Agency and Accountability Sacrament Talk

Tori had to give a talk today in church.  She was super nervous, but as always did a WONDERFUL job.  So many people commented to both of us how great of a job she did.  I don't think the notes that she based her talk on can tell you how down to earth and wonderful her talk was, but here they are anyway.

Strength of Youth 

Agency and Accountability

What is agency?

   Agency is “the ability to choose and to act for yourself” (True to the Faith, 12).

   Elder Robert D. Hales said: “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’   

   (2 Nephi 2:26). Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions” 

2 Nephi 

     27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and call things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they 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; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

  ---Continues to say---

     28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;

     29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the devil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.

---FAVORITE PARAGRAPHS IN STRENGTH OF YOUTH

Heavenly Father has given you agency, the ability to choose right from wrong and to act for yourself. Next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct your life is one of God’s greatest gifts to you. While here on earth, you are being proven to see if you will use your agency to show your love for God by keeping His commandments. The Holy Ghost can guide you in using your agency righteously.

You are responsible for the choices you make. God is mindful of you and will help you make good choices, even if your family and friends use their agency in ways that are not right. Have the moral courage to stand firm in obeying God’s will, even if you have to stand alone. As you do this, you set an example for others to follow.

DEUTERONOMY 11 

    26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;

    27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day:

    28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day,

JOSHUA 24

    30 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a cknowledge and he hath made you free.

    31 He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.

In several verses in the scriptures it talks about how we know good from evil and sometimes its gonna be hard to choose, weither its hard because we know the right disition but we want so bad to see what the other choice would be like, or its because we're really not sure. Thats when we need to pray to see weither its a sunrise or a sunset (EXPLAIN THAT) 

MORONI 7

 15 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.

QUESTION AND ANSWER

  @  How can I convince my friends that our standards are really about freedom and are not a burden?

    “The commandments are not a burden or a restriction. Every commandment of the Lord is given for our development, progress, and growth. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: ‘God has designed our happiness. . . . He never will institute an ordinance or give a commandment to His people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness which He has designed’ (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 256)”

   @  What are the consequences of how I use my agency?

   “Your use of [agency] determines your happiness or misery in this life and in the life to come. You are free to choose and act, but you are not free to choose the consequences of your actions. The consequences may not be immediate, but they will always follow.

 

  @  Besides choosing between right and wrong, how else does agency apply to my life?

   “You are . . . responsible for developing the talents and abilities Heavenly Father has given you. You are accountable to Him for what you do with your talents and how you spend your time. Choose to do many good things of your own free will” (For the Strength of Youth, 3).

  @  Why does Heavenly Father allow Satan to tempt us?

   “Satan’s increasing influence in the world is allowed to provide an atmosphere in which to prove ourselves."