Agency
To
Act For Ourselves: The Gifts and Blessings of Agency
Robert
D. Hales
April
2006
1.
If we could leave one lesson of greatest importance for our
children and grandchildren, what would it be? Of all the glorious principles of
the gospel, Lehi chose to teach his son about the plan of salvation—and the
gift of agency.
2.
Now we are here on earth, where opportunities to use our agency
abound; for here “there is an opposition in all things.” 12 This opposition is
essential to the purpose of our lives. As Lehi explained, “To bring about his
eternal purposes in the end of man, … the Lord God gave unto man that he should
act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be
that he was enticed by the one or the other.” 13
3.
Although the devil laughs, his power is limited. Some may
remember the old adage: “The devil made me do it.” Today I want to convey, in
absolutely certain terms, that the adversary cannot make us do anything. He
does lie at our door, as the scriptures say, and he follows us each day. 20 Every time we go out,
every decision we make, we are either choosing to move in his direction or in
the direction of our Savior. But the adversary must depart if we tell him to
depart. He cannot influence us unless we allow him to do so, and he knows that!
The only time he can affect our minds and bodies—our very spirits—is when we
allow him to do so. In other words, we do not have to succumb to his
enticements!
4.
The promptings that come to us to flee evil reflect our Heavenly
Father’s understanding of our particular strengths and weaknesses and His
awareness of the unforeseen circumstances of our lives. When these promptings
come, they will not generally stop us in our tracks, for the Spirit of God does
not speak with a voice of thunder. The voice will be as soft as a whisper,
coming as a thought to our minds or a feeling in our hearts. By heeding its
gentle promptings, we will be protected from the destructive consequences of
sin.
How do you
reclaim that agency? How do you begin again to exercise it in the right way?
You choose to act in faith and obedience. May I suggest a few basic choices
that you can begin to make now—this very day.
Choose to
accept—truly accept—that you are a child of God, that He loves you, and that He
has the power to help you.
Choose to
put everything—literally everything—on the altar before Him. Believing that you
are His child, decide that your life belongs to Him and that you will use your
agency to do His will. You may do this multiple times in your life, but never,
never give up.
Choose to
put yourself in a position to have experiences with the Spirit of God through
prayer, in scripture study, at Church meetings, in your home, and through
wholesome interactions with others. When you feel the influence of the Spirit,
you are beginning to be cleansed and strengthened. The light is being turned
on, and where that light shines, the darkness of evil cannot remain.
Choose to
obey and keep your covenants, beginning with your baptismal covenant. Renew
these covenants weekly by worthily partaking of the sacrament.
Choose to
prepare to worthily attend the temple, make and renew sacred covenants, and
receive all of the saving ordinances and blessings of the gospel.
Finally, and most
importantly, choose to believe in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Accept the Savior’s forgiveness, and then
forgive yourself. Because of His sacrifice for you, He has the power to
“remember [your sins] no more.” 24
You must do likewise.
5.
Finally, remember our agency is not only for us. We have the
responsibility to use it in behalf of others, to lift and strengthen others in
their trials and tribulations. Some of our brothers and sisters have lost the
full use of their agency through unrighteous choices. Without exposing
ourselves to temptation, we can and should invite others to receive the light of
the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through friendship and love, we may lead them along
the path of obedience and encourage them to use their agency to make the right
choices once again.
Agency: Essential To The Plan of Life
Robert
D. Hales
October
2010
6.
We teach that agency is the ability and privilege God gives us
to choose and “to act for [ourselves] and not to be acted upon.” 1 Agency is to act with
accountability and responsibility for our actions.
7. Today the only power Satan and his followers have is the power
to tempt and try us. Their only joy is to make us “miserable like unto
[themselves].” 9 Their only happiness
comes when we are disobedient to the Lord’s commandments.
But think of it:
in our premortal state we chose to follow the Savior Jesus Christ! And because
we did, we were allowed to come to earth. I testify that by making the same
choice to follow the Savior now, while we are here on earth, we will obtain an
even greater blessing in the eternities. But let it be known: we must continue
to choose to follow the Savior. Eternity is at stake, and our wise use of
agency and our actions are essential that we might have eternal life.
8. In my youth I learned an important lesson
about how our actions may limit our freedom. One day my father assigned me to
varnish a wooden floor. I made the choice to begin at the door and work my way
into the room. When I was almost finished, I realized I had left myself no way
to get out. There was no window or door on the other side. I had literally
painted myself into a corner. I had no place to go. I was stuck.
