, well, then that's when those prayers become hindered. Are you self-reliant, or are you relying upon the Holy Spirit? Do you think you have it all figured out? Or are you asking God for wisdom? When you approach God, do you think it's because of your spirituality? Do you think it's because of your good track record? Or do you know it's because of what Christ has done? How you approach him matters. Humility and pride get 2 different responses.
