Agency

“How well I know that among learned men are those who look down at animals and stones to find the origin of man. They do not look inside themselves to find the spirit there. They train themselves to measure things by time, by thousands and by millions, and say these animals called men all came by chance. And this they are free to do, for agency is theirs.”

     “Atonement, Agency, Accountability,” Boyd K. Packer, Ensign April 1988

“Our agency is essential to the plan of salvation. With it we are “free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil.”

     “Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life,” Russell M. Nelson, Ensign Oct. 2010



“Next to life itself, free agency is God’s greatest gift to mankind.”

     Harold B. Lee in “Obedience to Law is Liberty,” Richard G. Scott, Ensign April 2013

“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.”

     “Moral Discipline,” D. Todd Christofferson, Ensign, October 2009



“Warn them that they will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break. I call this the cafeteria approach to obedience. This practice of picking and choosing will not work. It will lead to misery."

     “Face the Future With Faith,” Russell M. Nelson, Ensign, May 2011



"You have agency, and you are free to choose. But there is actually no free agency. Agency has its price. You have to pay the consequences of your choices."

     “On the Wings of Eagles,” Dieter F. Utchdorf, BYU Devotional, July 2006



"Because the eternal principle of agency gives us the freedom to choose and think for ourselves, we should become increasingly able to solve problems. We may make the occasional mistake, but as long as we are following gospel principles and guidelines, we can learn from those mistakes and become more understanding of others and more effective in serving them."

     “O Be Wise,” M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, Nov. 2006



"Do we have a guide to help us choose the right and avoid dangerous detours? I have tried to pattern my life after the Master. Whenever I have a difficult decision to make, I have looked at that picture and asked myself, “What would He do?” Then I try to do it. We can never go wrong when we choose to follow the Savior."

     “Choose You This Day,” Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Nov. 2004



"Our agency, given us through the plan of our Father, is the great alternative to Satan’s plan of force. With this sublime gift, we can grow, improve, progress, and seek perfection. Without agency, none of us could grow and develop by learning from our mistakes and errors and those of others…. I do not really think the devil can make us do anything. Certainly he can tempt and he can deceive, but he has no authority over us that we do not give him."

     “The Forces That Will Save Us,” James E. Faust, First Presidency Message, January 2007



"You and I were among those who used their agency to accept Heavenly Father’s plan to come to earth, to have a mortal life, to progress. “We shouted for joy … to have the opportunity of coming to the earth to receive bodies [for we knew] that we might become, through faithfulness, like unto our Father, God.” Now we are here on earth, where opportunities to use our agency abound; for here “there is an opposition in all things.” This opposition is essential to the purpose of our lives."

     “To Act For Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency,” Robert D. Hales, Ensign, April 2006

My Testimony

I have come to realize so much more about agency, how it works in our salvation, and especially that we will choose to give our agency up to one of two people. With faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His atonement we will choose to give away our choices for the choices He would have us make, sacrificing our will for the Lord’s will. If we do not act in faith we will choose to “keep our agency” by doing what we want and not what the Lord wants. When we do this we give our agency to Satan. Both God and Satan take our agency and invest it. God will invest it in our future and we will have the ability to make all choices necessary now and into the eternities, in essence we will have an incomprehensible return on our investment. When we invest with Satan we view ourselves as being able to choose whatever we want and being unrestricted by anyone or thing, but ultimately our return will be nothing and we will not having anything for our future. I’m so grateful for a God and a Father who trusts me enough to choose to return to Him again.