The 1st conference talk is Elder Robert D Hales and the subject is on agency; I am going to past a few thoughts that impress my spirit and then after each quote make a few observations:

"men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil." This sacred instruction began in the heavens. There, in a Grand Council, our Heavenly Father would continue the gift of agency to prove us here in mortality, "to see if [we] will do all things whatsoever the Lord [our] God shall command."

As you know agency is what our Heavenly Father wanted each of us to have and our ability to have this great gift is what mortality is all about. Now we must choose whom we will follow, whom we will listen to, whom we will obey

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. As Lehi explained, "To bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, . . . the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other."

This one is very obvious; without opposites we can not make choices.

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
Sometimes we forget that our Heavenly Father desires that each of us have this joy. Only by yielding to temptation and sin can we be kept from that joy. And yielding is exactly what Satan wants us to do. President Spencer W. Kimball said the adversary can never have joy unless you and I sin."

Hevenly Father wants us to have joy and satan wants us to be miserable like he is; what do we want joy or misery?

the adversary cannot make us do anything. every decision we make, we are either choosing to move in his direction or in the direction of our Savior

I know that sometimes I sure feel like the adversary can make me do things but I really do understand that all he can do is entice; I make the choice thru my weakness to yeild to his temtations or thru the strength of God run from him as Joseph did and seek peace in my Lord

Are we following on the strait and narrow path that leads to God and eternal life? Are we holding onto the iron rod, or are we going another way? I testify that how we choose to feel and think and act every day is the way we get on the path, and stay on it, until we reach our eternal destination.

This is a good to day to answer this question for ourself. What path am I on?

Now, none of us are on the narrow path all of the time. All of us make mistakes. That is why Lehi, who understood the Savior's role in preserving and reclaiming our agency, taught Jacob—and us: "The Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon."

Oh how thankful I am for our Savior; truly as we follow him we will be free forever.

The promptings that come to us to flee evil reflect our Heavenly Father's understanding of our particular strengths and weaknesses and His awareness of the unforeseen circumstances of our lives. When these promptings come, they will not generally stop us in our tracks, for the Spirit of God does not speak with a voice of thunder. The voice will be as soft as a whisper, coming as a thought to our minds or a feeling in our hearts. By heeding its gentle promptings, we will be protected from the destructive consequences of sin.

I testify that there is no greater gift God has given us than his spirit; we can know all that we should do as we follow his promptings; is there a greater blessing than to be protected from satan and his influence and consequences (misery)?

May I suggest a few basic choices that you can begin to make now—this very day.

Choose to accept—truly accept—that you are a child of God, that He loves you, and that He has the power to help you.

Choose to put everything—literally everything—on the altar before Him. Believing that you are His child, decide that your life belongs to Him and that you will use your agency to do His will. You may do this multiple times in your life, but never, never give up.

Choose to put yourself in a position to have experiences with the Spirit of God through prayer, in scripture study, at Church meetings, in your home, and through wholesome interactions with others.

Choose to obey and keep your covenants, beginning with your baptismal covenant. Renew these covenants weekly by worthily partaking of the sacrament.

Choose to prepare to worthily attend the temple, make and renew sacred covenants, and receive all of the saving ordinances and blessings of the gospel.

Finally, and most importantly, choose to believe in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Accept the Savior's forgiveness, and then forgive yourself. Because of His sacrifice for you, He has the power to "remember [your sins] no more." You must do likewise.

Finally, remember our agency is not only for us. We have the responsibility to use it in behalf of others, to lift and strengthen others in their trials and tribulations. Our use of agency determines who we are and what we will be.

I add my testimony to Elder Hales; I know that following his suggestions above we will find freedom from the influences of satan and joy in doing the things that the Lord wants us to. May each of us find this joy and share it with each other and those we are blessed to come into contact with each day.

Love Mom, Dad and Margaret