On Saturday Beck and I went to the Stake Conference for adults and one of the young women was speaking about agency. It caused me to think about agency vs addiction. I then started putting together an outline in my mind of what I would talk about if I was called on to speak about addiction. Here’s some of what I thought about:
I’m going to give you two definitions; I want you to listen to them both and then write down in your mind what the definition is describing.
…the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.
…the condition of being abnormally dependent on some habit, esp compulsive dependency on narcotic drugs
…a persistent dependence on a harmful behavior or substance.
And here’s the other one:
…the gift to choose for ourselves.
…the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and to act for ourselves.
What did you write in your minds?
The correct answers are Addiction and Agency.
They are polar opposites!
Words that come to mind when I think of addiction: enslaved, trapped, bound, stuck, sad, angry, hopeless, ensnared, tied down, chains, flaxen cords, no freedom, misery, Satan.
Words that come to mind when I think about agency: freedom, happiness, hopefulness, options, opportunity, choice, will, Heavenly Father.
One primary issue in the conflict between God and Satan is agency. Agency is a precious gift from God; it is essential to His plan for His children. In Satan’s rebellion against God, Satan “sought to destroy the agency of man” (Moses 4:3). He said: “I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor” (Moses 4:1).
Satan’s entire plan is based on taking away our agency, or, in other words, getting us to fall into addiction. He wants us to be “miserable like unto himself”. If I want to follow Satan, giving in to addictive tendencies is what I can do. His goal is to “deceive and to blind men”.
The scriptures warn:
“Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
“And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.” (Moses 4:3–4.)
And:
“…all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, … and inviteth and enticeth to sin.” (Moro. 7:12.)
The Savior said,
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
Today many of us are trying to serve two masters—the Lord and our own selfish interests—without offending the devil. The influence of God, our Eternal Father, urges us, pleads with us, and inspires us to follow him. In contrast, the power of Satan urges us to disbelieve and disregard God’s commandments.
In 1987, President Faust said the following about Satan and his team:
“I think we will witness increasing evidence of Satan’s power as the kingdom of God grows stronger. I believe Satan’s ever-expanding efforts are some proof of the truthfulness of this work. In the future the opposition will be both more subtle and more open. It will be masked in greater sophistication and cunning, but it will also be more blatant. We will need greater spirituality to perceive all of the forms of evil and greater strength to resist it.”
How true this is – Satan is more subtle and more in your face. He’s more crafty yet more blatantly obvious. He’s pulling out all his weapons to try to ensnare us in his traps.
These scriptures describe so clearly what Satan is doing all the time:
“And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
“And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.”
It’s the little things: Facebook, social media, sins of ommission like not making the time to read or pray or do home teaching or magnify one’s calling, watching inappropriate TV or movies – sure, to many none of this stuff is really “that bad”. But, to me, these things are doing exactly what the scripture is saying – “pacify, and lull [us] away into carnal security…”
I thinks it’s interesting that they associate Satan with “carnal security”. To be carnal is hell, but to be spiritual is life eternal.
For so many years I’ve submitted, off and on, to the “carnal Nate” – basically going with whatever, or not making the time to feed myself spiritually. This carnal submission nearly lost me all that is most important to me; this carnal submission was the reason I was always angry with myself and others; this carnal submission is serving the wrong master – Satan – who wants me to be miserable like he is (and I have been miserable when I follow his plan).
This quote by C.S. Lewis is so right on:
Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. (The Screwtape Letters (New York: Macmillan, 1961), pages 64–65.)
To be spiritually minded is where I want to be. It can seem a bit overwhelming if I think ahead and realize that this is something I’ll have to work on for the rest of my life. However, I feel this is the purpose of the statement “One day at a time.“
All I have to worry about is TODAY. If I think about things that way, it’s not so overwhelming. I know that if I submit my will to God today, things will “work together for my good”. I know that today is really the only day that matters to Heavenly Father. Tomorrow doesn’t exist and yesterday is over. All I can do about yesterday is repent of the mistakes I made and learn from those mistakes.
Today is the day that I choose to submit my will to Him.
Today is the day I choose to server the right master.
Today I love Becky and my family and my Heavenly Father.
Today I will work to be my best self.
I’m grateful I got up today and made this the priority.
I’m grateful that Becky loves me.
I’m grateful that I’ve been given one last chance to have Heavenly Father help me overcome my addiction.
I’m grateful that today is a new day where I can choose to serve Him.
I’m grateful for the gospel which puts me on a sure foundation.
I’m grateful for my testimony of this truth.
Hasta manana!
Nate
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