The Bible tells us that one can only believe in and follow Jesus IF they are blessed by God the Father to do so.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Romans 11:25
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
John 6:44
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:65
65 And he said "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
The Bible also tells us that spiritual blindness and deception are rampant in the world.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
John 8:12
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
1 John 2:11
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
John 12:39-40
Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
Acts 26:18
To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Deuteronomy 29:4
But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.
2 Corinthians 3:15-16
Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
Romans 11:8
As it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”
Romans 1:28
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Psalm 82:5
They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
And with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Ephesians 4:18
They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
Matthew 13:16
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
I believe that God detests pride in people and rewards the humble with faith.
Proverbs 11:12
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
James 4:6
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Philippians 2:3
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Luke 14:11
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Proverbs 16:5
Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world (Satan).
Psalm 25:9
He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
James 3:13
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
Proverbs 16:18-19
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Mark 9:35
And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
Psalm 10:4
In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man (Jesus) came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Galatians 6:3
For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Psalm 138:6
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.
James 4:14-16
Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
Fortunately, unbelievers can be blessed with faith if they humble themselves and sincerely seek Jesus.
Matthew 7:7-8
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Acts 17:27
That they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,
Proverbs 8:17
I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29
But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Romans 11:25
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
John 6:44
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:65
65 And he said "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
The Bible also tells us that spiritual blindness and deception are rampant in the world.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
John 8:12
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
1 John 2:11
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
John 12:39-40
Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
Acts 26:18
To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Deuteronomy 29:4
But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.
2 Corinthians 3:15-16
Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
Romans 11:8
As it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”
Romans 1:28
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Psalm 82:5
They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
And with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Ephesians 4:18
They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
Matthew 13:16
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
I believe that God detests pride in people and rewards the humble with faith.
Proverbs 11:12
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
James 4:6
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Philippians 2:3
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Luke 14:11
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Proverbs 16:5
Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world (Satan).
Psalm 25:9
He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
James 3:13
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
Proverbs 16:18-19
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Mark 9:35
And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
Psalm 10:4
In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man (Jesus) came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Galatians 6:3
For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Psalm 138:6
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.
James 4:14-16
Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
Fortunately, unbelievers can be blessed with faith if they humble themselves and sincerely seek Jesus.
Matthew 7:7-8
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Acts 17:27
That they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,
Proverbs 8:17
I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29
But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
