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Our Father in Heaven respects our freedom to choose and will never force
us to do what is right, nor will He impede us from making mediocre
choices. His invitation, however, concerning this important and vital
gift is clearly expressed in the scriptures: “But behold, that which is
of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every
thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to
serve him, is inspired of God.”
Choices have consequences attached, which may or may not be manifested immediately after our decisions.
"Gifts to Help us Navigate our lives" Jose A. Teixeira General Conference April 2009
"These Things I Know" Boyd K. Packer General Conference April 2013
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"Obedience to Law is Liberty" L. Tom Perry General Conference April 2013
"Obedience to Law is Liberty" L. Tom Perry General Conference April 2013
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"Learning the Lessons of the Past" Elder M. Russell Ballard General Conference April 2009
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"Personal Peace: The Reward of Righteousness" Quentin L. Cook General Conference April 2013
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We
are free to choose what we will and to pick and choose our acts, but we
are not free to choose the consequences. They come as they will come.
Agency
is defined in the scriptures as “moral agency,” which means that we can
choose between good and evil. The adversary seeks to tempt us to misuse
our moral agency. . .
All are born with the Light of Christ, a guiding influence which permits
each person to recognize right from wrong. What we do with that light
and how we respond to those promptings to live righteously is part of
the test of mortality.
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We
recognize that when God the Eternal Father presented His plan to us at
the beginning of time, Satan wanted to alter the plan. He said he would
redeem all mankind. Not one soul would be lost, and Satan was confident
he could deliver on his proposal. But there was an unacceptable cost—the
destruction of man’s agency, which was and is a gift given by God.
About this gift, President Harold B. Lee said, “Next to life itself,
free agency is God’s greatest gift to mankind.”
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.
Satan,
however, was not done. His backup plan—the plan he has been executing
since the time of Adam and Eve—was to tempt men and women, essentially
to prove we are undeserving of the God-given gift of agency. . .
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.”
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Men and women receive their agency as a gift from God, but their liberty
and, in turn, their eternal happiness come from obedience to His laws.
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Our Heavenly Father loves all of His children, and He wants them all to
have the blessings of the gospel in their lives. Spiritual light is not
lost because God turns His back on His children. Rather, spiritual
darkness results when His children turn their collective backs on Him.
It is a natural consequence of bad choices made by individuals,
communities, countries, and entire civilizations.
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Agency is essential to the plan of happiness.
It allows for the love,
sacrifice, personal growth, and experience necessary for our eternal
progression. This agency also allows for all the pain and suffering we
experience in mortality, even when caused by things we do not understand
and the devastating evil choices of others. The very War in Heaven was
waged over our moral agency and is essential to understanding the
Savior’s earthly ministry.
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. . . Use your agency to develop yourself personally. As you discover your
gifts and talents, remember that parents and mentors may assist you, but
you must let the Spirit guide you. Choose and act for yourself. Be
motivated from within. Make a plan for your life, including education or
vocational training. Explore interests and skills. Work and become
self-reliant. Set goals, overcome mistakes, gain experience, and finish
what you begin.
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The fundamental purposes for the gift of agency were to love one another
and to choose God.
Thus we become God’s chosen and invite His tender
mercies as we use our agency to choose God.
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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.
But if we ignore those promptings, the light of the Spirit will fade.
Our agency will be limited or lost, and we will lose the confidence and
ability to act. We will be “walking in [spiritual] darkness at
noon-day.”
Then how easy it is to wander into strange paths and become
lost! How quickly we are bound in the chains of sin spoken of by Lehi to
his rebellious sons.
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. . . 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.
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