Whenever we
disobey, we spiritually paint ourselves into a corner and are captive to our
choices. Though we are spiritually stuck, there is always a way back. Like
repentance, turning around and walking across a newly varnished floor means
more work—a lot of resanding and refinishing! Returning to the Lord isn’t easy,
but it is worth it.
Atonement,
Agency, Accountability
Boyd K. Packer
October 1988
9. Lucifer in clever ways manipulates our
choices, deceiving us about sin and consequences. He, and his angels with him,
tempt us to be unworthy, even wicked. But he cannot, in all eternity he cannot,
with all his power he cannot completely destroy us; not without our own
consent. Had agency come to man without the Atonement, it would have been a
fatal gift.
Agency and
Control
Boyd K. Packer
October 1983
10. The general quickly understood a truth that
is missed even by some in the Church. Latter-day Saints are not obedient
because they are compelled to be obedient. They are obedient because they know
certain spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of their own
individual agency, to obey the commandments of God.
11. The temptation your children will face will
not come at home nor in the seminary class. It will come later, when they are
away from both teacher and parent. One day you must set them free. When that
day comes, how free will they be, and how safe? It will depend on how much
truth they have received. I know of a young missionary who, half a world away
from his parents and teachers, faced the testing that comes to young manhood.
There, beyond the control of either of them, he made a decision. Later he
wrote: “I’m so glad I stayed, because during this last month I found
something—I found myself.”
Obedience To Law
Is Liberty
Elder L. Tom
Perry
April 2013
12. About this gift, President Harold B. Lee
said, “Next to life itself, free agency is God’s greatest gift to mankind.”3 Then it was no small thing
for Satan to disregard man’s agency. In fact, it became the principal issue
over which the War in Heaven was fought. Victory in the War in Heaven was a
victory for man’s agency.
13. Each choice you and I make is a test of our
agency—whether we choose to be obedient or disobedient to the commandments of
God is actually a choice between “liberty and eternal life” and “captivity and
death.”
14. In a world where the moral compass of society
is faltering, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ
never wavers, nor should its stakes and wards, its families, or its individual
members. We must not pick and choose which commandments we think are important
to keep but acknowledge all of God’s commandments. We must stand firm and
steadfast, having perfect confidence in the Lord’s consistency and perfect
trust in His promises.
Moral Discipline
D. Todd
Christofferson
October 2009
15. Moral discipline is the consistent
exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is
hard.
16. By “moral discipline,” I mean self-discipline based on moral
standards. Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the
right because it is right, even when it is hard. It rejects the self-absorbed
life in favor of developing character worthy of respect and true greatness
through Christlike service (see Mark 10:42–45).
The root of the word discipline is shared by the word disciple, suggesting to
the mind the fact that conformity to the example and teachings of Jesus Christ is the ideal discipline that,
coupled with His grace, forms a virtuous and morally excellent person.
17. The societies in which many of us live have
for more than a generation failed to foster moral discipline. They have taught
that truth is relative and that everyone decides for himself or herself what is
right. Concepts such as sin and wrong have been condemned as “value judgments.”
As the Lord describes it, “Every man walketh in his own way, and after the
image of his own god” (D&C 1:16).
As a consequence,
self-discipline has eroded and societies are left to try to maintain order and
civility by compulsion. The lack of internal control by individuals breeds
external control by governments. One columnist observed that “gentlemanly
behavior [for example, once] protected women from coarse behavior. Today, we
expect sexual harassment laws to restrain coarse behavior. …
18. n the end, it is only an internal moral
compass in each individual that can effectively deal with the root causes as
well as the symptoms of societal decay. Societies will struggle in vain to
establish the common good until sin is denounced as sin and moral discipline
takes its place in the pantheon of civic virtues. 5
19. I have heard a few parents state that they
don’t want to impose the gospel on their children but want them to make up
their own minds about what they will believe and follow. They think that in
this way they are allowing children to exercise their agency. What they forget
is that the intelligent use of agency requires knowledge of the truth, of
things as they really are (see D&C 93:24).
Without that, young people can hardly be expected to understand and evaluate
the alternatives that come before them. Parents should consider how the
adversary approaches their children. He and his followers are not promoting
objectivity but are vigorous, multimedia advocates of sin and selfishness.
20. I have heard a few parents state that they
don’t want to impose the gospel on their children but want them to make up
their own minds about what they will believe and follow. They think that in
this way they are allowing children to exercise their agency. What they forget
is that the intelligent use of agency requires knowledge of the truth, of
things as they really are (see D&C 93:24).
