At a weekly devotional held on Tuesday, February 8, BYU-Hawaii heard from Director of Communications at BYU-Idaho Bruce Hobbs. Brother Hobbs titled his talk, “Behold Here is the Agency of Man.”
“Everything you need to be successful is [at BYU-Hawaii,] but you must do your part. Success will not come without planning, patience, and diligent, consistent effort. It will not happen without the proper exercise of your agency. You must ‘act for yourselves.’ (2 Nephi 2: 16) You must choose to obey the commandments. You must choose to seek after and follow the Savior.”
Brother Hobbs shared how President Monson prayed for us during the rededication of the Laie Temple. “President Monson is praying for you. He knows Satan is trying to defeat you. If you let him, Satan will gently lead you down a path that will rob you of your blessings. But Heavenly Father is mindful of us. We can know right from wrong,” said Brother Hobbs.
“Always remember that God is with you. Though these islands are in the middle of the ocean, He has directed the work here. He sent His missionaries. He established His Church. He placed the temple here. This is His university. He brought you here. Through the years, millions of people have dreamed of coming to these islands. Make no mistake, Satan is also aware of BYU-Hawaii and of the work the Lord is doing here. He is here placing distractions and temptations in your way: casual behavior, worldliness, alcohol and drugs, pornography, and immorality,” he said.
Brother Hobbs mentioned a few gifts that will helps us avoid the temptations of Satan. The first is prayer. “We must never neglect prayer. Constant, meaningful prayer is our lifeline to our Heavenly Father and His love. It reflects our sincere desire to know Him and demonstrates our willingness to humble ourselves and seek His will and not our own,” he said.
Second are the scriptures. “Consistent daily scripture study will keep us on the straight path,” advised Brother Hobbs.
Third is the Spirit of Christ. “This spirit is so important to our progression. Remember, Satan is an interrupter and a distracter…With the spirit of Christ we can recognize Satan and his deceptions,” he said.
Fourth, are the true messengers including angels and priesthood leaders. He admonished that if we follow their council then we will be protected from the adversary and guided through life.
Fifth is the gift of the Holy Ghost. Brother Hobbs quoted President Henry B. Eyring said, “Let us do whatever is required to qualify for the Holy Ghost as our companion, and then let us go forward fearlessly so that we will be given the powers to do whatever the Lord calls us to do.”
Sixth is the temple. “In the temple we are taught patterns for life. We see how our Heavenly Father organizes and teaches. These patterns will be a model for our lives and for our homes,” said Brother Hobbs.
Seventh is His Son. “Our Savior is a very special gift from our Father. He came to earth as an infant, born in humble and lowly circumstances. His atoning sacrifice is essential for our progression, but so too is His perfect example,” he said.
In conclusion, Brother Hobbs said, “While you are here at BYU-Hawaii, you can become disciples of Jesus Christ. You can help spread the gospel throughout the earth and assist in the establishment of Zion. But Satan would have you shirk your responsibilities, deny your gifts, and seek your own interests. He can’t force us to make poor choices, but he can influence us to follow the ways of the world. Disobedience, casual behavior, worldliness can lead us into dangerous territory. We cannot forget who we are and what we should be doing.”
To read a full transcript of Brother Hobbs' talk, click here.
Photo by Monique Saenz.