Agency
Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and died on the cross at Golgotha so that we may have the agency to choose. We have agency, but we do not get to choose the consequences. It saddens me when I see so many reckless individuals throw away the promptings of the Holy Ghost and the guidelines of Heavenly Father, thinking that they know better. We have agency in this life to choose what we will do and who we will follow, it is the greatest blessing that we have. However, with this choice, we still must accept the consequences. Not only are we proving who we are to God, but we are proving it to ourselves as well. When we allow God and our leaders to guide us through the turmoil and trials of this life, we will preserver. The Lord is there for us, but we must accept His hand to guide us through the darkness.
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"Our agency—our ability to choose and act for ourselves—was an essential element of this plan. Without agency we would be unable to make right choices and progress. Yet with agency we could make wrong choices, commit sin, and lose the opportunity to be with Heavenly Father again. For this reason a Savior would be provided to suffer for our sins and redeem us if we would repent. By His infinite Atonement, He brought about 'the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice.'"
Robert D. Hales, October 2010 General Conference, Saturday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/agency-essential-to-the-plan-of-life?lang=eng&query=agency#watch=video
Robert D. Hales, October 2010 General Conference, Saturday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/agency-essential-to-the-plan-of-life?lang=eng&query=agency#watch=video
"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."
D. Todd Christofferson, October 2009 General Conference, Sunday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/moral-discipline?lang=eng&query=agency
D. Todd Christofferson, October 2009 General Conference, Sunday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/moral-discipline?lang=eng&query=agency
"Though He “was in all points tempted like as we are,” with every choice and every action He exercised the agency to be our Savior—to break the chains of sin and death for us. And by His perfect life, He taught us that when we choose to do the will of our Heavenly Father, our agency is preserved, our opportunities increase, and we progress."
Robert D. Hales, October 2010 General Conference, Saturday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/agency-essential-to-the-plan-of-life?lang=eng&query=agency#watch=video
Robert D. Hales, October 2010 General Conference, Saturday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/agency-essential-to-the-plan-of-life?lang=eng&query=agency#watch=video
"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."
Richard G. Scott, October 1992 General Conference, Sunday Morning Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1992/10/healing-your-damaged-life?lang=eng&query=agency#watch=video
Richard G. Scott, October 1992 General Conference, Sunday Morning Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1992/10/healing-your-damaged-life?lang=eng&query=agency#watch=video
"...Satan strives to persuade us to live outside truth by rationalizing our actions as the right of choice.
"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."
Richard G. Scott, October 1992 General Conference, Sunday Morning Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1992/10/healing-your-damaged-life?lang=eng&query=agency#watch=video
"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."
Richard G. Scott, October 1992 General Conference, Sunday Morning Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1992/10/healing-your-damaged-life?lang=eng&query=agency#watch=video
"As our understanding of obedience deepens, we recognize the essential role of agency. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed three times to His Father in Heaven, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”8 God would not override the Savior’s agency, yet He mercifully sent an angel to strengthen His Beloved Son.
"The Savior met another test on Golgotha, where He could have called upon legions of angels to take Him down from the cross, but He made His own choice to obediently endure to the end and complete His atoning sacrifice, even though it meant great suffering, even death."
Robert D. Hales, April 2014 General Conference, Saturday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/if-ye-love-me-keep-my-commandments?lang=eng&query=agency#watch=video
"The Savior met another test on Golgotha, where He could have called upon legions of angels to take Him down from the cross, but He made His own choice to obediently endure to the end and complete His atoning sacrifice, even though it meant great suffering, even death."
Robert D. Hales, April 2014 General Conference, Saturday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/if-ye-love-me-keep-my-commandments?lang=eng&query=agency#watch=video
"Our love of the Savior is the key to Savior-like obedience. As we strive to be obedient in today’s world, we declare our love and respect for all of Heavenly Father’s children. Yet it is impossible for this love for others to modify God’s commandments, which were given for our good!"
Robert D. Hales, April 2014 General Conference, Saturday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/if-ye-love-me-keep-my-commandments?lang=eng&query=agency#watch=video
Robert D. Hales, April 2014 General Conference, Saturday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/if-ye-love-me-keep-my-commandments?lang=eng&query=agency#watch=video
"Agency is a divine gift to you. You are free to choose what you will be and what you will do. And you are not without help. Counsel with your parents is a privilege at any age. Prayer provides communication with your Heavenly Father and invites the promptings of personal revelation. And in certain circumstances, consultation with professional advisers and with your local leaders in the Church may be highly advisable, especially when very difficult decisions must be made."
Russell M. Nelson, October 1990 General Conference, Sunday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/choices?lang=eng&query=agency
Russell M. Nelson, October 1990 General Conference, Sunday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/choices?lang=eng&query=agency
"The proper exercise of moral agency requires faith. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel. (See A of F 1:4.) Because of Him, you have your agency. He must be the very foundation of your faith, and the testing of that faith is a fundamental reason for your freedom to choose."
Russell M. Nelson, October 1990 General Conference, Sunday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/choices?lang=eng&query=agency
Russell M. Nelson, October 1990 General Conference, Sunday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/choices?lang=eng&query=agency
"I knew what agency was and knew how important it was to be individual and to be independent, to be free. I somehow knew there was one thing the Lord would never take from me, and that was my free agency. I would not surrender my agency to any being but to Him! I determined that I would give Him the one thing that He would never take—my agency. I decided, by myself, that from that time on I would do things His way.
That was a great trial for me, for I thought I was giving away the most precious thing I possessed. I was not wise enough in my youth to know that because I exercised my agency and decided myself, I was not losing it. It was strengthened!"
Boyd K. Packer, April 1976 General Conference, Saturday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1976/04/spiritual-crocodiles?lang=eng&query=agency
That was a great trial for me, for I thought I was giving away the most precious thing I possessed. I was not wise enough in my youth to know that because I exercised my agency and decided myself, I was not losing it. It was strengthened!"
Boyd K. Packer, April 1976 General Conference, Saturday Afternoon Session
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1976/04/spiritual-crocodiles?lang=eng&query=agency