So when you choose to study you are still choosing what you most prefer, all things considered. The Bible teaches that all people are born totally depraved . This does not mean that everyone is as bad as they possibly can be, but that all of us have been corrupted by sin in every facet of our being. This means that people are not basically good, but inherently sinful. Only more sin, but not God since there is no desire for God.
Regeneration precedes faith.
When God regenerates us, He re-creates our hearts and gives us a desire for Christ that we otherwise would not have. Then , out of the desire for Christ in our new hearts, we come to Him and believe in Him. If God left the matter of salvation ultimately up to sinful mankind, no one would ever be saved because no one has a desire for God until God first chooses to regenerate them. Total depravity shows that we would all use our free wills to reject God. The fact that not everyone is saved shows that God does not choose to regenerate everyone.