The Power of Their Influences

I saw this photo/quote posted on Facebook, where I get most of my inspiration for blog posts these days. I like this quote because it basically say that no matter how much God or Satan want to influence our lives, it's up to us to make the decisions. God can't lead us to safety if we don't follow Him, and Satan can't drag us down to hell without our consent, either. They can and do both whisper in our ears, trying to lead us down one path or another, trying to encourage us or discourage us, trying help us or hurt us, but in the end, it's all up to us. Satan can't force us to make bad decisions, and God won't force us to make good ones. He respects our agency so much that He lets us choose whether we follow Him or the adversary, and He has made sure that the adversary can't make that choice for us.

Every decision involves a struggle. Will we choose good or evil? And it's an important question because our decisions are the only ones that matter. We all know what God wants us to do (vaguely. The specifics can get a little fuzzy). And Satan has made it very clear what he wants us to do. But what they want doesn't really matter, at least, not for individuals. Each individual must choose for themselves which whispering voice they're going to listen to, the one that tells them to do good, or the one that tells them to do evil. The choice is ours. We make the decisions. We carry out the actions. It's all us.

As much as we talk about the power of God, there are self-imposed limits to what He will do. He won't help us unless we do something to show that we want His help. He won't force us to do good. And Satan only has as much power over people as they give to him. He can tempt us, and those temptations can feel very strong, but he can't make us give in. God will not allow Satan to tempt us beyond our power to resist. (1 Cor. 10: 13) The choice is always ours.

It's up to us to have the strength of character and the will-power to make the right decisions. God can help us, but only if we let Him. Satan will try to control us, but he can only do that if we let him. Ignore the devil's temptations, call upon God, and try to keep the commandments and follow the prophets. God can be a mighty defender and a powerful influence for good in our lives, but only if we let Him.