A Land Prepared for Liberty and the Restoration

2 Nephi 10:11 - "And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles."

Elder George Q. Cannon - "We live under a Government, the best that ever was formed by man upon this earth—a Government in which every human being can live without interfering with the rights of others in the practice of the principles which God reveals. God has purposely arranged this. He raised up wise men to lay the foundation of this Government, and He defended them against the mother country, and enabled them to achieve victory over the greatest power there was upon the face of the earth—the power of Great Britain. He gave them power to form a Constitution under which every man and woman can dwell in perfect freedom—that is, if they wanted to do right. This land has been dedicated to liberty, dedicated by the Lord our God, and by men who have lived upon this land, to liberty, and as long as this land shall be a land of liberty it will be a blessed land to the inhabitants thereof."

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Transcript

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Welcome to Speak This Jesus, a daily podcast dedicated to drawing closer to the Savior through the powerful truths found in the Book of Mormon. Each episode, we focus on one verse that helps us walk more faithfully in his footsteps.

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Freedom is one of the great gifts God gives his children. Without freedom, we cannot fully choose righteousness, worship according to conscience, repent, serve others, or follow Jesus Christ. Agency is central to God's plan, and throughout history there have been many governments, rulers, and systems that have limited the ability of people to choose. When leaders force religion, prevent worship or control the thoughts and actions of the people, spiritual growth is limited because agency is restricted. The Lord knew that the restoration of the gospel would require a place where truth could be preached openly and where people could worship according to their beliefs. He prepared a land where people could gather, read the scriptures, form churches, and follow God without kings or rulers, forcing them into one religion or another. This liberty was not an accident of history. It was part of the Lord's plan. Second Nephi tense eleven states And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land who shall raise up unto the Gentiles. As we study this verse along with teachings from Elder George Buchanan, we will consider what it means to value liberty, protect agency, and focus our lives on the Savior Jesus Christ. Jacob taught that this land would be a land of liberty. That promise was important because the Lord knew the restoration could not happen in a place where kings ruled over the consciences of the people. Throughout history, many governments controlled religion. Some rulers forced people to belong to a certain church. Others punished people for worshiping differently. Some governments even tried to remove religion completely. The Lord prepared a nation where people could choose. The freedoms found in the United States allowed Joseph Smith to pray, allowed the Book of Mormon to be published, allowed missionaries to preach, and allowed people to gather with saints. Without those freedoms the restoration would have been much more difficult. This verse also reminds us that the Lord is involved in the affairs of nations. He is not distant from the rise and fall of governments. He prepares conditions so his work can move forward. The freedoms that exist in this land are blessings from God and should never be taken for granted. Elder George Q. Cannon taught We live under a government, the best that ever was formed by man upon this earth. A government in which every human being can live without interfering with the rights of others in the practice of the principles which God reveals. God has purposely arranged this. He raised up wise men to lay the foundation of this government and he defended them against the mother country, and enabled them to achieve victory over the greatest power there was upon the face of the earth, the power of Great Britain. He gave them power to form a constitution on which every man and woman can dwell in perfect freedom, that is, if they wanted to do right. This land has been dedicated to liberty, dedicated by the Lord our God, and by men who have lived upon this land to liberty, and as long as this land shall be a land of liberty, it will be a blessed land to the inhabitants thereof. The Lord raised up wise leaders and allowed a government to be formed that protected freedom. Those freedoms made it possible for the gospel to be restored and spread throughout the world. The liberty spoken of in this verse is not only political liberty, it's also spiritual liberty. Freedom is important because it allows us to choose whom we will follow. God does not force righteousness. He invites, teaches, warns, and encourages, but he allows us to decide. Satan's plan was built around control. He wanted to force everyone to obey. Heavenly Father's plan was built around agency. He allows us to choose good or evil, light or darkness, obedience or rebellion. That is why liberty matters so much in the gospel. When we have the freedom to worship, study the scriptures, attend church, teach our families, and live our beliefs, we have opportunities that many people throughout history did not have. Many disciples of Christ lived in times when they could not own scriptures, could not gather openly, could not speak freely about their beliefs. Because we have liberty, we also have responsibility. Freedom is not meant to lead us away from God, it is meant to help us come closer to Him. We should use our freedom to choose righteousness, defend truth, and bless the lives of others. A land of liberty only remains blessed when the people living there value truth, goodness, and moral responsibility. When people reject God completely, use freedom selfishly, or seek to control others, liberty begins to weaken. Freedom works best when people willingly choose what is right. We may not live under kings, but there are still many influences in the world that try to control our thinking, our values and our choices. Social pressure, entertainment, politics, popular opinion, and worldly trends can all become modern forms of control if we are not careful. We live in a time when it is easy to let other voices become louder than the voice of God. We can be pressured to stay silent about our beliefs, to lower our standards, or to follow the crowd instead of following Jesus Christ. We may not face a king on a throne, but we still face pressures that try to rule our hearts. Because we live in a land of liberty, we have the blessing of choosing how we will live. We can choose to pray, we can choose to study the scriptures, we can choose to worship, we can choose to stand for truth in a loving and respectful way. We can choose to use our freedom to become more like Jesus Christ. Liberty is a blessing, but it is also a stewardship. We should never become casual about the freedoms we enjoy. We should thank God for them, use them wisely, and remember that the greatest use of freedom is to choose righteousness. So here is today's challenge. Take a few minutes today to thank Heavenly Father for the freedoms we enjoy. Think about one way liberty has blessed our ability to follow Jesus Christ. Then choose one specific thing we can do this week to use our freedom in a better way. Whether that is spending more time in the Scriptures, praying more sincerely, standing for truth or helping someone else come closer to Christ. Thank you for listening to Seek This Jesus. I hope this message helps you draw a little closer to the Savior Jesus Christ. Please, don't let this podcast be your only scripture time today. As we open the scriptures for ourselves, the Spirit will teach us things no podcast ever could. If you are exploring the truths of the Book of Mormon for the first time, you can receive a free copy using the link in the description found in every episode of Seek This Jesus. I invite you to come back tomorrow for another verse and message to help you stay focused on Jesus Christ. Until next time, keep seeking this Jesus.