Agency

We have a divine heritage, we are literal spirit children of Heavenly Father, he loves us as our earthly father’s love us. What makes us divine? I believe that the gift of agency sets us apart from the world, and sin. The very nature of sin is captivity, or enslavement. But as children of God we have the gift and power to exercise our agency, we are free from bondage as long as we stay away from sin, which strips us of our agency. My ability to act for myself is evidence of Heavenly Father’s love for me, and I am certain through personal experience that as I choose to follow the Savior my life is happier.

1. “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.”—Elder Perry (General Conference April 2013, Sunday Morning)

2. “As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency, the capacity for independent action and choice. Endowed with agency, you and I are agents, and we primarily are to act and not just be acted upon.”—Elder Bednar (General Conference, October 2006)

3. “Please remember that you and I are agents endowed with moral agency, and we can choose not to be offended.”— Elder Bednar (General Conference, October 2006)

4. “If you judge your actions and the standards of the Church on the basis of where the world is and where it’s going, you will find that you are not where you should be.”-Elder Hales

5. “When we obey the Word of Wisdom, our agency is protected from addictions to substances like alcohol, drugs, and tobacco.”—Elder Hales

6. “One who exercises free agency by faith grows from challenges, is purified by sorrow, and lives at peace. In contrast, one who frantically seeks to satisfy appetite and worldly desire is driven in a downward spiral to tragic depths. Temptation is the motivating influence in his exercise of free agency.”—Elder Scott

7. “We are agents blessed with moral agency and are defined by our divine heritage as children of God—and not by sexual behaviors, contemporary attitudes, or secular philosophies.”—Elder Bendar Ensign, May 2013

8. “Agency is essential to the plan of happiness. It allows for the love, sacrifice, personal growth, and experience necessary for our eternal progression.”—Elder Cook Ensign, May 2013

9. “As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency, the capacity for independent action and choice. Endowed with agency, you and I are agents, and we primarily are to act and not just be acted upon.”—Elder Bednar Ensign, November 2009

10. “Choosing to do what the Lord has defined as right will, in the long run, always lead to the best outcomes”—Elder Scott Ensign November 1998