Without that, young people can hardly be expected to understand and evaluate
the alternatives that come before them. Parents should consider how the
adversary approaches their children. He and his followers are not promoting
objectivity but are vigorous, multimedia advocates of sin and selfishness.
21. All of us experience temptations. So did the
Savior, but He “gave no heed unto them” (D&C 20:22).
Similarly, we do not have to yield simply because a temptation surfaces. We may
want to, but we don’t have to. An incredulous female friend asked a young adult
woman, committed to living the law of chastity, how it was possible that she
had never “slept with anybody.” “Don’t you want to?” the friend asked. The
young woman thought: “The question intrigued me, because it was so utterly
beside the point. … Mere wanting is hardly a proper guide for moral conduct.” 7
Healing Your
Damaged Life
Richard G. Scott
October 1992
22. Instead of enjoying the countless edifying
experiences, precious wholesome relationships, and the wondrous beauties of the
earth the Lord has given for our happiness, do you pursue excitement beyond the
bounds He has set? Do you seek transitory stimulation, even recognizing that it
is always followed by powerful negative feelings? Do tantalizing emotions
stimulate your appetite, creating an insatiable thirst for more? Does that
thirst override the motivation to improve that should result from the negative
harvest of transgression? Is your focus on satisfying appetite through
increased participation, even though you begin to sense that inevitably it will
bring very unpleasant consequences? Have you wondered how and when you will
stop?
23. You may be tired of others trying to run your
life—always telling you what to do. After all, you have the right to make your
own choices. That is correct. You have that right. It is your agency. The
secret to solve problems in your life will be found in understanding and using
the eternally beneficial interaction of your agency and His truth.
The Master said:
“He that keepeth [the] commandments receiveth truth and light. …
“Light and
truth forsake that evil one, …
“And that
wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from
the children of men.” (D&C 93:28,
37, 39; emphasis added.)
He also declared,
“Every man may act in doctrine and principle, … according to the moral agency
which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable … in the day of
judgment” (D&C 101:78;
italics added).
These scriptures
teach how to overcome the effects of wrong choices, whether they be lying,
stealing, gambling, addiction to alcohol or drugs, immorality, inflicting
abuse, or anything like it. Simply stated, one must use his agency to obey
truth.
24. When others give you advice, have you ever
said, “I just don’t believe the way you do. Those are your standards and your
principles. I have my own”? Please understand that no one can change truth.
Rationalization, overpowering self-interest, all of the arguments of men,
anger, or self-will cannot change truth. Satan knows that, so he tries to
create an atmosphere where one unwittingly begins to feel that he can not only
choose what to do, but can determine what is right to do. Satan strives to
persuade us to live outside truth by rationalizing our actions as the right of
choice.
25. But our Eternal Father defined truth and
established what is right and wrong before the creation of this earth. He also
fixed the consequences of obedience and disobedience to those truths. He
defended our right to choose our path in life so that we would grow, develop,
and be happy, but we do not have the right to choose the consequences of our
acts. Those who willfully, consistently disobey His commandments will inevitably
learn that truth. Joseph Smith
was inspired to record, “When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by
obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” (D&C 130:21.)
26. Please understand, no one has the privilege
to choose what is right. God reserved that prerogative to Himself. Our agency
does allow us to choose among alternate paths, but then we are bound to the
consequence God has decreed. Later, if we don’t like where the path takes us,
the only out is through repentance.
27. Our Heavenly Father gave us truth, some as
statements of cause and effect. We call them commandments. They guide our life
to happiness. He knew that Satan would try to persuade some to live without
fixed standards in life so that decisions would be based on current
circumstances, what appears convenient, or what provides the greatest personal
return. In this way, Satan removes the power of truth from one’s life so he can
take that soul captive.
28. How can one decide when to help you and when
to let you grow from facing reality? The Lord has provided the answer. When you
show genuine remorse, a contrite heart, a recognition of guilt, movement in the
direction of improvement even though there may be slippage—when there is
acceptance of responsibility for improper acts, support and help are needed and
will be productive. Should you continue to manipulate, blame others for
improper decisions, be deceitful and determined to continue the path of
transgression by camouflage or cover-up, you are reinforcing false principles
and have chosen to head for a showdown with tough reality.
The Golden Thread
of Choice
Howard W. Hunter
October 1989
29. Today, I would like to address both groups,
members of our church as well as others, about one of the most important tenets
of our faith and one of the most precious of God’s gifts to mankind. It is our
freedom, our agency, our inalienable and divine right to choose what we will
believe and what we will not believe, and to choose what we want to be and what
we want to do. I wish to speak of our responsibility and our opportunity to
choose God, and the good, and eternal life; or to select evil, the destructive,
and that which leads to painful misery and despair.
30. As our prophet leader, President Ezra Taft
Benson has declared, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims
that life is eternal, that it has purpose. … [God has a] plan … for the benefit
and blessing of us, His children. …
“Basic to [that]
all-important plan is our free agency. …
“The right of
choice … runs like a golden thread throughout the gospel … for the blessing of
His children.” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988,
pp. 80–81.)
31. To fully understand this gift of agency and
its inestimable worth, it is imperative that we understand that God’s chief way
of acting is by persuasion and patience and long-suffering, not by coercion and
stark confrontation. He acts by gentle solicitation and by sweet enticement. He
always acts with unfailing respect for the freedom and independence that we
possess. He wants to help us and pleads for the chance to assist us, but he
will not do so in violation of our agency. He loves us too much to do that, and
doing so would run counter to his divine character.
32. To countermand and ultimately forbid our
choices was Satan’s way, not God’s, and the Father of us all simply never will
do that. He will, however, stand by us forever to help us see the right path,
find the right choice, respond to the true voice, and feel the influence of his
undeniable Spirit. His gentle, peaceful, powerful persuasion to do right and
find joy will be with us “so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand,
or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved.” (Moro. 7:36.)
33. We are given the knowledge, the help, the
enticement, and the freedom to choose the path of eternal safety and salvation.
The choice to do so is ours. By divine decree before this world was, the actual
choice is and always has been our own.
34. Let us be conscious of the fact that our
future is being fashioned by the decisions we make.
Answers To Life’s
Questions
M. Russell
Ballard
April 1995
35. Critical to our knowledge of the plan of
happiness is an understanding of the great governing principle of agency. A
person does not have to spend much time in the schoolroom of mortality to
realize that Heavenly Father’s plan does not provide for blissful happiness at
every step along our mortal journey. Life is filled with harsh realities that
tug at the heart and tear away at the soul.
36. One cannot look at suffering, regardless of
its causes or origins, without feeling pain and compassion. I can understand
why someone who lacks an eternal perspective might see the horrifying news
footage of starving children and man’s inhumanity to man and shake a fist at
the heavens and cry, “If there is a God, how could he allow such things to
happen?”
37. The answer is not easy, but it isn’t that
complicated, either. God has put his plan in motion. It proceeds through
natural laws that are, in fact, God’s laws. Since they are his, he is bound by
them, as are we. I recognize for purposes we mortals may not understand, the
Lord can control the elements. For the most part, however, he does not cause
but he allows nature to run its course. In this imperfect world, bad things
sometimes happen. The earth’s rocky underpinnings occasionally shift and move,
resulting in earthquakes. Certain weather patterns cause hurricanes, floods,
tornadoes, and drought.
38. Much adversity is man-made. Men’s hearts turn
cold, and the spirit of Satan controls their actions. In foreseeing the day of
suffering in our time, the Savior said, “The love of men shall wax cold, and
iniquity shall abound” (D&C 45:27).
Violence, immorality, and other evils run rampant on the earth. Much adversity
has its origin in the principle of agency.
39. We tend to think of agency as a personal
matter. If we ask someone to define “moral agency,” the answer will probably be
something like this: “Moral agency means I am free to make choices for myself.”
Often overlooked is the fact that choices have consequences; we forget also
that agency offers the same privilege of choice to others. At times we will be
affected adversely by the way other people choose to exercise their agency. Our
Heavenly Father feels so strongly about protecting our agency that he allows
his children to exercise it, either for good or for evil.
40. This is why making life’s decisions based on
our Heavenly Father’s plan is so important. If we truly believe that we are his
children and are here on earth to learn to live, by faith, the teachings and
the commandments of God and his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, we will make
the choices that will qualify us to one day return to live in their presence.
41. Understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ and
following him as our Savior and our Redeemer will influence every aspect of our
lives, including all of our individual choices. Those who live according to
Heavenly Father’s eternal plan will not want to absorb any information that is
illicit or untoward, nor will they destroy their spiritual sensitivity through
immoral acts or the consumption of any harmful substances. Neither will they
search for doctrinal loopholes to find reasons to challenge the ordained
leadership of the Church nor tamper with the simple truths of the gospel. They
will not attempt to justify any lifestyle that is contrary to the plan of
happiness. If they do any of these things, they will never find the inner peace
and joy that living the gospel brings. All of our Father’s children can seek
prayerfully to know who they are and can find real happiness if they obey God’s
commandments and endure to the end.
